Standing in line for free food—every single week.
STANDING IN LINE FOR FREE FOOD—EVERY SINGLE WEEK.
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Admit it, no matter how prestigious our institutions, how rigorous our studies, or how grand our ambitions, we all found ourselves doing it. Standing in a ridiculously long queue, rain or shine, for that elusive slice of free pizza, a stale bagel, or a lukewarm cup of coffee at some campus event or society gathering. At the time, it felt like a minor inconvenience, another mundane task squeezed between problem sets and extracurriculars. We’d grumble about the wait, check our watches, and wonder if it was truly worth it. It wasn't exactly the Primal Scream, nor did it involve the cloak-and-dagger mystery of secret societies we heard whispers about. It was just… free food.
But here’s the unexpected twist: that simple, often overlooked ritual is one of those traditions we surprisingly miss the most. It wasn’t just about the food, was it? It was the impromptu conversations with friends you hadn't seen all week, the chance encounters that sparked new ideas, the shared exasperation that bonded us. It was a brief, unscheduled pause in the relentless pace of Ivy League life, a moment of collective humanity where everyone, from the most intense pre-med to the aspiring poet, was united by the universal appeal of something for nothing. Looking back, those lines were informal community hubs, places where stress momentarily dissipated and connections were forged. Who knew that a gratis snack could hold such a powerful, nostalgic grip on our hearts? These are the real, unwritten traditions that shaped our experience, the ones we never expected to cherish.
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