<p>Hey!</p>
<p>I am leaning toward a concentration in Applied Mathematics with a specialization in Economics and Computer Science. Other concentrations I considered were Math, Statistics, and Computer Science.</p>
<p>By the way, as an undergraduate you’ll be pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree, and you will be in the College, although you may (and probably will, in your case!) be taking courses in SEAS.</p>
<p>The engineering program is competitive and very academically rigorous - it has the highest number of required courses. At the same time, although it is rigorous and very structured, it is extremely diverse. The engineering program is the only undergraduate program at Harvard that offers a Bachelor’s of Science - all other programs grant a Bachelor’s of Arts degree. There is a weekly forum that concentrators are required to participate in, which allows them to form connections, discuss their interests in engineering, learn from each other, and meet with and discuss with professors in the field.</p>
<p>There’s one specific track in the engineering program that I think you’d be particularly interested in: the Biomedical Sciences and Engineering track. The short descriptive blurb from Harvard’s website says: “Investigate problems in neuroengineering, biomaterials, biomechanics, and medical instrumentation. Many courses emphasize lab work, such as exploring the properties of a frog muscle or using computers to model neural networks. The area provides excellent preparation for medical school or a wide range of other graduate programs.”</p>
<p>In general, there are ample opportunities for research at Harvard, whether or not you’ve had experience or years of coursework. The professors genuinely care about their students in the classroom and out of the classroom, and believe it or not, professors do need assistance in their labs. </p>
<p>My advice to you would be to look up professors at Harvard who are doing research in fields you are interested in. Read some of their research. Maybe send them emails expressing your interest - it can’t hurt. Then, once you get on campus, see if the professor(s) you are interested in working with hold office hours, and meet with them to discuss. </p>
<p>There are also many research opportunities that have a lot of prestige (and money) associated with them, although many are for the summer. PRISE is a great example ([PRISE:</a> Harvard College Program for Research in Science and Engineering](<a href=“http://www.priselink.harvard.edu/]PRISE:”>http://www.priselink.harvard.edu/)).</p>
<p>It is certainly true that some universities may have experts in narrow fields of research, but I feel like you should devote your undergraduate experience to building a good foundation for your research in the future. You should take a variety of classes in different fields (some which you might not think are applicable… but you never know!), gain experience in the lab, and meet brilliant people who may be your professors and may be your classmates. If you are extremely interested in a particular area of research, and you know that there is a professor elsewhere you is a leading expert, the other school may be a better choice for graduate school. </p>
<p>There are a few classes that are famous for being laid-back, fun, and yet still a good learning experience. The first class that comes to mind is SPU 27 (Science and Cooking: From Haute Cuisine to Soft Matter Science), which does actually satisfy the SPU General Education requirement.</p>
<p>My recommendations for classes that satisfy Gen Ed’s:</p>
<p>A&I (Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding) 24: First Nights: Five Performance Premieres. A great mix of art and history, and how they influence each other in significant ways.</p>
<p>C&B (Culture and Belief): I can’t give a recommendation because I haven’t taken any of the courses yet. They all sound quite interesting. </p>
<p>E&MR (Empirical and Mathematical Reasoning): Take a math class. It’s good for you. Also, Econ 1011a and 1011b are fantastic courses taught by a professor who appeared on the Daily Show with Jon Stewart a few months ago.</p>
<p>ER (Ethical Reasoning): Take a class that relates to your field of interest (e.g. Bioethics). It’ll give you an important cultural perspective on the field.</p>
<p>SLS (Science of Living Systems): Allegedly, SLS 20: Psychological Science is a great course. One of the professors, Prof. Pinker, is quite famous.</p>
<p>SPU (Science of the Physical Universe): Science and Cooking, as mentioned earlier, or Engineering Sciences 50: Intro to EE. My roommate is taking ES50 right now, and is enjoying the labs and projects so much that sometimes he goes back to lab at 11 pm to work on using lasers to transmit audio.</p>
<p>SW (Societies of the World): Gov 20 is a hard class, but apparently it’s fantastic.</p>
<p>USW (United States in the World): Econ 10 is a good class to take no matter what you’re interested in concentrating in. It gives you a better idea of the business world and of decision-making in general, albeit at a basic level.</p>
<p>Yours,
Kevin</p>