Point / Counterpoint: Remy the Cat vs Sasha the Dog
Tackling the age-old-Harvard debate, once and for all, who is Harvard’s most supreme pet?
At Harvard, competition is everywhere, extending beyond student organizations and rivalries with lesser-known colleges in Connecticut. Even Harvard’s most beloved animals have become the center of a fierce debate: Who is the true sweetheart of campus? The first contestant is Sasha, the Harvard University Police Department’s charismatic K9 officer, whose appearances at campus events, sports […]
The Controversy of Altered Consciousness
The Harvard Undergraduate Psychedelics Club demystifies the modern conversation on psychedelic policy.
“Turn on, tune in, drop out.” In other words: use your intuition, connect, and never conform. This mantra of psychedelic counterculture was coined by Harvard Psychology professor Timothy Leary, who taught from 1959-1963. Leary was in charge of the Harvard Psilocybin Project, a set of experiments where often both researcher and subject ingested psychedelic substances. […]
The Add/Drop Period
The social warfare of picking a blocking group.
Gruesome battles, horrific confrontations, broken alliances, and the looming threat of another world war? Nope, it’s just blocking season for Harvard first-year students. With Housing Day just around the corner, it is time for this year’s batch of first-years to scramble around looking for their ride-or-die squad. What seems to be a simple decision is […]
Un Cambio de Aires: A Solo Weekend in Madrid
What I learned on my first weekend trip away from Paris.
More often than not, I love spontaneity. However, a weekend getaway spontaneously becoming my first-ever solo trip was not the type of spontaneity I typically embrace. As a person who “doesn’t usually seek out alone time,” I was about to embark on a four-day weekend in Madrid, Spain completely on my own. I confronted this […]
Tunes and Touchdowns
Kendrick Lamar’s halftime performance was a powerful homage to culture and society.
This year, for the first time in my life, I voluntarily tuned into the Super Bowl. I am probably the furthest one can get from a football fan, but after days of listening to the frequent murmurs of excitement that Kendrick Lamar would be taking the stage during halftime, I decided it would be worthwhile […]
Love as Defiance: Celebrating Valentine’s Day in 2025 Amid Political Uncertainty
How acts of love are serving as resistance in a time of divisive politics.
As I sit cross-legged on my common room sofa, it’s hard not to notice the vibrant Valentine’s Day decorations adorning each corner of the room—strings of heart-shaped “Be Mine” notes and pink tissue paper are draped across the walls. But as I settle into the room, the ambiance is interrupted by the abrasive comments of […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should You Take “Gems?”
A discussion on how students’ perceptions of gems reflect a broader academic mindset.
At Harvard, the term “gems” is used by students to describe courses that, like a gemstone, are desirable to all: minimal work for an easy A. With a hungering survival instinct to maintain the highest possible GPA, it is no wonder that Harvard students might prefer the easiest classes. Often, students turn to General Education […]
Point/Counterpoint: What’s Your “Type?”
A point/counterpoint on hand-writing versus typing notes.
Kate: I refuse to take notes on paper in class. The moment I walk into any lecture, my bag hits the ground and I quickly open my computer. My Google Drive tab is already pulled up, and within seconds, I create a new document in its assigned folder and begin pre-formatting the page. On the […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: A New GOAT
An examination of why Future is the greatest rapper of all time.
Last March in “Family Matters,” Drake infamously said, “Kendrick just opened his mouth, someone go hand him a Grammy,” during their back-and-forth diss tracks. When the Grammys rolled around, Kendrick Lamar’s “Not Like Us” won five Grammys, including awards for both song and music video. While “Not Like Us” was widely praised, Drake’s comment raises […]
I Now Pronounce You Debt Free
Why you should ditch the cheap chocolate and get married this Valentine’s Day.
Like many members of Gen Z, I’ve come to question the institution of marriage. Once seen as a lifelong commitment, it now feels more like a fragile contract—nearly 50% of marriages in the United States end in divorce. Add the traditions rooted in misogyny, the cost of throwing a wedding in this economy, and the […]
The Tragedy of the Comment
How dating apps turn desire into dependency.
In the age of social media, the mechanism of desire is caught within the machinery of repetition and addiction. Nowhere is this clearer than in online dating, where the exchange of affect is indistinguishable from mass production. The platforms that claim to liberate the subject by granting them access to infinite potential suitors only further […]
Paris Vous Aime: Feeling Loved by the City of Love
How an extrovert never feels lonely while soloing abroad.
