When I first came to Harvard, I was excited about the small median class size (it’s 12!), and the opportunities that it presents to build meaningful relationships with my professors.
In my first semester here, I tried my best to keep my classes small; I enrolled in a first-year seminar (which caps enrollment to 12-15 students), took a language class with just 4 other students, and chose small lectures to fill up the rest of my schedule. However, as my time here went on, I realized that some of the classes I was interested in taking would be a lot larger than the median. Soon, I found myself taking 100+, 300+, and even 800+ person classes, which are not uncommon sizes for some of our most popular classes here.
At first, I was concerned that I would become invisible in my classes, just a face in a sea of students. I could not have been more wrong. Even in large lectures, you can have a meaningful learning experience. I’ve learned to love them, and I’ve had at least one “large” lecture since my freshman spring!
Here’s some things to know about large lectures, so you can be less afraid of them too!
- You get a discussion section!
All of our larger lectures are broken up into discussion sections. These sections are usually one hour long, and are led by Teaching Fellows or TFs for short (graduate students who are studying under the professor). The teaching fellows review the material covered in lecture, reinforce difficult concepts, and help students prepare for assignments by fostering discussions about course content. In STEM classes, TFs will also review practice problems. My sections have helped me really feel confident in my classes, and have provided me many opportunities to ask questions or contribute to interesting conversations without the pressure of a large classroom.
- Your professors still care!
Professors who teach in larger classes understand that large lectures have a different dynamic than smaller classes, and they are usually very intentional about community building and helping students stay engaged in the class. For instance, when I took Justice, an 800+ person lecture taught by Michael Sandel, Professor Sandel would often ask questions to the students, passing microphones so students could audibly contribute to conversation. The professor in Biotech Ethics, a 300+ person lecture, adopted a similar structure to class. Because of the intentionality of the professors, my large lectures started to feel like seminars that I had a real opportunity to contribute to. I’ve talked so much in large lectures that when I introduce myself to new people, they’ll occasionally say “Oh, were you in Biotech Ethics?” or “Were you in Justice?”. It’s completely possible to contribute to discussions in large lectures and have an engaging experience, and that’s because of how much the professor care to create an environment in which that is possible.
- There are still plenty of opportunities to connect with your professor outside of the classroom!
Professors are usually available through office hours or by email, and that is the most basic and consistent way to connect with them outside the classroom. However, there are still opportunities outside of office hours to meet with your professors, no matter the size of their class! Faculty members are given a handful of free swipes into our dining halls, which makes it easy to host meals with small groups of students. My Biotech Ethics professor, Professor Imparato, often hosts meals in our dining hall and occasionally hosts meals in Harvard Square, and it was through these meals that I was able to get to know him outside of a classroom setting. In my newest class with him, Foundations of Political Theory, he has a similar pedagogy, and I had my latest meal with him at Shake Shack! The College also provides funding for students to grab meals or have coffee chats with professors through its Classroom to Table initiative, so students can invite professors to meals without any financial stress.
- Your professor often still knows who you are!
In my Biotech Ethics class, Professor Imparato made a point to learn every single person’s name by the end of the semester and gave out handwritten thank-you cards to all 300+ of his students for their participation in the course. In my other large classes, professors are still familiar with students and their work, and are still aware of who’s consistently showing up to lecture. Professors look over submitted assignments, and try their best to learn about the students attending their classes.
Here at Harvard, I firmly believe that you do not have to be invisible in large lectures. In fact, they can be some of the most fulfilling experiences you'll have in college!
