Finally Finals Week!

May 14, 2013 in Caroline T's Blog by carolinetrusty | No comments

Hello again!

It’s been a super busy week for me, so I’ll be quick. It’s crazy that it’s already the last week of the school year! Junior year has gone by like lightening, and I’ve hardly had time to truly consider the fact that in just a few short months, I’ll officially be a senior. It hasn’t quite hit me yet, but I’m sure once I’m on the plane home for vacation with my finals and a certain looming 20-page paper behind me, I’ll feel like celebrating my new senior-status.

Speaking of finals, my French Literature class recently ended with a few students presenting their final projects. This year in French we studied several famous French authors and playwrights including Pierre Corneille and Moliere. French 70A has been one of my favorite classes this semester. Taking a 70 level French class is a requirement for my field in History & Literature, and I’m glad that it is. It is a same class where we spent a lot of time talking about the history of the literature, reading old-style French, and writing about our interpretations of the literature.

French Class Presentation

My classmates performing a scene from Moliere’s Les Precieuses Ridicules in the Kirkland House Senior Common Room

For final presentations, students could chose a scene to rewrite and act out from the plays we studied. My fellow classmates did everything from tragic monologues to comedic group scenes – all in French of course. One group performed a scene from a Moliere satire called “Les Preciueses Ridicules.” Their rendition was great, along with their festive costumes.

Looking to watch more theatricality, on Saturday I went to the final Immediate Gratification Players Performance. The IGP, an improv group, is one of my favorite groups on campus, and I try to catch their shows whenever I can. While their performance was a tad bit raunchier than their Parent’s Weekend show, they were still just as funny! It was their last performance of the year, so the show included a celebration of their Seniors.

IGP Performance

The Immediate Gratification Players performed on Saturday for their last show of the year!

That’s all for now. I’ll keep you updated next week!

 

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It’s the Final(s) Countdown

May 13, 2013 in Rob's Blog by robertledniczky | 1 comment

And so it begins, the very last week of term. This time next week I will be sitting at Logan Airport, an hour away from lifting off on a Boeing 747 which will fly me for approximately 6 hours and a total of 3300 miles back to my native England, and my first year will be officially completed. But that’s this time next week. Standing in the way of me and my flight is the small matter for three final exams over three days between Thursday and Saturday, all at 9am. I realised the last time I had been up at 9am for more than 2 days in a row had been when I was working last summer, nearly a year ago! My already dwindling motivation is not helped by the fact that I have friends finishing off their classes left, right, and centre. Indeed, while I sit on Friday night revising for my History exam at 9am the next morning, half of campus will already have departed back to their homes. I cannot wait.

In truth, I can’t really complain. My finals period was rather fabulous last term, I only had one final exam close to the start of finals period, so I managed to finish a full week before some others. Indeed it was this that allowed me to change my flight to 6 days earlier, a fact I left unknown to all but my sister, so I had the lovely experience of turning up back home unannounced and surprising all my family and friends. I guess the moral of the story is that you have to have the bad to have the good. I especially can’t complain as I would have had to have been here for rowing until next Monday anyway, so in fact having my finals so late should be a blessing, giving me more time to revise. Except, I tend to work best when I have a dirty great deadline breathing down my neck. Having a week between my final papers being due and the start of final exams has not proven to be good for my productivity. It would have been nicer if I’d had them a bit more spaced out, but now it just means I need to work a bit harder over these next few days. Anyway, finals rant over. As my roommate rather wisely said last night, ‘if you know one thing, it’s that they will be done,’ and that is very true.

A few surprised friends and I when I returned last winter!

What has provided a nice distraction from my attempts at studying has been the necessity of putting the items I don’t want to take home into storage. Every upperclassman house thankfully has a storage facility for all students who live more than 150 miles away, something which saves my wallet a great deal in baggage costs and my back in lifting duties. Storage is open for the last week of term, and so knowing how much I have on at the beginning of the week I have been productive in organising what I need to take home with me, and what I can keep over here. This is a slightly tricky job due to the capricious nature of the weather in England over the summer, but I have erred of the side of optimism and put my large winter coat and thermals into storage. Other standout items include my bulky winter boots, a big saving in weight and space, and my rather nice, fake English Christmas tree my mum sent me over Christmas. Although packing was a bit of a pain, I’m now left with the pleasing result that everything that is now left in my room I have to somehow squeeze into a suitcase and a medium sized duffle. Safe to say that having retrieved it from a 16 week hibernation under my bad, my suitcase has never looked smaller. It’s rather unfortunate though that by packing all my things away I’ve got into a rather nice end-of-term vibe, another factor not helping my final motivation.

