We’ve all faced it: the dreaded walk up Science Hill. If your inner monologue is just a string of complaints and musings about how you can avoid the walk tomorrow, the time tends to pass a bit quicker and you might even forget the pain in your calves as you rush to class. Here are some of the philosophical thoughts you’ve probably had on your journey up.
When’s the Yale Shuttle coming?
No trek up Science Hill can start until you’ve spent half of the morning debating whether or not you’ll suck it up and walk up the hill, or if you’ll just wait for the shuttle. The walk isn’t that bad, but it’s a nice surprise when you look down the street and see that the Yale Shuttle is on its way up.
This is gonna suck in the winter
Sure, walking up Science Hill can be a pain. But as the temperature dips, things will only get worse. And then once the snow comes… As a Californian with essentially zero snow experience, I can only imagine the treacherous walk up Science Hill from the first hand accounts my friends have given me.
Maybe I’ll switch majors.
You’re somebody who embraces change, and what better way to prove that than by switching up your focus of study. Yale has lots of majors, and most of them hold class somewhere near Cross Campus or on Old Campus. Why not try something new?
I guess I can skip the gym today.
Payne-Whitney’s a nice place to hang out, but you’re busy and you realize that the best way to make the most of your time is to work out on your walk to class. A quick leg-day on your way to Chem Lab should fix all of that. Honestly, don’t worry about hitting the gym tomorrow either. All good athletes need to take a rest day.
I wonder if I should have waited for the Yale Shuttle.
At the time, it seemed like a good idea to walk. But we all have regrets. Especially as the hill steepens, you start to wonder if you made the right choice. Sure, the shuttle was running a bit behind, but after the last 10 minutes of power walking with a Bio textbook and your laptop weighing you down, it seems like it would have been worth the wait.
Walking up Science Hill builds character. The walk gives you time to ponder life’s more important questions. As Drake once said “Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination.” And, if nothing else, you’ll feel like you earned the Magic Bar you ate at dinner the night before.