<p>
[QUOTE]
How are the teaching fellows, and how many of your classes are actually taught by professors?
[/QUOTE]
</p>
<p>Professors teach 100% of the classes, except:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Language classes - These are taught by native speakers, many of whom hold PhDs already. </p></li>
<li><p>Introductory mathematics classes - Our mathematics department does not believe in the lecture format, so all classes are taught in small sections of 25 students, though the course enrollment may be 200. Therefore, there are graduate students who teach the sections, but the course head is still a preceptor (Harvard's lowest rank for professor), and he/she teaches one section too. For example, last year, I had the course-head for both semesters.</p></li>
<li><p>Expository Writing - These are taught by preceptors as well who may not hold a PhD but have extensive experience of writing professionally. My preceptor, for instance, has a Master's in Fine Arts and has published her poetry in different anthologies.</p></li>
<li><p>Teaching Fellows - I loved all the teaching fellows I've had up to this point. The graduate schools at Harvard are hard to get into as well; many of the TFs are really intelligent in what they know and they really put a lot of effort into their teaching. It's really admirable and I'm now friends with my TFs. One moved to California and I still keep in touch with her whereas another I meet up for lunch for time to time. It's really great.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>
[QUOTE]
How much interaction can a student expect to have with his/her professor?
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</p>
<p>It's up to you. There are faculty dinners held by the Freshman Dean's Office as well as each individual upperclass house. Professors are also required to hold office hours every week. They are also open to individual appointments as well. A professor won't knock on your door, but you can definitely knock on theirs.</p>
<p>
[QUOTE]
Harvard is notorious for supposedly providing a poor undergraduate experience. Is this (un)conventional wisdom true to any substantial extent?
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</p>
<p>I don't know how that got started. No, I believe the education I am receiving here is one of the best in the world. In addition, people hold Harvard up as the beacon of higher education and expect it to be perfect. But the people who run Harvard are people just like everyone else. Furthermore, my friends at state schools bear the grunt of what people say Harvard is like - 1) no professor interaction, 2) classes not taught by professors (many are adjuncts hired for teaching rather than a traditional university), 3) bad social life (Harvard actually has party grants that you can apply for - which other university has that?), 4) no advising (At Harvard, there is a ton of advising available, and the Office of Career Services counselors savvy can't be beat), etc.</p>
<p>johnleemk: From other threads, it sounds like you applied Harvard SCEA. If you did, I don't understand how you applied if you had so many reservations about Harvard. I certainly did my research when I decided where to apply early admission.</p>