<p>Yay ksarmand you’re back!</p>
<p>I know plenty of people in relationships and they all seem fairly normal/happy to me. I have no idea how someone is doing academically unless I happen to know them really well or if the topic of grades somehow comes up in one of our conversations (which rarely does under normal circumstances).</p>
<p>When DreamsUnlimited said “late interview”, I think he’s referring to second interviews, not first interviews that are scheduled really late.</p>
<p>Do you guys know any current, well-connected Harvard students/celebrities, i.e. members of a prominent political family?</p>
<p>@felixfelicis. They exist. You’ll recognize some last names. With that said, most people would rather not talk about it, or at the very least, not make a big deal out of it. Put yourself in the shoes of one of these kids: do you really want to walk around all day and have people constantly ask about what your dad does, or worst yet, WHY your dad/mom did this? Didn’t do this? Etc etc? Being the kid of a celebrity doesn’t mean one wants to be the center of attention. In fact, most just want to blend in and be normal, and do the things that other Harvard students do. Are there odd exceptions here and there? Probably. But in general, I think what I write stands.</p>
<p>What would you say about technology use at Harvard? Do many students bring laptops to class? Do professors generally make good use of campus internet systems?</p>
<p>I think the majority of students bring laptaps to class or carry them around all the time. Most of the problem sets/handouts/readings you have to complete each week need to be downloaded from the course website, (which you’ll be able to access through your @harvard account once you’re admitted), and the essays you write usually need to be typed etc, so I always thought it’s handy to have a computer around all the time. </p>
<p>Besides that, professors tend to send out notices either through email or the course website, you tend to find out about campus events in emails, etc.</p>
<p>Do professors ever post video lectures/notes/etc. (like MIT and Yale) on their websites?
How open are Harvard professors to working with prefrosh the summer before freshman year in research?</p>
<p>Thanks!</p>
<p>Dwight- do you have a link to your stats page on a decisions thread or something? 
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<p>^stalker. </p>
<p>bks85, all the large intro lecture-styled classes I have taken are videotaped and uploaded very promptly to the course websites after each lecture, along the Powerpoint slides used by the professor. Unlike Yale and MIT, the video lectures can only be accessed current students, but the better part about Harvard lecture videos is that they are recordings of the actual lecture you personally sat in (which perhaps may be why they’re not released online, out of privacy/confidentiality reasons).</p>
<p>Of course, these large lectures are supplemented with smaller “section” discussions of around ten people each week, but it’s still really great to be able to refer back to the videos for review if you happen to miss the lecture for a day :).</p>
<p>My experience with research so far tends to be “you go look for the lab you want to work in on your own and everything is between you and the person in charge, but we’ll fund it.” I personally don’t see why you wouldn’t be able to find a lab as a rising freshman. If you come to the Prefrosh Weekend (or whatever it’s called), try to find a time to stop by the Office of Career Services or talk to one of the research advisers here at Harvard, and they will be able to provide you with more specific advice.</p>
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<p>Be ambitious and creep my stats yourself.</p>
<p>Thanks for your great answer, calico. Do you have to be registered in the course to watch the classes, or just be a Harvard student? Sorry, I didn’t quite pick up the distinction between the two. Also, thanks for your advice. In your experience, have you found that process enjoyable (ie, are the professors willing? or is it a matter of finding the “right” one?)</p>
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<p>For a lot of classes, you’ll have to be registered in the class itself to watch the lecture videos online. In fact, I’m not aware of any classes where you can watch the lecture videos without being in the class. However, you’ll be able to access a lot of the materials (slides, .pdfs, et cetera) for classes you’re not enrolled in. I believe it all depends on the permissions the class instructor sets for various parts of the website.</p>
<p>side note: there are some classes whose websites you won’t be able to view at all, too.</p>
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<p>Finding a lab was not a very enjoyable process for me for various personal reasons, but working in the lab is literally one of best parts of my week. Some professors welcome students, others do not. My experience is that it depends a lot on whether the person has available graduate students or postdocs who are willing to work with undergrads, since professors themselves very rarely become involved in the experiment process. Especially at labs of 20+ people, they usually come up with the ideas or approve the ideas presented to them by members of the lab, then those working there carry out the actual procedures. </p>
<p>Whether or not you’ll enjoy the research experience has more to do with the postdoc/grad student you closely work with and your own level of interest in the subject matter. Try finding a topic that you envision you’ll be passionate about for a long time, such that you wouldn’t mind spending time in the lab while you also tons of other academic obligations.</p>
<p>Depending on your area of interest, you can also look for open positions at the medical school, near MIT, the Mass General Hospital, the Children’s Hospital, or similar places in the surrounding area. All of the ones I just listed have labs that undergrads can potentially work in, and all of these are easily accessible from the Yard by either the free shuttle or the T.</p>
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<p>No I don’t think so, I would like to see his stats since he was admitted.</p>
<p>Are there regular church services held on campus near or in the dorms?</p>
<p>There are regular Sunday services (as well as a short daily service) held on campus at Memorial Church in Harvard Yard. Episcopal, Catholic, Lutheran, and many other churches are within a few blocks area.</p>
<p>one question please. I know this isn’t a question ‘only a harvard sttdent can answer’, but the institution in question here is harvard.
If a jealous applicant tried to sabotage someone else’s chances at H by sending in an anonymous email/letter/however else one can try sabotage, they wouldn’t be taken seriously without proof right? I mean, Harvard CAN’T be that stupid?</p>
<p>^Why? Are you anticipating being sabotaged?</p>
<p>You may assume it to be so.
And I’d appreciate if you chose to reply to my PM rather than posting everything here.
Thanks. :)</p>
<p>oh, and the rest of the stuff on this thread has been very helpful, many thanks to all of you!</p>
<p>Hey do any of you personally know any international students who got in without an interview? Do you know any US citizens who did not have an interview?</p>
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<p>No and no. However, since people don’t walk around brandishing placards with those details, I can’t say if there are any individuals who meet those criteria.</p>
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<p>The whole scenario is rather dubious, don’t you think?</p>
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<p>Adam Wheeler was admitted. Take that for what you will.</p>