Tell us about your plans for winter break.
Ruby Polansky ’28: I’m going to go home and I’m gonna see my sister and my parents. And I’m going to play some lacrosse and apply for some jobs.
Elizabeth Walsh ’28: See some family, play some lacrosse, see some friends. Nothing exciting.
Avery Bloom ’27: I might do a microinternship and chill out. I’m going on some day trips to New York and going skiing, maybe going to Boston.
Ivy Hoffman ’27: I’m going to Minnesota to visit my girlfriend, [Melanie Zelle ’26]. I’m trying to think of anything interesting. Probably just sleeping a lot, to be honest. Maybe watching some movies, not thinking about work.
Rachel Sweet ’27: I’m going to sleep a lot. I’m going to work a lot. I’m going to spend time with my cats.
Rania Abohatab ’28: Flying back home. Spending time with family, sleeping, binge watching some shows, reading, painting.
Dalton Mwangi ’28: I’m excited because I have a bunch of books and films that I’m looking forward to getting to. And I’m also planning to use the break to do some writing. I’m actually looking forward to it because in Swarthmore you can not do anything for yourself because you’re always just studying.
Esmaeil Abdan ’28: I’m staying on campus, but I will visit some friends at Harvard, MIT, and Princeton.
Bena Chen ’29: I’m going back to China, which I’m really excited about. I actually made a list of food that I need to eat when I get back which is like twenty items long. I’m also going to be seeing family and friends which should be fun.
What final are you looking forward to the least?
Ruby Polansky ’28: My ASL final just because it means I have to stay here until the nineteenth.
Elizabeth Walsh ’28: Linear. It’s hard.
Avery Bloom ’27: My Latin final. Because I’m not good at Latin.
Ivy Hoffman ’27: I only have papers, pretty much, and I’m honestly pretty excited about all of them. They’re all on topics that I got to choose myself and that I’m pretty interested in, so it’s a good semester for me.
Rachel Sweet ’27: Probably my psychology of language final. There’s so much information and I don’t know what I’m doing, even though I should.
Rania Abohatab ’28: Maybe the CS 31 final.
Dalton Mwangi ’28: I only have one final … so stat 11. My brain is not geared toward math, so I’m not looking forward to that.
Esmaeil Abdan ’28: It would have been linear algebra, but I’m pass/failing the class, so I don’t really care. But I’m kind of scared of CS 31. It’s a lot of theoretical stuff, less practical stuff, so I might be screwed. Also it’s the first final on Sunday at 9 a.m. which will not be fun.
Bena Chen ’29: Bio 1. I’m not even a bio major, I’m just taking it to fulfill the requirements.
Lara Zhou ’29: It’s economics for me. I’m an econ major unfortunately.
What’s getting you through finals?
Ruby Polansky ’28: The San Jose Sharks.
Elizabeth Walsh ’28: Um … the new Percy Jackson show just came out. So that.
Avery Bloom ’27: I’m going home during reading week and then coming back for my exam. So my cats.
Ivy Hoffman ’27: [Maya Levine ’26]. Also the promise of winter break and of studying abroad next semester. So I think the promise of returning not to Swarthmore is helping out.
Rachel Sweet ’27: Like food, honestly. And coffee. And seeing people.
Rania Abohatab ’28: I would say, uh, Redbull.
Dalton Mwangi ’28: Taking time for myself. Like when I get frustrated I just go to the movies, leave campus, go do something even though it’s cold as hell. Like I went and saw “Wicked: For Good.” It was really bad. But just finding things to do in general that don’t involve schoolwork is the best way to make it through.
Esmaeil Abdan ’28: I need to do well for me, my family, and my future.
Bena Chen ’29: I guess matcha lattes.
Lara Zhou ’29: I’d say texting my friends. They’re in other parts of the U.S., so I can’t see them but it’s still nice to text.
What are your thoughts on Marriage Pact?
Ruby Polansky ’28: I think it’s pretty cool and … it leads to new opportunities.
Elizabeth Walsh ’28: I didn’t do it this year, but I’m dating my marriage pact from last year, so good.
Avery Bloom ’27: I vote no. It is entertaining and interesting though.
Ivy Hoffman ’27: I didn’t do it, but I always love when they come to town. I like the anxiety and romance in the air. I like to see who everybody’s matched up with.
Rachel Sweet ’27: It’s fun, it’s chill. I’m in a relationship and I did it, so maybe that’s problematic. But I think people are taking it a little too seriously.
Rania Abohatab ’28: I think it’s nice, it’s fun. It’s crazy that almost everybody does it.
Dalton Mwangi ’28: I don’t think it’s doing a very good job with homosexuals. I don’t think it’s for the gays. They sent me my email saying that they’d matched me with someone that I’d be good friends with, but I didn’t sign a Friends Pact, I signed a Marriage Pact. Apparently they couldn’t find a guy so they just gave me a girl who they thought I could be good friends with. They need to do a better job.
Esmaeil Abdan ’28: I don’t think they did a good job, because most of the people I know didn’t get matched with people they liked. Most people were not happy.
Bena Chen ’29: I’m kind of curious how the algorithm works, but overall I’d say it’s a fun experience. If you’re not really serious about it then it’s fun.
Lara Zhou ’29: For me it’s a bit funny, because in my Chinese international cohort group there’s only one other girl who likes girls and we got matched with each other. The thing is, we don’t like each other, we don’t have the chemistry. But we like exactly the same type of person. It’s funny because I feel like it’s not matching the people who would be best suited for each other but just the people who have similar preferences as each other.