I don’t seek out alone time. I don’t actively avoid it—though my packed G-Cal might suggest otherwise—I simply prefer company. I’m an extrovert, so being surrounded by people, any number, energizes me. At Harvard, this means countless lunches, dinners, club meetings, and working in social spaces where I can always have people around me. Applied […]
A Space for Grief
Where can we go after loss changes our communities forever?
You have one message unread. Text messages have become my new norm for receiving bad news. Fresh off the high of finishing my college applications, I was heading home when my phone buzzed. A seemingly blasé occurrence, I glanced at my iMessage notifications and froze. Your Opa has just passed away. My Opa (German for […]
to love me, to love me not
every year when valentine’s day rolls around, i find myself questioning my current understanding of love. sure, this holiday is conventionally focused on secret admirers and forever soulmates. however, my upbringing, shaped by trauma rather than tenderness, leaves me wondering if i can recognize, let alone celebrate, such a loaded emotion. a few weeks ago, […]
Tales of a Failed Situationship
The One with the Ghoster On a campus with so many students, the world often feels unexpectedly small. It raises the question: is it truly possible to ghost someone? For those who have been the unfortunate victim, you eventually reach the point where you stop waiting for the text back and instead look forward to […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: On the Male Crisis
How the erosion of social structures is leaving men behind.
We have entered a loneliness epidemic. Humans are wired for connection, yet modern life has left many men more isolated than ever. Yet, while loneliness has increasingly been recognized as a public health emergency for all, men face unique challenges—they are less likely to seek emotional support and, as of 2022, are at a higher […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: The Apathy Industry
Examining the rise of desensitization in modern culture.
As I sat on my flight back to school last weekend, I found myself immersed in a spectacle of violence and eroticism radiating from the screens around me. A man two rows ahead of me was engrossed in a brutal shootout, while another nearby watched two men fight to the death with their bare knuckles. […]
Chocolat Chaud, Pas Planète Chaude: Environmentalism the Parisian Way
A winter in Paris has shown me how the French embrace sustainability unlike America’s convenience culture.
From December through February, the first thing I did when I got home from middle school was whip up a big pot of hot chocolate to thaw myself after braving the cold of Midwestern winters. Save for an uncharacteristic cold spell the first week I was here, Paris has thankfully proven milder than Cleveland, Ohio, […]
TikTok or TikToxic: Scrolling Ourselves Sick
Why TikTok’s temporary departure should become permanent.
It’s 11:30 p.m. on a Tuesday night. I have a 10:30 a.m. class on Wednesday, and I have just finished most of my readings for tomorrow’s classes. Satisfied with this work, I decide it’s time to hit the hay. I brush my teeth, put my retainer in, and crawl into bed. I put my blue […]
News and Views: We Want Your Voice
This budding column brings your voice to topical news.
Joan Didion begins her 1979 book The White Album with a striking assertion: “We tell ourselves stories in order to live.” In journalism, op-eds—short for “opposite the editorial page”—are where these stories take shape. Such narratives aren’t neutral reports on events but a fusion of arguments, perspectives, and deeply felt convictions. The most salient narratives […]
Trump’s Revised School of Thought
Using statutory and executive authority, Trump’s war on diversity, equity, and inclusion takes its opening blow on the academic left.
Two Januaries ago, on the top floor of a Chicago skyscraper, I fiddled with the gold, engraved buttons of my cardigan as my Harvard interviewer and I swapped stories about Harvard’s craziest classes and Chicago’s hidden gems. In a pause in conversation, she jumped at the opportunity to ask what I was most excited to […]
Still the Hardest Summer You’ll Ever Love
Service isn’t easy. That’s what makes it great.
Three summers spent in the Cambridge sun, chasing kids on the playground, teaching chemistry, running through sprinklers, peering into museum cases, dancing with parents, serving food, sitting quietly, directing loudly. Three summers spent working at the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA) Summer Urban Program. The best three summers of my life. *** It’s a classic […]
Queue the Cameras: The Struggle for Gender Equality in Sports Media
A look at how a lack of coverage and stereotypical portrayals of female athletes perpetuates sexism in sports.
On Jan. 14 and 21, four Boston-area collegiate women’s ice hockey teams competed in their biggest tournament of the season: the Beanpot. Bringing together students from Boston University, Boston College, Harvard, and Northeastern, this renowned athletic event has been occurring annually since 1952. However, while the Men’s Beanpot around two weeks later is accompanied by […]
MBTA: A Chapter of Renewal
Boston’s public transit system is receiving its much-needed improvements.
Boston is a world-class city. Each year, the city receives around 23 million tourists, along with people moving from all over the world to Boston to get an education, advance their careers, and build their lives. Yet, for years, the city has struggled with a subpar transit system—the MBTA, or simply “the T.” Don’t get […]
My First Letter From The Editor: The Power of the Pen
Editor-in-Chief Layla Chaaraoui ’26 on the influence of journalism and learning to listen.
