Cambridge, MA
Harvard University

History. Everyone knows the name "Harvard," and, to speak candidly, it is equated with excellence. I'm not sure that is always accurate, but that is the perception.

Well, my friend, you made it. All that effort has actually paid off--congratulations to you! I know (I was you, after all) that you're imagining college--what will happen, how the people will act, the classes--and getting ready for that experience. Trust me when I say you should throw your plans out the window. If college has taught me one thing, this past year, it has been that life is far too fluid for a high school senior to plan what his next year will be. Everything you assume will be one less thing you are prepared to deal with when things do not go the way you planned. So, what to do? Well, if I may humbly offer some advice--don't expect anything. Be like a child, as the Taoists say. Let life show you the doors before you plan on which ones you will be opening; just get out there and see what happens! If I were you, I would never have expected to be where I am now--and, as me, I could not hope for a better place to be.

The people are what make Harvard. Sure, its a nice name on an undergrad degree, and there are famous professors--but really, many schools have brilliant teachers and famous names (albeit not as famous). At Harvard, however, is the opportunity to be surrounded by people who are all just as smart or smarter than oneself, yet also as nice as anyone else in the world.

They are smart, diverse, ambitious, driven, caring, and capable.

I know you think of college as the opportunity that will free you from petty adolescence and cookie-cutter education. You think of it as your ticket to new worlds. True, you will discover many things. You will rely upon yourself to the point that you will tire of the responsibility. You will learn things you always wanted to know, and things you didn?t even know you didn?t know. You will learn so much that you will feel overwhelmed, and the hardest part will not be studying for an Italian midterm. The hardest part will be realizing that so many decisions are up to you and you alone. College will have its ups and downs. Early on, establish a new family of true friends. Trust yourself; it?s easier to make friends in college. Sometimes you will feel like an adult. Sometimes you will feel like a baby. This is OK. Call home when you need to, but make your own decisions. Take a deep breath and embrace college life as one opportunity after another. Take yourself seriously out of respect for yourself, but don?t take yourself too seriously because you?ll miss the world going by.

The best thing about my school is the student body. Each person adds so much to the campus because of his or her background and experiences. Each person has a different outlook on life and is willing to share it with others. This makes for interesting mealtime discussions, as well as stimulating roommate discussions. It makes everyone at Harvard more in tune with the world around them and the possibilities out there.

Dear naive, anxious high school Paige, In college, there is so much pressure to know exactly what field you want to pursue after graduation. Many of your peers have wanted to be a lawyer or a doctor since they can remember. RELAX. It's normal to not know what you want to do for the rest of your life when you are only 18- enjoy the ride. Take classes you truly find enjoyable and are passionate about, and the career ideas will soon follow. Additionally, take advantage of the great area around Harvard, explore the incredible city that is Boston. you may only live in Boston for the four years you are in college, so seize every opportunity you get to go to a Red Sox game, visit the New England Aquarium, and chow down on some linguine in the North End. Boston has a lot to offer, as do the incredible classes and faculty at Harvard, so just enjoy the ride. Your wise, older self, Paige

I mainly brag about all of the cool friends I have, the interesting classes I am able to take, and the great faculty.

Exactly how difficult the classes were and how much work and dedication is involved to achieve a high grade.

I would definitely have taken an easier courseload freshman fall and not participated in as many extracurriculars. At a school like Harvard especially, the courses can be extremely demanding and time consuming, and they require much more work and thought than even the most difficult advanced placement courses in high school do. I definitely would not underestimate the difficulty of classes, and would have dedicated much more time to getting this skillset hammered down. Once coursework management has been handled it is ok to proceed with plunging in the world of extracurriculars, employment, etc...

The research and funding opportunities, extremely challenging classes, and the networking opportunities available.

I would suggest reflecting upon your high school experience as a whole. Ask yourself what aspects of high school you enjoyed the most and why you enjoyed them. Also reflect upon different extracurricular, academic, and social experiences you had in high school and evaluate what interested you or what you felt were rewarding experiences. Part of going to college is realizing who you are and the self-identity that you want to create for yourself. You start with a fresh, clean slate. In college, you get to choose what academic area to focus on, what activities to pursue, and what kind of people you want to be friends with. Also, recognize that this is true for everyone entering college. It is a shared experience, the excitement, nervousness, and experimentation of developing your "new life". Consequently, this environment helps your ideas and ambitions flourish as you and your classmates support each other. In brief, entering college is a unique opportunity to discover and define yourself, where your personal goals can become a reality. Having thought about what kind of life you want to lead in college, you will enter college with more confidence and excitement to begin your new experience.

