<p>D said there has been a lot going on this week. She is working this week shuttling alums’ kids around Boston. She did get to eat the lobster though.</p>
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<p>Actually what scares me more is that I’m of the “well rounded” sort. (dilettante if you’re feeling peevish) I’m afraid of having every other person say “Oh yeah I nabbed the top prize at the Intel science fair” or “I’m awesome at cello; Yo Yo Ma and I will make CDs next Tuesday” when I have no amazing stories to tell back.</p>
<p>I was just wondering what freshmen course schedules are like. Do they have a lot of course choices? I have heard that most freshmen take four courses per semester, and foreign language and writing are required(?), then only two classes are left to choose courses. Do they have to think about their major when they take courses from freshmen year? Thank you in advance.</p>
<p>Foreign language isn’t required if you got a 600+ on the SAT subject test or a 5 on the AP. Nor are you required to take it as a freshman, though it’s a good idea. My recommendation for a freshman is to take Expos (obviously), try for at least one Freshman Seminar, take a language if you’ll need to, take a course or two that you think you might major in, take a course in something wildly different from what’s available in high school - depending on your interests, this might be anthropology or sociology or linguistics or film. Take some courses that have daily work (Foreign language, math, most sciences) and others that have reading and papers. Don’t load up on one type or the other. Keep an eye out for visiting professors. The best course I took was not given by regular faculty.</p>
<p>Can someone explain the change in curriculum? I understand that the incoming freshman have a choice between the “old” way and some newer program.
Thanks</p>
<p>A revision to the Core curriculum that has been in place for a few decades was approved last year and this is the transition year. Students typically need to meet the requirements of the catalog under which they entered, but I understand that the Class or '12 will get to choose between the old Core and the revised one, which purposrts to emphasize “real world applications” of the liberal arts.</p>
<p>Why change the curriculum that has been existence for so long? What is the benefit of choosing the “new” way? Who felt that there needed to be a change? I assume the “choice” will be explained in the catalog being sent this month?
Thanks for any additional input you can shed.</p>
<p>mwlmom,
Print these articles to read; it will help you with the answers you’re looking for.</p>
<p>[The</a> Harvard Crimson :: Archives/Advanced Search](<a href=“http://www.thecrimson.com/archives.aspx?SearchTerms=co+ed+curriculum&SortField=0&SearchWhat=Articles&PageSize=10&News=1&Opinion=2&Sports=3&Magazine=5&Arts=4&Month1=6&Day1=9&Year1=2004&Month2=6&Day2=9&Year2=2008]The”>http://www.thecrimson.com/archives.aspx?SearchTerms=co+ed+curriculum&SortField=0&SearchWhat=Articles&PageSize=10&News=1&Opinion=2&Sports=3&Magazine=5&Arts=4&Month1=6&Day1=9&Year1=2004&Month2=6&Day2=9&Year2=2008)</p>
<p>From what I understand the Class of 2012 will be the transitional undergraduates whom will have an opportunity to begin taking some of these courses beginning this fall.</p>
<p>mwlmom, I was one of the last classes to have the old curriculum (Call General Ecuation),before the one that they are about to get rid of (Core Curriculum) was adopted. Personally, I think what we had was far better than the Core. The new system is more like what we had, but with eight categories. I don’t think that the courses that were supposed to teach “modes of inquiry” ever worked as well as they were supposed to. (Method over subject matter - now they are advocating the reverse.) I still like the old system of General Education. You had to take two semesters of Gen Ed courses in Science, Humanities and Social Science. You could substitute courses in the field if you liked, but then you had to take twice as many. Very flexible. Plenty of choices. I think they were more subject matter in orientation.</p>
<p>The new system seems to have just as many categories as the Core, but I believe is going back to the idea that getting a survey of a subject is not a bad idea. The categories are:
</p>
<p>“I still like the old system of General Education.”
I do too, I think it is better than either the current Core or the new system.</p>
<p>How much spending money is normal per month for a Harvard Student (not counting text books or travel expenses to and from school)?</p>
<p>I was wondering if you are sending a down comforter with your child to Boston and if so which size? Are you sending a twin or a full size?</p>
<p>I would suggest you wait to send it until it gets cold and your child needs it. Many dorm rooms are overheated. I remember having to turn off the radiator in my room when I was in college and opening windows. The heat from adjacent rooms was more than enough.
My S uses a blanket. I sent a comforter the first year, but it proved too hot. I might suggest a couple of blankets as being more flexible than a comforter.</p>
<p>Dragon12: It really depends on your child. My S only seems to spend money on pizzas and the occasional foray with friends into the North End, Chinatown or a movie. So $200 per month was ample. He has a friend, however, who loves buying clothes; so I assume the friend spends more.</p>
<p>dragon12,
We gave our D $100 per month for freshman year. She never complained that this was insufficient; however, she did get a part-time job on her own initiative, which of course, we thought was great.</p>
<p>lousyana,
We did send a down-like comforter with our D in the full size (I bought her the washable “faux” down).</p>
<p>The dorm rooms do get hot. We sent a twin size down comforter and also sent a light cotton blanket for the early fall and late spring. This worked out very well. </p>
<p>There are lots of opportunities to buy ice-cream, tea and other goodies in Harvard Square. (And yes, extremely good pizza!)</p>
<p>Note that forays into the Harvard Square district for social times on the town can be pretty pricey. Bubble (boba) tea for $3.50 a cup is typical. It can add up quickly if students aren’t careful.</p>
<p>^^Very true:) But S claims that he seldom reached the $200 limit per month (but he also never buys clothes or shoes!). After his first year, he had well paying jobs, so he had no need for an allowance.</p>
<p>Bay and Marite, </p>
<p>When you mention your kids getting jobs while at Harvard, do you mean jobs working for the university? That’s something our D is interested in but worried she’ll be too overextended with classes amid geniuses and ECs. How do your kids balance their time?</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>Mammall</p>
<p>Getting a job for the university is the easiest thing in the world. There are extremely flexible jobs (Dorm Crew, IM Ref) jobs that are somewhat flexible (Admissions Office, House Super’s Assistant) and jobs where you’ll need to set a schedule and stick to it (Lamont, Lamont Cafe, House Library, Gyms).</p>
<p>The time commitments vary, but you can definitely find something to fit your schedule. Dorm Crew and IM Refereeing don’t even require you to work every week, you pretty much just do it when you have extra time/feel like it.</p>
<p>Also, the $9.75 University Wage (that’s the standard starting rate, with a bump up each year you work) is a heck of a lot better than the 5-6 bucks an hour you make at minimum wage jobs back home.</p>