Features
Beat the heat
By Lona Sniderman '19
September 1, 2016
Tags features
Nalgene
This wildly popular reusable bottle adorned with Hamilton’s logo comes in handy for hydration. Water, after all, is the most important nutrient. During hot weather, it carries heat away from your internal organs to prevent consequences like heat stroke. We are all trying to avoid heat stroke, right? With Nalgene or some alternative, stay hydrated and cool.
Go for a swim
It is time to get some final uses out of the bathing suit that you decided to bring with you to college (just in case). If the Bristol Pool is not doing it for you, find some nearby swimming holes or blow up a kiddie pool outside of your residence hall. Swimming is the all-time best hot day activity, especially with the right fun-loving people. Hamilton is filled with those people.
Miniature phone fan
For all of the students whose main form of procrastination is online shopping, you probably know by this point that Urban Outfitters has pretty neat gadgets. One of them, the miniature phone fan, is a must-have for combating the heat. This tiny fan connects to the charge port of any iPhone (sorry, Android users) and allows you to cool off while checking email, watching BuzzFeed videos, discreetly take snapchats or whatever else you do on your phone.
Ice cream
Both Commons and McEwen feature all-you-can-scoop ice cream bars as an option for dessert, complete with an array of toppings and cone options. For all of you who have been looking for an excuse to dive into the ice cream bar after breakfast, lunch and dinner, you’ve found your justification: the heat mandates the consumption of this frozen, decadent treat.
Indoor Fun
One way to get creative is to treat the stifling heat like heavy rain. Avoid it, and find indoor entertainment! Check out the newest Bourne movie with some friends, or get a group of people together for bowling. Host a dorm room summit involving making sock puppets or paper plate masks… Whatever tickles your fancy.
Cooling sunscreen
Don’t be too cool for sunscreen. There is something else that is really not cool–melanoma. Besides, there is “Fresh Cooling” sunscreen made specifically for those sweaty, legs-sticking-to-the-seat kind of days, and no one is too cool for that. Not to mention the smell of sunscreen tends to remind us of the beach or some equally summery spot. This way, when you walk into any room everyone will subconciously register you as a beach babe. Need I say more?
Dress down
Don’t be shy—sport those summer shorts and tanks for the few days that you can without getting frostbite. Hamilton’s campus is a pretty sight when it is crawling with sundresses and chubbies shorts, so multitask by contributing to your campus’s aesthetic value and beating the heat at the same time.
Air conditioner
Ahh, the chill of crisp air provides a sweet release from the stickiness of hot days. Scope out a spot in the Kirner-Johnson Building or the Science Center for the prime A.C. experience. Don’t get too comfortable, though, because it is almost guaranteed that your residence hall is not equipped with these magical machines.
Face towelettes
It might sound like I am getting desperate here, but I assure you that these are a necessity. A pack of inconspicuous facial cleansing towels helps to keep you feeling and looking refreshed. When you find yourself sweating profusely after walking up three flights of stairs in the Christian A. Johnson Building, you can slip off to the bathroom and give yourself a quick wipe down to avoid being asked if you just ran up the Hill from Bundy.
Embrace it
Finally, there is always the alternative of embracing the heat rather than trying to beat it. When you feel sweat trickle down your back, or catch a glimpse of your professor’s armpit stains and feel uncomfortable, remember that winter is coming, and soon you’ll be complaining about the cold. Soak up sun while you can!