<p>I asked this question in the decision countdown thread but didn’t really get a useful reply, so:
If an applicant in a ‘limited interviewers’ area gets a request for an interview (first interview, not follow-up) in mid-March, does this indicate likelihood of acceptance? Like, would it mean that the interview is a make/break part for him/her? Or is it just like the others and is completely random?</p>
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<p>I think it’s very common to feel, after coming to Harvard, that you’re surrounded by people who are significantly more capable, who manage their coursework, participate in all the activities, and have a good social life all seemingly with an air of ease. It’s very common to come to the humbling realization that you’re no longer good at the things you once thought you were, and therefore have to adjust expectations accordingly. </p>
<p>If you’re asking how I feel personally, then absolutely, I periodically feel pretty inadequate at what it is that I was doing :p. It’s not that “everyone’s blowing me out of the water” with some outward display of brilliance —in fact, there is little basis for comparison because everyone has different interests and activities —but more like, I find myself having so much to do during certain periods that I sometimes wonder how some people can even manage to stay on top of everything!</p>
<p>Thanks, xrCalico23. I can imagine how daunting of a shift it is for most Harvard-bound high school seniors to suddenly plunge into anonymity at a place like Harvard.</p>
<p>Personally, if I were feeling depressed in Cambridge, I’d tell myself that many students at Harvard – the epitome of higher education in the world – should be better at what I do than I am. </p>
<p>Haha, right now, I just want to get the hell in.</p>
<p>I transferred to Harvard from an LAC. It’s great for some students, but I felt very limited there academically and socially. I wanted more choices. I wanted to be surprised every day, you know? I didn’t get that at the LAC. Yes, the Houses offer a lot of community, as do EC groups, religious groups, etc., but it isn’t the same as being at an LAC in terms of the unity of the whole student body. It’s a tradeoff, and to me, it was well worth it.</p>
<p>I regularly felt outclassed, outsmarted, outsung, etc. at Harvard College. But I also felt accepted and embraced in a way I had never experienced outside my family. I did feel envious now and then, especially when we talked about our summer plans and it seemed like everyone else was saving orphans in Rwanda or writing speeches for Al Gore. (It wasn’t true, it just seemed that way.) Mostly, though, it was thrilling and inspiring to constantly meet new people who had so much to offer.</p>
<p>I think most of us had our moments in the first semester when we thought we were the admissions mistake. It’s very good for your character to have to learn to be happy and confident when you aren’t the best. If you can learn that, and the vast majority of us can, then you can be very happy at Harvard.</p>
<p>Can you tell me more about the LS1 intro courses and why people don’t actually like them? I will likely be going into the biological sciences myself…</p>
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<p>I only took LS1b and LS2, so I can’t speak directly about 1a. And LS2 doesn’t really have the same issue and isn’t generally considered an intro life science class.</p>
<p>But you’ll find a sizeable number of people who took LS1b that hated it, and the Q scores seem to support this. Most didn’t seem to like the lecturers and the organization of the course, while people were more divided on labs (which I’m guessing varied depending upon the strength of your TF).</p>
<p>Personally I didn’t mind LS1b. Professors Hartl and Ruvolo may not be the most charismatic but the information they gave was internally consistent and meaningful, so if you have any interest in the subject the lecturers aren’t too bad. My guess is that because LS1a and 1b are basically required classes for pre-meds, they have a bunch of pre-meds who either haven’t yet realized that biology doesn’t excite them or pre-meds who want to go to medical school but aren’t necessarily deeply interested in genetics. </p>
<p>Upper level bio classes tend to get very high reviews, especially in Human Evolutionary Bio and Organismic & Evolutionary Bio, the latter being the department whose concentrators are more satisfied with their choice of concentration than any other at Harvard, at least as of last year.</p>
<p>Is Tufts a safety school for Ivy rejectees?</p>
<p>^that’s the stereotype. But I have a friend who was accepted to Tufts ED and had no interest in the ivies, so obviously it doesn’t apply to everyone.</p>
<p>Is there any way to have a double major at Harvard? Or is everyone expected to chose 1 concentration and stick with it?</p>
<p>^You can do something called a joint concentration…however, in most cases, you must do a joint senior thesis that equally incorporates elements of both disciplines. This is easier between certain fields than others. Obviously, not so difficult between Literature and East Asian studies. Much more difficult, if not downright impossible, between say Electrical Engineering and Folklore and Myth. You also have to get advisers from both departments, making it a bit more difficult. </p>
<p>A few other factors. Since last year or so, several of the most popular departments no longer allow joint concentrations, including Econ and Gov. </p>
<p>OTHO, some departments (only a select few) such as mathematics and physics, do not require a thesis for joint concentrators. That means, in effect, you only have to do a thesis for the other department to be eligible for honors.</p>
<p>You can also do a secondary field, which is Harvard’s name for a minor, that doesn’t require incorporating the two fields you want to study, the trade-off being, of course, that you appear to have mastered one of the fields to a lesser extent.