My things (including Christmas tree) safely stored for the summer in Currier!

The culmination of the English Premier League (football) has come just at the right time, and has certainly been hotting up. My team, Arsenal, are going right down to the wire trying to qualify for the Champions League, the big European club competition, and are playing both tomorrow and Saturday. I will have to desperately try and avoid the distraction tomorrow, and it’s going to be unbearable being in my history final knowing that we’re playing, but fingers crossed I will have some good new when I come out!

But I suppose I must return to my studying. Next time I talk to you I will be free at last, and I can give you the lowdown on what happened at Eastern Sprints, as well as a few final thoughts on the end of my first year. Until then!

 

Finals on Finals on Finals.

May 11, 2013 in Inesha's Blog by ineshapremaratne | 2 comments

Hi there! Sorry it’s taken me a while to post. These last few weeks have been a little hectic what with final projects and final papers and meal dates with my favorite seniors who I can’t stand to see leave us. Last weeks in college are really quite different from the ones you have in high school. In high school there are exams and then there is (at least this was the case in my high school) this awkward 2 week period when you get to louse around, do nothing, and get really sick of school. So, naturally, when summer comes around, you’re ready for it. In college in general it’s just not like that. You have all your finals in a flurry and you hastily pack and… you leave. Just like that a really great semester comes to an end and you bask in how much you’ve grown and how fast it all went.

So these past two or three weeks have seen me scurrying around trying to fit in those last minute conversations with dear friends. Before the school year comes to an end though, I wanted to share with you some of the special moments from this semester that I haven’t yet had time to blog about. Enjoy!

  • A forum with Soledad O’Brien. 

Soledad O’ Brien will grill you, as I unceremoniously found out during an impromptu Q&A after the forum. She had come to the Institute of Politics to talk to a group of about 40 undergraduates about politics and public service in a more casual setting. There was pizza, there were stickers, there was 90′s music.

She came in, stood at the podium, and instead of launching into the banal stump speech glittered with inspirational stories and encouraging mantras, fired a question at us: Why do you want to go into this field (politics)? It seems to me that there are a lot more effective ways to affect change, she challenged us. She stood defiant. No one answered her at first. “Well this is going to be a pretty short meeting,” she chuckled.

She wasn’t there to inspire us, she was there to make us think.

Seeing her at the last JFK Junior Forum was more than just a treat. Part of what is so unique about the Harvard experience is the opportunity to not just hear from and sit in the room with amazing people who do incredible work, but too to talk to them, to ask them questions, to learn from them. These experiences give Harvard students a most special outlook on the world and, at least my case and in the case of this forum, the opportunity to figure out what it is that they want.

I chair this program called Women’s Initiative in Leadership (WIL) at the Institute of Politics. We were lucky to get a picture with Soledad before the forum!!

  •  Art’s First & Yellow Flowers
There are moments when I am really proud of my school. Like the weekend after the bombings at the Boston Marathon. One of the really cool things going on at Harvard this semester was the construction of a new Science Center Plaza. The Plaza– which is this awesome new common space (check out my pictures!)– was to be unveiled on Friday, the day that we were on lockdown as the police tried to find the suspect. And so, unfortunately, the big unveiling ceremony Harvard had scheduled was postponed and Visitas was cancelled. But the Harvard community turned right back around and the very next Friday, yellow flowers lined the plaza. They were free for all community members and students. More than that, boards with well wishes for the victims of the attack lined our plaza. It was so heartening to see such warmth in those yellow flowers after such a tumultuous and chaotic few days. It was a strong reminder of the common spaces that are slowly bridging together our community and keeping us forever more #BostonStrong.
  • Special Places
Reading Period is a blessing in disguise. For five or so days before finals, Harvard gives us a reading period so that we can drill down, write our papers, and prepare for finals. It’s a blessing because not many college students get one. It’s not so much a blessing because, let’s face it, preparing for finals is not always so fun. BUT reading periods are actually one of my favorite weeks because it always affords me the chance to do a little more exploring– nothing motivates me to go outside my usual “Harvard spaces” than the need to study and find a new place to keep me motivated. So here’s just a round up in picture of the favorite places I’ve uncovered this week. They are sure to go down in my list of favorites! 

