Chicago dyes its river green; New London, Wisconsin, changes all its signage to New Dublin for the day; Portland, Maine, takes a Paddy’s Day Plunge into the freezing cold Atlantic Ocean; even a Commander at the International Space Station sings “Danny Boy.” No city, however, celebrates St. Patrick’s (Paddy’s) Day quite like Boston, Massachusetts—at least […]
My mother’s dream was to be a writer. Yet, in an immigrant household, her acceptance to NYU for English was eclipsed by the glaring pressure to pursue the medical field. She went to the University of Akron for a seven-year medical program instead. I imagine that my mother always wondered what her life could have […]
There’s this idea that it is “‘beneath the dignity of an Ivy League school to train teachers,’” points out Walter Isaacson ’74, former CEO of CNN and graduate of Harvard College, quoted in an article by The Atlantic. It’s pretty normal to ask someone what their plans are after college. Most commonly, when I eavesdrop […]
Deep in the bowels of political social media, there is an ongoing debate about humor’s role in our society. Some believe that satire and ridicule are a necessary component to ensure our society has a healthy relationship with politics. If we take everything seriously and lose the ability to laugh, we are just pushing our […]
Picture this: You are a Harvard student sitting in your dorm, post-everything shower, in formal attire and dress shoes. This time, to your surprise, you actually do have plans, albeit arranged by the First-Year Social Committee (FYSC)—the First-Year Formal. A Great Gatsby themed endeavor, the Committee transported students back a century as they draped Annenberg […]
Let’s set the scene. You’re home for break and are sitting at the dinner table, ready to enjoy a nice, non-HUDS meal when your second uncle thrice removed throws a pointed question your way. “What do YOU think about Claudine Gay’s resignation? Does Harvard HATE Jews? And what about affirmative action? What do YOU have […]
In the wake of the overturning of affirmative action by the Supreme Court, all aspects of the college admissions process were placed under greater scrutiny. The Supreme Court’s decision blocks colleges from consciously building a racially diverse class, and, as a result, it is more important than ever that Harvard examine its metrics for admission […]
In light of the recurring discussions about college admissions after the Supreme Court decision to ban Affirmative Action, there is a repeated query related to test-optional policies directed toward top universities. Many voices criticize the “holistic” college admissions call for re-introducing the mandatory testing policy, arguing that this is a fair and (as suggested by […]
Around this time last February, my eyes sprung open as the morning light flooded my 10 ft. x 10 ft. dorm room. Icy wind chilled the side of my body through the window I intentionally placed next to the head of my bed and cracked open as far as dorm regulations would allow. I hated […]
There’s a rainbow Starbucks tumbler that sits on the corner of my bookshelf in my dorm. In high school, I brought this cup to school every day, disguising the can of Celsisus inside. The notion of parading the exposed can used to induce a peculiar embarrassment within me. But within the hallowed halls of Harvard, […]