I had a plan before arriving on campus. I had read the horror stories about joining too many clubs or getting caught up in the Harvard “bubble.” In my notes app, I kept a list of the organizations I was eager to join after hours of research—Expressions Dance Company, the Institute of Politics, and WHRB […]
The War on Truth
How artificial intelligence fuels the machine of misinformation and propaganda.
“Beta, did you hear the news? As of February 2025, working from home is going to be banned!” exclaimed my dadima, my paternal grandmother, visibly worried as she clutched the stairway. “How are people going to keep their jobs?” I looked at my sister—she looked back at me—and we both nearly keeled over laughing. Clutching […]
Dedans ou Dehors?: The Ins and Outs of Study Abroad
How I plan to make the most out of my four months in Paris.
While riding in a taxi to the airport two weeks ago, I felt a mix of apprehension and a need for contemplation. I was simultaneously reflecting on an adventure-filled winter break and fall semester and forecasting my next semester in Paris. I jotted down a list of ins and outs in anticipation of this article, […]
Dawn Redwoods
The Fifth Treetise, on metasequoia and living ghosts.
I discovered the Dawn Redwoods the old-fashioned way: by walking a new path. I’d been climbing my favorite tree in Harvard Yard, the Emerson Tree, looking out over the crisscrossing pathways in the yard between Sever and the gate facing the Art Museums. I wanted to walk towards the Littauer Tree near the Science Center, […]
Whose Home for The Holidays?
How being a child of divorce can complicate your definition of family in the holiday season.
Dec. 24, 2020, 11:47 p.m. On my fourth listen of “Snowman” by Sia, I am finally able to scrawl out the phrase I never thought I would write on a tear-stained piece of paper: Please let them be divorced by next year. While my dramatics may have been augmented by general teenage angst, the root […]
Does Democracy Matter?
What’s next for democracy after the 2024 election.
In theory, above all else, the United States is supposed to function as a democracy. Yet, despite this foundational ideal, the 2024 election showed a stark disconnect between America’s democratic values and the priorities of its voters. While 73% of voters agreed democracy was under threat, only 34% considered it as the most important issue […]
Dear Administration: You’re Wrong About the Tailgates
Why a free-market approach is the proper response to student tailgates.
During the fall of my sophomore year, I took what was the most transformative course in my college career, Lib Ec. Formally known as Econ 1017: A Libertarian Perspective on Economic and Social Policy, Lib Ec is a semester-long, empirically driven introduction to modern libertarianism taught by Professor Jeffrey Miron. The course lays out the […]
Discovering Boston During The Game
Boston has many attractions in November and December for you to visit before and after The Game.
It’s that time of the year. Final exams are looming, the sun is setting at four in the afternoon, and the temperature is dropping by the day. But even though Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened, Boston is transforming for the holidays. If you can carve out a few hours between your p-sets and essays, you will […]
Dating Apps: Hook-up or Hang-up?
A chaste sophomore downloads Tinder to conduct interviews about dating apps and hookup culture at Harvard.
On Monday night, two hours after Indy storyboard ended, I downloaded Tinder. I chose my favorite photos that I felt depicted my best features: my silly personality and cheeky smile, obviously. Having heard the Tinder horror stories from my girl friends, I opted to make it clear in my bio that I was on the […]
A Guide to DFMO-ing
A slutted out sophomore breaks down executing the perfect dance floor makeout.
The dance floor makeout, or DFMO, is an art form. Whether you’re at a club, house party, concert, or even an outdoor festival rave, a successful DFMO requires extreme precision and immense skill. I, a DFMO enthusiast and self-proclaimed expert, am here to teach you how to perfect the act for your next night out. […]
Keeping it Casual
How much should you be thinking about your hookup buddy?
It’s 11 p.m. on a Thursday and your hookup buddy is on their way to your dorm. You’ve showered, cleaned your room (stuffed all the clutter in the closet), filled in your roommates, made sure the lighting is absolutely perfect, and put on an effortless outfit. After all, this is a random, meaningless hookup—you’ve both […]
Staying the Safest
A ranking of Harvard’s free contraception locations.
During the summer of 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States made the historic choice to overturn Roe v. Wade (1973). The landmark decision of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization (2022) held that the Constitution does not confer a right to an abortion; instead, the decision to permit abortion would be decided by […]
What (Wo)Men Want
The sexual pressure women feel in the face of male desire.
