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 President Alan Garber Helps First-Years Move In

As a potential settlement with the Trump administration looms, Garber gets students settled.

Harvard’s New Online Orientation Emphasizes Intellectual Paths

A summer course for first-years focuses on academic success, diverse viewpoints.

Motherhood and Ambition in a Pronatalist World

Gen Z is confronting the age-old question of balance—with a new twist.

Most popular

How MAGA Went Mainstream at Harvard

Trump, TikTok, and the pandemic are reshaping Gen Z politics.

Is the Constitution Broken?

Harvard legal scholars debate the state of our founding national document.

Two Years of Doxxing at Harvard

What happens when students are publicly named and shamed for their views?

Explore More From Current Issue

Two women in traditional kimonos, one lighting a cigarette, in a scene from Apart from You.

Harvard Film Archive Spotlights Japanese Director Mikio Naruse

A retrospective of the filmmaker’s works, from Floating Clouds to Flowing

Brandon Terry, wearing a blue suit, standing before The Embrace, a large bronze sculpture of intertwined arms in Boston Common.

A New Narrative of Civil Rights

Political philosopher Brandon Terry’s vision of racial progress

Man, standing in small group of people outside the courthouse, holding a sign that reads "HANDS OFF HARVARD" in red letters

Harvard’s Summer in Court

What Columbia’s settlement means for the University