Hostile Takeovers Will Be In Pink

I brought a lot of stuff with me to Harvard. I figured I would need all of my high school math and science books. I took a gumball machine for its obvious practicality, and I packed way more clothing than could fit in the standard dressers.

But the most important thing I took along with me was a set of colored triplus fineliner pens. Anyone who knows me knows the set of pens I am talking about. At first, there were only ten. Sophomore year I took on a second set. Junior year I finally upgraded to the set of 20. The pens and I have been together ever since.

Now, you may be wondering, why would anyone need three shades of pink with them at all times? My life is color-coded. Each subject, each activity, each event has a color. My assignment notebook is practically a work of art. Many people have been horrified and entertained by my color-coded life. Sometimes the colors have to share roles (I only have 20, after all). However, through my four years, some colors have had some general themes.

Blue was for teaching. Blue was also for grading, although that was probably my least favorite part of being a Course Assistant. There’s that famous quote “to teach is to learn twice,” and it is certainly true. But to teach is also to remember why you wanted to learn in the first place. Getting others excited about your subject reminds you of why you though it was awesome to begin with (and if you do not think your subject area is awesome, I recommend a change in subject).

The Crimson was in red. Red was comp requirements, then associate assignments, then random brain-stormed ideas for the department. Red was for all those great inside jokes and crazy nicknames that made me happy to be part of such a close community. Red was for the reminders to go into the office on Wednesday to steal Fifteen Minutes early because I just couldn’t wait until Thursday morning to read it.

Black was for crew. Black was for 6 a.m. lift and afternoon practice and weekend races. Black meant getting tired, getting wet, and was often the highlight of my day. Black meant time with the wonderful ladies of Radcliffe crew. In a lot ways, black kept me happy and sane—and, of course, helped me maintain my competitive edge.

Dark blue was for work, for dressing up like an adult and going into the office. Dark blue helped keep me in J.Crew clothing and reminded me of what I have to look forward to upon graduation. Dark blue also helped put things in perspective. My coworkers, their families, and their jobs reminded me that doing poorly on my midterm would probably mean very little to me in the long run.

Green was for economics. Sophomore year I discovered that economics was the way that I best understood the world. From what I can tell, everyone has a way of looking at things that suits them best. My roommates use science and literature. My sisters use art and psychology. Green was for the stuff that just made plain sense to me, the stuff that explained that everything I always knew was true.

Light teal was for general social fun, because everybody needs some regular light teal.

The other fourteen colors took turns for different cores, courses, events and activities. Justice was in orange. Computer Science was in purple. Senior gift was in brown.

Being a senior entails a certain amount of sentimentality. You begin to think about all the things that you did and did not do. I would say, at the end of it all, the thing I am the happiest about is my color-coded life. I love this school and I love the people here, and I have loved needing twenty colors to keep track of everything I had to do.

A friend of mine once joked that were I to become an investment banker, “hostile takeovers will be in pink.” I am not sure how I will use the colors in my future life, but I am glad that this set was with me through college. My pens represent everything I have loved most about this school and I hope I will continue to need them.

Especially light teal.

Charlotte J. Eccles ’07 is an applied mathematics concentrator in Pforzheimer House. She was operations manager of the Crimson in 2005 and 2006.