Weather like this makes me want to stay outside all the live long day. For days like this, Winthrop Courtyard– or really any courtyard– is just perfect!

The Business School has been GORGEOUS these past few days so I’ve been soaking in as much as time as possible… anything to get me across the river :)

You see what I mean?! Here’s me on the Business School courtyard!

And, did I mention the RIVER?! #tooperfect
Happy spring! I’ll see you on the other side– that is, of finals :)
Inesha

Nearing the End

May 11, 2013 in Jeanie's Blog by Jeanie Nguyen | 6 comments

It’s that time of the year when I continuously vocalize that college is really hard…and receive absolutely no sympathy. That’s probably because when I say college is really hard, I actually mean having so much fun is super exhausting…

May 1st marked the last day of official classes and the beginning of Reading Period which is a whole week of unstructured studying time for students to prepare for Final Exams. A lot of final papers and projects have deadlines during Reading Period – so much so that students can even finish all their classes before the official week of exams begin! I am always actively grateful for this week because a lot of universities have classes up until exams which I think is completely ludicrous, unreasonable, and pretty much sets you up for tons of stress eating. Good thing Harvard cares about us ;) But don’t think Reading Period is a like a week on the beach!! Depending on your schedule, you’re probably living in the library and attending review sessions like it’s your day job. The great part is that by night, there are tons of activities lined up! Whether these activities include going into Boston for movies, study breaks (read: snacks), end of the spring semester formals, or catching up on sleep, Reading Period definitely rounds up the typical semester routine very well.

Scott & I go to a sorority formal in Boston!

Not very many kids complain about classes ending for Reading Period, but this isn’t to say that we don’t appreciate class. The semester definitely reliably blends unpredictable events into everyone’s life which can make attending every single lecture and (discussion/problem solving) section difficult. Most lectures, however, are recorded so if you absolutely can’t go to class, you can always watch the video at your own leisure. There are even tools out there that allow you to watch videos 1.5x to 3x faster – talk out upping your efficiency, though it can be hard to understand someone talking that fast. These technological advances can make life easier, but there are invaluable perks about attending lectures. A lot of my classes have “clicker” questions that are along the lines of mini pop quizzes during lecture; students answer questions that are meant to check for conceptual understanding on the spot. These responses not only help professors evaluate how well they’re communicating to students, but also help them take attendance. Besides from the logisitics, there are plenty of sweet incentives to physically attend lecture. The last day of my Physical Sciences class involved professors and teaching fellows using liquid nitrogen to produce vanilla, chocolate AND strawberry ice cream! Also one of my totally boss professors, Pardis Sabeti, catapulted t-shirts from her lab at the Broad Institute into the audience! Next week, I’ll be heading over to the Broad Institute for the first time, as Dr. Sabeti is opening her lab up for a tour! It’s pretty common for professors to go above and beyond here to interact and motivate students. I’m just glad I’m available to take advantage of these opportunities, especially during Reading Period when my schedule is a bit more free.

During the semester, Pardis threw oranges to students who bravely answered questions during lecture.

For her grand finale lecture, there was a specially made t-shirt catapult! What a crowd pleaser!

It’s inevitable that the end of the semester brings a lot of stress with final exams, projects, and papers, but it’s important to realize that we have a lot of accomplishments to celebrate as well! We can celebrate with food, formals, and free t-shirts, but what we’re really celebrating is each other, with a focus on the graduating class. Many seniors dedicate over a year to their thesis. Theses can be either mandatory or optional, depending on your unique concentration/secondary field (major/minor) combination. Regardless, a thesis is undoubtedly a grand accomplishment whether it was mandated or voluntary! Thus, concentrations will hold thesis receptions and presentations to provide opportunities for seniors to rightfully boast about their hard work!

My friend presenting her thesis on babies in movie format!

I’m a neurobiology concentrator, a department with an optional thesis. Every spring, there is a neurobiology thesis presentation where seniors voluntarily present their work in a very informal manner. In fact, the goal is to present their thesis in one minute in any kind of format! Students can either go the traditional route and speak with a powerpoint guide, but students have also written poems and made movies to share as well! Each student is presented with an “award” that’s something along the lines of “best thesis with the cutest subject” (babies) or “best thesis research location” (Italy). Don’t be too quick to brush these awards off as jokes though! A lot of them come with monetary prizes, such as the prestigious Hoopes Prize!

