How To: Recreate Harvard From Home

The ever-approaching finals season may have you watching lectures at double speed, contemplating life in the shower, or truly just wishing for some ~authentic~ Harvard experiences. For those of us who are still stuck off campus, fret not. As you push towards the end of what is *hopefully* your last remote semester, here are some tips to make campus seem a little less distant.

Making yourself HUDS dishes

Although home-cooked meals can never grow old, there is something special about the collaborative dining food experience that you may miss. An easy way to solve this would be recreating your favorite HUDS dishes at home. Start by obtaining a tray or brown paper bag and creating a line with your family members around the house. This can trigger the familiar sensation of walking through the dining hall or the FlyBy (no, the other one) line. After enjoying your top HUDS meal (caesar salad always slaps), find a random rack in your house to simulate the dish return area. Your parents may not like this, but it’s worth it.

Wearing Harvard merch 24/7

What better way to recreate the Harvard experience than constantly reminding yourself and the people around you of it? Start by finding and investing in your top Harvard merch. At home the options are endless: Harvard shirts, sweaters, sweats, socks, pajamas, and even underwear. Somehow, the COOP doesn’t sell face masks, so make sure you get that buy that oh-so-subtle Harvard facemask from some third-party vendor so that everyone knows you go to “a small liberal arts college in Boston.”

The Perks

Remember those Harvard perks when searching for snacks? Try pretending your $65 of Boardplus still exists at your local supermarket. The cashier may be confused, but it’s on Harvard’s dime, right? Another favorite classic memory you can recreate at home is “Brain Break.” Don’t forget to buy your favorite off-brand cereals like “Cinnamon Toasters,” “Marshmallow Mateys,” “Fruit Rounds,” and “Cocoa Peanut Butter Spheres.” These delicious breakfast snacks combined with any assortment of random leftovers in your fridge at 12 a.m. will immediately transport you back into your house dining hall.

Hahvahd’s Traditions

You may have the food and the fits down, but one thing that really makes Harvard are the unique and confusing traditions we have. Start simple by referring to your parents and siblings as your “blockmates.” If you’re feeling ambitious, don’t forget to streak through your neighborhood *with a mask* before finals. This special Harvard tradition may not always be socially acceptable, but it is definitely doable, as long as you’re willing to shed your dignity along with your clothes. Just be careful if you pee on your neighbor’s lawn — but then again, if the dog can do it, so can you (note: Flyby does not endorse public urination).

Follow these steps, and who knows! Maybe you’ll be featured on Dean Khurana’s Instagram ;) All in all, we miss Harvard and Harvard life, but hopefully these little tips can make you smile or at least contemplate the decisions you make on campus.