<p>@sewhappy - I’d get a smaller (20-30 inch) HDTV, with an HD tuner and antenna. That will give you the local broadcast channels in good quality, and shouldn’t cost much more than $300. It’ll also be good for gaming (although bigger is better here…).</p>
<p>As for sports, it seems like more and more sports these days are only on cable (ESPN and in New England NESN has all the Red Sox games). Your S will have to figure out how to connect his computer to the TV (not too hard, usually) if he wants to watch this stuff on the big screen. No cable in freshman dorms here.</p>
<p>D starting at Harvard in the fall. I imagine it is just generational, but I cannot imagine anything more depressing than spending money or time on internet gaming and/or watching TV. Man, I would love to be 18 and going Harvard. The idea that I would sit in my room and stare into a computer or TV screen for hours on end while real experience and real human beings are right outside my door makes my head spin.</p>
<p>^^ It’s not an either/or proposition. There’s plenty of time for both real-life socializing and for watching TV and gaming. Further, a significant proportion of the games people play are played with “real human beings.”</p>
<p>No, there isn’t cable in the rooms. Each House has cable, but it’s in the common areas, so that viewing is a social experience.</p>
<p>I always had a TV in my bedroom at college because it’s a godsend when you’re sick. But during the semester, I pretty much lived under a rock as far as pop culture was concerned. I think that was pretty typical of my classmates.</p>
<p>In Boston Globe article today, the second woman (Smith) is said to be now denied ability to participate in graduation. In the article, it says that her boyfriend (the alleged shooter) would stay with her in her dorm for weeks at a time. Having nothing to do with the shooting and its repercussions, my question is how common is it for non-students to be living with students in their rooms? What is the position of the administration/house masters and such. Weeks at a time seems like an awful lot of time and pretty obvious to fellow students and admin. I am asking as a Dad sending D up there as a freshman in the fall. Curious. Thanks.</p>
<p>It’s extremely weird to have a non-student living in your dorm room for weeks (if it even happened in this case – at this point, it hasn’t been confirmed). It is officially against the rules. In practice, it could happen if everyone in the suite was OK with it and didn’t report it. If any student complained to a tutor, the House would kick the guest out.</p>
<p>Random (another tech) question - are there any classes (maybe free?) on how to use a Mac anywhere at Harvard in the beginning of the year? so many students will be buying macbooks so I would assume there would be a need for them lol :)</p>
<p>@laststopforme There may be official classes of some sort - but you should really just rely on your fellow students. I’m sure more than a few of them will be like me - longtime mac users who are eager to help out new converts.</p>
<p>What is the writing placement exam like? Is it just one long essay or several shorter ones. I want to know if I have to be in the right mindset to sit and write a full two hour essay haha.</p>
<p>Gypsy_rose - I’m not sure what you’re asking. Is this an admissions-related question? Harvard doesn’t care about/deal with your high school GPA once you’re accepted.</p>
<p>Sure, bring a TV - it’s nice to be able to watch movies and the like (although coordinate with roommates, you really only need one per suite). But there’s no cable at Harvard.</p>
<p>I do recommend bringing a TV if you can bring it along, to watch DVDs or (if you have a good antenna) network TV. I’ve had a TV every year I’ve been here.</p>
<p>However, you can’t get cable in the dorm rooms, it’s not a matter of price. I should note that there are a VERY few exceptions. The major exception is in DeWolfe, which is an apartment building that is used to house upperclass students in other, overcrowded houses. My understanding is that DeWolfe rooms have cable. Right now I know that Kirkland is housing some of their students in DeWolfe, and there are probably other houses doing so as well.</p>
<p>However, only a small fraction of sophomores, juniors and seniors live in DeWolfe, and no freshmen. There are other scattered exceptions. I was lucky my sophomore year in Kirkland to live in the ONLY room in the house with cable (long story), and I’m sure there are other dorm rooms on campus I’m unaware of that have access, some of which may even be freshmen dorms. However, the odds are against having cable in the room.</p>
<p>Don’t fret, though- there is cable in many common rooms all across campus (and generally big TVs!)</p>
<p>I’m class of 2013 and I was wondering what math I should take this fall. I took AB Calc and did well in it. Would Math 1b just be a repeat for me? I’m probably going to major in one of the humanities, but I also like bio and chem (so should I try to take Math 19a or 21a?)</p>
<p>I’d definitely recommend shopping 19a - it would probably be more interesting for you than 1b. You’ll also take a math placement during freshman week that should help you figure things out.</p>
<p>Im an incoming freshman this year -interested in pre med/health policy. When will we get contacted about our advisors- will it be over the summer or when we get there and when will we get the list of courses? I really want to start planning my classes for the fall!!!</p>
<p>@ Natalia & Just<em>Forget</em>me - I thought that the math course a student would be taking fall freshman year is all determined by the placement tests they are completing by July 1. How would the student then be allowed to “shop” a math course if their math course is already pre-determined by the exam results?</p>