A New State of Mind
A meditation on nostalgia
I am constantly falling victim to nostalgia. The borders of my memory often feel more akin to a cell than a palace. It has been this way for me as long as I can remember. In childhood, I would mourn …
Opinion
Nostalgia for What?
The lost art of disagreement
“You and I ought not to die before we have explained ourselves to each other.”
By the time John Adams penned this line to Thomas Jefferson in 1813, the two men had been at odds for over a decade following …
Student Life
A defense of the overachiever: Finding joy in the climb
Every day at Bowdoin, I am impressed by the lofty ambitions of my peers—dreams to cure antibiotic resistance, run All-American times and scale both literal and metaphorical mountains. Extraordinary ambition is the norm; a walk through the library is enough …
politics
Stop saying “secure the border”
The immigration discourse has been loaded for a very long time, and it has not become any less polarizing. Growing up as the child of immigrants, it never quite made sense why. What was so bad about people like my …
Alumni
Bowdoin and the Second Gilded Age
Standing inside the Gibbons Center for Arctic Studies, I cannot help but be reminded of the parallels with the Walker Art Building, dating back to the Gilded Age. At Gibbons’s entrance, and the Bowdoin College Museum of Art’s (BCMA) original, …
Searching for the Moon
On not studying abroad
Around this time last year, I decided to withdraw from studying abroad … for the first time. It seemed unorthodox for a language major to have so little interest in an opportunity to immerse myself in a culture I appreciate …
For What It's Worth
Who said we hibernate? It’s 28 degrees and sunny
It’s 27 degrees Fahrenheit, someone’s insisting it’s “not even that bad” and you’re debating if gloves are dramatic. In Maine, that’s not denial. That’s just winter. You put a coat on and keep it moving. Lately, I’ve been thinking about …
Off Campus
Winter work: What the Offer cannot provide
The Offer of the College is a gilded promise. But it is not enough for me. One day, I will build a house with my own hands, so I have taken work as a carpenter’s apprentice. I am paid $25 …
advice
Fake people, real life
After the novelty and euphoria of first year wore off, I found myself caught in a sort of rhythm. Rhythm is an interesting word because (in this case) it’s neither positive nor negative. My expectations for certain systems and activities …
Editorial
Don’t just fix the house, fix the system
Last Friday, Director of Residential Life (ResLife) SJ Tinker announced in an email to first-year Reed House applicants that the house would be closed for renovations during the 2026–2027 academic year. Over the next eight years, one College House will …