The end of every semester calls for a celebration honoring our hard work. This semester is a bit special because in light of recent tragic events in Boston, it also seems imperative to celebrate Boston. Other bloggers and I have mentioned before that’s it’s a tad difficult to motivate Harvard students to get off campus because there’s always so much to do on campus and because it’s like we’re constantly living in a time crunch.

However, when you have tickets to an NBA playoff game, you get off campus without hesitation! My roommate scored amazing tickets for the both of us to the 4th game between the Celtics and Knicks. It was a crucial game for the Celtics since they lost the first 3 (of 7) games in the series, so my roommate and I made sure to cheer extra loud, especially in overtime when the Celtics pulled through for their first win in the series! I have to admit I’m pretty much a fake Celtics fan (being from Southern California and all), but this didn’t stop me from constantly bragging about my attendance to an NBA playoff game. Campus is less than half an hour from TD Garden which is a great arena for not only sporting events, but also music concerts and much, much more! I can’t believe it’s taken me 3 years to make it out to TD Garden, but I’m beyond glad that I can check that off my bucket (grucket) list!

I hope this blog shows you that Reading Period is really fun and a week to absolutely look forward to – prefrosh, I’m really excited for you! – but remember that fun is exhausting too, so it’s also critical to balance with work. Kind of a lie, since my work thus far has been pretty fun. This semester, I took my favorite math class ever: Math 19a, modeling and differential equations for the life sciences. The majority of topics we covered had direct, real world implications. It’s a course that’s offered every semester and this semester had an (abnormally?) low enrollment number which catalyzed a really close pset (problem set) group aka new friendships! We had 2 exams during the semester and instead of a typical final exam, we had a final paper. I know it sounds crazy to have a math paper, but it’s probably one of the best works I’ve produced here as an undergraduate. My topic focused on modeling the periodic outbreak of whooping cough and although putting numbers and equations into written words was a new challenge for me, I’m proud with the finished project I submitted! The day after my math paper was due, I had an exam for my Genetics class (the class where they catapulted t-shirts). If you’ve been counting, that’s 2 classes down! I’m almost ready to submit my final paper for my Dopamine junior tutorial, bringing myself around for my Spanish research paper, and then I have a few days until my Physical Sciences exam on the last day of finals (May 18th). Between studying, I’m going to try to pack so I can avoid what happened at the end of sophomore year. When school finally ends (insert bittersweet feelings here), I’ll have a few days to get myself together and then I’m leaving the country for the entire summer! I don’t think I’ve posted a blog about my plans, so I’ll keep you all lingering until next time :) Wish me luck with my last week of junior year!

 

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Life is a Fete

May 10, 2013 in Caroline T's Blog by carolinetrusty | 1 comment

It’s been a pretty standard week here in Cambridge. Reading Period and Final Examinations are in full swing. Everyone you run into is either enjoying the weather of their Senior Spring Semester or hitting the books pretty hard, preparing for final exams or proofreading their final papers. I definitely fall into the latter category, as I am not a senior and I have a lot of final exams and papers coming up. But every could has a silver lining, and final exams mean that summer is almost here! I’ll be in Cambridge this summer, interning at the Harvard Law School, so I’ll be sure to keep you updated on how things are hanging in the 617. In the meantime, here are just a few things I’ve been up to this week.

As a research assistant for a History & Literature professor I’ve gotten pretty familiar with the library system around here. The Harvard Library system is one of the most extensive in the world. I feel like I spend 75% of all my time in any of the many libraries on campus, and I’m sure I have not even scratched the surface of what Harvard’s bookshelves have to offer. I was looking for a specific set of newspaper articles from 1922 this past week so I visited the Houghton Library. Neighboring Lamont Library, Houghton Library houses many of Harvard’s rare books and manuscripts. I’ve only been a few times, but is is always fascinating what kind of priceless pieces of history Harvard owns. And, as I found out upon my visit, they take that priceless aspect pretty seriously. Houghton is open to the public, but being allowed to research items is almost as difficult as getting through airport security. The staff was very strict about how items are treated, although they were incredibly friendly and helpful with my research. Check out the Houghton Library blog for more information!

