<p>Everything about Harvard to me is a dream come true except for it's size (6500 undergrad & 17,500 graduates). I am more akin to a smaller student body (10,000 kids at the max, preferably half that). 6500 undergrads is perfect but what about the grad students? Is there much intermingling with them or are their schools more widespread throughout Boston? Do undergrads and grads posses two separte spheres? Is there an overwhelming feeling due to the amount of students around you, or is it easy to find your niche due to the wonderful and close-knit housing system? Secondly, the size of the student body puts doubt into my mind that class sizes and close interaction w/profs are as exceptional as my tourguide claimed they are. During my visit to Harvard I was informed that the average class size is 10, the student faculty ratio is 7:1, and that any class with over 40 kids is broken down into groups of 15 for discussion. I was told by a student questioned during an info session that she has experienced intro classes holding several hundred students and specialized classes with as few as four. US News says 69% of classes are under 20 kids and 10% of classes have 50 or more. I would love to believe these figures, that profs are devoted to teaching undergrads, that research opportunities with profs are available to undergrads, and that close relationships can be formed with profs like at smaller liberal arts colleges. My dad attended Harvard for graduate school over 30 years ago and recalls the classes he took near Harvard Yard to be large lectures from world renowned scholars who never knew your name. I am not basing my doubt on this account but I just want to be sure that the academic atmosphere is as personalized and interactive as I hear it is. Maybe it depends on the course or the field of study? What reassurance can any attendees or graduates offer on this matter? I would really appreciate any feedback.</p>
<p>Most of the grad students are invisible, though you'll see some as TAs doing sections for big lecture courses (yes they still exist) and as RAs in the dorms. The houses also make Harvard seem smaller. When I was there 80% of my friends were from my House, 10% from my department, and 10% from extracurriculars. I'm sure the percentages are different for everyo9ne though. Academic atmosphere varies by major and the effort you make to pick seminar type courses.</p>
<p>Socially Harvard will not feel very big after a year or so. </p>
<p>Concerning classes, it depends on the department or whether it's a core. Harvard's known for the big stuff like Economics, Bio and Gov, and for those concentrations many classes, but not all, are large lectures. For the lesser concentrations you can expect a more personal interaction with faculty and grad students, if you so choose. </p>
<p>At Harvard I've had plenty of big lecture classes, and some of them have been the most amazing experiences for me. There's this idea on CC that BIG LECTURE = BAD and small class size = good. This isn't the case at all and I honestly believe that there is no correlation between class size and what you can gain intellectually from a class or lecture. Who cares if Marty Feldstein or Glyn Morgan never knew my name? I still learned a great deal from their lectures.</p>
<p>"6500 undergrads is perfect but what about the grad students? Is there much intermingling with them or are their schools more widespread throughout Boston? Do undergrads and grads posses two separte spheres?"</p>
<p>The only grad students you'd see on a regular basis are probably the GSAS (Graduate School of Arts and Sciences) students, and GSAS is not large, with only around 700 incoming students each year. I wouldn't say that there's a huge amount of intermingling, but I know enough GSAS/Harvard College married couples to make it clear that when intermingling does happen, it can have long-term consequences.</p>