Early Reflections

Cabot House… I check-in with my heavy bags and light attitude! The proctors at the check in desk give a warm welcome at the dormitory. There is a mandatory session for all summer school residents in the evening where the assistant dean addresses the new batch. I thought it was something serious! Actually, it was light and informative – making you accustomed to the place of your residence. The proctors are either current undergraduate students or the ones, who have passed out. They come and help summer school students in settling down. What a wonderful concept!!! My proctor gave me a tour of the residential facilities and what’s where!

Harvard is almost like a city in itself…. bustling with buildings, libraries, open spaces and people. I have started calling it Harvard city. When you are settling in, you realize Harvard has its own shuttles, dormitories (of course), Coop stores, and even its own police! It is a mammoth task to run such a city with people coming from different parts of the world. I am fascinated by the the Writing Center, which offers one-on-one tutorials to students working on papers for all Summer School courses.

Attending the class becomes your routine in no time… go for early breakfast, catch the school bus (shuttle), attend class, and do your homework! In between, you get some time to explore (play) – Harvard Yard, Harvard Square, Widener Library, Larmont Library, Science center, Coop store, 51 Brattle Street, Sever Hall were some of my early check ins. The Widener library is literally wide! Multiple floors, multiple reading rooms, 3 Million + books and amazing architecture. The science center is buzzing with activity throughout the day. Adjoining the memorial church, it has a lot of wide space for group conversations and solitude reading. The basic need of internet is in abundance till the last nook and corner of Harvard.

The focus of teaching in summer school is more on group work and case studies. When people of different generations and multiple cultures come together and solve a case, the result is marvelous.

Whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, Harvard will gave you your own space and options to read, research, write and interact.

The Harvard city overwhelmed me in the beginning, yet absorbed me in no time! A short trip to Boston downtown and a day’s trip to Cape Cod’s small town Hyannis acted as a detox as I end my first week.