My first semester at Harvard was a whirlwind of experiencing an actual winter for the first time, meeting various new people, and getting settled into my own rhythm of college life. It was similar to and very different from what I imagined college would be. As I reflected on my first semester at Harvard, I wanted to share the top three things that I learned as a first-year college student. I hope that my reflections can shed light on what life at Harvard might look like or just be an entertaining blog to read!    

If You’re From Somewhere Warm...  

I’m from Los Angeles, California, and I have never lived anywhere outside of Los Angeles before moving to Harvard. The coldest weather for me was when it hit the 60s in the winter with a slight breeze. If you’re from somewhere warm, the best thing I can say to do is to invest in a warm winter jacket! I had been gifted a winter jacket before coming to Harvard and that was genuinely the one thing that saved me last semester. 

Also, layer, layer, layer! I brought dozens of tank tops and short sleeves from Los Angeles, because that’s all I wore back in California, and I had to learn how to layer my clothing to survive. On the coldest days, wearing vests over jackets over hoodies over shirts over tank tops would be a life saver. The weather was one of the biggest things that I had to adapt to last semester. If you don’t stay warm enough, it is so easy to get sick (and being sick during midterms and finals is the worst feeling)! I think I was sick for about 2/3 of the semester and I do not recommend that to anyone. Stay warm guys!    

Know That You Have People Who Care!  

Moving away from home to a college campus itself can be difficult and it can be harder if you feel like you’re losing the support system you might have had back home. Being away from my family and most of my friends, having a support system was something that I wondered about. For me personally, my roommates grew to be my family at college and my strongest pillar of support. Don’t be scared to reach out to people and ask to grab a meal. I’ve gotten so much closer to people by grabbing meals with them, especially if we don’t have courses with each other. Beyond friends, there is such a strong support system at Harvard from peer counseling to specialized therapists that you can reach out to. 

Most importantly, as you get to know people and settle into your path at Harvard, don’t forget to spend some time with yourself! I remember taking walks along the Charles, listening to music, or taking myself out to Boston to explore the city a little. It helped me clear my head and reflect on my semester so far and what I wanted the rest of my years to look like.    

Google Calendar is Your Best Friend.  

If anyone asks me, I’m the #1 Google Calendar supporter. Quite literally I think my life would be falling into shambles if I didn’t have Google Calendar. Once I started college, I realized that there were so many moving parts in my academic, extracurricular, and social life that I needed some way to efficiently organize my days. It doesn’t have to be Google Calendar, but I found it’s beneficial to find an organizational strategy that works for you. I remember taking the first week of classes, trying out multiple organizational strategies and landing on Google Calendar along with having a list on my laptop screen. Take some time to figure out what platforms and strategies work most effectively for you! 

These are my top three reflections from my first-semester at Harvard and I hope they can help give you a little insight into things to think about as you enter your first semester at Harvard!