Everyday Sociology
A prominent lesson that stays with me after five years of university education in sociology is the everydayness of it. As an undergrad, I was introduced to multiple topics of social importance that could enrich a sociologist’s arsenal of knowledge. Social theories pushed a student to look deeper into Indian social institutions, their functioning and dynamics that […]
Cultivating Empathy: An antidote to ignorance
David Foster Wallace, in The Broom of the System, portrays a cantankerous caged bird, ironically named Vlad the Impaler. This bird sees nothing more than the misty yellow blob of its reflection, yet continues to admire itself while biting the hand that feeds it. Through this metaphor, Wallace distills the essence of our current solipsis that afflicts even the […]
Don’t Hold Back: Advice for Deferred College Applicants
I’m picturing the scene: It’s 11pm. The new year has settled in. Your Regular Decisions apps are all done and submitted (or at least close to it). Now that the rush of college deadlines has calmed down, with interviews for your secondary choices arising and final exams soon to begin, you’ve finally found yourself a brief […]
Getting It Done: Managing Time and Boosting Productivity
Excelling at academics, nailing those three-pointers, perfecting your pitch, contributing to your community, grinding hard at an internship, and cultivating a genuine passion for…well, something—getting through high school ain’t an average Joe job anymore. The question is how do you transform an average Joe into a distinguished Joe who can handle all of the above, […]
Surviving and Thriving with Parents during a Pandemic: A Mini Guide
I have to confess, this is borderline clickbait since I usually have NO idea of how to avoid fights with my parents, let alone advise you on yours. Today, however, we’re discussing a very specific category of arguments—the ones that have arisen during the course of this year’s collective, prolonged grounding, which seem strangely worse […]
The Language of Anthropology
“Anthropology is that which makes the unfamiliar familiar and the familiar unfamiliar”- is how my professor would define it. These words resonate with my understanding and experience of our socio-cultural worlds. Anthropology is a language that renders alien cultures understandable and one’s own societies mysterious. Although I have acquired myriad complexities from anthropology, I have […]
The Waiting Game: An Open Letter to Applicants Awaiting Regular Decision
Athena speaks to the youth she consuls To whom it may concern, What a troubling time of year. Each day, from my place atop Olympus, I watch, with my owl’s-eye view, as undergraduate applicants pass through the trials of early triumph and defeat. Happy faces, overjoyed and cherubic, like Cupid. But also sad ones, long, […]
The Wisdom and War of College Interviews
Under the soft light of her desk, Padma sits with her pen between her teeth, flipping thoughtlessly through her ancient Greek history textbook. There’s an exam coming up, but she just can’t seem to focus her bleary eyes on the Acropolis. Her mind is far too preoccupied. Tomorrow, she has an interview with an alumnus […]
The Quiet Melody of a Sentence
“She [Daisy] developed, without instruction or encouragement, a curious habit of holding people firmly by the ankle without actually biting them — a habit that gave her an immense personal advantage and won her many enemies… She never grew up, and she never took pains to discover, conclusively, the things that might have diminished her […]
What’s in a Space? Growing Bigger and Better at Athena
“What’s in a name?” Juliet once asked. Well, as the Goddess of Wisdom, I must say I’m rather flattered to have a company based in pedagogy named after me. (Thankfully, they didn’t go with my Roman twin.) It’s always made perfect sense. With their uniquely dynamic team from elite universities all over the world, they […]