Exploring Academic Pathways
Exploring Academic Pathways
Your curricular choices shape what you learn and where your academic journey takes you.
Even before you arrive on campus, you'll have the opportunity to explore different disciplines, preview gateway courses, and receive support through your academic advising network.
Enter your first year with an open mind: try courses in a field you've never studied before, follow a question across disciplines, and discover what resonates with you.
Academic Advising
When you begin at Harvard College, you are supported by an advising network that includes a Resident Dean of First-Year Students, a Proctor, and a Peer Advising Fellow (PAF). Your first-year advising network will help you transition to college academics, assist you in navigating Harvard's resources and in exploring curricular and co-curricular opportunities, and help you plan for your choice of concentration.
Academic Webinars
To help you thoughtfully evaluate your course selection, department and programs across the college offer a series of virtual academic webinars. These webinars will address math placement, pre-med planning, Humanities 10, First-Year Seminars, SEAS (science, engineering, and applied sciences), and how to think about the process of choosing a concentration and a career.
Sessions will be updated in July when details become available, and recordings will be provided following each webinar for students to review at their convenience.
First-Year Seminar Information Session
August 3 at 11:00 AM
A First-Year Seminar is one of the Harvard gems you'll enjoy in your first-year. Join this webinar to learn why you should enroll in at least one (if not two) First-Year Seminars.
Hum10 Informational Session
August 4 at 11:00 AM
As the Arts & Humanities Division's introduction to the study of the humanities, Humanities 10 offers a wide-ranging, yearlong conversation about literature, art, and philosophy; it also fulfills the Expository Writing requirement. Find out more about Hum10 and how to apply during one of our two webinars.
Making Sense of Your Math Placement Score
August 4 at 12:00 PM
Start your math journey on the right foot and make informed decisions about your course selection by understanding what information your placement exam is communicating and what to expect from the upcoming skill check. At the end of the session there will be an opportunity to ask questions.
SEAS Webinar and Q&A Session
August 4 at 1:30 PM
Learn about the Applied Math (AM) and Computer Science (CS) concentrations, and all four tracks of the Engineering concentration (Biomedical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Science & Engineering and Mechanical Engineering), receive general information, and have your questions answered live during this session.
Hum10 Informational Session
August 5 at 4:00 PM
As the Arts & Humanities Division's introduction to the study of the humanities, Humanities 10 offers a wide-ranging, yearlong conversation about literature, art, and philosophy; it also fulfills the Expository Writing requirement. Find out more about Hum10 and how to apply during one of our two webinars.
Deciding Between Math 19a, 21, 22, 55 or APMTH 22a
August 6 at 4:00 PM
Learn more about and ask questions about the Math 19a, 21, 22, 55 and Applied Math 22a courses. The webinar will start with a description of these courses and then continue until all participant questions and concerns about taking these courses are answered.
Preparing for Medical School and Other Health Pathways for First-Year Students
August 10 at 1:00 PM
Science faculty and pre-health advisors will discuss which courses meet premed/pre-health requirements as well as helpful resources for students considering a career in the health professions (including medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, etc).
Concentration and Careers with MCS
Summer Orientation to Academics at Harvard
In these modules, Harvard's world-class faculty will help you understand how college is different from high school, prepare you for what to expect in the classroom, and lead you in exploring your academic interests. These modules even highlight specific courses offered in the coming academic year, so by the time you've completed them, you should have a good sense of some of the courses you want to consider taking.
- Summer Orientation to Academics at Harvard consists of three 30 minute modules and takes 1.5 hours to complete
Concentration Exploration
In your first year, you’ll explore disciplines widely—while also starting to narrow your concentration options. With more than 3,700 courses in 50+ undergraduate fields of study at Harvard, there are a wide range of possibilities. You can learn more about each concentration, including recommended gateway courses, through the Advising Programs Office.
Gateway courses are introductory classes offered within each academic department that are intended to acclimate students to the respective concentration. Gateway courses are an excellent way to intentionally explore an academic area of interest. If you have considered a particular concentration, taking a gateway course in this area is the best way to determine whether the subject matter is a good fit for you.