HOW TO STUDY AT HARVARD? EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW 
Harvard University is one of the best known universities in the United States. It belongs to the well known Ivy League (an athletic conference formed by 8 universities). It is among the top 5 universities in the world and it is not easy to access. How can you study at Harvard? We are going to explain everything you need to know.
WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
Harvard is a private university founded in 1636. There are more than 23,000 enrolled students currently and around 5,000 of them are international students from more than 140 countries. More than 400,000 students from all over the world have studyed through its classrooms. It is a leading university in the search for talented students regardless of their background.
WHERE IS HARVAD UNIVERSITY?
The first thing is to know where it is located. It is in Cambridge in the state of Massachusetts. A common misconception is that this university is in England because it is in Cambridge. However, we are not talking about the English city but about the city on the East Coast of the United States.
WHAT CAN YOU STUDY AT HARVARD?
From the most common like Business to specific careers like African studies. There are 58 university programs of different disciplines that could adapt to your needs. On their website you can filter by category and interest (degree programs). They also have courses for students who have already graduated and want to specialize in a certain field.
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO STUDY AT HARVARD?
The cost of studying at Harvard is around $80,000 per year. That is the estimated cost, without scholarships or grants, which includes:
- tuition and fees
- room and board
- books and personal expenses
- estimated travel expenses ($1,500).
All of this is within the price of the university. Can I pay less? Yes, it is possible thanks to scholarships.
HOW TO STUDY AT HARVARD AS AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT?
For any international student, getting into Harvard is a complicated process. It is a university where it is not enough to have an average of A. They are not only looking for perfection, they are looking for talent. They want students who have done their best during their high school years and have excellent grades in the entrance exams. If you have less than a 1400 on the SAT test, you have less than a 10% chance of getting in. As for the TOEFL, you have to get a score that proves you are bilingual.
On the other hand, they need to check that apart from your studies you have more intellectual facets, ambitions and interesting projects. Doing the essays (letters of recommendation) well is key for them to get to know the student in depth. It is part of the admission application and is where you have to demonstrate that you are extraordinary.
Of the 57435 applications this year only 1223 were accepted for the class of 2025, joining the 745 who were already accepted last year. There’s 1968 new students in total that are not yet 100 percent admitted. Each year the number of applications the university receives is increasing, with outstanding students from all over the world.
10 CURIOSITIES YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT HARVARD
10. The most illustrious faces that studied at Harvard.
Among its thousands of students you can identify some very well known faces. Up to seven U.S. presidents have studied in its classrooms: Barack Obama, Al Gore, Roosevelt, George Bush…
9. Is it a university campus or a city?
It began as a small farm but today it is like a small city with its own buildings (5457 acres). Only 3% of this area is for the main campus, the rest is for campus-related services.
8. The deep library corridors.
Harvard has one of the largest and oldest libraries. Approximately 3.5 million books written in over 100 different languages. It has one of the oldest collections in the entire country.
7. Goodbye to american football.
It’s not all about studying. Sports are also part of Harvard’s philosophy. Despite having one of the best sports programs in the country, the university decided to cancel the American football program. They felt that the violence and aggressiveness encouraged by the sport was not in the best interest of the students. However, pressure from the students themselves caused the program to be reinstated and once again it became one of the most competitive teams of the country.
6. Women at Harvard.
Women have not always been admitted to Harvard. In the beginning, all the students were men. However, today Harvard University strives for gender equality and the integration of all minority groups. Its beginning has nothing to do with the situation nowadays. Currently, 49% of the students are women.
5. Murder on campus.
A murder on campus was the inspiration for the creation of the forensic department. It was the case of Boston businessman George Parkman in 1849. After his disappearance, he was found in the laboratory of John Webster, a Harvard professor. It was one of the first cases in which forensic evidence was used to identify the body. Harvard now has one of the world’s leading forensic programs, pioneering and changing the industry with its advances.
4. The american football coliseum.
It has a majestic stadium on the banks of the river. It was built in 1903 and it is the oldest stadium in the nation, built with Greek and Roman architecture. With a capacity of 30,000 people, it is used for more than one sport.
3. Speaking of odds.
As we have mentioned before, it is not easy to get into Harvard. The admission rate does not usually exceed 5% and even if you are the best student in your class, you can be left at the doorstep.
2. Its economy.
Harvard is one of the universities with the highest purchasing power at the moment.
1. The statue of the three lies.
The statue of John Harvard is one of the most famous statues commemorating one of its founders. But it is also better known as the statue of the 3 lies. John Harvard was one of the major shareholders who subsidized the creation, but not one of the founders as it says on the statue’s plaque, where the second error can be found. It states that it was founded in 1638, but actually the university opened its doors a couple of years earlier in 1636. Finally, the biggest error is the likeness of the statue itself. Its likeness is not to John Harvard but to a student known as Sherman.
Now you know Harvard almost perfectly. Would you like to study in the United States? There are thousands of similar options with options and scholarships for many international students. If you want to know your options complete our pre-evaluation in this link and we will inform you.
(Español)
