Intergalactic Entanglement
In a black sea of ephemera, we are falling. Two luminescent bodies swim the midnight landscape. Metallic skeletons push through space-time. Our spacecrafts are diametrically opposed, traveling perpendicular. Some divine being from our ancient past extends her grace. A celestial object flashes in the jeweled sky. The veil of eternal night is lifted. For an […]
When Student Life Is Under Control And Utter Chaos
A new play by Harvard students, for Harvard students.
Before the Harvard Undergraduate Association (HUA), the Harvard Undergraduate Council, known as the “UC,” governed all student affairs until its abrupt abolishment by a student referendum in 2022. Stories of the events that resulted in the UC’s demise have become part of the lore incoming students learn upon being admitted to Harvard. Even so, the […]
How to Beat Burnout
Why having it together will (hopefully) change your life.
Toxic productivity culture defines the way we interact with nearly every component of our lives on Harvard’s campus. Though it can feel insurmountable to tackle the vast and varied tasks that accumulate in light of our inattention to them, we owe it to ourselves to seize a free moment when it does arise. Though the […]
How to Build A Minimalist Class Schedule
Shed your academic masochism. It’s self-care.
“Harvard is hard.” At one point or another, we’ve all come to the unfortunate realization that the phrase is actually true. But does Harvard have to be so academically rigorous? There’s no need to buy into the Harvard academic overachiever stereotype (I’m looking at you, LS50 and Math 55 first-years) when you can minimize your […]
I’m (Not So) OCD
Why using “OCD” as an adjective should no longer be in your vocabulary.
“I’m so organized! I’m so OCD.” You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it. You’ve probably said it. I’ve said it, too. Except I’m not exaggerating, because I have a mild and clinically diagnosed case of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. It’s never been life-threatening, nor has it caused me any sort of extremely disruptive pain (though it can […]
Point: Good For the Soul
How minimalism can improve our lives.
Purge. Oust. Eradicate. Dispose. You’ve heard the stress-inducing rhetoric of professed minimalists, arguing that non-essential items are wasteful and should be removed. You’ve heard the crazy stories of libertarian minimalists who own exactly one hundred things and live in remote locations. Minimalism might bring to mind a modest lifestyle, a beige interior, and an empty […]
Counterpoint: More is More is More
How maximalism can improve our lives.
I’ve barely made it past the entrance of Cabot Library when a friend studies my outfit and asks, “Is someone making you wear those pants for hazing?” “No,” I laugh, bowing my head towards my silver, denim, distressed pants. I get the biggest adrenaline rush when people’s eyes dance around my outfit, they smile, and […]
Point/Counterpoint: Simplicity in Our Studies
The pros and cons of that long Harvard intro you’ve been practicing.
Sachi: “Hi, I’m a sophomore in Winthrop House concentrating in art history.” Students at Harvard should minimize the number of qualifications (such as double concentrations, secondaries, and citations) they choose to get in favor of diversifying the classes they take in college. Choosing a majority of classes based on requirements limits students intellectually and narrows […]
Shelf Reflections
Lessons learned from a life in a library.
I grew up in a library. The first floor is the reference section: dozens of encyclopedias, the complete Harvard Classics, and the 20 volumes comprising the Oxford English Dictionary line the walls of my living room; two bookcases with titles ranging from Consider the Fork to The Oxford Companion to Food are housed by the […]
“Lizzie McGuire, You’re An Outfit Repeater”
The challenge of being a college minimalist.
At the end of each school year, a mass influx of sales pervades email chains and social media of items that college students want to get rid of. Basement trash rooms overflow with shelving, carpets, clothes, and other objects students either do not want or do not have the ability to store. Purchasing cheap room […]