<p>anyone know how students get private music lessons from faculty members? i presume these have very high hourly rates…are there any scholarships or fin aid for that?</p>
<p>I think financial aid covers music instruction! I was really surprised when I read that. Read the brochure that came with your package or call the office. I’m not positive, but I can swear I read that somewhere</p>
<p>are there ever any a+'s given in harvard classes?</p>
<p>@Noitaraperp - I don’t think so. The maximum GPA is 4.0 which corresponds to an A. Likewise, the max grade is A.</p>
<p>are there ever any a+'s given in harvard classes?
There’s no such thing as a+, a is the highest it goes (4.0).</p>
<p>There isn’t a specific math course you should have taken to start math 55. It’s more about your general math ability. Most students in 55 already took multivariable and diffeq but just having taken those courses isn’t enough to take 55 or even 25.</p>
<p>My son is in one of the Holden Choirs and he receives a stipend, grant, something for his voice lessons. Not sure if it is from the Holden Voice Program or some other funding source. His voice teacher is from either BU or NEC. You are definitely not limited to the four teachers on the website. I found a link last year on, I believe, the Music Department’s website listing all the various music/voice teachers that were available to Harvard students. It was a substantial list.</p>
<p>Shameless plug for the Holden Choirs: They will be performing for pre-frosh weekend on Saturday afternoon. It will be a good chance to introduce yourself to the members and learn something about the Choirs.</p>
<p>Can anyone comment on the study abroad program and the freshman seminars? Like which seminar is good and should we take them?<br>
Also, what do you guys do in the summer? Intern? Abroad? ECs? </p>
<p>Thank you so much. I’m trying to decide between HYP and this thread’s been very helpful :)</p>
<p>^^ The study abroad program here is getting stronger and more popular every year, but it still isn’t very common for people to study abroad, just because there’s so much to do at Harvard that it’s hard for people to leave. Depending on your concentration, it may or may not make much sense to study abroad. Those who study abroad tend to do it around junior year.</p>
<p>Freshman seminars are very popular, and the ones which are taught by the “celebrity” professors like Dershowitz, Samantha Power, and Noam Elkies are really competitive to get into. A couple of them are duds, but the majority of them are a great opportunity to get to know an excellent professor better in an intimate setting and take a course that explores a field you might not know much about without risking getting a bad grade, because freshman seminars are pass/fail. I would say don’t take a freshman seminar just for the sake of taking one, but almost all of them are taught very well and highly recommended.</p>
<p>Over the summer, students typically study abroad, travel, and intern… just like at other colleges.</p>
<p>Study Abroad program
This used to be one of Harvard’s weaknesses, but study abroad has been improved dramatically in the four years I’ve been here, and the campus culture is shifting from “You’re studying abroad… why?” to “Why shouldn’t I study abroad?”. It’s still hard to pull yourself away from Harvard for a semester - so many students end up getting international experiences in the summer (see below).</p>
<p>Freshman Seminars
Freshman seminars are great and I strongly suggest taking one (if not two!) your freshman year. They’re offered on tons of topics by many of Harvard’s top faculty, and limited to 12 students per seminar. I can’t recommend specific seminars - there are just too many - but pick something you’re interested in. You can see last year’s list at: [HERS</a> Output](<a href=“http://webdocs.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/courses/FreshmanSeminarsExtraDepartmentalCoursesandHouseSeminars.html]HERS”>http://webdocs.registrar.fas.harvard.edu/courses/FreshmanSeminarsExtraDepartmentalCoursesandHouseSeminars.html)</p>
<p>What do Harvard students do over the summer?