Houghton Library

Houghton Library

This past week was also the Eliot House Formal, otherwise known as Fête,  the French word for “party.” It’s a fitting name as Fête is undoubtedly the greatest party on campus. EVER. And I’m not just saying this because I am a biased Eliot House resident. I’ve been to my fair share of house formal dances at Harvard, and while they have all been immensely enjoyable, none of them has come close to the greatness of Fête. For one night a year, the Eliot House Committee turns the Eliot House courtyard into a scene out of The Great Gatsby. Twinkling fairy lights line the patio; a grand white tent sits on the grass covering a flawless hardwood dance floor. A live swing band plays great music that can be heard all along the river until 2AM. The guys and gals you’re used to seeing at 7:30AM in the dining hall in their sweatpants and workout gear are dressed to the nines in formal gowns and tuxes. It’s truly a magical night.

Fete Invitation

The invitation to Fete was slipped underneath our doorway about a week before the event!

I’ve been hearing about the brilliance of Fête since I was placed into Eliot House my freshman year, and it definitely lived up to the hype. This was my first time attending and I loved the live band, the swing dancing, the decorations, and of course the chocolate covered strawberries. I am seriously counting down the days until next year, wondering how in the world anything could top this year’s party.

Caroline & Mark

Me & My date in our formal finery!

live swing band

The Live Band played all night! They were great.

Well, with all of that said, it’s getting late, and I have quite a bit of studying to do. Wish me luck!

Until Next Week,

Caroline

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#BostonStrong

May 9, 2013 in Shaun's Blog by Shaun | 1 comment

Wow, it’s been quite month here on campus. I’m sure all of those reading this have been aware of the events. Firstly, the horrific bombings at the Boston Marathon and then the hunt to find the same perpetrators who shot an MIT police officer. These events tug at my heart, and well as the rest of Boston.

#BostonStrong

Events like this really put things in perspective and has helped our tennis team appreciate the opportunity to play the game much more. Not everyone has the opportunity to play a sport they are really passionate about and we are very fortunate to be where we are, doing what we love.

Maybe it was this new found perspective that fueled our motivation as we took the ivy league season by storm this year. It is always special to play any match, but the Ivy League matches are always a bit more competitive and exciting. We started off the season by hosting the Columbia lions and Cornell Bears, and got through both matches 4-3 and 6-1 respectively.

Team lining up for the National Anthem

The following weekend we made the tough road trip to Princeton and Penn. Our first match was against Princeton, and they came out enthusiastic, with a large fan contingent. It is matches like this that make you realize how much you love playing the game. I’m not sure how to describe it, but there is something about a hundred rowdy fans hollering at you that makes you appreciate what it means to be out of the court, representing Harvard. These atmospheres are really special as it’s truly amazing to see how many people care enough to come out to something you are very passionate about. Our team was unfazed throughout the match and were able grab a competitive 5-2 win. Next up for us was a match-up with the Quakers, and we were able to escape away with a 4-3 win to end a very long road trip.

We were scheduled to play Brown on the following Friday, but because of the tragic events that ensued in Boston throughout the week, the match was postponed to the following week. Being on campus during the Boston bombings and police chase are something that I will never forget. It wasn’t the fact that I felt I was in danger, but rather, I have never seen the Harvard Community closer together through these troubling times. Everyone was there for each other, and made you feel that nothing could hurt you.

While the events were deeply saddening, we had to make sure we were ready for our next match. Next up for us was our annual Harvard-Yale match. A lot of alumni made it out to this match, and this match proved to be another highly contested battle. Once again, we were able to pull out a 5-2 win. Our next match was slated for the following Thursday, against Brown. It was our senior day and we honored our one senior, Andy Nguyen, before the match started. From the start of the doubles matches, it was clear that Brown came with their A game and really took it to us. We were able to fight back in the singles, but we weren’t able to pull away with a win as we lost 4-3 for our first ivy league loss of the season.

Competing in singles match against Yale

Team picture with HMT alumni after the match

This meant that we had one more ivy league match against Dartmouth, with the ivy title on the line. We headed up to Hanover on a perfect day, with a goal in our minds. Starting in the doubles, all three teams were in top form as they all pulled out their matches. Heading into the singles we kept the momentum rolling and were able to take five of the six singles matches to take a 6-1 win and clinch the ivy league title outright. It was a great way to end the ivy season and a fine way to send off our only senior.

