<p>yo yo ma is my hero. i am so psyched. how about conan?</p>
<p>on a different note (everyone else's questions seem very academically geared, but): how is the partying scene? like, if you want to go you can find one, and if you don't want to go, you just avoid it?</p>
<p>wow, that's actually a relief. i'm interested in doing a secondary in English but frankly hated Beowulf when we read it this year.</p>
<p>The IOP Fellows program is a great chance to meet famous/important people if that is your kind of thing.</p>
<p>Seventytwo, I'd say that is a fair summary of the party scene on campus. Most weekends there's a party going on somewhere on campus, and it's typically easy to just sit in your room on a weekend and study or read. Although to some extent the state of your room depends on the state of your roommates as well; I have quite a few friends whose quiet night was interrupted by a partying (and/or drunk) roommate situation. But for the most part, there when you want it, avoidable if you don't.</p>
<p>"What is the best experience you've ever had at Harvard?"</p>
<p>This is a really, really tough call. I'd have to say it was my first fall retreat with my a cappella group on Prudence Island, a private island in Narragansett Bay. I fell so deeply in love with those people and I love them just as much today. That weekend changed my life.</p>
<p>Famous/influential people come to campus to speak to small groups constantly. Like, daily.</p>
<p>The Wikipedia for the Harvard Lampoon says, among other things: "The Lampoon is known for its bacchanalian parties, which can result in smashed plates and furniture."</p>
<p>Does the Lampoon really sponsor such merry-filled festivities? Also, what has your impression of the Lampoon generally been?</p>
<p>^ The lampoon is a pretty isolated and secretive community. I've never been to a lampoon party or heard of others who go. My impression is that its presence on campus has been diminishing in recent years, although maybe it's only that it's been getting more secretive. Compared to the finals clubs, finals clubs parties are much more open and more people party at them.</p>
<p>What's it like trying to write essays and such in your suite? Or do most people do their important work in the library?</p>
<p>Forgive the stupid question.</p>
<p>What's it like trying to write essays and such in your suite? Or do most people do their important work in the library?
It varies from person to person. Some people prefer to work in their suite, while others like to work in the library. Once you move into your upperclass house, another common place to study is in the house dining hall after hours. It keeps you away from the distractions of your room, but isn't as oppressively silent as the library. I think most people study in different places at different times, depending on the work they're doing, their mood, the weather, if they're working alone or in a group, etc. </p>
<p>What it's like studying in your room depends on a whole bunch of factors, including the type of person you are, how many roommates you have (if any), and what they're like, what hours they keep, etc. So there's really no one answer.</p>
<p>I split about 50/50 between working in my suite (and my desk is in the common room, while others have desks in their bedrooms, which would be more quiet) and working in the library. Some people do almost all of their work in the library because they can't concentrate with any amount of noise. I work better with noise or listening to music, so I don't really have a preference between working in my suite or in the libraries. All of my roommates also split between working in the common room or in the library.</p>
<p>Sophomore here (I would be further along, but I took some time off). I'm still reading through the questions, but I thought I'd answer this now:</p>
<p>"Question: How well would someone fit in if he/she were very social and loved going out with people but didn't like to "party" (drink, smoke, what have you...)"</p>
<p>I don't drink (or smoke) at all, and I have no problem going out and having a great time here. But I love to dance, so I do party in that sense, you could say. I just do it sober. :) I'd say it's rare to find other teetotalers here (alcohol is pretty omnipresent, even as a freshman), but it's definitely not hard to abstain from it and fit in.</p>
<p>There are also more than enough opportunities for fun that are not centered around alcohol that it's never been much of an issue for me.</p>
<p>Why is the Lampoon becoming more secretive? Scared On Harvard Time is going to steal their jokes or something?</p>
<p>More answers as I sift through the questions...</p>
<p>RE: Community and House Life</p>
<p>Ditto to what's already been said, but I just have to emphasize that I love (love love love) house life. The community in my house (Dunster, which has had a terrible reputation for decades but is suddenly becoming noted for its tight community) is amazing. The house life will vary from house to house, though. Each as its own atmosphere and traditions. (There's the option of transferring to another upperclass house after sophomore year, but most people don't, which I think is a testament to the community that each house builds.)</p>
