<p>I will be a freshman at Harvard next year. I am thinking about majoring in Chemistry, but not quite sure yet, but I eventually want to go to medical school.</p>
<p>I was looking at the course catalog the other day, and sort of started to map out my first semester. </p>
<p>I think I will take the following:</p>
<p>-Life Science 1a (depending on how I do on placement exam etc., I haven't had AP Biology, but I have had AP Chemistry).
-Language (either Spanish which I took in high school for 3 years or Arabic that I really will like to learn).
-Expos or Freshmen Seminar (depending on placement exma)
-Math (Ive only had Calc AB, so probably the lowest there is, Calc 1 or 2). </p>
<p>I'm definitely not very sure of it yet, so Im not really asking for your feedback.</p>
<p>Instead, I want you to list what courses you took freshmen year and your reflections on them (ie how the professors were, how tough the courses, how hard you had to work, were you able to take on ECs, would you recommend others, would you do anything differently if you had the chance to go back).</p>
<p>My classes were
1st Semester: Math 21A “Multivariable Calc”, Arabic 162 “History of the 19th Century Arabic World”, Spanish 50, and Gov 20 “Foundations of Comparative Politics”
2nd Semester: Lifesci 1b, Arabic 170 “History of the 20th Century Arabic World,” Expos and a Freshman Seminar entitled “Comparative National Security of Middle Eastern Countries.”</p>
<p>I didn’t take Lifesci 1a, but I have friends who said it was not very difficult if you’ve taken AP Chem, and even so if you haven’t. As for Lifesci 1b, I didn’t take AP Bio or any bio in high school beyond an introductory freshman class and I got an A. 1b was pretty intuitive rather than based upon past achievement, and my friends have said similar things about 1a.</p>
<p>I was in the exact same shoes as you last year about everything you said in your “Language” section. I had a strong Spanish background but wanted to learn Arabic. I took my language placement test and passed out of the requirement, so it was really just a choice of interest rather than requirement. As you can see, I opted to pick Spanish and took Spanish 50, an intermediate/advanced class that focused upon writing and speaking, with very little attention given to grammar and fundamentals because they assumed you already knew them. Half of your grade was debates and monologues and presentations, and the other half was written compositions. I don’t know what your level of fluency is, but I found it a bit too easy and I feel at this point I can benefit more by studying abroad in a Spanish-speaking country. I could have taken a more advanced class, but after Spanish 50, classes have a Spanish literature focus.</p>
<p>In hindsight, I would have taken Arabic as a freshman, and I’m going to take it next year as a sophomore. I have friends who are taking Arabic and they think the program is great. The Q sources aren’t bad either. </p>
<p>If you’ve had Calc AB and remember the material well, you will probably end up being placed into Math 1b, which is somewhat like Calc BC. Remember to not study for placement tests since they’re supposed to be an assessment of what you can freely recall, rather than what you can cram the night before. Unless you’re going to be a math concentrator, it’s really better to err on the side of too-easy than on the side of too-difficult. Math classes for which you’re not prepared can really suck up your time, to the detriment of your other classes.</p>
<p>Take a freshman seminar. Most of them are great.</p>
<p>As for my “reflections,” (which I guess is all you were asking for, sorry!), I was pretty happy with my courseloads both semester. I can’t really meaningfully say how hard I had to work, since I slack off like a pro and do things the night before. Since you’re pre-med you won’t be focusing on the history stuff but since you’re interested in Arabic the language, if you do ever want to take a great history class take Arabic 162 and 170. They are in the Near East department but they’re English-taught and great surveys of Middle Eastern history. They were my favorite classes.</p>
<p>Great questions, and very good thoughts on your courses! My advice (I just graduated Harvard) would start with explaining placement exams. The only two placement exams that you are required to take are Math and Writing. Math is NOT binding- it gives you a suggestion that is something like “Ma”, “1a”, or “21a/23a/25a/55a”. (That is to say, it is only a crude recommendation- it won’t help you choose the course between 21a and 55a, a point that is sometimes misunderstood).</p>
<p>Writing is binding- something like 20% of students get placed in Expos 10, and then take Expos 20 in the spring. The other 80% get placed in Expos 20 immediately. Whether you take Expos 20 in the fall or spring is then decided, randomly, by the college.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>You don’t need AP Biology or any placement exams to take Life Sciences 1a- there are no prerequisites. Life Sciences is an obvious choice if you’re interested in biology or medicine.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I have two questions:
a) Do you WANT to take a language in college? If you do, more power to you! But know that college language courses can be boring (compared to the intellectual challenge of many other classes at Harvard), and are often taught four or five times a week, sometimes early in the morning. Most importantly, you aren’t necessarily expected to take it!
