To our incoming students,

While we can’t feed you Treehouse and roll you out at 7 a.m., we hope to serve as both mentors and friends to you.

You probably have more questions than answers right now. You’re likely wondering how you’ll find community and friends virtually, how you’ll manage college classes and more broadly, how you’re going to approach this challenging year.

You’re one of many with these questions. As you start stumbling upon new obstacles and answers and finding your place in this environment, we invite you to share your experiences with The Grind.

What is The Grind?

As The Daily’s lifestyle section, The Grind hopes to capture the spirit of the Stanford community. There is no typical Grind writer or Grind article. Our mission is to use narrative prose as a way for us to better understand one another, our experiences and ourselves. We strive to publish thoughtful reflections and analysis of campus social life and culture.

As The Grind community grows this year, we’re hoping to share a larger collection of perspectives from the Stanford community. We’re particularly interested in working with writers whose experiences and opinions have been underrepresented in The Stanford Daily and the media at large. 

What should you expect?

We have an extensive editing process to help writers improve their craft and keep the door open for beginners and pros alike. A writer’s commitment can range from a staff writer who writes weekly to the occasional submitter. You choose. 

What can I write about?

You can write about what you miss about in-person classes, how you’re making friends virtually this quarter and even how you’re spending your time if you’re taking a gap year. Our writers write about what they want when they want, and that’s the beauty of this section. We simply want to hear from you. Don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or to simply say hi!

Sincerely,

Alanna Flores and Richard Coca, 

Managing Editors of The Grind, Vol. 258