"What’s your favorite thing about Harvard?"

This is a question I’ve been asked by family, friends from home, strangers on airplanes, and almost everyone in between when I talk about my undergraduate experience. 

As cliche as it may sound,  I truly believe it has been the people I have met across my journey at Harvard who have made my experience as special as it has been.

To paint a picture of how different Harvard students can be, I am highlighting some of my closest friends at Harvard. They have different backgrounds, study different things, and have different life goals. Regardless of this, they have all made my years at Harvard better. I think this can highlight that there is no one formula to getting to Harvard, nor is there one typical Harvard student. 

Laura: 

Studies: Neuroscience and Computer Science (joint) 
Background: Vietnamese American, grew up in Houston, TX
Favorite Harvard Class: Neuro 143: Neurobiology of Vision and Blindness. 
Laura liked the seminar-based style of the class, and how engaging it was. She liked getting to discuss articles focused on real life cases of people with blindness. Ultimately she really enjoyed how close-knit the class was and the detailed way with which they learned. 
Favorite thing about Harvard: The resources that the school has given her. Being able to pursue and explore anything she wants. 
A life goal: To find happiness with what she does, and be surrounded by people she’s been close to in college and throughout life. 

Cody:

Studies: Neuroscience with a secondary in Education Studies 
Background: Asian-American, grew up in Houston, TX
Favorite Harvard Class: MCB 68. "In the first half of the course, we were given a light microscope to take home and used it to examine various objects like leaves, plants, and bananas. The second half was even more exciting—we had the opportunity to work with advanced, high-end microscopes in biology labs. One particularly fascinating project involved using a technique invented by the professor himself."
Favorite thing about Harvard: Lowell House. "It has the best Thursday dinners, best traditions, best community. We even have an opera group. My favorite thing about Harvard has been Lowell House, the best house."
A life goal: To apply and get into med school, eventually becoming a physician. 

Noel:

Studies: Computer Science with a secondary in Study of Religion
Background: Mexican, grew up in Austin, TX
Favorite Class at Harvard: CS50, Introduction to Computer Science. “It was an introduction to what I’d worked so hard for. To finally take my first CS class at Harvard felt very full circle in a way.”
Favorite thing about Harvard: “The community at Harvard. People come from different backgrounds, you get to meet people from all over the country or even the world, and while interests may be different, everyone shares a passion. Everyone has a motivation to be something great in life. It almost feels like everyone here is reaching for the stars. We’re here for school but the friendships I’ve made have changed my perspective of life. The people have made it home.”
A life goal: To retire his mom. 

Sara:

Studies: Biomedical Engineering and Statistics (double concentration) with a secondary in Comparative Literature
Background: Grew up in New Jersey, her family is Columbian, Brazilian, and Palestinian  
Favorite Harvard Class: COMPLIT 131. The Arab American experience in fiction, film, and popular culture. 
Favorite thing about Harvard: Meeting individuals from a wide range of backgrounds. "I've gained so much knowledge about different cultures simply from what my friends have shared with me. This is why it's so important for Harvard to admit a diverse class— one that includes people from various socioeconomic backgrounds and unique life experiences. It's a level of diversity that many may not have encountered before."
A life goal: To learn to pilot a plane.

Hiro: 

Studies: Applied Math with a focus in Chemistry, a secondary in Comparative Literature, and a Concurrent Master’s in Chemistry. 
Background: Taiwanese, grew up in Taiwan. 
Favorite Harvard Class: One of the many chemistry classes he took with incredibly intelligent faculty members at Harvard. 
Favorite thing about college: “We come to college, shaped by the life we’ve led. Harvard is special in that you get to meet so many people who approach college and their goals differently. It’s been enriching to learn about the different approaches people you meet have to college and their future. I think the way Harvard is designed lends itself very well to this.” 
A life goal: To get a Samoyed.

Bryant: 

Studies: Art, Film & Visual Studies with a secondary in Economics
Background: Mexican, grew up in El Paso, TX
Favorite Harvard Class: GenEd 1089: The US-Mexico Border. It was the first time he felt connected to this university in an academic setting. Although he’d grown up in a border town, he’d never learned anything about its history until he got here. It felt for him so full circle to learn about his hometown in a university he’d never thought he would attend.
Favorite thing about Harvard: The ability to explore academic and professional interests. 
A Life Goal: To become a successful motion-picture talent agent representing Latino clients in Hollywood, and to buy his parents a home in Los Angeles.

These people have been one of Harvard’s greatest gifts to me. I hope this quick highlight of them leaves you with an impression of how different Harvard students can be. In college, I've made friends because of student organizations, my house (the best house, Leverett House), my first-year entryway, and my first-year dorm. Harvard does a wonderful job at picking not just some of the brightest and most hard-working students, but also some incredibly passionate and caring people. 

Regardless of what they end up doing after Harvard, I am sure they will go on to shine.