b) If you answered no to the first question, do you have a way to place out of it? Harvard does have a language requirement for freshman year, but you can place out with:</p>
<p>i) a 5 on the Spanish AP test
ii) above a 600 on the Spanish SAT II (this is how I placed out)
iii) passing Harvard’s placement test at the start of the semester (I have heard it is similar in difficulty to the SAT II).</p>
<p>If you’re excited to take a language in college, that’s great. But remember that if you can place out- you don’t HAVE to take one, and there are many other great ways to spend your freshman year.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you’re taking Expos 10, then it will be in the fall for sure, but if your placement exam places you in Expos 20, it will be assigned for you in fall/spring. Just clarifying! </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>If you’ve taken Calc AB the right choice is probably Math 1b. I have heard it is not too difficult.</p>
<p>Please let us know if we can help any further!</p>
<p>First Semester:
Ec 1010a- Intermediate Micro, Freshman Seminar on Human Evolutionary Biology, Expos titled “Darwinian Dating” (also on Human Evolutionary Biology), and Italian Aa (first semester beginner)
Second Semester:
Ec 1010b- Intermediate Macro, Math 21a, US&W 26- Sex and the Citizen, and Italian Ab (second semester beginner)</p>
<p>I had to work quite a bit each semester, and because I was on a varsity sports team I didn’t have as much time to work as I really needed. Math 21a was a REALLY competitive class in my opinion, so be warned that the math classes at all levels are not messing around. Also, while I’m glad I took sophomore level economics, my GPA would be a decent bit better if I had just taken Ec 10.</p>
<p>Semester one: awesome Freshman Seminar in basically Economics, Expos 20 on a hideous topic (worst class I have ever taken), Societies of the World 32 (on political development in Western Europe), Philosophy 3 (Intro to Analytic Philosophy basically).</p>
<p>Semester two: Economics 1010b, an upper-level Phil class in epistemology, an upper-level Gov class in International Relations, African-American Studies 10.</p>
<p>My advice: if you are unsure about what you want to study, jump into an upper-level class in that topic. This will help you figure out your interests better, and help you see where your talents lie. In my opinion, intro classes don’t let you engage deeply enough with the material to draw meaningful conclusions amongst the topics presented. Nor do they let you see if you’re really good at it: anybody can work hard enough to do well in an intro class, but to succeed in an upper-level class you really have to have a knack for the course material and think in the way that is idiosyncratic to the discipline. I did this, and it was one of the smartest things I did in my freshman year. Come Spring semester, I was torn between Economics, Gov, and Phil. Taking upper-level classes (the kind with some grad students and mostly all concentrators) may be a little rough on your GPA, but it is worth it in the end. I am now almost certain of my concentration (History), and would not be without doing this. In fact, I didn’t even consider it last year.</p>
<p>I am speculating that some things have changed since Admiral was a freshman.</p>
<p>Yes, math and writing are the only placement exams that you have to take unless you intend to be a science major. D ultimately took 6 placement tests. The math, writing, bio, chem, physics, and spanish.</p>
<p>Starting with the Foreign language, from the Harvard site:
</p>
<p>So, a 600 on your SAT will not cut it. </p>
<p>In D’s case, she never took the spanish SAT II but got a 2 on AP Spanish test yet on the Harvard placement test she thankfully placed completely out of foreign language. Miracles do happen.</p>
<p>For math, D had taken only AP calc AB and had a 5 on the exam. We had been told to expect to be placed in Math 1b. She was place in 19a. This did not make sense to her so she met with the head of the department. They agreed that she should step down to Math 1b. After the first class, she backed all the way down to Math 1a. Hated it, Hated second semester 1b and now officially hates math. Here on CC many have suggested that she might have been better off accepting the Math 19a and struggling some but being done. For her major, she still has to do 19a anyhow.</p>
