When I first joined Columbia Engineering, in what became my longest job, it was like a quaint small town remarkably untouched by (post)modernity. The rot ravaging the rest of the university felt far away.
Bashful nerds toiled at obscure technical problems devoid of politics, and girls’ gatherings still gave advice on meeting Mr. Right, bearing children, and achieving that elusive work/life balance. It was amazingly retro, and charming contrast to the anxious stridency I’d found elsewhere on campus.
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