Dear Flyby: Summer Edition

You asked, we answered. With summer around the corner, we know Harvard students have their own very unique, never-before-seen anxieties. Flyby has zero credentials and should not be a source of advice for most decisions but we may have one or two good ideas about how to make this summer stress-free and everything you need. Read on to hear all about it ;)

Dear Flyby, what do I do if I feel like my summer plans aren’t as cool as my friends?

1. Master the art of answering the question.
2. Realize that nothing you say is really the right or wrong answer. At the end of the day, everyone is experiencing fomo doing something worthwhile even if it’s balancing six full-time internships or going back to your hometown to take a break during, you know… a break.
3. Romanticize your summer plans. Remote internship? No problem, take that Zoom call from the fanciest library in town, do the meetings at the new coffee shop, and take your lunch break outside of the office.
4. If you’re in a new city, focus on exploring and making the most of your time there. Every city has its perks and exploring more of the one you’re in will help you not spend your time comparing it to other places.
5. Gaslight your friends into thinking their plans aren’t cool. If their plans aren’t cool, then how can yours not be as cool? We’re somewhat kidding (ish)… in reality, it’s best to learn to ~validate~ yourself.

Dear Flyby, how do I stay in touch with my friends over the summer?

1. Send a postcard, write a letter, send a carrier pigeon — all of these options are equally cute. Even if you’re sitting in Cambridge this summer, send your friend a good old John Harvard statue postcard with a note. It’s cute, we promise.
2. Make a group chat with your closest friends and make everyone send a picture of the day. Then, roast each other or have a fruitful conversation about an annoying boss or that summer fling.
3. Even better — make a group finsta/spam account and everyone can post a story time or do a takeover for the day. Live your influencer dreams for an audience that actually cares.
4. Send your friends a TikTok or an Instagram reel (we don’t judge). If you have no fun stories or updates, let the content creators do the work for you so you and your friends can still share a laugh kilometers apart.
5. Play virtual games, like iMessage games to stay in touch with your friends and do an activity with them. You may be bad at 8Ball but you won’t be bad at staying in touch.

With all the flyby advice in the world, you are unstoppable and ready for a summer filled with high self-esteem… we hope.

Xoxo,

Flyby Blog (Summer Version)