He leads when dancing. She should follow. He is the one who asks her out. She should accept. He makes the first move. She should consent. The gendered standards between men and women inevitably place sexual power in his hands, and she is taught to be all too eager to comply. As women, we are […]
Losing it All
A reflection on the meaning of losing my virginity.
The first time I had sex, I started crying. It was delicately messy and awkwardly chaotic and uncomfortable, even with my loving boyfriend at the time. And it was undeniably painful, exacerbated by the all-encompassing stress I felt in the moment. In giving my body to someone else, it seemed like I had lost all […]
Let’s Talk About Sex
The healthiest thing you can do is talk about sex with your friends.
Aren’t you embarrassed? TMI. I didn’t need to hear that. Wow, you’re brave. Talking about sex is bound to elicit one or many of these reactions. But there’s nothing unpleasant about discussing sex, and in fact, we should be discussing it more. Women are made to feel like talking about sex is awkward and inappropriate. […]
Beyond the Body Count
Slut shaming and sexual hierarchies.
She slept with 1000 men! Peggy Guggenheim was an extremely influential art collector and socialite, who participated in the salvation of thousands of works of art during World War II. She also was widely known for her sexual promiscuity. Guggenheim’s open embrace of her sexuality greatly defied the norms of her time, which tended to […]
Cocoa Kisses and Maca Makeouts
My experience testing the powers of aphrodisiacs.
The link between chocolate and sex long predates the invention of the Hershey Kiss. The Aztecs, famous for inventing chocolate and hot chocolate, might have been interested in the delight for more than just its delicious cocoa aromas. The Aztec emperor Moctezuma drank copious amounts of chocolate before rendezvousing with his lovers because of its […]
Freedoms Restricted
How growing up in a red state shaped my sex education.
I grew up in one of the 13 states that had a trigger law enacted after the Supreme Court’s decision on Roe v. Wade was announced, affirming that abortions were no longer a constitutionally protected right. I immediately lost my ability to have a legal abortion. This is nothing but reflective of the ways that […]
Old Branches, New Leaves
The Fourth Treetise, six years later.
“Treetises” is a column where I discuss the best trees to climb around Harvard’s campus. I wrote three Treetises—“The Best Tree in Harvard Yard,” “The Tree Trials,” and “Perchin”—during my junior fall, six years ago, in 2018. I left school after that year because I wanted to hitchhike and write. I didn’t plan on taking […]
The Classroom Conundrum
A look at how gender influences participation and confidence in the classroom
Debates surrounding gender inequality and women’s rights have taken center stage across the nation and on Harvard’s campus, especially in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade in June 2022. As these issues have intensified, they have cast a spotlight on how institutions like Harvard address—or fail to address—gender equity […]
Rest as Resistance
Defending our right to rest in a capitalist society.
In a society that celebrates overworking and rewards all-nighters, the pressure to always be productive has become inescapable. From calendars packed with back-to-back meetings to libraries thriving at 2 a.m., the push to do more is always there. Especially at Harvard, where boasting how much you overwork and how little sleep you are getting is […]
Ten Features Instagram Should Implement
A fool-proof way to make social media even more toxic.
Each social media platform simultaneously plays imitator and innovator to keep the position of people’s favorite app. Improvements to Instagram’s algorithm make my reel feed more entertaining, but Meta’s data has so much untapped potential. Instagram can track and share more data than users could ever possibly need. Imagine if Meta capitalized on it. Yet, […]
Bring Back the Trick
Revisiting a childhood tradition at the start of adulthood.
Trick or treat, smell my feet, give me something good to eat! Some readers may read this little jingle with a bit of confusion or even disgust, but for me, this jingle takes me back to elementary school, to the gummy smiles of chocolate-stained faces and the crinkle of cheap polyester costumes. Trick or treat. […]
From Watching The News To Living In It
The international student experience of living in the U.S. during an election period.
Tensions run high every four years in every corner of the U.S. during election season. In the months leading up to the presidential election, it seems like it’s all anyone talks about. But it’s not just the Americans tuning in to watch. Around the world, people are tuning in to find out who will lead […]
Point/Counterpoint: Should Gun Control be Made Stricter?
A discussion on gun control in the United States.
A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed. In an age where firearms are widespread across the nation, the Second Amendment and the conversation around gun rights remain major talking points in national debates. Proponents of […]
So You Want to Work?
A guide to the professional world’s best kept secrets and job interviews.
So you’re looking for a job? Well then, you’re in the right place. Here at the Harvard Independent, we know that navigating the job market is like trying to date someone in this day and age. Confusing. Miserable. And just when you think you’re on the up, you’re hit with yet another blow. But there’s […]
Discovering Harvard’s Jewish Spaces
Reconnecting with my Jewish heritage through a reflection on Harvard’s offerings.
