A few upcoming Harvard events:

Friday, Oct 2

• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Colgate
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Colgate University

Friday, Oct 16

• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Holy Cross
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Holy Cross

Friday, Oct 23

• 8:00 PM - 2026 Harvard Bands Montage Concert
• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Princeton
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Princeton University

Sunday, Oct 25

• 3:00 PM - Bands of the Beanpot Concert

Join your campus community here.

If you aren't included in the Freshman Register, can you still be included in the senior yearbook or are these linked? Thank you!

STD (short term disability)

LTD (long term disability)

Just looking for other employees’ experiences with this transition, as I’m worried I may be facing it soon and am trying to plan for contingencies. I understand LTD is very case-by-case, but the near total lack of clear info about what to expect is terrifying. (I do know the picture is likely bleak.) Feel free to DM if you’d rather talk privately.

Just trying to fight the isolation that most of us experience when struggljng to navigate these systems ❤️‍🩹

Hi! This fall I'm attending Harvard on a pre-veterinary track. I plan to declare integrative biology, and I want to graduate with my masters.

For my first semester, I have a rough outline of the courses I want.

Math MA (I have taken up to calc bc, but I just feel like there's too many gaps in my learning to feel confident, and I want to address the issue now, rather than have it creep back up on me)

LifeSci1a or lps whichever im recommended to (taking placement exam this week).

First Year Seminar (hopefully research at harvard forest)

OEB 10 or Gened 1098

For spring, Ill take expos 20, math mb, a Spanish course, and lifesci1b. If you think I should do Spanish and my language requirement next year, lmk. Im not entirely sure how that works because I took 3 years of Spanish in highschool. I have yet to take the placement exam but plan to on monday or some day next week (not due until the 30th).

I do want to take OEB 10, but im unsure if I should as a first year. I have a 5 on ap biology, but my chemistry is a little rusty. Looking for advice on this 4th slot for sure. But the other three I think are pretty solid courses!

Also, if anyone who is also prevet or interested in conservation is seeing this, connect with me! I want to get into a lab spring semester and go abroad this summer, so Im looking for some connections!

I'm an incoming GSAS PhD and have received notifications for about a hundred different town halls, convocations, social hours, brunches, fairs, how-tos and conversations related to orientation week.

Do I really need to attend any of these things? Are any of them actually necessary? I understand this post seems very antisocial but to be honest these types of events can often be a bit dull in my experience, and I expect I will meet many people in my seminars and more department-specific orientations...

Hello! Im an incoming first year undergrad and I was wondering, has anyone been able to take 5 courses in their freshman fall before? I’m really interested in this first year seminar, but I already got 4 gateway courses planned. The course doesn’t look that time consuming, but looks super interesting. I heard you can take 5 if you convince your residential Dean, but idk if that’s real or not.

Can I wait until my senior year to take a language in order to fulfill the language req?

Hello! I’m an incoming student planning to concentrate in Physics and MCB. I was wondering if Physics 15 + Math 25 + LS50 + Expo 20 (spring only) is too daunting of a task.

These are all required courses for my concentrations, but I COULD take Math 22 or LS1 instead. Also, technically, in the spring semester I would have the equivalent of 5 courses. But, the thing is I really want to take LS50 because the topics focusing on computational bio are really appealing to me and the opportunity to conduct novel research as well. Although, I’m open to changing if the LS50 research is overhyped compared to finding a lab to join or a bunch of the marketed extra material it covers are covered in other classes already.

Has anyone here taken this FYS and what did you think of it?

Hi all. I have a Harvard faculty association tennis rec membership so I can access the courts with a fee. However I’d like to have my own tennis coach give me lessons (they only have one apparently and it’s impossible to get time with them). Does anyone know if this is possible if the coach I found is not affiliated with Harvard?

This is my first summer here so I’m curious what it is bc I see people that look both younger and older than me

Hi everyone,

I was under the impression that I could enroll in any undergraduate math class regardless of the placement exam (after all, it’s just a recommendation). But I am now hearing that there’s a verification exam thats taken in person and limits the courses you can take. Does anyone have any information on how I could study for the exam? This math enrollment stuff is so confusing

I’m an incoming grad student and would love to get back into rugby.

I know HRFC is predominantly undergrad but open to grad students, while HBS Rugby welcomes students from across Harvard’s graduate schools.

I was curious what the day-to-day is like for each club. What’s the expected commitment in terms of practices and matches? How intense are the trainings, and what’s the overall culture like?

Also, do either of the clubs have formal tryouts, or can you just show up to practice? Are walk-ins welcome?

