How to: Feel a Little Bit Like You’re Back on Campus

Too often, we don’t realize a good thing until it’s gone. Despite that one stretch in February where it feels like school will never end, our time at Harvard is limited. The days spent running from clubs to classes feel long, and the nights spent working on pset after pset feel even longer. But all those times we finally got meals with our incredible classmates, discovered secret study spots halfway through reading period, and squeezed into tiny dorm rooms for some classic claustrophobic hang outs prove that these are the moments that we will remember when we look back on these four years. As we all adjust to being away from campus, here are some ways you can bring a little bit of Harvard life home.

Set Boundaries with Your Roommates

If college has taught us anything, it’s how to live with other people. Your hyper little brother or strict parents might seem like heaven after months with your suitemate who refused to throw out their trash. It’s important to decide for yourself when the best times for you to hang out with the people you’re quarantined with are, as well as the best ways to help keep each other sane through all this isolation. Maybe your nightly routine involves staying up until 3 a.m. psetting and winding down with your throwback playlist, in which case saying goodnight to your parents and shutting yourself in your room is definitely the move. But playing card games after dinner or setting mock-J.P. Licks as the official Friday night dessert can help you feel like you’re keeping your traditions alive. Still, don’t forget to maintain your boundaries. If you find yourself needing advice on how to reply to your Bumble match, this is your reminder that your parents are not the right people to ask for help.

(Red) Spice It up With Some HUDS Classics

To truly recreate the full experience of Harvard dining, text three of your friends to see if they’re free to “grab a meal,” reschedule twice, and then FaceTime each other while you eat and complain about how long your reading is. Not every dhall meal is a win, but there are definitely some classic HUDS dishes we’re starting to miss. Whether your go-to is the three cheese grilled cheese, salmon in whatever sauce HUDS was feeling at the moment, or some iconic red spiced chicken, set aside an evening to recreate it for dinner at home.

Stick to a Schedule

You probably don’t want to hear this, but attending your lectures and sections is a great way to preserve the academic aspect of college. Spend some time each day doing your psets or grinding out that essay — when you’re lost in an especially scintillating chapter of Kant, you won’t even notice that you’re in your room with the blinds drawn instead of in your usual Lamont nook. Block out time for the things you would normally do, whether that’s working out in the mornings, calling friends or relatives, or indulging in a little self-care (face masks, anyone?). There’s nothing more satisfying than a perfectly color-coded bullet journal, or, in true Harvard fashion, a Gcal planned down to the minute.

Maintain a Social Life

Whether you’ve had a semester and a half or years to bond with your Harvard peers, it’s crazy how quickly these people can start to feel like family. They may not live next door anymore, but setting up weekly Zoom calls or tagging them whenever you come across good memes are great ways of ensuring that you guys can pick up right where you left off when you reunite. For the freshmen out there, it’ll also be good practice for keeping in touch with your friends who get quadded. We may not be Harvard State, but Saturday nights are still a thing. Slip your beverage of choice into your virtual shopping cart and schedule a time to Netflix party that Love is Blind or Cheer episode your blockmates have been meaning to catch up on since winter break.

If you follow these tips, you can transform wherever you are into your own little Harvard — just without the bells waking you up from your midday naps. Maybe the silver lining of this time spent away from the people and place we’ve come to love is that we’ll appreciate the time we do spend at Harvard that much more.