One of my favorite stops on the campus tours I give is Tercentenary Theater. 

Tercentenary Theater, also known as New Yard, is where Widener Library, Memorial Church, and many of Harvard Yard’s buildings are located. I love this stop on our tours, because it’s where we talk about the many resources Harvard has to offer its students. I always end the stop by saying that Harvard resources could have an entire tour dedicated to them.

I’ve been at Harvard for a full year now, and I’m still learning about new resources all the time! This summer alone, I’ve been able to take advantage of so many new opportunities I either didn’t know about or didn’t find the time to explore during the school year. Here are some of my favorites:

Discounts at Boston Museums

Did you know that your Harvard student ID will get you into tons of museums either for free or for a discounted price? Harvard has an entire site, Outings & Innings, that allows students and Harvard employees to purchase discounted tickets to museums, performing arts events, and many other experiences in Boston and Cambridge. 

This summer, I took advantage of my free admission to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, a unique art museum located in Boston. Unlike other museum creators, Isabella Stewart Gardner preferred to present items in arrangements she found pleasing rather than categorizing them by artist or time period, or labeling them with information cards. The museum is a fascinating space to visit. Not only did I get to go for free by showing my student ID, I was able to get discounted passes through Outings & Innings to take some friends with me!  

Libraries

I’ve always been an admirer of our library system. With 20 million books, and librarians who go above and beyond to help you find what you need, they’re a great resource. This summer, however, I learned that they have so many other things to offer as well! Houghton Library, for example, frequently hosts exhibitions that are open to the public. This summer, for the 250th anniversary of the United States’ founding, Houghton displayed one of the first printings of the Declaration of Independence along with many other Revolutionary Era documents. It was incredible to be able to learn about my nation’s history right here at my university’s library! They even had an antique printing press where visitors could print Revolutionary Era currency!

I also learned from one of my fellow tour guides that Cabot Science Library has a lending program for technology as well. Students can borrow everything from cameras to virtual reality headsets. I had no idea this existed, so I haven’t tried it out yet, but maybe I will this coming year!

If the 20 million books and the additional items aren't enough for you, Harvard students can also get a library card at Boston Public Library, which is the third largest public library collection in the country with over 24 million items.

Beyond the Yard

Harvard isn’t confined to the area of campus surrounding the yard. There are so many spaces outside of it! One item that had been on my bucket list for a while was visiting the Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University, which sits in the Boston Neighborhood of Jamaica Plain, about a 45 minute trip from the yard by public transit.

This summer, I finally seized the opportunity to go there when my nature-loving friend came to visit. It was definitely love at first sight for me, and I will be going back! The arboretum is completely free to visit, and houses everything from oak trees to cherry trees to 300-year-old bonsai trees. I love being in Cambridge, but it’s nice to know that there’s such an abundance of Harvard green space within my reach as a student here. It was so rejuvenating to walk through the trees with my friend.

The Community

I don’t think any one person could write a comprehensive guide to all the resources this incredible place has to offer. Fortunately, in a community this tightly-knit, no one needs to. Taken together, the friends, faculty, and community members I’ve met are my guide. Everyone I interact with is constantly teaching me new things, and sharing their favorite parts of Harvard with me. I’ve discovered so many favorite study spots, dining hall hacks, support systems, and outing ideas by chatting with the incredible folks around me. At the end of my four years, I think I’ll look back on that as the best Harvard resource of all.