The real question is what don’t Harvard students do over the summer! The summer opportunities Harvard is able to expose/connect you to are just mind-blowing.</p>
<p>Lots of students intern (especially in the summer after junior year). Lots of students do research (either for a thesis, or just to get more experience). Lots of students go abroad (to learn a language, or work or study in another country). Lots of students do entirely random and crazy things (like take a giant road trip across the US and make a blog about it). And some students end up spending the summer working for their extracurricular group, but usually just as a part-time thing.</p>
<p>There’s funding to support most anything you’d want to do - from research to study abroad (see [The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: OIP Announces Grant Recipients](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527587]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527587)) to “purposeful travel”. I spent one of my summers doing research in Cambridge (as part of the great PRISE program: [PRISE:</a> Harvard College Program for Research in Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://www.priselink.harvard.edu/]PRISE:”>http://www.priselink.harvard.edu/)) and the other two interning.</p>
<p>Thanks Hat. We have a meeting with Dr. Marvin on Monday and will discuss voice opportunities. Men’s Glee Club reherses on Monday, so we might sit in on that too.</p>
<p>If you get a chance and are there Sunday morning, you may want to hear the UChoir (University Memorial Church Choir) sing at 11:00 a.m. However, it is Easter Sunday and the place will probably be packed. Rev. Gomes is also a very entertaining speaker and shouldn’t be missed.</p>
<p>I doubt the one taught by Samantha Power and Cass Sunstein will be offered next year, seeing as they are both in the Obama administration now.</p>
<p>Wow you guys are fast! :)</p>
<p>I’m hoping to major in government so i’m obviously looking for gov-related stuff for both the seminars and the study abroad program. But i guess i can always spend the summer somewhere to hone my foreign language skills too.</p>
<p>One more question: Are placement tests mandatory? Thanks!</p>
<p>Wow you guys are fast! </p>
<p>I’m hoping to major in government so i’m obviously looking for gov-related stuff for both the seminars and the study abroad program. But i guess i can always spend the summer somewhere to hone my foreign language skills too.</p>
<p>One more question: Are placement tests mandatory? Thanks! </p>
<p>Math and writing are mandatory. I think that bio and chem are not… but they are mandatory if you want to take bio or chem classes. A foreign language is mandatory too unless you have taken an AP or SAT II.</p>
<p>Just wanted to add that financial aid is great for study abroad programs too. Lots of people do study abroad … all over the world.</p>
<p>This may be a stupid question, but how difficult are the math & writing placement tests? I did a different high school system (GCE A level) and i’ve been out of school for a few months now. The thought of having to prepare for tests all over again even before school starts is not all that appealing…</p>
<p>Or does anyone know if the A level Math grade could actually exempt me from the test/have any effect at all?</p>
<p>Any ideas on how the new “winter session” will be able to be utilized by students?</p>
<p>Hello current students:
Two questions:
- What are the pros and cons of Advanced Standing?
- How realistic is it for a freshman to obtain a reserach position in a medical lab?
Thanks from a prospective student’s mom</p>
<p>“winter session”
The College just announced that the long break will be just that… a long break. (see [The</a> Harvard Crimson :: News :: College Cuts J-Term Plans](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527511]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article.aspx?ref=527511)). Some students will be able to be in dorms (doing research, playing on athletic teams) - but most students will probably be home with family, traveling, etc.</p>
<p>This may be a stupid question, but how difficult are the math & writing placement tests?
The writing one is not difficult, and not easy to study for. It’s just evaluating whether you can write a basic essay.</p>
<p>The math one can be a bit more challenging, but it’s non-binding. If you think your background has prepared you for multivariable calc, you can take multivariable calc. So there’s really no point in studying for it. Your A-level score (just like an AP test score) may be useful in deciding what class is the best fit - but it won’t get you credit or anything like that.</p>
<p>@curious77</p>
<p>Advanced Standing
Lots of discussion about this already - including a few threads just about it. I’d check those out. History has shown that many students are eligible for advanced standing, few actually use it (and those who do tend to use it for things like taking a semester off and graduating with their class, or getting a masters degree their fourth year).</p>
<p>2) How realistic is it for a freshman to obtain a reserach position in a medical lab?
Very realistic. Maybe not the best idea for freshman fall - as working in a lab can be very time consuming. But many freshmen start working in labs both in the college and in the med school freshman spring.</p>