As I was walking down the hallway after lunch on a recent Monday, I heard someone stop Kamu Dominguez ’27 in the hall and ask him how tall he was. “Six foot three,” I heard him say, to which the man responded with disbelief. Meanwhile, I’ve seen people arch their eyebrows at my friends as they claim to be 5’4″, 5’3″, or even 5’2″. It seems like everyone has something to say about height. So, I went to the expertsñself-proclaimed tall and short peopleñto investigate what life is like on both sides of the spectrum.

After the exchange in the hallway, Dominguez commented that being tall is “overall…a pretty positive experience.” He highlighted his ability to reach high shelves, although he admitted that if he were shorter, he would “definitely probably be more comfortable on long plane rides.” He found the limited legroom in cars, buses, and planes to be “the main downside” of being tall.

Derek Busch ’27 is allegedly 6’5″. But after a pointed stare from his friend, he admitted, “Okay, I’m six four and one fourth. But when you add shoes, I’m six five.” Like Dominguez, he said that always being able to reach things easily is a bonus. He also listed being able to see over heads in a crowd and locate people as an advantage. For him, his height also helps with sports like volleyball and basketball, although it makes him stand out wherever he goes.

Rhea Farhan ’27 is a self-proclaimed short person at 5’3″. “I really like being short,” she said.  “I think that I can blend in with the crowd. People don’t look at me and think wow, you look like the Big Friendly Giant.” She added that she might “have more ego” if she were tall, but she prefers being short. “When it rains,” she joked, “I can ask my tall friends if itís raining first.”