The past few weeks have been a very important time for the Jewish community, both at Harvard and around the world. The coinciding of the high holiday season—in which the community celebrates Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur among others—and the first anniversary of Oct. 7 provides a prime time to reflect on our campus community. […]
Don’t Give Up on Your Dream Job, Just Wait on It.
Take some time before making your dreams come true.
Sitting in an airport diner, my blockmate and I talk about our hopes and dreams. Over Caesar salads and Diet Cokes, we ask each other the question: “What did you want to be when you grew up?” We laughed about the silly answers we’d once thought we could be, like movie stars and astronauts. As […]
Finance Fever
A look at the undergraduate fixation on finance at Harvard.
Getting into Harvard is no small feat, with just over 3.6% of the 54,008 applicants admitted into the College in the most recent class. However, incredibly low acceptance rates, intense applications, and extreme competitiveness don’t end with the College’s acceptance letter, especially if you want to join a pre-professional finance club. In the first two […]
The Overcommitment Illusion
How my habit of stretching myself too thin has hampered my learning.
The psychological concept of illusory correlations, or perceived relations between two things, intrigues researchers across the field of psychology. The catch is, there is no actual relationship between the two variables. Some external thinking process—perhaps a social phenomenon, highly available stereotype, or rampant bias—creates this relationship out of thin air. This falsified relationship then causes […]
What Harvard Could Learn from Yale
Reflections on a weekend spent in New Haven.
Is Yale better than Harvard? (The last two football games would say so.) This past weekend, I visited one of my friends at Yale to compete in a club squash round-robin on Saturday. However, I also got to experience New Haven, talk to students, take a walk around campus, and go out at night. Before […]
Harvard Admissions, It’s Time to Turn to Class-Based Affirmative Action
Class-based affirmative action should have been implemented decades ago. With race-based affirmative action banned, it is now the best way forward to maintaining and increasing diversity.
Last month, Harvard’s Class of 2028—the first to enroll since the ban on race-based affirmative action—began their freshman year. The past few weeks on campus have been marked by discussions following Harvard’s release of the Class of 2028’s racial demographics, which showed that the share of Black and brown students remained relatively stable compared to […]
Censorship: The Refuge of the Weak
Book bans deny us the freedom and education we deserve.
Nolite te bastardes carborundorum. This mock-Latin aphorism, translated as “Don’t let the bastards grind you down,” plays a central role in Margaret Atwood’s feminist novel The Handmaid’s Tale, a commonly banned novel in several U.S. states including Virginia, Texas, Florida, and Oregon. As in many totalitarian societies, Atwood’s fictionalized state of Gilead forbids females from […]
The Sidechat Enigma
Harvard’s love-hate relationship with Sidechat might have more to it than what meets the eye.
It starts with boredom—it always does. I’m walking from Boylston to Cabot, scanning for updates on Instagram, Snapchat, and iMessage, but I have run out of content to consume. Out of the corner of my eye, I glimpse the magenta icon tucked away in the Recently Added section of my App Library. Ignoring my better […]
Boys, Booze, and Bonding: An MIT Frat Experience
A boy and a girl spend their Saturday night frat-hopping at MIT and learn why MIT might just be the perfect girls’ night out.
By the time we arrived at MIT, the frats were closing down. “Fratlantis,” a juvenile play on the words “Frat” and “Atlantis,” hosted by Phi Beta Epsilon (PBE) on Sept. 14, publicized a rather early start time of 10 p.m. In our attempt to be fashionably late, we completely missed the main function of the […]
Boys will be Boys, and Girls will be…Tidy?
My messiness makes me feel like less of a woman.
It was almost 9 in the morning when my roommate paused in front of my open bedroom door on her way to class. She was ready for the day: coffee in hand, hair done, and backpack squarely on her shoulders. She blinked bewilderedly, looking past me to examine my spotless, sparkling bedroom: freshly made bed, […]
In Traveling Solo, I Discovered Myself
Traveling is often seen as something that must be done with others, but what if you did it alone?
Instagram and travel magazines have sold us a picture-perfect image of what travel should be: lounging with your family in the Caribbean, hiking mountains with friends, or hanging out with your lover in Mykonos. But what if your friends never seem to have free time? And what if that dream lover is literally a dream? […]
The Fun Scale of FOP
Why being wet, tired, and muddy on a 4,000 f.t. mountain can enrich your life.