HMT after the Dartmouth match

After the ivy league season we had a couple of weeks to focus on school and attend other events. The most notable event I attended was a talk with Andre Agassi(former No. 1 tennis player in the world). He talked about his experiences with the game and life after he retired. He talked about having a passion and make sure you give yourself every opportunity to succeed. Being a student athlete it was great to hear him talk about his experiences and be close to someone who accomplished so much in the sport. Next up for us is the NCAA tournament this week! Stay tuned for updates!

HMT members with Andre Agassi

Papers and Pizza

May 9, 2013 in Kemie's Blog by Kemie | 1 comment

Working on final papers, projects, and exams can be a little overwhelming at times, but the College does what it can to ease our suffering as we wrap up each semester.  Of course, the easiest way to please college students is to feed them, so most of comforting involves free food.  For example, this evening the Office of Dean Evelyn Hammonds, the Dean of the Undergraduate College, treated the students in Lamont Library to free pizza from Pinocchio’s (“Noch’s” for short).  Noch’s pizza is a late-night staple for a lot of Harvard students, so people were really excited to take a break from their work and head to Lamont Café for a snack.  I never thought I would say this, but I am so happy that I have a research paper due tomorrow, or else I would have missed out on Dean Hammonds’ pizza delivery…

Me with Dean Hammonds in Lamont Café.

Pizza for everyone!

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The End of the Beginning

May 9, 2013 in Rob's Blog by robertledniczky | 1 comment

This past week has been very surreal, with the end of my first year of classes at Harvard. I honestly cannot tell you where the time has gone, especially the spring term, which seems to have evaporated into thin air. We are now into reading period, the week between the end of classes and the start of final exams, and its safe to say that campus has quietened down a bit compared to the rest of term. With many project and paper deadlines due around now, so as to be done before finals, the libraries have become increasingly busier. This is incidentally the reason why I’m slightly late in posting this week: I had a history paper and a stat project due today, so have been pretty pre-occupied getting those finished off.

I now have a week until my first of three exams, which may sound nice, but it’s a bit annoying to have everything clustered at the ends of the exam period. But I will at least get plenty of time to prepare for my finals, and I would have had to stay until the 19th (the last day of exams is the 18th) as we have Eastern Sprints Regatta, the eastern rowing championships on that Sunday. After that it’s then straight to Logan the next day to head back home to the UK, and although I’m really looking forward to getting home and seeing family and friends, it’s going to be hard not seeing the people I have become so close with over the past year for three whole months. It’s the inevitability of circumstances that no matter where you are, you will always end up missing one person or another.

A lot of my friends will be coming over to Europe for everything from study-abroad programs to backpacking adventures though, so I’m definitely going to try and meet up with a few of them to break the time up; I believe a quick trip to Brussels at the beginning of August is currently in order, which is particularly convenient for me, being only 1 hour 40minutes on a train away. I was hoping to be working in Paris over the summer, but unfortunately haven’t been able to get anything off of the ground and it’s not going to be happening. I can’t be too sad though as I may potentially be working in London, my hometown and favourite city of them all, so fingers-crossed things will work out!

The blocking group (minus Ji Seop)

Things haven’t been completely silent around campus however. The past week has also seen the series of end of year house formals, and having now been sorted for next year, many of us freshman ventured out to our respectful residences for next year. My own house, Currier, held theirs on Saturday night and my blocking group and I had a great time mixing with our future housemates, although I was slightly disappointed that out of our whole group I was the only one to step up to the plate and put a tuxedo on!

Quick photo at the formal

This weekend is likely to be packed with studying as everyone prepares for finals, but they’re a necessary evil and everyone is looking forward to having them out of the way and done. My group of friends and I are planning to venture out into Boston Saturday to see the new Gatsby film, something I’ve been waiting a long time to be released, so I’m getting pretty excited about that. I’m thinking of trying to head into Boston sometime during the day before I leave though, as at the moment the city is alive with the colour of blossom and the fresh greens of leaves on the trees, and really looks a picture. I was walking out of the library a few days ago and as I inhaled I got a beautiful whiff of pollen, which after a particularly harsh winter was a very welcomed smell indeed. Spring is doing her job well, and summer is only just around the corner!

I must lastly say a huge congratulations to all those of you who have accepted your place at Harvard for next year, you defied the unfortunate timing of last months events to record the highest yield, 88%, for over 40 years. You guys are amazing, and we cannot wait to meet and get to know you next term!

My last Dunster Formal!

