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Writer's pictureJyothish Ramachandran

BIZARRE IVY LEAGUE TRADITIONS

-Soumya Sahu

"The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows." Since time immemorial, the establishment of educational institutions is to provide quality education that can be used as a tool to change the world for the better. The Ivy Leagues are some of the most revered and coveted institutions in the United States that uphold a legacy of top-notch teaching, learning and research.


But when you put several young students in a campus together, it is almost always certain that some weird stuff is going to happen, and Ivy Leagues are not an exception. So, here are some bizarre Ivy League traditions that you might like to know about that may or may not make you apply faster:-

  • PRIMAL SCREAM AND STREAKING AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY

You would have definitely experienced anxiety, stress and sometimes, even a stomach ache the day before your exams. And usually our parents recommend that we close the book and have a good night's sleep but at Harvard, you can throw these conventional techniques out of the window. It is a tradition to strip and streak round the Harvard yard to release the jitters. But if you are not up for it, you can simply open your windows and scream on the top of your lungs at… well, the students running naked. It goes without saying that traditions at Harvard are as one of a kind as their education, but I still feel for the students who streak in December.

  • DRAGON DAY AT CORNELL UNIVERSITY

In a tradition that goes back to over a century, the freshmen students from the department of architecture at Cornell create a gigantic dragon in the month of March and parade it around before it is lumbered to the Arts Quad. There, it fights a battle with a phoenix built by fellow engineering students. Dragon Day signifies a rivalry between the architecture and the engineering students at Cornell and is celebrated with a lot of pomp and show. What a way to display rivalry!

  • ORGO NIGHT AT COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY

You are extremely fortunate if you could secure admission in Organic Chemistry at the historic Columbia University, but you might want to steer clear of the library before the night of the exams. Because every year, the Columbia marching band heads to the library before the day of the finals to entertain - or distract, as you might see fit - the 'orgo' students with songs, jokes and music. This is done to improve the grading curve but regardless, it is an amazing way to come out of stress a few hours before the exam.

  • NAKED DONUT RUN AT BROWN UNIVERSITY

This is another nude Ivy League tradition, started in the 1990s where students at Brown University volunteer for Naked Donut Run or NDR, as it is commonly called. The students go nude and distribute doughnuts in various campus libraries before the semester exams, seemingly for a change of air. The NDR is known to be 'Brown's most revealing end of the semester tradition' and undoubtedly so.

  • BLADDERBALL AT YALE UNIVERSITY

Even though this rugby-like game has vanished in the past years after appearing sporadically in 2014, it was a celebrated tradition at Yale. This game basically had no rules and several teams could play together and use any means to score a goal. It was unfortunately banned after a string of serious antisocial activities.


These are some of the fun - or weird - traditions of Ivy Leagues which creates a happy environment. So, you might look into these before considering your application to make your life at college a lot more thrilling.


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