Rain drenched the campus of Phillipius Academius Andover as students scrambled inside Pareskius Commonus to escape the downpour. Among the crowd were Froggleburris and Snizzlethorpe, two sprites eager to engage in ruthless gossip over their meal of dragon pot pie.
“Froggleburris, did you hear that Mufflebumps got selected to study under Archmagister Warren?”
“Please—this has to be a joke. What can she even do that could impress him? Levitate a twig? That’s about as advanced as her abilities get.”
“I know right! I swear she’s a nepo-baby–”
Suddenly, there is a tremble in the air, a disturbance in the force. Both [x] and [y] feel their hearts drop as they whirl around to see [z] walk by, conjured out of thin air.
“Oh my golly celestial powers! Snizzlethorpe, you saw that right? Mufflebumps appeared as soon as we mentioned her name.”
“Indeed my eyes gazed upon her unfortunate visage. The Head Wizard must have enchanted this room with ‘The Andover Effect’ spell…”
Though the Andover Effect is neither a spell nor actual magic, its seemingly fantastical influence on Andover students is undeniable. Defined as that moment when someone you were just talking about suddenly appears in-person, the Andover Effect is a phenomenon unique to our school and its culture. It’s a mystic stroke of chance that all students are familiar with, the capability of summoning the subject of a conversation as soon as their name is uttered, and always when you least expect it.
While the Andover Effect is wondrous when it occurs, it also opens up considerations about our conversation topics. Oftentimes, people may worry whether they have ever been the subject of someone else’s Andover Effect. The idea is intimidating: what snarky remarks could others make about us? We are wired to be on alert to protect ourselves and our image, but the truth is, compliments and praises about our peers’ diligence, thoughtfulness, and even fashion sense are just as abound. It’s easy to immediately jump to negative conclusions when it comes to conversations about us that we can’t control, but we promise: that panic truly isn’t necessary. And if we haven’t heard others talking about us, we shouldn’t assume that we’re just lucky to not have borne witness to negative comments. Many people are too occupied with the day-to-day rigor of Andover life to dwell on that one thing that we’re self-conscious about, so don’t worry! It’s likely true that no one is as focused on our flaws as we are, making us our own worst critics. The next time you find yourself overthinking every little interaction, remember that others might be doing the same, too hung up over their own words to scrutinize yours.
At the same time, the Andover Effect is a good reminder that our actions can leave a greater impact than we think. Just as our steps into Lower Left may be a manifestation of the effect itself for others, how we treat others and conduct ourselves matter, even when we think that we may be on our own. We do not exist in our own solitarily bubbles — our actions ripple outwards to shape the people and spaces around us. The same is true for when the Andover Effect befalls our own conversations: when we “happen” to bump into the person we were just discussing with a friend, we are presented with the opportunity to reflect upon our intentions. What was our immediate reaction? Was it a spark of panic followed by the breathless hope that they hadn’t caught what we said? Or perhaps a jump of excitement before we wave at them? Were we speaking kindly of them? Expressing jealousy? Something else entirely? When the Andover Effect takes place, we are reminded of how our words and thoughts are reflections of our own character that have direct influence on others too. In moments of stress or boredom, projecting our irritations onto others can be low-hanging fruit. But always remember that the subject could just be around the corner, and that we would much rather our surprise be rooted in genuine joy than the guilt of saying something malicious.
In the end, the Andover Effect is a mysteriously vitalizing phenomena that brings all of Andover together. It’s a distinct experience for every student and a cornerstone of the campus culture, a touch of magic we’ve claimed as uniquely Andover. We have the power to make it a warm blessing and to use it to bring exclamations of excitement and wonder to faces across our community. For any one can agree that the tingle of shock when someone appears – as if on command, causing our warm smiles and silent shouts of “Andover Effect!” to our friends – is truly unmatched.
