A Week In The Life of a Harvard Student

Category Student Voices

Author

Kathleen, HFGP Coordinator
Kathleen Class of '24
Authored on April 06, 2023

Article

A lot of people do "day in the life" videos and blogs, so I thought it would be cool to do a "week in my life" blog for you all to see what a typical week looks like at Harvard!

For context, I'm a junior studying Molecular and Cellular Biology, so a lot of my classes are STEM-based. 

Monday
On Mondays, I typically have two classes—a chemistry course called Physical Sciences 11 (that I assist in, so I'm not actually a student), and a biotech ethics class called SCRB 120. Classes at Harvard usually last an hour and 15 minutes, and they're typically held in the morning at 10:30 am and in the afternoon at 1:30 pm. From 12-1:30 pm, I usually am free for lunch, so I stop by my dorm or Annenberg to grab a quick bite. After classes, I usually head to Lamont Library to study for the rest of the evening!

Two women taking a selfie in the snow

A Typical Monday.

The first day of classes this semester with my friend Tabasom! It snowed that day and I was wearing heels and a skirt…not the best idea.

Tuesday
On Tuesdays, I have a physics class (AP50B). This class is unusual because there are no lectures! The entire class is based on team project-based work. The class is actually held at the newly built Science and Engineering Complex, so I have to take a shuttle bus there in the mornings since it's not on the main campus. My physics class is from 9:45 am-12:30 pm (I know, pretty long), and afterward, I have Spanish at 1:30 pm. My Spanish class is based on acting and dramatic interpretation, so it’s been fun doing that. I usually have some meetings in the evening, but aside from that, I am in the library studying!

Five people posing for a selfie

My physics group!

Sometimes we spend too much time taking 0.5 selfies instead of doing actual physics work… Saddat Nazir

Wednesday
My Wednesdays are usually the same as my Mondays! Physical Sciences 11 meets on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, and SCRB 120 meets only on Mondays and Wednesdays. The only difference for Wednesdays is that I have my SCRB 120 section in the afternoon, as well as a weekly workout with my CHAARG small group. Section is a small group of 10-12 students from the larger class that meets with a teaching fellow (TF) who leads discussion and review of the lecture content from that week. It is a great way to learn in a more intimate environment and get to know peers from your big classes better! And what's CHAARG? CHAARG is a group on campus for women's fitness! Every Wednesday, a small group of us will meet to work out, study, or just hang out together.

Group selfie on a bridge by the river

My CHAARG small group!!

This is after we did a run along the Charles River. Amy Lu

Thursday
On Thursday, again, I follow a pretty similar schedule as my Tuesday, with the exception that I have a section for GOV 1759, a behavioral economics class I’m also taking this semester, and I spend time tutoring students in chemistry. My Thursdays are actually pretty light in terms of workload, so I like to check out events on or around campus. A few weeks ago, my younger sister actually visited from Texas, and we went to see SZA in concert at TD Garden. It was AMAZING!

Two people taking a selfie at a concert venue

SZA concert.

The SZA concert was an experience…I'm so glad I got to do it with my sister!

Friday
On Friday I have no classes! Yes, that is right, I only have classes four days of the week. College does give you a lot of freedom to craft your schedule the way you want it to be. Even though I don’t have classes, I still try to get some work done. In the morning, I have a staff meeting for my job in the Admissions Office, where I work as a student coordinator for the Harvard First Generation Program. Afterward, I do some work and then head off to enjoy my day. The organization I mentioned earlier, CHAARG, has a weekly workout on Fridays with gyms all across the Boston/Cambridge area, so I usually hop on the T (our subway system) to explore new gyms. 

A group of people hanging and posing on a parkour gym

Weekly workouts with CHAARG.

One week, we went to a parkour studio and learned some cool new tricks! Parkour Generations Boston

Saturday & Sunday

My weekends are usually filled with club meetings, hanging out with friends around Boston, and relaxing from classes. I also host my office hours for Physical Sciences 11 on Sundays, so I'm helping students with the weekly homework assignment and answering any questions they may have from the lecture. Thanks for tuning into a week in my life!

A large group of students smiling for a photograph

A club meeting!

One of the clubs I'm in is called Latines in Health Careers! This was taken during a exec board dinner.

 

Tags

  • Academics
  • Residential Life
  • Student Activities
  • Student Life

Kathleen Class of '24

Hello! My name is Kathleen, and I’m a senior concentrating in Molecular and Cellular Biology on the pre-med track. I’m currently living in Mather House (the best house!), but growing up I lived in both the beautiful states of Montana and Texas

Kathleen, HFGP Coordinator