However, if you care only about the knowledge you gain and not the title on your diploma, you can still take courses that would technically fulfill the requirements for two concentrations, although that would be impossible with some concentrations and hard for most.</p>
<p>Any of you have any experience with the History and Literature concentration?</p>
<p>hi 
i was looking into the extension school and i was wondering what you guys thought about it? and the general idea of it to harvard students?</p>
<p>thanks!</p>
<p>@Dwight, Calico, etc.</p>
<p>I understand that you are not admissions officers, but I would like to know what you think about the following. Do feeder schools, such as Boston Latin, send so many kids to Harvard because those students are all as “admissions-worthy” as other admits across the country? Or would some of these students have probably not been accepted if they attended other schools?</p>
<p>On the other hand, do you think an applicant who is in the admissions ball-park would look equally good from a terrible public school as she would from a decent public school?</p>
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<p>Harvard openly admits an admissions preference for Cambridge students, then Boston students, then (very slightly) Massachusetts students, in that order. I wouldn’t say that these students aren’t “admissions-worthy” but, since the majority of applicants to Harvard are deemed “qualified” to get in, I’d say a second look is a pretty nice thing to have.</p>
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<p>I think Harvard cares more about how you take advantage of the opportunities given to you, rather than what opportunities you have. I know plenty of people here who came from awful schools.</p>
<p>Darn, this thread is long. Although some of these questions have been answered already, I thought I’d just add my input (and procrastinate some more).</p>
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<p>Semester 1:
[ul]Math 1b: Calculus, Series, and Differential Equations
This course is essentially part 2 of the math department’s basic calculus courses. Math 1a is analogous to AP Calculus AB, and Math 1b is AP Calculus BC’s counterpart. The support for this course is amazing, and the material is introduced at a fairly leisurely pace. Also, the grading is such that homework can really offset shaky midterm grades (I would know :)). It’s taught in sections of about 12-15 students.
[li]Life Sciences 1a: An Integrated Introduction to the Life Sciences: Chemistry, Molecular Biology, and Cell Biology[/li]There is a lecture component on Tuesdays and Thursdays for an hour and a half each. Additionally, there are mandatory three hour sections (10-15 students), where the first hour or so is spent going over lecture material, and the next two hours doing labs. The labs don’t really deserve to be called such, though - you’re basically following instructions that they give you in the procedure. The upside is that it’s not too taxing on your mental faculties. 
In my opinion, this course was taught and graded fairly.
[li]Spanish 40: Advanced Language Review through Literature and Culture[/li]With language courses, your experience will depend heavily on your TF. Spanish 40 is a movie course taught entirely in sections of about 10-15 students, with about one new movie required every week and a half. Class discussion makes up a good part of your grade, and compositions on the movies are also required. However, it’s really not a difficult class at all if you just make sure to proofread and speak in class every now and then.
[li]Expos 20: The Art of Representing the Other[/li]This class was required. Classes are fairly small - mine was 12 students. It was unpleasant, but it lasts for only one semester. And to be fair, my preceptor was pretty damn awesome - it was just the material that sucked. [/ul]</p>
<p>Semester 2:
[ul]Math 19a: Modeling and Differential Equations for the Life Sciences
I love this class - every problem set is a joy to complete, which I can’t say for my other classes. The material covered is fascinating, and it’s nice to see how abstract models and theories can be applied to real-world situations. It’s taught in a lecture hall my guess is that the class ranges from 40-60 students), but John Hall knows you by name, so it’s a fairly intimate situation. Like Math 1b, the support system is excellent, and the teaching staff is accessible if you have any questions.
[li]Spanish 50: Writing and Performance[/li]Although I’m not too fond of reading things in Spanish (or any language in general), I’m having an excellent time in this course. You get a lot of practice reading and writing, and the TFs are keen on helping you refine your pronunciation. It’s not too much work, either. (My class has 12 students)
[li]Physical Sciences 1: Chemical Bonding, Energy, and Reactivity: An Introduction to the Physical Sciences[/li] I like physics and chemistry, but I don’t like this course. It’s taught pretty well, but if your TF *sucks<a href=“like%20mine”>/I</a>, then you’ll miss out on a lot of the finer concepts that are not present in the textbook and never come up in lecture. However, if you have an inorganic chemistry requirement and aren’t in the mood to take Chemistry 40, then this is a necessary rite of passage. Lecture is about 400 students and takes place for one hour on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and discussion section is about 15 students and takes place for one hour on one day of the week. Labs are an additional three hours, and they aren’t combined with discussion sections (like in LifeSci).
[li]Life Sciences 1b: Genetics, Genomics, and Evolution[/li]Never in my life have I encountered such blundering incompetence at the front of a classroom. Some people just can’t teach.[/ul]</p>
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<p>If you managed to perform at a high level in spite of adverse circumstances, I think that anyone sane, admissions officers (hopefully) included, would look favorably upon your successes. Schools in general are looking for students who have proven that they can take advantage of what they’re given, and if you demonstrate that, then you have nothing to fear.</p>
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<p>Whenever such disturbing thoughts creep into my head, I remember what my father told me: insecurity is for people with free time - if you have time to worry, you’re not working hard enough.</p>
<p>But on a more serious note, yes, I do at times feel outclassed by my peers, but that serves only as an incentive to work harder in my studies. I’m not sure if the depression that the author of “I am Fine” felt can be attributed entirely to the environment and not some self-confidence issues that she had. However, it’s best to remember that most people aren’t the best at anything - there’s a reason that “the best” isn’t a term often used in the plural. There are more than enough resources at Harvard for you to improve yourself and leave the school on par with your peers personally, extracurricularly, and (somewhat) academically. </p>
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<p>I had to quote this for truth. At Harvard, no one’s going to get their panties in a twist if you speak with a college-level vocabulary, and no one gives you the “you-think-you’re-better-than-us” speech when you discuss things of interest to you; it’s accepted that you have a passion that you’ve pursued or are pursuing at a very high level. That’s one of the great things about coming here: people expect and accept a level of intensity when dealing with others.</p>
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<p>I have three untouched problem sets due tomorrow, so at this point, probably both, along with a little bit of masochism, too.</p>
<p>How easily/often do people in the same class meet to do problem sets?</p>