Harvard University Top Questions

Limited resources for struggling students.

Under the surface competition

At Harvard, it can be quite emotionally taxing finding friends who care more about interpersonal relationships than their problem sets. Even my closest friends are so overwhelmed with work that we often have to schedule time to "hang out".

The most frustrating thing is not being the best. In high school, it was much easier to distinguish myself from my peers and stand out academically. At my institution, everybody is a high-school standout, and it is almost impossible to be the best in a given area. You have to go extremely above and beyond in order to succeed in this institution, as just being good in a given field is considered moderate. You have to be great.

The work load at Harvard is very intense--most professors assign a very heavy load of readings and other assignments, making it very difficult to balance a successful academic life and time for friends and outings.

The attitude people have about their work. Work can sometimes be the topic of conversation: how are finals looking for you, what classes are you taking? People don't always take the time to go out and do spontaneous things. Also, there is not a lot of awareness or a culture around struggling students. Lots of students here struggle with academics, with managing their time, and their life in general, but put on a face that everything is fine. People should go out and have fun more often, and hang out with friends a lot more!!!

The social structure is absurdly hierarchical and incredibly boring.

The administration was not as responsive as I would have liked to some problems, but once I learned how to navigate the school and found a roommate I liked, things got much better. Academic advising early on was similarly frustrating; it's up to the student to find the right people to talk to do get the advice s/he needs.

I absolutely cannot stand the lack of professionalism demonstrated by our Teaching Assistants. Our grades are determined by graduate students who do not care abut our education nor our grades- they indifferently pass judgment upon us without considering the effects their judgment will have upon applying to graduate schools ourselves. There isn't a system in place to remove or admonish floundering TA's. When they are ineffective they remain ineffective- they are never held accountable for their actions, even when those actions have VERY negative consequences for their students.

There is too much to do. I'm depressed that I'm more than halfway done, and I've only scratched the surface. Now that I am a junior, I realize that there are so many other paths I could have taken here, and I sometimes wish I had more time to try more of them out. It saddens me to know that I'll never have the chance, but I'm thankful that I've had so many opportunities.