Lost In Translation: The Life of an ESL Student-Athlete
The art of juggling sports, school, and a new way of life.
The challenge of balancing elite sports and academics is hard enough, but with language barriers, cultural confusion, and fast-paced professors to the mix, it becomes a whole new game. For international student-athletes, adapting to life in the United States comes with plenty of unexpected hurdles, both on and off the field. On the Harvard field […]
What the Puck?
Canada maintains its title as the premier “hockey country” after victory in the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
This past weekend, hockey fans were left wondering if a stadium rattled with antagonizing boos during a national anthem could be a secret pre-game ritual to guarantee victory. The United States defeated Canada 3–1 deep in enemy territory Feb. 15 at the Bell Centre in Montreal. However, when defending their honor on the homefront on […]
A NATO Nightmare?
Harvard students and faculty weigh in on President Trump’s apprehensive attitude toward NATO.
“You got to pay. You got to pay your bills.” No, these are not just the lyrics to Destiny Child’s hit single, “Bills, Bills, Bills.” This blunt statement was made in January 2025 by President Donald Trump as he expressed his frustration with the United States’s outsized role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—one of […]
Squat, Stretch, Sweat
An aspiring Pilates princess’s guide to the classes of Cambridge.
If your Instagram Reels Explore page looks anything like mine, then you are well-acquainted with the term “Pilates princess.” At least from my experience, a Pilates princess seems to be a frequent Pilates-goer who happens to own about 45 different pastel workout sets and always rocks a slickback. Over the past year or so, Pilates […]
“A System of Nepotism”
Uncovering racist exclusion in Harvard’s history.
Richard T. Greener ’1870—the first Black student to graduate from Harvard College. George L. Ruffin ’1869—the first Black student to graduate from Harvard Law School. However, Clemont Morgan was the first Black student to graduate from both Harvard College in 1890 and Harvard Law School in 1893. After graduating, Morgan helped found the NAACP and […]
News and Views: Ban the Books
It’s time to end the sports gambling degeneracy.
Since being legalized in 2018, sports gambling has swept the nation at a breathtaking speed. In 38 states, plus Washington, D.C., you can bet on anything—whether it’s the Super Bowl, a Valorant match, or how many hot dogs Joey Chestnut can inhale in ten minutes. In the world of sportsbooks, there’s a market for everything. […]
Bound 2 Hate
Harvard students’ responses to Ye’s recent tweets.
While some Harvard students never knew the “old Kanye,” they certainly do not condone the recent rhetoric of the “new Kanye.” In a three-day tirade, Ye, formerly known as Kanye West, posted a series of tweets targeting Jewish and Black communities, women, and other Hollywood public figures. As Ye headlined news outlets for making loaded […]
From Berg to Bonding: Harvard Through The Eyes of International Students
A glimpse at some of the most surprising things international first-years learned about Harvard.
Although 17% of the Harvard Class of 2028 was raised on classic New England clam chowder and a spattering of coastal towns, a similar number of current first-years had a drastically different upbringing. For most students starting their college education, they must learn to navigate life without parents, siblings, or other conventional childhood support systems. […]
“Small Island, Big Family”
A profile on the Taiwanese Cultural Society.
For Taiwanese Cultural Society members, Wednesday dinner means family. Even though the food is standard dining hall fare (with an occasional grass jelly dessert), the sense of community always leaves members wanting seconds. Such meals happen every week, when the small but close-knit TCS gathers in the Eliot private dining room to catch up on […]
Le Course Qui est Mon Cours: Tales from Run Club
How a run club opened the door to a whole new world for me.
It’s 8:30 p.m. on a Tuesday, and I’m dodging pedestrians and street signs on Rue de Bonne Nouvelle in Paris as I jog at a relaxed pace. Suddenly, the runners around me speed up, and I find myself sprinting down the road, passing neighbors at a speed I didn’t think was possible after running nearly […]
Harvard Can Wait: Study Abroad Before It’s Too Late
Why more students should leave the Harvard bubble and study abroad.
At the start of the semester, just a week after winter break, two friends sat in Bluestone Lane deep in conversation about studying abroad. One, a junior who had just voided her final opportunity to study abroad for the spring, admitted to feeling unsure about whether she would come to regret the missed opportunity. Her […]
IOP: Internationals of Politics
Why international students aren’t (but should be) in American political discussions.
To an outsider, the world of American politics might seem more like a brilliantly written SNL skit than a functioning institution. From the White House producing ASMR-style deportation videos to a billionaire worth more than the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) of 140 countries running a government department, stepping into this political arena feels not just […]
Thoughts from New Quincy: Learning How to Connect the Dots
Examining how setbacks shape us.
My Harvard career began with failure. Feeling unmoored as I arrived on campus, I threw myself into trying out for the College’s varsity squash. In high school, squash wasn’t just a sport—it was a defining part of my identity, and within weeks of arriving on campus I was training relentlessly—running sub‐five‐minute miles, working out tirelessly, […]
A Tale of Datamatch Troubles
One writer’s attempt to end her search for love.
By the time Valentine’s Day rolled around, there were no anonymous notes slipped under my door and no bouquet of roses from a secret admirer. It seemed there was only one plausible solution to save my first Valentine’s Day at Harvard: Datamatch. Datamatch is a Harvard-invented matchmaking service. It started as a solution to Harvard […]
Rooted: The Rhythm of Our Roots
The 37th annual Ghungroo show, “Rooted,” honored ancestral legacies and embraced South Asian culture through music, dance, and art.
What defines a home? Is it the soil where we are born and raised? Or is it the roots that weave within us? “Rooted” marks the 37th year of Ghungroo at Harvard, an annual tradition that has grown to become the University’s largest student-run production. As Harvard’s premier showcase of South Asian culture and heritage, […]
The Faults of Human Connection
This spring’s student production of Gruesome Playground Injuries presented a raw and emotional exploration of the cyclical, faulty nature of relationships.
“Gruesome Playground Injuries,” written by Rajiv Joseph, is an unconventional play that blends heartbreak, pain, humor, and recklessness into the complex, lifelong relationship between Doug (former Independent Editor-in-Chief Andrew Spielmann ’25) and Kayleen (Lauren Mei ’27). Directed by Texaco Texeira-Ramos ’26, the show ran from Feb. 20–23 in the Loeb Experimental Theater, offering the audience […]
A Guide to Jules Sanders’s Room Decorations
The Independent’s resident tastemaker proves that his dorm room is not depressing.
Last weekend, my friends pointed out to me that they had never seen my dorm. My room—a Canaday hallway single that cannot imaginably exceed about 120 square feet—isn’t somewhere I spend a lot of time, largely on account of the (probably wrong) size estimation I just provided. Yet my friends’ assertion that my room was […]
A Trip to Berlin: Willkommen to the Kit Kat Klub
What to know about MIT Cabaret’s standout performance of the controversial musical.
As one of Harvard’s closest neighbors, MIT has long drawn students to its campus for academics, events, and even the occasional frat party. Alongside the school’s many academic attractions, the MIT Theatre Guild stands out for its impressive productions. This season’s performance of “Cabaret” was no exception. “Cabaret” is a musical set in 1930s Berlin—a […]