Harvard University

History
• Harvard University was founded on September 8, 1636 by a vote of
the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.
• Harvard University was founded in anticipation of the need for
training clergy for the new commonwealth.
• This University possesses the title of America’s oldest learning
institution.
• Harvard University is a very prestigious school that is one of the eight
Ivy League schools.
Description
• Harvard University is a private institution that has many resources to practice or
study the subjects of your choice.
• It is a co-ed University located in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• The campus size is 5,076 acres and its undergraduate enrollment is 6,766
students
• The facilities are among the best of colleges and universities throughout the
world. Harvard’s academic facilities consist of 12 different colleges that have
everything from multi-media development lab, conference rooms, conference
centers, The Commons at Gutman Library, and classrooms for classes of all sizes.
• Harvard also has 21 first class athletic facilities to support the 40 different Sports
teams that the school fields
• Harvard is under Church sponsorship, although it was not formally affiliated with
any religious body.
Application Materials

• Harvard requires completion

of an ACT or SAT test, 2 SAT
subject tests, School Report
and high school transcript, 2
teacher reports, midyear
school report, and final
school report.
• The deadline for applications
is January 1st, with early
decisions of November 1st.
Academics
• If placed on academic probation, the student must earn all satisfactory grades during
their next term at the University. Failure to do this could end up in suspension or
expulsion.
• Harvard offers many majors such as Economics, Social Sciences, political science and
government, evolutionary biology, etc.
• Harvard offers BA, BS, MA, MS, JD, PhD degrees across all major disciplines of study
• With Harvard being so prestigious, almost all students accepted are able to be apart of
honors programs.
• If you are very interested in two majors at Harvard, you may do a “Joint Concentration”,
which is the closest thing they provide to a double major.
• Studying abroad is very common for Harvard students. You may study abroad for an
entire year.
• You may also earn a liberal arts degree at Harvard, and have internship opportunities set
up for your better learning and education.
Surrounding Area Activities
• Harvard is located in Cambridge, MA. There are many activities
around Harvard and Cambridget, such as the Harvard Art Museum,
The Lee Harvard Shopping center, The Beat Brew Hall restaurant, and
Harvard Square.
• The City of Boston is also very close to Harvard. Having the city highly
accessible allows student to go down to shop, eat at restaurants, and
attend many different sporting and cultural events in their free time.
Financial Aid and Scholarship
• Financial Aid packages are accessible at Harvard. The Scholarships are
based on demonstrated financial need.
• Just under 50% of students receive scholarship aid.
• Your financial need can be covered with scholarship assistance or an on
campus job.
• Most students contribute to the cost of their education through summer
and term time employment. This is a big aid package that is provided to the
students.
• For a student to qualify for a financial aid or scholarship, their financial
situation is assessed and the University decides on what the best plan is.
• 55% of Harvard undergraduates receive need-based Harvard scholarships.
• 20% of the parents have total incomes less than $65,000 and are not
expected to contribute.
• Families with incomes between $65,000 and $150,000 will contribute from
0-10% of their income, and those with incomes above $150,000 will be
asked to pay proportionately more than 10%, based on their
individual circumstances.
• Families at all income levels who have significant assets are asked to pay
more than those in less fortunate circumstances.
• Two-thirds of students work during the academic year.
• 16% of the roughly 6,600 current undergraduate students are Pell
Grant recipients.
Career services
• Majors at Harvard have a huge impact on future employment.
Harvard being such a prestigious school, looks good on a resume and
any kind of job application.
• The Student to faculty ratio is 6:1, with 73% of classes having under
20 students. You are placed in your majors based on your past history
and future goals.
• The average job placement rate for the majors is 97%.
• Harvard has an office of Career Services, where they will advise
individuals and prepare students for their professional futures.
Social Activities
• Harvard offers 42 Division One varsity athletic teams for men and women.
There are also many clubs and outdoor/indoor activities in which many
that attend take part of.
• There are numerous types of extracurricular activities to take part in such
as pottery, painting, jazz, gospel choir, photography, etc.
• You may also participate in Intramural sports. Together with the other 12
Harvard houses, you have a chance to compete year round in variety of
sports. You can participate in as many sports as you would like throughout
the year and it is not necessary to be “good” at that sport.
• Harvard also offers Greek Life through cultural Fraternities and Sororities.
On Campus Living
• More than 97% of Harvard undergrads choose to live on campus for all four years
of college.
• Dorms are highly available to any student that would like to live on campus. On
campus living is guarenteed all four years, however you may move off campus if
you would like.
• You may choose the roommate you would like to live with by filling out a form on
harvardhousingoffcampus.com. If you were to change a roommate, you would
contact the Harvard Housing office.
• You can bring many items into your dorms at Harvard. These items can be things
such as bed sheets, clothing, food, beverages, and videogames.
• There are many banks and ATM’s located throughout the campus of Harvard.
These are highly accessible to the students, and they use they very often.
• Drugs and alcohol are prohibited in the dorms at Harvard.
Meal Plans
• There are 13 dining halls located at Harvard University. These include
Harvard Dining Services, Annenberg Hall, the Quincy Dining Hall etc.
Harvard College requires all undergraduate students living on campus
to have an unlimited meal package.
• The Dining halls are spread across the whole campus, so that you may
access the one closest to you.
• In 2017-18, the cost of an average meal plan was $6360
• There is a wide variety of menus and foods to choose from. You may
eat whatever you are feeling like, even if it is not on the menu for that
day. All you have to do is ask.
Academics
• One Major that I am very interested in is history.
• Some courses that I would take in order to Major in history are
American History, Ancient Studies, Asian History, Classical
Mediterranean and Near Eastern Studies, Cultural resource
management, and History of Science and Technology.
• All of these courses set one up for success to major in History at
Harvard University.
Questions
• What is the hardest major at Harvard?
• What is the average starting salary for Harvard graduates?
• How hard is it to make a varsity sports team?
• Do you have to maintain a minimum GPA to stay enrolled?
• Is it possible to graduate in 3 years?
• What if I am interested in a major that is not listed in your course catalog?
• What are the benefits of living on campus vs. off campus?
• How many males versus females are at Harvard?
• Are you required to do service hours while attending Harvard?
• Is there a dress code at Harvrad?