It was approaching dusk on Aug. 22. On the Zeacliff Trail in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, daylight slipped away as my FOP Trip 19 trudged deeper into the canopy of Hardwoods and Conifers with wobbling rocks and slippery roots threatening to trip us at every step. Songs about “Da Moose” and “The Princess […]
A Bandaid on a Bullet Hole
Rethinking voting for the “lesser evil” in American elections.
Every August, my family spends a week at the Jersey Shore, down the southernmost tip of Cape May. Politics tend to work their way into our conversations, and even the smallest differences in our views play out in full force. This year, with the presidential election right around the corner, we spent hours speculating Harris’s […]
Stay Well, ’28!
Tips from two new sophomores.
Dear Class of 2028, Welcome to Harvard! This will be quite an exciting year. Take it from two girls who just experienced it—in the end, you will look back and think, woah. But amidst brand-new friendships, rigorous coursework, varying degrees of nightlife, and intense seasonal changes, it can be challenging to find time to take […]
Atom and Eve
Using faked self importance to combat mansplainers in physics.
“The more you know, the less your ego is. The less you know, the greater your ego,” said Albert Einstein. While I would never dare go against anything said by the god of all physics, I must admit, as a woman in this field, there are times I have found faking self importance as the […]
Summer Culture: From brat to Demure
brat and demure as case studies for parsing the difference between cultural movements and TikTok trends.
It’s no news that the trend cycle moves fast. Yet the whiplash somehow never fails to surprise me, as the internet somehow moved on from being “brat” to being “demure,” and left me behind. As I kept scrolling, the word demure was everywhere—undeniably the new hottest trend that everyone seemingly had to be a part […]
Ready, Set, Registration
The Harvard Independent’s first-year course recommendations.
Summer may have flown by, but it isn’t truly over until Sept. 10, the end of the Add/Drop period. For first-years, finalizing a schedule before even locating the SEC is a daunting task. – In hopes of helping the lost souls out there—perhaps those preoccupied with whether or not their roommate hates them or is […]
Is “Brat” Green the New Blue?
Harris’ “brat summer” might just be enough to sustain her momentum for another four years of Democratic leadership in America.
The terms “brat summer,” “Kamalanomenon,” and “coconut tree” haven’t exactly been the easiest election jargon to explain to older family members, colleagues, and friends. Today, young people across the U.S. and around the world have embraced these terms as they’ve been bestowed upon the current U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris. In today’s political landscape, social […]
A Veritas Summer
Rising sophomores embracing campus and avoiding burnout.
After overcoming the burden of finals in early May, students face the next few months with mixed emotions. At first, we are near-sighted, with a romantic view of the approaching summer. Updates from LinkedIn about what our ambitious friends are doing shake us out of this honeymoon phase, reminding us to enhance our résumés. The […]
Dear New Harvard Parent: Best, An Indy Mom
The mom of a current Independent writer and a former Independent president imparts advice to incoming 2028 parents and explains why she subscribes to the Indy.
Most of us returning students are experiencing the routine first-week-back jitters, but for incoming first-years, the sensation is unfamiliar. They might be feeling trepidation about the onslaught of new people, new information, and a new bedroom (coupled with new roommates and perhaps not-so-new-ish twin beds) in that new building on this new campus that they’ve […]
May Matters
The importance of Mental Health Awareness Month on college campuses.
Brownies or cookies? We’re fifteen, and it’s the biggest argument we’ve ever had, but it resolves itself in a delicious half-brownie-half-chocolate-chip-cookie. We have to mix together two different recipes just to make it work, and they come out looking half burnt, but it’s the best dessert either of us has ever had. She’s my best […]
Senior Year Bucket List
Eight goals for my last year at Harvard.
People say that time flies, but you never believe them until it does. Now, at the tail end of my third year, in disbelief that next year will be my last at Harvard, I can confirm that college does indeed fly by. As I wrap up my last week here before heading home, I wanted […]
An International’s Moral Tax Headache
The ethical implications and logistical nightmares of deliberately opting into the U.S. taxation system.
There is a certain absolution of shame that comes from watching others share in your sin. Filing taxes an hour before the post office’s closure on the final day of the tax deadline is perhaps the most cardinal sin of all. I found a party of ten Harvard internationals in the USPS building on Mount […]
Navigating Harvard’s Political Storm
A first-year student’s reflection on being introduced to Harvard during a year of global conflict, protest, and administrative challenges.
Each time I have left Harvard’s campus and returned home this school year, I have been met with some iteration of the following questions: How is it over there? Is it as crazy as the media makes it out to be? Do you feel safe with all of the turmoil? Whether at a family dinner […]
More Than a Number
The hidden implications of Harvard regressing back to mandatory standardized testing scores.
