“Maybe someday
You’ll find your way back
You’ll find your way back”
At 11:30pm today, I tweeted: “Drop 10+ things you miss about Wellesley to be included in my blog post tonight!” I then texted a similar message to about 10 of my Wellesley friends. After getting over 20 responses in less than 10 minutes, I realized how many more students I could reach by posting the same thing to all of the current Wellesley Facebook groups. So I posted my request to the Class of 2021, Class of 2022, and Class of 2023 pages.
Compiled in just a few hours, here is a list of every single response I got:
- leftover food in the Harambee House fridge after events
- the tension in senate after something spicy happens
- Everybody’s cute handmade earrings!
- packing 11 people in the shuttle
- cardiac arrest after climbing up to the wgst department on fnd 4th
- feeling so Professional in the pne lighting studio
- the chaotic good energy of every ldoc concert
- Tasting snow for the first time
- using up all of my flex points within the first two weeks of the semester lol!
- sprinting at full speed to any loco stop in boston to catch the last bus back to campus
- Having accessibility access
- Being able to walk out into nature at any time
- the people i love living down the hall
- cafe hoop supremacy (:
- hoop
- el table
- being openly gay
- bates salad bar
- watching the sunset on the lake (:
- walking through the quad at 3am with frost covering the grass
- running into friends unexpectedly
- tower court great hall
- the adirondack chairs by waban
- The lake
- the amazing support system my friends provide
- The Stone Davis common room in the evening
- El Table during the lunch rush
- cafe hoop late at night
- The path by the library in the fall
- Playing bananagrams with my friends at Pom Tea!
- the humanities commons
- my friends’ rooms
- the tower courtyard
- claflin smelling amazing during the day because of the bakery
- pulling 12 chairs around a dinner table because i found a lot of friends in the dining hall
- the DOF
- the art in jewett when i’m walking to class
- tower steps with friends
- the shafer living room!!!
- snowfall on campus :,(
- Skinny dipping/swimming in cold a** waban
- hoop
- el table
- joes fried rice n egg
- tater tots
- waking up after the first snow
- drunkenly going down death hill in the winter
- the steps
- sci L wing 3rd floor bathroom
- Tupelo point
- baking in scoop
- going to el table alone, but always seeing a friend to sit with
- the first spring day spent in the tower courtyard
- the fall foliage
- the way every building looks 10x prettier in the snow
- all the little nooks and crannies on the third and fourth floor of clapp
- the huge amount of green space
- looking at the lake
- going to pub when it was almost empty
- drunk walks across campus
- also the pendleton west 0 floor bathroom, i just like it and idk why lmao
- I don’t like the senate bus rides into Boston bc I get nauseous too easily, but what i’d do to be asking someone for a token or running to the stop before the last Sunday bus leaves
- Swimming in the lake at night
- pub night and running into friends you didn’t know would be there
- graham central
- the art library basement
- Maria who serves the salads in Bates
- the owl that lives in a tree between freeman and sci
- Pendleton east atrium at around 5pm with the sun coming in the big windows
- humanities commons in the green/founders where you can (illegally) hook your computer up to the massive TV
- green beach any any time of day or night
- sunset through the art lib window over sev green
- friends!
- lake!
- professor office hours when you just get to hear about their passions!
- the fencing team
- agora so so much
- the 40 bazillion different ways to get to class from different places!
- the love when staying up with friends til an ungodly hour!
- freedom
- green monstahs
- pub nights
- hoop
- everyone’s beautiful f****** faces
- the DOF’s painted walls
- collecting friends for saturday lulu brunch
- sitting 5 people on a twin bed somehow
- the library
- ground floor seats overlooking the fountain
- the statue of the two faced lady outside of tower
- the raccoons
- El table
- hoop
- lake waban
- running into friends unexpectedly
- wine nights
- in person classes
- my roommate
- the local motion
- claf living room
- sitting on the floor of a friend’s room looking at a space they’ve decorated for themselves
- saying “at this point, i’m just trying to pass the class” and hate-loving it
- the first 5 minutes of an org meeting before it’s really begun
- not thinking about when it will all disappear
- drinking coffee with oat milk at El
- watching the sunset over waban
- tower steps with friends
- craft and boba nights
- kissing the homies
- group mirror pics in beebe
- cuddling with you all hours of the day
- shakes house kitchen at 3am probably eating cookies joy baked
- i miss walking around the topiary next to lake waban
- i miss working for hours on end in the philosophy lounge
- i miss being too cold on the tower steps
- i miss the sun in the spring making Lake Waban glimmer
- i miss walking our empty streets after pub night
- Sitting by the fireplace w friends at lulu while watching the snowfall!
- HOOP!
