<p>Hi guys, I was thrilled to find out that I was accepted at Harvard, but recently, I've been having some doubts. I'm hearing from many sources that Harvard is primarily focused on its graduate students and that undergraduates will have a very difficult time receiving attention from professors. </p>
<p>I am currently on the waitlist on Princeton, and am wondering if I should hope for that or explore the other schools that I've been accepted to (Penn, Brown, UChicago, Swarthmore, etc.)</p>
<p>Can any current Harvard students comment? Do Harvard students have a disproportionately difficult time speaking to professors/receiving help from advisors/getting internship opportunities?</p>
<p>Thank you in advance for considering my question!</p>
<p>I don't think that's true. I'm a student in the engineering school and see that professors are just as dedicated as any other top school. Many Harvard seniors/juniors take graduate level engineering courses and do research along side graduate students and both groups are treated the same. I can't see why Harvard would be any different than Yale, Princeton, etc. It's not likely professors at other top research universities would have any more time than the profs at Harvard.</p>
<p>My D's a soph there. Frosh year, she knew several profs well, went to one prof's house for a cookout. This year, very close to several profs including some superstars. They've shown a genuine interest in her as an individual, but she's not shy about stepping up and asking for what she needs. Freshman seminars are limited to 12 students. Harvard's not a small LAC, but it seems to me that a lot of the stereotypes about it are just that.</p>
<p>Even in the larger classes, and even in large concentrations like psychology (my field), if you make the effort to speak to the professor after class and go to office hours, you may not find much of a crowd. I was never once turned away when I tried to talk to a professor. It's up to you to take the first step, but once you take it, the results are generally good.</p>
<p>I totally agree. Generally, professors are frustrated that students never go to office hours. Some even entice students with food. I have had only good interactions with all of my professors here. You definitely need to take that first step, but once you do, I have had really good relationships with my professors, and they really do care about you.</p>
<p>Very easy to have great relationships with profs - all it takes is an email or two, and you'll be doing research for them/drinking beer at a lab party at their house/etc. Alternatively, taking freshman seminars, or small upper-level classes pretty much ensures the beginnings of a relationship.</p>
<p>Then again, it's also extremely easy to go to Harvard and never get to know a prof well. Take large lecture classes, avoid office hours, and just go with the crowd.</p>
<p>I've definitely taken both paths, depending on the class - and I really enjoy the freedom to choose. My brother goes to a small LAC, and it seems like the second option isn't really there... which would frustrate me, but is probably a good thing for those less willing to reach out to profs.</p>
<p>I've heard a lot of talk about office hours as a way of getting to know your professor. But how exactly do you proceed? Do you go to the professors with questions about the class? For people who've utilized this a lot, how do the conversations then turn into more general/personal topics? I think an apprehension about being forced to hold a one-on-one conversation with the professor keeps many from approaching, so any tips would be great. thanks!</p>
<p>There are no rules. You can go to the professor with any question about the material that you might otherwise ask of the TF. You can start right out with personal talk if you want ("Hey, I just wanted to say hello and get to know you...did you go to college here, too?"). My main tip would be that when you feel shy about going, remember who is paying whom. I mean, not that you can order them around, but when you start thinking, "Oh, s/he's such a big shot, what will he have to say to little old me"...remember that it is their JOB to talk to you, they owe a duty to you, and you are not in any way imposing on them when you come to office hours. Like any group of human beings, a university faculty will have some warm personalities and some icicles. But most professors are delighted that you came and they're flattered (yes) that you want to use your free time to talk to them and their subject. Whether a professor is famous or not tells you nothing about their personality one way or the other. The warmest, most caring, and most individually attentive professor I had in five years at Harvard was Larry Tribe.</p>
<p>Bringing a friend from the class can help, too -- it doesn't have to be one student at a time.</p>
<p>That's not to say I didn't feel shy. I totally did! You just have to swallow that shyness and grab the opportunities.</p>
<p>I call most of my profs by their first name so it usually goes something like, "Hi Rob, my name is X, and I'm a student in your class. I was wondering what you thought about ... ". I find the conversations with profs at Harvard to be less formal than conversations with my teachers in high school. My high school teachers seemed very uncomfortable about getting personal for some reason. The professors that I've had don't mind if you challenge their ideas with constructive criticism. Just because they're professors at Harvard doesn't mean they're always right.</p>