<p>Freshman housing is also quite nice. Living in Harvard Yard is beyond convenient, and that year of living among and eating with your class really helps build a class community. </p>
<p>RE: Engineering and MIT Cross-Registration</p>
<p>I was briefly an engineering concentrator, before I realized it wasn't the right path for me. So I probably can't help you too much in that area, but I'd say that the engineering department has a pretty cool community (complete with weekly ice cream bashes in Maxwell-Dworkin, one of my favorite buildings on campus...I really like ice cream, if you couldn't tell). Also, I hear it's not hard to cross-register at MIT. I have a friend who took 3 classes there last semester.</p>
<p>RE: CS 50</p>
<p>I loved this class. It's extremely well-taught and, and I found it...dare I say...fun?! For most of the semester, anyway. For me, it didn't feel oppressive until the final project (which can be pretty killer). Until that final project, I found it more time-intensive than especially difficult. But as with most classes, I think the overall difficulty is going to depend on the person. You definitely do not need CS experience, but some kind of affinity for programming does help. I had some CS experience (not in the languages we were using, but I had coded in simpler languages).</p>
<p>"My dad is a computer engineer, so I've had limited exposure to C, Java, Visual basic, and HTML - should that be enough to at least keep me afloat in CS50 - how hard are we talking?"</p>
<p>Yeah, that's more than enough experience. I think you'd be more prepared than a large portion of the class. It really is an introductory course, so it starts from the basics and builds. And as just<em>forget</em>me said, the support from TFs is phenomenal.</p>
<p>RE: Campus Feel</p>
<p>Harvard does feel like a campus to me, but I know what you mean. People from Dartmouth have told me in the past that Harvard is too spread out and blends in too much with the surrounding community. Personally, I like that aspect of the campus. Some campuses feel very isolated and cut-off from the outside world. Harvard is already enough of a bubble that I think it benefits from the organic relationship with and position within Cambridge. I feel that I'm part of more than just Harvard, and Harvard feels just a bit more like the real world. But as soon as I walk into Harvard Yard...I definitely feel like I'm on a campus.</p>
<p>"Why is the Lampoon becoming more secretive? Scared On Harvard Time is going to steal their jokes or something?"</p>
<p>I'd say it's because the Lampoon is lame and unfunny...but that's JMO. :p</p>
<p>"What is the best experience you've ever had at Harvard?"</p>
<p>Great question! I have so many to choose from, including:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>FOP (the Freshman Outdoor Program) was an awesome experience. It's one of a few pre-orientation programs you can do right before freshman year. My trip involved hiking in the Green Mountains of Vermont for 6 days with 7 other freshmen and 2 upperclass FOP alums. It was challenging, fulfilling, and fun. Plus, it never hurts to enter a new school with a few extra friends.</p></li>
<li><p>Singing for Laurence Fishburne and Jada Pinkett Smith, getting to attend a talk from my governor at the time, George Pataki, handing John Edwards a proposal for an anti-poverty initiative on campus, and attending a Denzel Washington movie premiere on campus (complete with Denzel Washington in attendance)...those have all been pretty surreal experiences, and they happen on a regular basis here. (Well, movie premieres do not happen on a regular basis, but appearances from high-profile figures do. :p)</p></li>
<li><p>Many of the professors are amazing experiences in their own right.</p></li>
<li><p>But my best experiences are the ones I have with other students. My very best experience was probably a Kuumba</a> Singers concert I sang/danced in during freshman year. (Feel free to ask me about Kuumba if you're interested, or just check out the website: Welcome</a> | Kuumba Singers) Words do not describe the joy I feel at a Kuumba concert, and in the Kuumba community in general. On that note, extracurriculars are very possibly where you may have your best moment here, so don't be afraid to get involved!</p></li>
</ul>
<p>I was (kind of) joking with the Lampoon comment...don't mean to offend anyone who's a (current or future) member!</p>
<p>"Words do not describe the joy I feel at a Kuumba concert, and in the Kuumba community in general."</p>
<p>Amen to that. I will add that I was totally welcomed and embraced in Kuumba as a white atheist Jewish graduate student. It's an extraordinary community.</p>
<p>Co11ege, did you come on the Chicago tour in 2008? I was the alum who threw the pizza party.</p>
<p>Aw, I wish I had been there, but I was on leave of absence last year! :( Any chance you're coming to the concert? It's Saturday, May 2.</p>
<p>You know what's funny, there is always alot of talk about how Harvard doesn't have any advising. Well a bunch of kids in my dorm were complaining last night that they felt we have TOO MUCH forced advising.... haha</p>
<p>there's a fortnight of advising, even</p>