<p>Her writing placed her into Expos 20.</p>
<p>The bio and chem placement tests determine if you should be placed in LS1a or LPSa. D was place in the LS1a.</p>
<p>This first year has been a wild weird first year. D classes first semester were Expository writing Ethics of Human Experimentation, LS1a, Math 1a, Science of living systems 20. Second semester she took PS1, Math 1b, LS1b, anthro 1165. All and all I do not think that she was academically happy last year. The only course from the list that was not a requirement for her studies was the antro. As stated previously, she now officially hates math and had always liked it before college (though I have never thought she had a mathematical brain). She was not thrilled by LS1a or LS1b and though she had taken AP Bio (5) and AP Chem (4) found them both to be very time intensive (unlike Dwight). I think she somewhat liked the SLS20. Started out liking PS1 but by the end did not. Something that she really does not recommend , and CCers had warned us of this, is taking 3 problem set courses in one semester. She intends to never do that again. We knew that ahead of time, but she really had no option.</p>
<p>Other complaints, she has gotten almost no advising. She has tried to meet with hers, but he is never available and/or cancels at the last minute. D tried to get a math tutor at one point. Got one immediately, meets with the girl and she had absolutely no understanding of math1a. Huh? Wasted her time and made her not trust the tutoring services.</p>
<p>Now this fall D will be likely be taking Organic chemistry. She would have taken it over the summer but she landed an internship that could not be passed up. In the process she is self studying the orgo over the summer in order to be more ready for this fall.</p>
<p>Academically, D has ended up stating more than once that she wished she had gone elsewhere but she would never give up the people she has met. Hopefully her sophomore year courses will finally let her experience the topics that excite her.</p>
<p>Very true. I should have clarified that when I took LS1b, it was my only problem set course. The PS1/LS1b combination is tough, and actually many of the midterms overlap too, which is frustrating.</p>
<p>^ I do think you are right that the midterms were close together. Even more, I remember there always seemed to be a problem set due and she would be up all hours doing it. Plus they had the special review sessions each week. Sunday night was LS1b and monday and thursday nights were math 1b. Also, with that combination, ls1b, ps1, and antro all had weekly sections and ls1b and ps1 had weekly 3 hour labs. To add to it, D is on the ballroom team with Tuesday & Thursday night, sunday morning and afternoon practices and she did 6 competitions this semester with two of them being full weekend. Oh, and yes, the saturday she returned to campus for second semester she was diagnosed with mono! Summer was welcome. :)</p>
<p>D intends to pick life science concentration - one of the 9 - anything from biopsych, to neuro, to stem cell. To keep her options open, she had to juggle the prerequisites for each. She has to complete through Math 19a (hence the math 1a, 1b), ls1a, ls1b, ps1 for neuro. The psych for biopsych. Expos just because. Right there that was 7 out of 8 slots and it forced the three problem sets in one semester. I don’t know what she would have done if she had not tested out of foreign language. She debated between a freshman seminar or the antro for her 8th. She opted for the antro since it was not pass/fail and a high grade would increase her GPA. It was her highest grade that semester.</p>
<p>I was planning on doing a secondary concentration in Spanish. While I anticipate placing out of the language, I would like to continue my studies of the language at a higher level. Aside from taking formal language studies classes, are there any other alternatives that you feel would enhance my understanding and appreciation of, in addition to my potential chances for extensive involvement in activities relying on the Spanish language?</p>
<p>Just a question on the grading system of Harvard: how many classes are graded on curves? I know that it’s ridiculous to expect anything like an A when going into such a school with absurdly intelligent peers, but are 4.0 grades limited to only a small percentage of the class?</p>
