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The people here are the best part about Harvard. Never be afraid to be vulnerable, ask questions, and learn from others. You will learn more from late night chats or asking mentors than you ever will from Google or your classes.
England - Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
It’s fun being among such a large and diverse community of students and scholars. Not only diverse in terms of nationality, but also in terms of interests and fields of study. In my first six months at Harvard, I had both become an intern as an Office of Technology Fellow, and had acted in a Shakespeare play run by the student drama society. Such are the possibilities at this institution.
Being an international scholar may also be an amenity in the sense that you are given a chance to live, learn, bloom, grow, share, and contribute all the unique lived experience that only you possess and collect over a passage of time. You live with you. You get an amazing opportunity to know you. I think being away from home is enriching.
The chance to represent Harvard women’s varsity tennis team was one of the most fulfilling experiences at Harvard so far. Not only I had a second family here, but I felt that I was paying back to the community by representing Harvard College.
The best experience was networking with research lovers, or I may call them truth finders. I loved the safe environment and in-classes discussions and the passion to make a difference. I enjoyed working with a supportive, enthusiastic mentor. I really appreciate being able to meet and learn from extraordinary scientists.
The professors that I was fortunate to learn from this semester were all prominent scholars in the field and some of the humblest people I have ever met in my life. Interacting with them in class, office hours, and through emails taught me so much about impactful leadership and mentorship.
Ask questions! I cannot overstate the importance of asking questions. This simple practice will make your life so much better! Also, a question might not only lead you to an answer but to so much more. You might find your best friends, strongest supporters, and wisest mentors at the end of a question.
Brazil/Australia - Harvard School of Public Health
One of the best things Harvard brings, in the form of colleagues and faculty, is expanding my thinking and horizons. With each mountain, a new elevation, myriad perspectives, and the knowledge of so many other, even greater mountains exist. For me, it’s a place for high-level, stimulating conversations where questioning the status quo is a daily practice.
Be your authentic self. Do not feel pressured to ‘act American’ or adopt a mode of life that you are not used to, or comfortable with. People value authenticity and it is what sets you apart from scores of other students on campus.
The prospects of learning in a diverse community of practice and having an opportunity to learn from professors whose work I have been following for a long time attracted me to Harvard.
Jamaica - Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Try to be open-minded and open to new experiences and trying new things: some you might like, some you might not. See your time here as not only for the main priority of doing well and getting your degree but use it also as an opportunity to educate yourself and grow more socially and culturally.