My heart hurts thinking of my sixteen-year-old self who placed her entire worth into a two-digit ACT score. I recall the silence in my household that followed my first test score, which was below my parents’ expectations, and the world of opportunities I was told to believe would only open up when I tested higher. […]
It’s High Time for Change
Examining the stigma around marijuana.
I smoked my first joint the day after I got into Harvard. My friends had all been massive stoners for nearly two years, but considering my strict parents and highly studious nature, I was afraid that weed would stunt my academic progress. It would hurt my grades, meaning I wouldn’t get into a good college, […]
Stuck Riding the High
The dangers of regular marijuana use, and what schools can do to prevent addiction.
Think of some addictive drugs. Cocaine may come to mind, along with maybe methamphetamine, alcohol, or nicotine. But if I had to guess, marijuana did not make your cut. It is easy to understand why marijuana isn’t generally thought of as a particularly dangerous drug. Its recreational usage has been legalized in most states, including […]
On the Size Question
A promiscuous exploration of ass, grass, and glass.
In the realm of both bongs and boners, the perennial question remains: does size truly matter? The classic rejoinders often boil down to the idea that it’s not the size of the piece but the way you wield it that makes the difference. Nonetheless, we’ve laid our fair share of pipes and wanted to share […]
Puff Puff No Pass
A discourse on ethical drug dealing.
Any avid smoker knows that shit adds up. No matter how much of the tab your job at the MAC or Cafe Gato Rojo covers, your blunts end up burning into your savings. Between the two of us, we’ve racked up a $1200 tab with our dealer this year alone. And after we broke three […]
Ramadan Reflection
Ramadan felt different this year, in more ways than one.
One of the most rewarding experiences of my time at Harvard thus far has been taking advantage of the opportunity to grow closer to and understand my faith. Growing up in a mixed-religion household, my parents have always been completely supportive and helpful in understanding my beliefs. Islam was a choice I made on my […]
In Defense of Bed Rotting
Harvard students often feel pressure to always be at work. What if we took a break?
At Harvard, it often seems like every second must be accounted for. The Google Calendar squares often touch from morning to night, encompassing everything from social events to classes to networking. If you are not filling out a spreadsheet, attending a networking event, or going out, you may feel like you are doing something wrong. […]
A Love Letter to the Thaw
The unexpected awe of winter’s metamorphosis to spring.
As a Chicago native and temporary Bostonian, I am well acquainted with cold, windy winters where my hands turn white, my cheeks turn red, and my nighttime tea becomes ritual. I often remark that you never get fully used to the cold, but you learn to accept it. Still, I love living in cold weather […]
Wanna Compare Vaginas?
Looking at my friends’ vulvas was the solution to my genital shame.
The first time I looked at my vagina, I was repulsed. Legs spread in a frog-like fashion, right hand equipped with a handheld mirror patterned with Disney Princess stickers and fingers poking at my labia in the most unsexual manner possible, I had never felt more concentrated in my 12 years of life. And, simultaneously, […]
Letter from the Editors
Dear Reader, The staff of the Harvard Independent is proud to present the 2024 Sex Issue. This issue is a tradition which has been cherished and highly-anticipated annually for over 25 years. Each year’s Sex Issue explores the joys and the complexities of sex and sexuality, and aims to promote sex-positivity in many forms on […]
Benefits Beneath the Sheets
The medical advantages of a healthy sex life.
Imagine walking into your therapist’s office and leaving with instructions to go have sex. While it may seem odd, the science behind this prescription exists. Within the medical community, it is becoming increasingly clearer that having sex regularly (more than once a week) has long-term health benefits. Along with the physical pleasure of sexual encounters, […]
More Hair Down There
Shaving your vagina is NOT a big deal. At least, it shouldn’t be.
When I entered the “talking stage” with my now boyfriend, I must have doubled the water bill. Absolutely terrified of what he might think when he inevitably felt or saw my figure, I spent hours contorting my body in the shower to reach every nook, cranny, flap, and crack I could find. Feeling around to […]
Dear Daddy…
The next great American media mogul is a woman who sometimes just gives sex advice.
Do you call him daddy? Do I call her daddy? Call. Her. Daddy. I can still remember the illicit feelings of shame that consumed the thirteen-year-old version of myself who secretly listened to “Call Her Daddy.” Holding my phone up to my ear so that no one could hear, I listened as Alex Cooper bellowed […]
The Long Game
Waiting for marriage can be sex-positive.
“Tell us about your first time.” It always happens when we’re playing Hot Seat or Truth or Dare. Everyone buckles up for a good story—bonus points if it happened somewhere crazy. I smile softly to myself, knowing they’re going to be surprised, or maybe even disappointed, by my response that I’m a virgin and waiting […]
I U Don’t Even Know
A reflection on getting an IUD at 16.