May 6, 2013 in Caroline B's Blog by Caroline Burke | 1 comment

My remaining posts are probably going to start taking on a similar theme as I run through many “lasts” in my Harvard career, but this Friday marked a pretty important one: my last Dunster Formal! Reading period is always filled with end-of-the-year activities, and one of the major traditions is that each house hosts its own formal dance. Dunster’s spring formal is always held in the courtyard under a tent, which is a really fun alternative to many of the other events that are held at venues downtown Boston, both because it saves us the commute and allows us to really enjoy the beautiful space. The night started out with a champagne reception in our Junior Common Room, and my roommate’s brother entertained us for an hour with his (lovely!) piano skills. We then moved into the courtyard for a long night of dancing, which ended up being SUPER fun.

House formals are always a blast because they’re generally very low key: students will go with or without dates, and while everyone does get dressed up there’s no expectation of wearing anything uncomfortable or overly fancy. As my roommates and I were getting ready, shoe selection was determined by whether we could wear them for a whole night on the dance floor (read: flats). The formals are also attended by all members of the House, including new freshmen who just got into Dunster, tutors, the Resident Dean, and our House masters! It was great being able to see everyone under one roof, and many of us spent the weekend recapping the formal’s highlights.

Enjoy some pictures below!

The courtyard also got “dressed up” for formal

Party favors!

Admittedly really bad shot, but gives you an idea of what the tent looked like!

Goofing off with moose “antlers”

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Balls of Wisdom from a Tennis Ace

May 1, 2013 in Rob's Blog by robertledniczky | Comments closed

So last week we were blessed to have a number of celebrities on campus. It’s often the case that I’m unable to see many talk when they come, as the events are usually conveniently scheduled for mid-afternoon, right when I have practice. However the Leadership magazine thoughtfully scheduled their talk with ex tennis pro Andre Agassi until 8pm, so I was able to go and listen to what he had to say. I’d already attended an event hosted by the Humanist society earlier in the term, when they presented British comedian Eddie Izzard with their annual award, so I’d managed to see a few famous faces this term. Andre gave a great speech, and some really insightful answers to questions. He appeared incredibly humbled to be addressing a group of Harvard students, something which I in an odd paradox find very humbling in itself, and was honest about both his past careers failures and successes. He spoke at length about his motivation to play, his period of decline and subsequent rise back to number one, and also his relationship with his father, which was very interesting. It was great to hear about his latest social enterprise within education, and great to here about a sportsman using his prestige for good after his career. It definitely made me think about why I pursue rowing to such a high level, and reinvigorated my desire to keep improving and strive to reach the top.

Andre Agassi speaking last Tuesday (Photocredit: The Crimson)

I did, however, start this article with celebrities plural. That’s because not only was Andre Agassi in town last week, but also Felipe Calderon, the ex-president of Mexico, but also an old Harvard drop-out you might of heard of, Mr. Matthew Damon. Harvard had this week their ‘Arts First’ festival on campus, celebrating all the good that the arts have to offer, and Matt Damon was here to accept the Harvard medal for services to the arts. Unfortunately Harvard wasn’t so kind in their scheduling this time and I missed his talk, but I hear he too gave a fascinating insight into his career as an actor, and provided those there with some great advice for the future. It is one of the many positives that comes from Harvard’s prestige, that we are so lucky to get to listen to these otherwise unaccessible figures, and something that I truly love about Harvard.

Matt Damon speaking at Arts Fest on Thursday (Photocredit: Harvard Gazette)

Aside from these events, this past wek has contained some good news for myself. You may remember me talking a while back that I was comping the Crimson Key Society, and after (quite literally) months of working and waiting, I found out on Thursday that I had been successful and was joining fellow bloggers Scott, Caroline, and Kemie in Key! The comp has been something I’ve been looking forward to for the whole year, and I am so excited to now be a part of it. Key is filled with so many great people, and I cannot wait to get stuck into giving tours and the other events which Key are responsible for.

Life is now certainly picking up with finals fast approaching, and I’ve got a number of papers and projects due in the next week, so need to knuckle down and get through them. The weather is making this particularly difficult however, with spring having fully sprung and beautiful warm days now gracing us. I’m particularly happy about this, not only because it means that rowing on the Charles is gorgeous, but it means I can whack out the essential summer wear, shorts and flip flops. And although it may make being stuck inside working particularly annoying, it’s certainly more pleasant than the drizzling rain which usually constitutes a British spring. Long may it continue!

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