Love It/Hate It: March

March at Harvard is a true paradox. On one hand, it’s a glimmer of hope: the sun’s out, spring break is just around the corner, and the Charles River is starting to thaw. On the other hand, it’s a brutal tease — weather swinging from sunny to snow in 24 hours, midterms creeping up, and Housing Day looming over your head. You get a taste of spring… but then remember you’re still buried under psets and midterms. So, is March a month of renewal or the greatest test of mental fortitude? You decide.

Love It

March is my real New Year. It’s the first month of the first season (spring), and let’s be honest — it’s practically impossible to do anything productive until the sun starts coming out regularly. As much as I love a good snow day, the winter weather stopped being aesthetic the moment the holiday season ended and the gorgeous white Christmas turned into a gray, hazardous sludge-fest. Seriously — I’d almost forgotten that the Yard was once green. That’s when March swoops in to save the day: It waits until you’re drowning in psets, stressing over midterms, and cursing the wind chill for making it feel ten degrees colder than it actually is. Then, it springs (no pun intended) days of blue skies and sunshine on you, and everything’s right in the world again (until you realize that your Expos paper is still due in two hours…).

Not a fan of Cambridge’s spring weather? Don’t worry — March graciously provides you with an entire week of spring break to escape reality and actually enjoy your life for once! Sandwiched between a month with an awkward three-day weekend (who actually has time to do anything fun over President’s Day??) and a month with NO BREAKS AT ALL (how dare you April?!), March is clearly the month that most values a work-life balance. There’s even a three-day upgrade from February for you to catch up on everything and feel extra productive (currently trying to convince myself this is actually how life works)!

Also, shoutout to Pi Day (for the math concentrators), Daylight Savings (for the early birds), March Madness (for the basketball-lovers), midterm season (just kidding), and HOUSING DAY!! There’s just so much to love about March.

Hate It

March is my worst enemy. It’s a month of deception, uncertainty, and greed — similar traits to that section kid; we all know one. March’s primary holiday, St. Patty’s Day, is not one worth the celebration it receives. The holiday has become a full-blown glorification of leprechauns, the greediest creatures of all. Not to mention how leprechauns have ruined a beautiful part of nature, rainbows, by turning them into a chase for profits. We already have an overload of econ majors — we do not need more dedicated bag-chasers at Harvard. This is a liberal arts institution.

Along with March’s odd flagship celebration, the month is packed with uncertainty. It seems like every day the weather goes from 65 degrees and sunny to 30 degrees, windy, and raining. The whiplash leaves me guessing whether to leave the dorm in just a t-shirt or in three layers with a scarf, requiring an unnecessarily complex level of thought to my morning. This complexity is simply unwelcome, given that all of my Harvard brain power goes toward March midterms, choosing a blocking group, spring break plans, internship cover letters, and daily 100+ page readings. I mark March as a month with no brain power to spare, and the consistent inconsistency is only a further detriment.

Finally, the absolute worst part of March is its similar name and proximity to May. We have three sets of months that share first letters (As, Ms, and Js), which is way too many for me. It needs to be cut down, and March has to go. The name is just ugly. May, the far superior month, deserves the M. It’s a three-letter harmony versus March’s jumble of letters that it calls a name. Not only that, but May is just the superior month. Summer officially begins, graduation happens, and my birthday is celebrated. What does March have going for it? Nothing, see above.

If you couldn’t tell, I am passionate about my hate for March. I also have a paper and midterms calling, so I will leave all of you lovely Flyby readers with this: Would you go around saying that March is your FAVORITE month? Didn’t think so.

In the end, March at Harvard is a month of extremes: you’re either living for the rare sunshine or questioning your life choices as the rain pours down on you as you leave (run from) your dorm. March gives you hope with spring break but also piles on midterms like it’s trying to test your sanity. Whether you find joy in the madness or spend the month cursing leprechauns and the weather gods, March is definitely a ride. So, whichever side you’re on, just remember: there’s always one constant — Housing Day, which for freshmen is either the happiest day of your life or the worst. Enjoy!