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As we’re officially in Spooky Season, Harvard’s campus vibes have changed. Of course, students are haunted by midterms and poor technology (shoutout to Canvas being down for a day, but my essay deadline is not getting extended). Still, beyond the annual scares of midterm season, there’s also some new frights at Harvard this fall.

The Eliot Construction.

As a Kirkland resident, I would like to personally highlight the primary reason for my atrocious sleep debt this semester. It’s not psets or readings: no, it’s the Eliot construction. Nothing wakes you up better than a wrecking ball outside your window at 7 a.m. every weekday. Nothing makes you more terrified to live in River West than when it’s so loud that the tutors are handing out earplugs. My Halloween costume might just have to be an Eliot construction worker, because they scare us Kirkland residents even more than our pset deadlines.

Lines.

Not lines in a book, but rather the endless parade of lines on the street. Lines outside Berryline. Lines outside PopUp Bagels. Lines to get free Dunkin’ gift cards in the Square. Every time I see a collection of people in a line, I’m filled with dread (I dream of the days we could get fro-yo in 15 minutes, rather than an hour). The sheer number of people willing to wait for up to an hour for a snack of any kind is new to Harvard this fall, and it’s rather frightening to see.

Okta Verify.

Is it crazy to say I miss Duo? The emails leading up to the transition to Okta were so ominous, and setting it up on all of my devices was exhausting. I still don’t even think I did it right. Even worse, Okta loves to glitch when I try to open my.harvard to doomscroll over what courses to take next semester.

Coughing in Class.

The droves of people downed by the freshman flu and the resurgence of Covid (oh yes, Covid is back — or maybe it never left?) means that I can’t walk into a room without hearing at least one raspy cough. This is a PSA: stay home if you’re sick! There’s nothing quite as scary as the prospect of being the next victim of illness right before your midterm.

Harvard Influencers.

It seems like every other person I met last year is giving the noble career of Instagram Influencer a try (or starting a Substack). Yes, we go to Harvard. Does that mean we can explain exactly how to be successful, happy, or also get into Harvard? (I’d like to note that these things are possibly mutually exclusive, and at any rate, probably not correlated). Yet, at least once a day, I find myself ducking out of the way of a camera or selfie stick in the dhalls or Yard, as yet another prospective influencer rates HUDS, records themselves in Ec 10A, or time-lapses their Lamonster moments.

“What’s Your Halloween Costume?”

As someone with no costume creativity and a healthy ability to procrastinate, getting asked this classic October question makes me break out in a cold sweat. I’ve scrolled Pinterest, debated group fits with my blockmates, and am still no closer to a Halloween costume than I was before. Luckily, Flyby has some ideas if (like me) you need them!

Evidently, Harvard’s spooky season goes beyond your run-of-the-mill Halloween myths — here are the other scary things around the Yard right now to contemplate instead of your looming deadlines! Stay safe out there, folks. If you lock in hard enough for your midterms, you might be lucky enough to miss these things entirely … though that might be an even scarier prospect.