What Harvard Students Are Actually Thankful for This Thanksgiving

As the leaves fall and HUDS rolls out the pumpkin pie, we’re reflecting on the little things that make Harvard life just a bit sweeter. Grab a plate, pass the gratitude, and let’s dig in.

HUDS cookies

HUDS cookies may not be warm or particularly fresh, and, yes, they kind of taste like cardboard — but they’re always there for you. When the menu says “fresh local catch” and you’re not feeling adventurous, those slightly-stale, always-dependable cookies are a safe harbor. In a world of academic and culinary uncertainty, their unchanging mediocrity is strangely comforting.

Brain Break

Brain Break: the magical time when Harvard students can put aside their worries and focus on what really matters: free snacks. Whether it’s grabbing a handful of pretzels or forming lifelong friendships over a shared plate of hummus, Brain Break is a much needed pause from essays and psets. It’s a moment to recharge, then wonder how a 10-minute pause can somehow last an hour.

Flexing on family members

Thanksgiving is the Super Bowl of flexing for Harvard students — it’s the prime time to remind everyone you’re not the family disappointment. Nobody at the table knows what “Michael Sandel’s critique of meritocracy” actually means, but the nods of approval are what really matter.

Tourists

If you really think about it, Harvard students should be thankful for tourists — those fearless fans who treat campus like a movie set and turn every student into an accidental celebrity. Walking down the Widener steps can feel like strutting down the red carpet as cameras click away. They might think you’re a future president (at least they don’t know you’re just someone heading to EC10). For a brief moment, you’re the star of their Harvard fantasy, and honestly, who doesn’t love a little ego boost between midterms?

No questions asked extension days

Professors don’t always offer extension days, but when they do, they’re the academic equivalent of a Thanksgiving miracle. It’s always such a relief to check the syllabus and find out you have three extra days to do anything besides your work. No explanations required, no guilt trips, just a quiet acknowledgement that life happens. These rare gems of mercy allow students to breathe a little easier, even if that extra day is spent binge-watching a show “to clear the mind.”

Office hours that turn into life advice sessions

Every student has that one professor who turns office hours into a cross between a therapy session and a TED Talk. You go in to ask about a term paper but leave with insights on everything from career choices to the meaning of life. Sure, the paper’s still due tomorrow, but at least you’ve been reminded that your GPA doesn’t define your self-worth.

So, this Thanksgiving, let’s raise a glass to the things that make Harvard more than just a campus. Whether it’s finding comfort in the unremarkable or flexing your academic superiority in front of relatives who still think “psets” are a typo, these are the moments that remind us why we’re here. And if all else fails, at least there’s always an extension day on the horizon.