- I miss being able to walk around campus late at night after tomfoolery
- being able to go to hoop and be surrounded by good vibes and good people and good food without fail
- I miss the way I could eat in bates for hours with friends and dogs
- I miss the first snow days and how I’d bundle up and run around in the snow (read as: trudge in the snow)
- walking around the lake
- late night study dates in collins
- being gay af
- late night mcdonalds orders of 20+ chicken nuggets/ pizza movie nights with the homies
- hanging out pretending to do hw in hoop eating food with copious amounts of cheese to bomb a** playlists
- the f****** changing of the SEASONS which was new to me and so many people
- the running into acquaintances at parties & giving each other intense compliments but in the daylight only making awkward eye contact while walking to class
- aggressive notes abt hygiene in communal spaces
- eating dinner for an unacceptable amount of time bc the company is just so good
- the shedding of responsibilities and pause in time during the first snow to go sledding down sev hill
- canoeing on the lake like a rich person
- just a taste of a peaceful lifestyle
- ppl in class saying “this might b rlly dumb but,” and then proceeding to make some of the best points ive ever heard
- the camaraderie of the mid afternoon on marmon when everyone’s h******** r starting
- golden houuUuuuuurrrr
- tower steps in the biting cold of the winter
- The hoop was an amazing place to get food at the end of a long day and meet great new people you wouldn’t have if you didn’t go
- honestly? those billiards tables @ lu
- the walk back to campus from the ville through the tree lined path :,)
- Lake Sunsets
- so many Ice Cream options
- Slater House and my international fam <3 #slaterlove
- late nights at Café Hoop!!!
- Late night hall sits with my dorm mates
- lemon thaiiiii nights
- Tunneling !
- The geese!
- moonlight breakfast!
- The Pub!!!!! We <3 the pub!!!!!!
- sev’s new access door <3
- getting the bean hash tacos at tower ):
- Bread and cheese nights
- Such nice sweet friendly dhall workers
- Joe’s fried rice with eggs
- Snow day walks
- Feeling super safe on campus at night
- Walking through Founders with friends before class! <3
- sitting on my dorm floor with friends drinking tea and debriefing our days (especially when it’s cold outside)
- Hooplas from the hoop – my first time trying and falling in love with cookie butter
- running into friends on the way to class
- nutella croissants from hoop and el table
- nights that consist of conversation, wine, and lemon thai
- red indoor lounge chairs on the 3rd floor of Clapp on rainy afternoons
- Munger Hall
- painting murals on the walls of the Munger basement
- doing homework and eating green monstahs w my best friends in el table!!!!
- late nights in dorm common rooms <3
- traying down sev green
- walking across campus right after the first snow when everything is just a little bit softer and calmer
- meals with friends at dining halls talking about the most random things!!
- long lines for weekend brunches at Lulu
- running into someone or the other you know everyday while walking across campus
- delicious breakfasts at Pom
- doggos!
- food festivals at Tishman
- sunsets
- ice cream sandwich trucks
- Marmon
- the dining hall workers who we all love (my heart belongs to everyone in the Pom dining hall)
- Wasac chai nights
- Shruti Laya rehearsals
- Ministrare Council!
- Spontaneously making plans with friends you run into on campus
- having the most wild discussions at 1 AM with those sitting in the hall or living room
- El Table (and their coffee!)
- mornings at Pom
- walking with friends throughout campus for any and every reason!
- Speed walking to class and passing by the geese and the lake
- Sledding down Sev green with friends in the winter
- Staying up late and making friends in the Claflin common space
- Collins movie nights every week
- Drinking tea because we’re in The Northeast
- Friends who warn me when I get soda instead of water at Lulu
- The sense of camaraderie that goes along with finishing a pset at 4pm on a Friday in the library
- The path to Sci where you see goslings in the spring
- Adorable bridges
- Marmon and on-campus dogs
- The shuttle to the ~dine-in~ movie theater and mall
- Talking about the Bachelor in SI
- Tofu scramble with peppers at Tower
- Sibs performing at the end of the semester
- The sound of summer nights away from the city
- That part of the lake walk where it feels like you’re the protagonist in “The Most Dangerous Game”
- The first warm day
- Being stressed but okay with it since the night before finals is approaching and I’ll be able to scream about it eventually
- sunsets over Lake Waban
- waiting in line for Joe’s fried rice on Saturday mornings
- the first snow day
- running into friends around campus
- the Shafer living room
- being in such a welcoming environment
- the bunnies
- Leaves on the trees during the fall!
