<p>How easy is it to get into popular classes or classes with sought-after profs? Second question - as an accepted student, my D was given an access code to see the student reviews of the classes. This seemed like an excellent way to assess profs and course content, difficulty, etc. Can anyone say how accurate it is? Thank you so much - she is making a difficult decision between Harvard and Williams.</p>
<p>If you have the pre-reqs, you can take the class. They do not cut off enrollment which is why some of the classes are huge. The class will be taught by the prof, but they will break the class down into sections led by TFs to cover homework/problem sets, etc. If you want to see an example of a prof teaching 1000 students, check out the course Justice on i-Tunes U. The Q guide is useful to help decide what classes to shop. At the beginning of the semester students can sit in on as many classes as they want to (shopping) and decide which they will stay with.</p>
<p>@cltdad - You’re right for 90% of the classes, but there are some courses with limited enrollment. Usually this is because the format of the class (discussion seminars, for example) won’t work with more than 12 people, for example.</p>
<p>In any case, it’s <em>very</em> easy to get into popular classes with famous profs at Harvard.</p>
<p>Regarding your second question, the Q can be a useful resource - but probably not that helpful when deciding between schools. All of the reviews focus on the course’s deviations above and below the “Harvard norm.”</p>
<p>OP - Where was that code? Did it come in the admit packet? I can’t seem to find it. :p</p>
<p>I posted about limited enrollment about two and a half years ago, which might help:</p>
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<p>So I would add, in response to your particular question, that while it’s very easy to get into popular courses such as Ec 10 and CS 50 (and by easy, I mean guaranteed), some of the coolest courses that provide the closest relationship to really cool professors are limited. One example that comes to mind is Professor Greg Mankiw’s freshman seminar (on economics). Anyone can take Ec 10, but Mankiw hand selects the freshman seminar from a very competitive pool of applicants. However, these courses are very far from the norm, and are certainly not the only chance to meet cool professors.</p>
<p>I hope that’s helpful, and let us know if you have further questions. (If your daughter wants to be more specific, such as her particular field or the professors she is interested in learning from, I might be able to be more helpful).</p>
<p>Thank you for the extremely informative posts! My D is interested in physics and possibly math at this point and would enjoy taking some music courses, but not as a major. She was fascinated by a class she saw (on You-Tube?) taught at Harvard years ago by Leonard Bernstein. </p>
<p>Elanorci - My daughter is not home yet but I will ask her and post later.</p>
<p>Elanorci- My daughter said to google “Harvard Cue Guide” (I guess now it may be called Q guide but she was told to use Cue so hope that works) and then go to “Click here to view course evaluations” and use your Harvard ID and PIN in your acceptance package. Let me know if you need more help and I can ask her more.</p>