The Harvard Bubble

Here at Harvard we live in what we like to call The Harvard Bubble.  It’s hard to describe unless you’ve experienced it.  In plain English, it’s the surreal experience of the place.

It’s better than work because you get along with almost everyone and you don’t have to answer to management or shareholders.

It’s better than normal school because there are some really truly brilliant people here and we’re all actually very interested in our courses. (Ahem! The ones we like and the ones that we are smart enough to drop if we don’t!)

It’s better than your normal group of friends because we see each other almost every day and almost everyone has time to grab coffee or an adult beverage and shoot the breeze. We throw out ideas about how we want to change the world and no one says it’s impossible. We offer each other solutions on how to make it happen.

So while I enjoyed my time at home in Chicago during winter break, I missed school.  I missed it a lot.  Then it dawned on me that the magic of my year at Harvard is more than half over.  And that makes me sad.  I tried to temper that sadness by planning a trip to Maui immediately after graduation.  But real life is creeping back in…

I’m updating my resume because I need to find a job.  I was smart enough to get into Harvard, but not smart enough to get someone else to pay it.  The Department of Education wants to be REPAID.

I am in the process of making some hard decisions about where I want to work and what to do with my condo in Chicago. The next job that I choose will set the trajectory of my new career. Supposedly, the world is my oyster but I still have some anxiety about life after graduation.  I try not to, but I am about to enter into uncharted waters.

Also, I now have this monkey on my back called the Harvard Brand ®.  People automatically have expectations when they find that I’m here and am on track to graduate.  I don’t know about my classmates, but I find it a bit stressful. I’ve lived my life prejudged because of my gender and my race.  I already know that my current educational choice will make life more complex, even if it’s in a good way.

This semester I can max out and take 4.5 courses.  But I’ve decided not to do it. I took (and passed!) 5 classes last semester but I don’t recommend that option for anyone. It was structured insanity.  I was at home for almost 2 weeks before my brain was able to wind down enough that I didn’t feel compelled to stay up until 2AM reading a book! I love The Harvard Bubble, but to ignore the fact that my journey is winding down would be to my detriment. 

Real life is about to knock on my door and I need to be prepared to answer.