- sitting by paramecium
- finding food at 1 am
- the little nod you give someone when you see them in the kitchenette in the middle of the night
- falling asleep in the lounge chairs in the library
- seeing classmates trying to print something in clapp right before the class you’re all heading to
- getting scared by the tower statue at night
- being out of breath at the top of death hill
- rolling down sev hill when there’s no snow
- taking the long way to class in the fall
- stomping through the snow on the side of the road on purpose
- the smell from el table
- music playing in the hoop
- roaming around clapp library
- ice cream in every dining hall
- KSC
- Jewett
- Collins cinema
- Harambee House
- roaming the science center
- sledding down sev hill
- late nite hoop nachos w friends
- spontaneous bathroom haircuts
- graham central station
- the rush of adrenaline that comes with just barely catching the last loco
- familiar faces on regular route to class
- lake house living room (esp at sunset and during hoco)
- Going to explore Boston with friends
- late nights doing homework in the Beebe basement
- random dance parties in someone’s dorm room
- watching the Bachelor with friends
- sitting by the lake at golden hour with my best friends
- the potential of having a snow day (only to have the school inevitably still have classes)
- the wzly station and hosting shows
- late night walks from tower court to east side and back
- eating brunch on the weekend and seeing all your friends in various states of h*******
- Freedom to be myself (:
- The weather
- Late nights hearing my roommate and her partner laughing and studying and loving
- McDonalds in a zip car
- Thin a** walls
- Black joy in a dorm-room sized package
- Walking to class knowing I’m late
- My mattress topper
- Tatiana Ivy Moise
- Avery Lumeng
- the lake view from my window
- Gloria from the Emporium
- talking with Greg from Bates
- casually running into your friends on tower hill between classes
- taking an (accidental) nap in the mfc
- watching the flowers bloom after a long winter
- marshmallow mateys
- 4AM talks with your friends
- admiring everyone’s fashion
- i really miss the corgi i used to dogsit
- having a conversation with one person on tower west balcony and the other in tower east
- the first two weeks when you’re constantly reuniting with pals!
- still not knowing how to get around green hall
- cafe hoop after an exhausting org meeting
- walking back from the library at midnight in the dark and feeling 100% safe
- lying on the tower steps during the first snow
- the basement of the art library!
- the first time you discover pendleton and jewett are connected
- having to find new routes around campus when the snow closes most of the stairways
- the russian department!
- wellesley fresh chicken salad
- tower steps first snow
- hanging out in tower courtyard on the first sunny day of spring
- My Friends
- The apple sauce
- My privacy
- My “HBCU”
- Ethos Meets/Events
- A continuous stream of Orange Juice
- Always having access to ice cream
- Not having to cook for myself
- Not having to pay a light bill
- always having a place to go to study.
- The architecture
- The lake and the path around it
- Harambee House
- Dr. Cameron
- My friends
- White Joe’s omelets on Sunday
- Professor Beers
- Professor Masson
- My first year in Pomeroy
- Speaking crap Spanish to the ladies at the emporium every morning as I fed my coffee addiction
- Cell Bio
- maria from bates
- miss delbra
- tower steps
- green monstah from el table
- riding the shuttle late at night
- waiting for the loco
- sitting in clapp by the windows that look out at Sev
- growth
- exposure to radical thought
- exposure to those who exist outside the gender binary (not in a creepy “i have so many ____ friends” way)
- my google calendar being full ):
- the silver fox of the tower dining hall
- constantly being stunned by other people’s actions
- walking into claflin during tea and immediately having 20 people to talk to
- seeing someone unexpected on your walk to class
- the ksc and blue nation
- I just think wellesley is special because not a day goes by where something outrageous happens that you stop and think “only at this f****** school”
- “you guys”
- tower’s sage chickpea pasta”
- I miss the sunsets and Wellesley’s enthusiasm for them even if you missed it in person there would be a thousand insta stories with them which seems superficial but I loved that everyone was so in love with Wellesley sunsets
- Going to horrible white culture parties but having friends that make them so fun you forget the music is horrible
- Hoop nachos
- Taking a walk around the lake
- Primal scream
- The amazing friends from all over the world
- Gettin w***** on Marathon Monday
- living rooms
- the bowl full of candy in the bathroom on founders 4th(?)