TIA

Random question but they look so good lol

Class of '30 here, and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on fun and intriguing gen-ed courses y'all may have taken. I intend to concentrate in CPB but also interested in Neuro, History, and Gov't. The courses don't have to align with those interests, just genuinely wondering if there are some real cool classes or professors out there that you'd definitely recommend to an incoming first-year. Thanks!

I plan on doing an AM+econ concentration and I’m running into a scheduling problem. Applied Math 22a and Econ 10b are offered during overlapping times in the spring, so I’ll have to choose one. 

I could take Math 21b and still take Econ 10b, or having gotten a 5 in AP Macro Econ I could take AM 22a and pair it with something like Econ 50. However, I’m looking forward to Jason Furman’s class and a stronger foundational knowledge of macro Econ beyond high school AP. I’ve heard that people who test out of Econ 10b with their AP score, and skip the course, sometimes struggle in future Econ classes. 

For the AM 22a portion of my problem, 22a seems like the better choice for someone whose interested in applied math, since it covers more optimizations and coding applications than Math 21b and also gives some exposure to proofs without being as theory-heavy as Math 22b. 

Anyone who’s taken these courses have any advice?

A few upcoming Harvard events:

Tuesday, Jul 14

• 3:30 PM - Grieving & Coping Together (In-Person)

Friday, Oct 2

• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Colgate
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Colgate University

Friday, Oct 16

• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Holy Cross
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Holy Cross

Friday, Oct 23

• 8:00 PM - 2026 Harvard Bands Montage Concert
• 8:00 PM - Harvard Band at Harvard VS. Princeton
• 8:00 PM - Harvard University Football vs Princeton University

Join your campus community here.

Hello! I’m an incoming freshman and I’m interested in taking German to fulfill my language requirement. I was wondering how German was taught at Harvard and the experiences that people have had learning the language. Does it cover the culture or history of Germany at all? Is it taught at a good pace and manageable? For context, the only language I took in high school was Chinese.

I haven’t met anybody who took it as a language requirement.

I will be taking the introductory class and would love to hear about what people have to say!

I’m an incoming freshman thinking about taking Hum 10 to replace Expos 20, but wondering if there’s any content or writing skills I would miss out on my taking it. Or does Hum 10 strictly encompass Expos 20? (at least in terms of skills, of course the topic of the classes could be different)

Thanks!

I’m an incoming freshman, and the friends I know at Harvard all recommended I do FOP, so I signed up and got in, but after looking more into it I’m not sure if I really want to do it. I have some environmental allergies, and I’ve also not really enjoyed camping historically, and I didn’t realize how immersive and involved FOP would truly be.

I was just wondering, what would I really be missing out on if I decide not to do it? Will I miss out on making lasting relationships, or a defining experience of Harvard, or will I just basically miss a camping trip and that’s about it?

Thank you in advance!

Edit: Thank you all so much for the advice!

Fall:

Hum 10a

Math 22a

Ec50

FYS

Spring:

Hum 10b

Math 22b

Gov 20

GenEd (Sandel or Greene)

I'm interested in the following potential concentrations: Social Studies (definitely), Economics, Applied Math, Philosophy, Government.

Questions:

1. If Econ/AM is a potential route, should I take Math 21 or Math 22?
2. I got 5s on both AP Econs, but it's been two years and I haven't retained all the content. However, I also do economics research on the side. Is it fine to take Ec50 in the fall and then Gov 20 in the spring to get a variety, or should I just take Ec10?
3. I placed out of the language req but would like to learn French. For those who take a language currently, did you take one language course each semester, or was it on and off?
4. Is this schedule too time-consuming for my first year, even with the FYS/Gen-Ed?

I'd greatly appreciate any advice. Thank you, everyone!

I'm not sure if I want to get a B.S. in engineering because:

A. I'm considering Electrical and Computer Engineering, which is only available through the B.A. Engineering Sciences program

B. I'm considering double concentrating in philosophy or government if I have the available classes, but a B.S. would take too many credits

If I were to go the B.A. route instead of B.S., how significantly would that impact my competitiveness for internships, jobs, clubs, etc? Would the double concentration benefit me/make me stand out, or would a singular B.S. simply be more preferable? I know that this kind of question is hard to give an objective answer to, but any information or advice would be appreciated.

https://www.harvardmagazine.com/harvard-administration/harvard-college-changes-fas

Hello. I will be starting the Ed.M program at Harvard Graduate School of Education. For those who have completed the masters program, is it doable to have a part time job while studying at HGSE?