The first email I sent at Harvard took me nearly an hour.
I kept working on it again and again, just in case I might have forgotten something, or because I just wanted to make sure there were no errors associated with it. I read it over and over again before finally pressing send. Looking back, that email says a lot about how I felt when I arrived at Harvard.
I was nervous about many things. Like choosing classes or asking questions that everyone else seemed to know the answers to. I was nervous about being a first-generation, low-income international student and of the possibility that my background would put me at a disadvantage. Most of all, I was nervous of what it really meant to be a Harvard student.
Like many incoming students, I thought success at Harvard meant figuring everything out on my own, especially as the first in my family to attend an institution of higher learning and while facing the painful reality of building a new life across the Atlantic, away from my family, my support system, and everything familiar. In reality, just like me, almost all freshmen I spoke to were nervous about one thing or the other.
Thankfully, Harvard did not allow our fears to come true, and that no matter where I come from, I can still find community and support systems here. As it turns out, there were indeed people employed by Harvard to do just that. One of the best things about being at Harvard is that there is help everywhere.
Dinner with my host family at Maharaja restaurant
My host mom has a tradition of organizing about three family dinners each semester, bringing together all the students she hosts across different class years. These dinners have been a great way to find community and learn from older students.
The Proctors, and the concentration advisers were ready to answer questions about course selections and registrations. When I needed additional support in managing my schedule and balancing my course load, I found the Academic Resource Center, which offers academic coaching, peer tutoring, workshops, and accountability groups designed to help students thrive academically while making friends on these sessions.
When writing assignments felt overwhelming, I discovered the Harvard College Writing Center, where I could talk through ideas and receive feedback at any stage of the writing process, which by the way have drop in hours during the weekdays at the Baker Center basement. And when the transition to college felt heavier than I expected, I learned that Harvard's Counseling and Mental Health Services (CAMHS) existed for exactly those moments. Not to forget, yard operations and resources like the building managers, from room lockouts during stressful times to picking up my mail in the middle of the night. Everywhere you turn, there is a support system; all you need to do is, just turn.
What surprised me most wasn't that these resources existed. It was how willing people were to give support. My Faculty Deans checked in with me several times when I visited the ER, just to make sure I was okay. My Peer Advising Fellows answered questions that I thought were too small to ask. House tutors offered advice about classes, careers, and life. Professors who seemed intimidating at the front of a lecture hall are such approachable human beings during office hours.
Nobody expected me to have all the answers. They only expected me to ask. And asking, by the way, turned out to be the hardest part.
Stepping outside my dorm room.
Sending the email.
Going to office hours.
Scheduling the appointment.
Introducing myself.
Asking for support.
Birthday with My Host Mom, Reisa.
Maharaja is one of my favorite restaurants in Harvard Square, where my host mom treated me to a birthday dinner. Thanks to Harvard's Host Family Program, a First-Year Experience initiative, students can find a home and community.
Those small acts of courage changed my Harvard experience more than any class ever could. Is Harvard perfect? Absolutely not. No institution is. Would I choose Harvard if I get to choose again, overwhelmingly yes. If there is one thing that helped me navigate a space like Harvard, it is this: I do not have to do this alone.
There are people who make it their job and go above and beyond to support you and ensure you succeed. Whether you are a current or prospective student, there is just so much for you here, from student organizations and clubs waiting for you to grace their community, to classes that will benefit from your contributions, to mentors, friendships, and professors who will write you the best recommendations for your next job and graduate school. There is so much behind the mask of fear and nervousness associated with beginnings here. And for what it is worth, just look to the bright side of it all.
And always remember that You belong here.
And if you're nervous right now, don't worry.
You're going to be just fine.