- Gayness
- waiting in line for mediocre pomsta
- the arboretum
- making awkward small talk in really slow elevators
- the practice rooms in jewett
- walking past galen
- crying in front of waban
- Snow
- The changing in the seasons
- the dramatic a** students
- the dining hall staff
- random adventures with my buddies
- silent disco
- the view from my room in stone davis
- s’mores pizza
- the multifaith center when no one else is around
- the chapel at night
- never having to wait my turn to shower
- my RA
- platform 9 3/4
- the way lulu looks in the fog
- the view of campus from across the lake
- wellesley’s winter wonderland
- getting to the loco right as they open the doors
- when the mall/movie shuttle driver drops you right in front of your dorm
- the first day if classes
- matching with your friends on tinder
- finals grind in the east side tv rooms
- surprise birthdays in the pom living room
- friends walking all the way from west side to stone davis because they miss you
- rootbeer floats
- finding new shortcuts to your favorite places
- my secret spot by lake waban
- living so close to my friends
- the 12 inch dome and the observatory in general
- drinking coffee and doing homework in el table
- trying to fit everyone into the access van
- seeing all the creative earrings
- meeting new people by baking in my dorm’s kitchen
- somehow coming one minute late to hoco every time
- making ramen in the middle of the night
- Claf living room
- seeing friends on the way to class
- joes fried rice and eggs
- delbra
- professors oversharing
- working on a pset when no one in the group took notes
- Claflin tea
- sunsets over the lake
- the ksc water bottle counter
- prof goddard
- hauling a** to senate and saving a seat for my co-conspirator and one of the people i respect most in this world – tatiana ivy moise.
- being a first yr and thinking i was the s*** bc we got to give our senate report in hoco
- The peter pan (no offense to the loco tho)
- Running on the treadmills in the ksc overlooking a volleyball or basketball game
- The egg chairs in clapp
- the shakes kitchen
- late night chats
- (most of) the poli sci profs
- the benches by the lake
- the pne atrium
- sweet potato tots
- bean dip at the hoop
- outfit praise
- double choc cookies
- The steps behind the quint… gone but never forgotten
- rehearsals w the mit-wellesley toons
- Call me a nerd but honestly? attending department lectures and learning so much from them
- Lake
- Community
- Track
- Hoco
- Studying with friends
- Roasted chocolate chip muffins for breakfast from Bates dining hall
- How crisp the air outside feels when you leave a good pub night
- Complaining about the walk from west side to east side being so long when it’s really only less than 10 minutes
- cinnamon granola from bates
- Honey roasted peanut butter from lulu
- Having 3 meals a day with friends
- talking about classes with friends
- rugby socials
- sev green
- fall colors
- new study group friends
- not doing hw when u said u would
- listening to ppl laugh in the dhall
- tater tots
- feeling comfortable in my queerness
- Pub
- Walks around Lake Waban.
- Italiano sandwiches at El Table.
- Having super long discussions with people in your hall at 1:00 AM.
- SHE events
- Tea
- Everyone who works or hangs at the Emporium
- Walking from the chapel loco stop and cutting through freeman to get to mcafee at 2am because its 20 degrees outside and every step inside matters
- Having my first cafe Salvador of the day
- seeing Dean Garcia irl and the pub
- running into Ms Paula Queenan in the elevator
- the glow of string lights in our dorms
- the Hoop & their hot cheetos
- primal scream
- all school emails
- the first snow of the year and how beautiful it looks at night
- the path up to the observatory through the edible garden
- walking down munger hill late at night
- joe’s fried rice line on a saturday morning
- hoop on thursday nights with the mock trial team
- The Spot by munger
- Being able to knock on all of my best friends doors in ten mins or less for any random reason
- that one professor that you kind of hate but kind of love? like, the kind that you fight with in class and sometimes they ignore your points, and sometimes they should, but sometimes they really appreciate your points and you get to workout your whole intellect on an idea
- Sledding down sev green
- Playing in the snow at midnight in the tower courtyard
- Mail services
- studying in the claf porch
- sleepy brunches with friends in pajamas on Sunday’s
- the walk from founders to claflin, by the lake
- the baby pictures and dog stories and general small talk in office hours
- Erin Konkle, civic engagement and Ministrare council
- the ksc
- eating a green monstah at El
- getting kombucha from the emporium
- the crew team
- every other sports team
- the jewett practice rooms
- art library
- the boathouse at sunset
- seeing the skunks on late late nights or early early mornings
- sledding and having a snowball fight on the night of the first snow
- laying on the grass in the quint
- scraping the barrel of graham central for a bowl
- getting to know everyone that i pass in between classes
- being late to class because i talked to too many people on my way to class
- the hot chocolate machines
- stealing whole cans of hot chocolate from the dining hall
- my floormates feeding me when i miss dinner
- after four years, still knowing that there are parts of W i still haven’t seen or touched
- march 11th, 2020. the day before everything changed
This list of things Wellesley students miss is full of repetition (shoutout to Lake Waban, El Table and Cafe Hoop), inside jokes between our student community, and things about our campus that we talk about hating but we secretly love. This list is a representation of a bond that can’t be easily explained, but is surely felt. This list is the reason why I know that Wellesley will bounce back from this pandemic, together, and stronger than ever before. This list is Blue.
All my love,
Tatiana ‘21
P.S: Thank you to everyone who contributed to this post. I am immensely grateful for you all. I’ll see you soon.