The Harvard Crimson's guide to Freshman Week

The Harvard Crimson's guide for the class of 2013

Though designed for the College class of 2013, the Crimson’s guide to Freshman Week 2009 also constitutes a fun trip down memory lane for alumni.

Some articles offer modern takes on time-honored Harvard experiences:

  • Emma Lind ’09 (one of this magazine’s former Ledecky Fellows) recounts the wonder felt upon discovering the true range of books contained in Widener Library, as evidenced by the odd titles one passes during a journey deep into the stacks to retrieve a volume needed for a research paper (the title that caught Lind’s eye was Satanic Ritual Abuse: Principles of Treatment)
  • A dictionary of Harvardisms by the Crimson staff introduces first-years to local terms and concepts, including blocking, comping, reading period, and the Ad Board.
  • Elyssa Spitzer dishes out sound advice on choosing (and surviving) an Expos class.

Others will remind alumni of what has changed since their days as students:

 

Related topics

You might also like

Harvard Funds Student “Bridges” Projects

Eight new initiatives to build community on campus will get underway early next year. 

Harvard Football: Villanova 52, Harvard 7

The Crimson’s inaugural playoff appearance is nasty, brutish, and short.

Harvard Football: Yale 45, Harvard 28

A wild weekend: a debacle in The Game, then a berth in the playoffs.

Most popular

Why Men Are Falling Behind in Education, Employment, and Health

Can new approaches to education address a growing gender gap?

The Teen Brain

It’s a paradoxical time of development. These are people with very sharp brains, but they’re not quite sure what to do with them...

Is Ultraprocessed Food Really That Bad?

A Harvard professor challenges conventional wisdom. 

Explore More From Current Issue

Man in a suit holding a pen, smiling, seated at a desk with a soft background.

A Congenial Voice in Japanese-American Relations

Takashi Komatsu spent his life building bridges. 

Historic church steeple framed by bare tree branches against a clear sky.

Harvard’s Financial Challenges Lead to Difficult Choices

The University faces the consequences of the Trump administration—and its own bureaucracy

Four young people sitting around a table playing a card game, with a chalkboard in the background.

On Weekends, These Harvard Math Professors Teach the Smaller Set

At Cambridge Math Circle, faculty and alumni share puzzles, riddles, and joy.