Things to Do While Waiting For the Shuttle

As is the case in life, many things only happen in our dreams: finishing a pset before the day it’s due, a full eight hours of sleep, and the shuttle being there for you when you actually need it. Whether you’re going to class from the Quad or Mather, returning back home after a long day of walking, or trying to visit the new SEAS complex, the shuttle is always necessary and never on schedule. And since we’re busy students, it’s probably a good idea to be ~productive~ when spending those many hours waiting for it to arrive. Here are some ideas for when you’ve finished listening through your entire Spotify library:

Finish a Reading for a Class

Let’s be real, this applies to most assignments that require you to consume media. Downloading your book onto your phone? Actually bringing your physical textbook to the shuttle? You’ve got the time, so you might as well start reading! Pros of this approach include appearing as if you have your life together — especially if your textbook is one of those giant ones that require some strength to carry. You might even be able to retain some of the information if you focus enough… which, let’s be real, is going to require all of your mental capacity and will probably never happen before your 9 a.m., but at least you can say you tried!

Walk to the Yard and Back

Do you find yourself without time to stay active? Is your phone’s health app disappointed because you haven’t met your daily step target? Now that you have some downtime while waiting for the shuttle, you might as well begin to move that body! Take a quick walk to the Yard and back if you’re coming from the Quad. You might return just in time for the next shuttle. Shuttle still not there? Sources indicate that you can walk all the way to MIT or even the Boston Common and back before the next shuttle.

Become Fluent in Klingon

Honestly, you can try out any language. The U.S. Foreign Service Institute estimates that you can become fluent in a language like Spanish or Italian in 480 hours, so while this might have to be spread across an entire week of waiting for the shuttle, you’ll experience many benefits with your newfound multilingualism. Finally master that one language on your résumé you’ve been lying about being fluent in! Get a head start on that language citation you’ve been meaning to add! Just make sure you don’t spend TOO much time waiting for the shuttle, or else you might start to become too fluent in your new language, start to forget English, and vIDelmeH jIblIj, 'ej bISopqu'mo' qa'lI' je, HoS lIng.

Finish One (1) Question on Your Orgo Pset

These things take forever, just like waiting for the shuttle. So why not try to combine two infinities to make them both go by faster? You can try this method out with any pset. Wait an hour for the shuttle and you might be able to finish a question. Or not. Psets are hard.

However you choose to spend your time, try your best to keep up a positive attitude and know that somehow, the shuttle will arrive (try out the new app: Passio Go). It might be in 3-5 business days, but it will come!