<p>I would estimate the percentage getting a 4.0 in a given semester is under 5%. It is very difficult to be at the top of all of your classes. </p>
<p>There is also a big difference between an A and an A-. Many top students get a mix of A’s and A-'s, because almost no one is exceptional at EVERYTHING.</p>
<p>D’s comment at the end of the year was that is is hard to get A’s but also hard to get C’s. I don’t know how true that is but that is a statement she has heard.</p>
<p>Oh, of course. I have no wild expectations of being in that 5%. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Thank you for clarifying. This is reassuring to know.</p>
<p>And another question: </p>
<p>How did you adjust from high school to college? I’m not really speaking about getting used to the workload, which is admittedly one of my concerns, but about having your brain in the hot seat 24/7. I’m finding the prospect of having my mind constantly bombarded with complex information and ideas a little daunting - do you ever get any opportunities for mental rest?</p>
<p>Seconded. The difference between a solid A and an A- is huge. In my two history classes, it seems like a ton of people get A-, B+ and B. To get the solid A you have to be truly exceptional, which is hard at Harvard. But it happens, since everyone has their specialties. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>It’s easy to find a break from mental exertion at college, believe me. That’s what roommates, movies, books, video games, and partying are for.</p>
<p>Honestly, I probably put in around six hours of schoolwork a day, class time included. I spent quite a bit of time at parties, playing video games, and practicing with a varsity team. I might put in a little more work next semester, but I wasn’t taking joke classes and I still got decent grades.</p>
<p>Disclaimer- This amount of work shot up drastically during finals period. During lulls in the semester, I might have done no homework at all some days, but during reading period it could get crazy.</p>
<p>That pretty much sums up my son’s attitude. He will be a senior next year doing economics with premed. In fairness, I think that was a particularly nutty combination for him to pursue - both the premed and economics classes have problem sets and multiple midterms and perhaps more grade-obsessed students than in other areas (?). </p>
<p>Interestingly, Smoda’s daughter is not the only Harvard student I’ve heard of who has concluded they are “bad at math”. My son thinks this of himself and so do two other Harvard students from his high school - both of whom did quite well on the math competition circuit. I know their moms - we just scratch our heads over why Harvard seems to kill off the math confidence in so many of its students. Is it something in the water?</p>
<p>Yes, I would say academics at Harvard for my boy have been pretty negative in terms of really enjoying his classes, developing good relationships with faculty. Just didn’t happen. His gpa is quite respectable though - in the zone for medical school, which is what he is pretty sure he wants to do. Now in his second summer of financial modeling he is declaring that he definitely doesn’t want to sit in a cube ever again.</p>
<p>Like Smoda’s daughter, the highlight has been his friends and an EC that he’s enjoyed enormously.</p>
<p>what grades should a prospective pre-med student aim for to be in range for medical school? I know that I should keep grades as high as possible, but many of you said it is extremely difficult to get A’s in classes. What are the numerical values for A, A-, B+ etc? </p>
<p>And I believe I read that the average GPA at Harvard is like 3.3 - 3.4, which is actually not bad and almost in range for med school. Does that mean that if one gets all A- and B+, he/she will be pretty set in terms of GPA?</p>
<p>Lastly, if I have had no AP Biology, will that hurt me in LifeSci A or any of the other classes I will take freshmen year?</p>
<p>Can’t answer the med school part but A = 4, A- = 3.67, B+ = 3.33, B = 3, etc…</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>A student with half A- and half B+ will be 3.5. My limited understanding is that 3.5 is okay for medical school in general but probably not for the top schools. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I doubt it. They don’t really build on past knowledge. As long as you had introductory bio and introductory chem you should be fine.</p>