<p>Hey everyone,</p>
<p>I’m in Jordan and will be here for two months so I have no desire whatsoever to go on this website in that period. Hopefully other Harvard students will be available to answer questions and such before the new academic year starts.</p>
<p>@yohobroncos: thanks! this is very helpful! just to clarify something, are all sections taught by TAs?</p>
<p>so the main freshman classes that are taught by TFs (and the only classes im aware of that do so) are math 1a, 1b, 21a, and 21b and econ 10. This is one reason why people consider applied math 21a instead of normal 21a (because that is taught by a professor, although the professor for that class has changed each of the last 3 years so its hard to judge). in addition, econ 10 is sectioned for the entire year, and one frustration that people tend to have is that for the level of concepts you are learning, a good or bad TF can really really affect your experience in the class.</p>
<p>almost every class in the world does have section, however, which TFs will lead. the only difference is that for the classes i just listed, the setting in which you normally meet is the section, whereas in most other classes you attend lecture with the professor and then have more time to practice problems and go over material in section (in which case sections may or may not be required depending on what the professor wants)</p>
<p>people occasionally are worried whenever TFs are teaching something, as though professors are universally better at teaching or something, which certainly isnt the case. youll have ups and downs with TFs and professors, but one annoyance is always having to deal with the luck of the draw when it comes to TFs (which you typically cannot shop and are assigned to)</p>
<p>In 4 years at Harvard, my son had exactly 1 TF whom he didn’t think very highly of. The others ranged from good to amazing. We were wary of this system (“Wouldn’t you really rather go to Dartmouth?”), but it was fine. And as you advance into the higher level courses (well, in the sciences at least), you spend a TON of time working directly with professors in pretty small classes</p>
<p>nice, thank you both! 
another question
what do you think about this linens offer they make to freshmen?</p>
<p>I got HSA lower-threadcount linens last year. I appreciated that the linens thought highly of my ability to sew, and reminded me of it every so often by punching holes in themselves, but I would really have appreciated if they did not do that.</p>
<p>I mean, they weren’t atrocious, but the sheets will just barely last you through the year. They will not be a multi-year purchase. The blankets etc. were fine, and the comforter was nice.</p>
<p>Financial aid question here.
I’m under the impression that the required summer earnings contribution was the estimated amount the student was expected to spend on books, transportation, etc. throughout the year and that this money doesn’t have to be paid upfront to Harvard as the student spent it out of pocket throughout the year. Is that correct?
I have a scholarship that covers my work study+ about 700 dollars this year, and everything I have read has said that the extra 700 dollars will be used to reduce my student contribution. How will that happen if I don’t technically have to pay a certain amount to the FinAid office? Will I be reimbursed for textbooks or other purchases?</p>
<p>Yes, one reason why there is student contribution / summer work is because that way they can avoid transferring moneys for the direct purpose of buying plane tickets / textbooks / random personal items. The only money you pay directly to harvard is any parent contribution designated to cover tuition, room, board, insurance, and other school fees. the only notable exception is that if you are a student receiving like next to full ride financial aid and come from a warm climate, you get $125 as a freshman that should be used for winter clothes.</p>
<p>scholarships were a bit confusing, but they way they deal with it in the context of summer earnings / student contribution is actually very nice. i think there might be a few ways to do it, but the way i did it was i reported my scholarship as normal, and at some point during they summer they received the funds from my scholarship sources. the way you get reimbursed is that when your term bill comes up, you will have to pay your normal parent contribution but you will also see credits that show up due to scholarships that you have. in this case, sometimes it actually can just reduce your parent contribution which is nice, but ordinarily what happens is that after all of your parent contribution payments are done (if any), then you will still have a remaining credit because of your scholarships. you can then request a refund in the amount of your credit. this is a very simplified solution compared to some schools; this way, you dont have to save receipts for plane tickets / books / whatever, and you then still have incentive to save as much as you can, because all of the harvard provided figures are just estimates, and you can pocket the difference from your refunds. alternatively, if you never ask for the refund, the credits just remain there and can accumulate over time.</p>
<p>honestly, there may be other ways to do it although i think this is the best and most logical way. i didnt talk to too many of my friends about it, but i got my summer earnings / student work covered through 4k in refunds in the end (which is what i think would happen to many people).</p>
<p>Okay, that sounds great. Thanks for the informative answer! </p>
<p>Also, I am a student on full aid from Louisiana. I think I’ll qualify for the winter coat fund, but I haven’t heard anything about it. If you know anything about that grant in particular, do you know if I need to contact the Financial Aid office about this or should they contact me sometime before winter hits?</p>
<p>^They’ll send you a check in the mail some time around December, if I remember correctly. You’ll probably have already bought a winter coat by that time, so it’s more like a reimbursement.</p>
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<p>Have fun :)!!</p>
<p>@exultationary: I got this harvard mail for the harvard collection linens to buy linens from rhl.org(are these the HSA ones?) and it says there is a guarantee until graduation. so if they are punching holes, I can return them, right? thanks!!!</p>
<p>also, because I am not as good at sewing do you know the exact size of linens we will need? i’m thinking of purchasing them from target.</p>
<p>Guarantee until graduation? I’m not sure about that…(a) Since the low-threadcount ones just don’t last that long, no matter where you’re getting them from and (b) I am not sure how they would then make money off that surface. I don’t know the specifics because I gave up and am buying myself decent linens that I will be able to reuse (and since I won’t be moving them very far now that I’m an upperclassman), so if I were you I’d investigate/e-mail them. If you buy linens from BBB or whatever, you need twin extra-long beds. That’s standard for almost all American colleges through the whole country, btw, so if you forget, telling them you’re a college student will solve your problem.</p>
<p>PS I am definitely not good enough at sewing to re-size sheets! At least unless I was okay with Frankenstein levels of straightness in the seams. I can just make small patches. Not that impressive, haha.</p>
<p>What is the environment like for gay students?</p>
<p>Thanks exultationary! Another question. How is the weather in mid-August and September? Do you think I could use a fan?</p>
<p>Yes, you will need a fan for those hot, humid weeks. The windows are small so there is not much of a breeze. You can buy fans of all sizes at the hardware store, CVS, or the Coop (where they will be the highest price.).</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Gay students - There are lots of gay students, and many are very out and active; from what I understand (one of my son’s roommates S/J/S years was gay), it is a big yawn. That made me really happy - it made me feel that we may have evolved as a race over the last century. @Interficio, if you really want to know more, I’ll ask my son (or his roommate) to write something or PM you when he gets back home next week.</p></li>
<li><p>Fans - YES! We live near campus, and we carted over 3 fans one year because it was so hot in September. You never know. Right now, it’s freezing and raining, but there have been years when this week is boiling hot. Move in day in 2007 was about 90 F, and then the next day was cold.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>lol, do dorm crew and you can “loot” fans left behind by summer school kids (and other very awesome stuff)</p>
<p>If you take 5 classes a semester instead of 4… do you have to pay more money in terms of tuition?</p>
<p>No, you don’t. You are absolutely forbidden from taking 5 classes in your first semester, FYI.</p>