what Harvard taught me, what it can teach you
What you need to know about…deciding whether or not to study abroad at Harvard.
Some students view a term abroad as an integral part of their undergraduate experience. That being said, amongst it peers, Harvard does not have the best reputation for encouraging studying abroad. While many things have improved in that past several years, there are still TEN important things to consider.
To study abroad or not to study abroad…THAT is the question.
People are shocked when I tell that the only time I give presentations at Harvard is for my Chinese class. “Business” majors everywhere else in the country are working on group projects and giving final presentations for pretty much all of their classes.
If you’re shy and/or socially awkward (which may or may not be the case for a Harvard student), then you may need some tips on how to sound confident and competent when you’re presenting your recommendations for a multi-million buck project. While Public Speaking is a natural given for theater geeks, it CAN be learned. I somehow managed to learn it even though I was that kid who would never speak in class unless called upon.
Presentation skills are essential in today’s work force. Don’t let your Ivy League education hold you back from presenting yourself well.
The Japanese perfected just-in-time inventory, with a great many savings and benefits. Right when you need a product, you produce it. No need to worry about the cost of holding that inventory and sitting pretty on potentially 5,000 extra units of stuff that might not sell.
Similarly, while I was stressing out over my class schedule last summer, I realized the sheer pointlessness of brooding over decisions that I can’t possibly make without further, next-to-the-last-minute information. I’m not going to be able to decide between two core classes unless I shop both of them…two or three months down the road. There’s no point in spending hours two or three months ahead of time trying to decide between the two.
Just-In-Time thinking is a way of managing decision-making, so that you think through what you need to think through WHEN you need to think through it.
The top three things a Harvard student must do are:
However, there are a number of other things that many many Harvard students all end up doing. This entry lists and describes the appeal of each.
Read more…
Being clever and one step ahead, the typical Harvard student probably answered many a question in class, asked many a question, and was generally what most would term a “smarty pants.”
However, drop said newly admitted student into a class of 1500+ other really smart newly admitted kids and smarter, older, maybe wiser upperclassmen, and the game changes. Life Sciences 1a fills Sanders Theater, and no one likes that kid who asks the irrelevant make-me-look-smart questions at the end of lecture.
If you’re among smart people and you’re smart yourself, keep your attitude in check to gain respect from your peers.
Chances are, you’re gonna be busy or at least, keeping yourself busy at Harvard. One week you’ll be smooth-sailing, but then you’ll hit a snag, and oh-no! you find yourself pulling two or three all-nighters for your two or three midterms coming up.
Sleep is important (for some people). Because Harvard can get a little crazy at times, there are little tricks here and there that can maximize your sleeping hours.
(Triple apologies for this late entry. Fourth of July plans set me back. Expect an extra post. Point 7 added by John.)
A “typical” Harvard student is busy and bounces from one activity to another. Events are back-to-back, overlapping, with locations and times changing at will.
No one likes waiting on someone who’s late for a meeting. So, don’t be that girl or boy.
Here are some tips on how to keep organized.
Today’s intern training session touched on my company’s philosophy that it is “impossible to turn a weaknesses into a strength.” It seemed counter-intuitive. Why wouldn’t every company want to turn each employee’s weaknesses into strengths?
But, then, in that rare flash of insight I am rarely prone to, realized it was about ROI — Return on Investment.
Rather than having employees spend excessive amounts of time trying to turn a fear of public speaking into a Broadway actor’s stage presence, companies would rather have them reach an acceptable level of public speaking competency. The return on investment for reaching perfection for a weakness just isn’t worth it.
I would argue that the most successful (and happiest) Harvard students are those who leverage those strengths.
Harvard will keep you busy, but we all get too easily distracted by the likes of gmail, facebook, nytimes.com and youtube. Other times, your roommates will drag you out for an impromptu glow in the dark Frisbee session at night.
Here are some ways to minimize the impact of distractions if you really need to haul some ass.
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