Note: The author recognizes that there are many women who do not have vaginas or uteruses. This is a personal exploration of a transformation into adulthood, and the author wants to express her love for women of all shapes, sizes, races, gender expressions, and sexual identities as they battle what can be a very scary […]
For the Bodies the Pill Left Bleeding
Despite what experts from the Washington Post say, the birth control pill made me incredibly sick.
On March 22, I opened my email over breakfast to The Post Most and clicked on the headliner: “Women are getting off birth control amid misinformation explosion.” Written by two female health reporters, Lauren Weber and Sabrina Malhi, the article criticized women who share negative experiences with hormonal contraceptives online. Weber and Malhi called the […]
Bisexual “Virgin”
What sex means to a girl who bats for both teams—and is saving herself for marriage.
Whenever I’ve let it slip to a friend that I’m saving myself for marriage, they ask me what that looks like. They aren’t questioning my religious beliefs or suggesting a possible far-right indoctrination in my childhood that led to deep sexual repression. Instead, they wonder how I could possibly reconcile my “commitment to purity” and […]
Broken Crimson Hearts
Exploring the unspoken rules of dating and the pursuit of romance on campus.
While many self-help books and advice columns claim to have “expert knowledge” on dating, none seem to include vignettes from the lives of Harvard’s hopeless and hopeful romantics. Since personal stories resonate more than advice alone, we’ve collected stories from our friends with invaluable lessons (and given each of them pseudonyms). Sometimes it feels like […]
Counterpoint: Silence is a Stance
Universities should not remain neutral on endemic social issues.
In the hallowed halls of academia, there exists an impossible dichotomy. On the one hand, universities are being told not to speak out against pressing political issues, and if they do, their comments are heavily critiqued. On the other hand, if they do nothing, then their ability to retain a diverse student body and maintain […]
Point: Major Decisions Take Time
Waiting until sophomore fall to choose your concentration will change your life for the better.
“What’s your concentration?” is a question all of us have heard one too many times. Even freshmen are faced with the infamous question, despite having months before they need to make their decision. The expectation is clear—we all need to have a defined path from the moment we step on campus. With course registration opening […]
A Joyous Spring Break in Pakistan
My ode to Harvard Pakistan Trek and other political musings.
Pakistan’s ex-Prime Minister, Shahid Abbasi, turned towards me. “What’s your 9/11 theory?” I threw out my question to him from behind my cup of tea, perched in his living room post-dinner buffet at his home in Islamabad, Pakistan. The Al Jazeera journalist had left a short while ago. Her departure lent casualness and intimacy to […]
Lent Update!
Almost 40 days in review: the highlights of Lent 2024 and looking forward to Easter.
Prayer, fasting, almsgiving—the phrase Christians repeat over and over during the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter. In the Christian tradition, across denominations, Lent is a time of “solemnity and self-reflection,” as described by the United Kingdom’s Christian Enquiry Agency. Christians use this time to repent for their wrongdoings and turn towards a more […]
Point: The Case for Institutional Neutrality
Nurturing critical thinking and open dialogue in higher education.
The role of universities in shaping public discourse has been widely contested, especially in recent months. In the wake of rampant debate on issues such as the Israel–Hamas war and President Claudine Gay’s resignation from her post, universities have been criticized for both partisan and neutral responses. Some institutions have released formal statements on these […]
The Case for the Communal Bathroom
Why ensuite bathrooms should be phased out.
Picture this: It’s the end of July, 5 p.m., and you just received your dorm assignment. After the typical 30-minute stalk that leads you to your new roommate’s 5th-grade chorus concert video, you parcel through dorm facts to find out what kind of room and bathroom set-up you will have. A communal bathroom, though shared […]
Counterpoint: Ready for Registration?
Do yourself a favor by deciding on a concentration before sophomore fall.
I vividly remember my first time enrolling in college courses. It was the week before classes started—the week before my first semester of college—and I had no idea what I wanted to concentrate in. Dreams of Psychology, English, History, and Government all danced around in my head as I excitedly clicked through course reports and […]
Liberté, Egalité, Sororité
In a global first, France enshrines women’s constitutional right to an abortion.
Beyoncé’s “Run the World (Girls)” bellowed throughout Trocadéro Square in Paris, France on Monday, March 4th, as hundreds of Parisians celebrated France becoming the first country to explicitly inscribe access to abortion in its Constitution. France’s historic enshrinement stands as a rebuke to the U.S.’s rollback of reproductive rights and a beacon of hope for […]