With so many research, extracurricular, and club activites available, some students feel like they are not achieving enough or doing enough. Almost all students are involved in at least one activity, but many want to do more. However, homework and studies demand a large time commitment, so it is very difficult to squeeze in everything you want to do in your time-restrained schedule. Although students recognize that their time is being well spent in studies, there is a bitter-sweet feeling about not being able to do other things that may seem equally rewarding.

The motivation at this school and the learning environment are incredible. Students are enthusiastic about academics and subject material. In addition, the classrooom environment is attentive, respectful, and focused on understanding the new material introduced or participating in topic discussions and debates. No one feels out of place trying to be a good student. In fact, being the best student you can be is encouraged and applauded. There are no limits to academic ambition.

Harvard students are generally intellectual, diligent, goal-driven individuals who are not afraid to go up to professors to ask questions or to just chat.

Someone who has good work ethics, time management skills, and confidence.

Learn time management skills while you are in high school. College life, unlike high school life, has a very loose structure, in the sense that you no longer have the same set schedule as you did in high school where you go to school at a certain hour and return home at a certain hour. Classes in college are often spread out over the course of the day, so you end up with blocks of spare time in between classes. If you cannot manage those blocks of time wisely, you will inevitably end up wasting the majority of your day. It?s important to learn to use every minute of your time as effectively as possible.

My classmates tend to be extremely bright, engaged, analytical, and hard-working, and they have an incredibly wide variety of experiences and interests.

It's important to understand that there is a big world out there outside of your high school and even outside the college you will attend. There will be things that feel incredibly important -- some days it will feel like everything is crashing down around you, and other days will feel like you're on top of the world -- but always keep in mind that life goes on after high school and after college. Work hard (and for goodness sake, try to do all the reading!), but take care of yourself and your friends, because those things will be the most important.

Especially during sophomore year, students often feel isolated and overworked -- they call it the "sophomore slump" -- and it's tragic to see people suffer but think that they're alone (and therefore not seek help).

The weather in New England is so much colder than I expected...

The diversity of the student body is great. Also, student organizations are usually well run, which opens up so many doors.

I would encourage myself to 1) pay more attention in my math and science classes because it really helps out in the intro level courses, 2) read more recreationally because the required reading load in college makes it nearly impossible to read for fun, 3) improve as much as possible in whatever extracurricular activity that I'm doing (instrument(s), sports, etc) because being skilled at something comes in really handy in college where everyone else will come with some special skill other than academics up their sleeves, 4) say you'll keep in touch with current friends and teachers and MEAN IT because you never know when you'll need their assistance somewhere down the road.

They are a group of diverse, driven, talented (some boast about it, others you'd never know it), and overall wonderful people.

Do not choose this place because of its name. And do not choose it because it is the "gold standard of American higher education." Because in truth, it is not. There are places, particularly small liberal arts schools, which in reality may give you a better education in the classroom. Do not choose it because the professors have big names. Take into account how far it is away from home...you do not know how difficult travel is until you have a 6-hour delay trying to get home for Christmas. Choose this place if you want to do research, if you want more extracurricular opportunities than you know what to do with, and if you want peers that challenge, inspire, and yes, at times compete with you. Choose this place if you are incredibly self-motivated and willing to seek out your demigod professors in their office hours. Choose this place if you want to be among some of the smartest most talented people in the world--and don't mind putting up with some of the arrogance you'll inevitably encounter from a few of those people along the way.

I wish I had known that is it okay to give yourself a break here. Everyone seems to pretend that they are studying ALL the time, but they are not, and it is easy to get sucked into this "worker harder than everyone else" mentality. Relax.

Harvard students are very motivated, but also kind. The cattiness and meanness of some schools does not really apply to Harvard. Harvard students will work hard to succeed, but they will not do it by tearing others down.

Harvard has so many resources, both in research and library material. The amount of historical information owned by the university is completely unique. Most students will never get to experience such a high level of access again.

I would advise myself not to be so fearful of the opinions of others. During my first days at college, I refrained from acting how I wanted to because I was afraid of rejection. I have learned in college that being oneself is probably the most important ingredient to enjoying the college experience. Pretending to love partying when you don't, or acting as if you like people just because you are afraid of being alone is not the way to go. Accept who you, embrace it, and only then will you find your true friends and your favorite extracurriculars. College is so diverse. There is a place for everyone. Don't try to fit into a group that is not something you truly enjoy; instead, try to find the place where you belong.