Smart Speakers in Dorms: Privacy Risks vs. Convenience
Smart Speakers in Dorms: Privacy Risks vs. Convenience
Last week I was half-asleep, staring at the ceiling, when my roommate said: "Hey Google, play something chill." The speaker woke up. Our lights shifted. Spotify started. And I suddenly…
The Best Street Food Markets in the Middle East
The Best Street Food Markets in the Middle East
I had this strange moment walking back from a late-night study session: my notes were full of supply-and-demand graphs, but my brain was replaying the shawarma stand outside the library.…
Study Abroad Mistakes: What I Wish I Knew Before I Left
Study Abroad Mistakes: What I Wish I Knew Before I Left
I remember sitting at the airport with my giant suitcase, thinking, "Cool, my life is about to change." Then, about two weeks later, I was in a foreign supermarket almost…
Navigating Campus Politics and Student Government
Navigating Campus Politics and Student Government
Last semester, I watched a campus budget meeting live on YouTube at 1 a.m. and realized I understood maybe 20 percent of what was happening. People were throwing around acronyms,…
Finding Authentic Food: How to Avoid Tourist Traps
Finding Authentic Food: How to Avoid Tourist Traps
I once paid 18 euros for microwave pasta at a "famous" restaurant in Rome. The waiter called me "my friend" five times and I still walked out hungry and annoyed.…
Meditation Apps for Skeptics: Headspace vs. Calm
Meditation Apps for Skeptics: Headspace vs. Calm
I used to think meditation apps were just soft music, pastel gradients, and people trying to "manifest" better grades instead of actually studying. Then one week before exams, my brain…
Renting vs. Dorms: The Cost-Benefit Analysis
Renting vs. Dorms: The Cost-Benefit Analysis
I remember staring at my dorm ceiling at 2 a.m., doing the math on my phone calculator and wondering, "Wait, am I burning money on this tiny shared room?" The…
Freelance Taxes: What Students Need to Know
Freelance Taxes: What Students Need to Know
I used to think freelance taxes were this mysterious thing that only "real adults" had to deal with. Then I got my first PayPal payment for a tech blog review…
Building a Portfolio: Show, Don't Just Tell
Building a Portfolio: Show, Don’t Just Tell
Last week I was staring at my CV thinking, "This could belong to literally anyone in my degree." Same bullet points, same verbs, same vague claims about being "passionate." I…
Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills: What Tech Giants Are Actually Hiring For
Soft Skills vs. Hard Skills: What Tech Giants Are Actually Hiring For
Last week at 1:30 a.m., somewhere between debugging a nasty bug and reheating leftover noodles, I realized something strange: the smartest coder in my class keeps getting rejected from internships.…