Student life

What is a typical week at Harvard like?
Most students will take four courses with 3 hours of class per week, plus possibly a lab or discussion section. This means only about 16 hours per week in class. A typical class schedule might be Monday/Wednesday/Friday from 10-12 and Tuesday/Thursday from 1 - 4, leaving most of MWF afternoons and TTh mornings, plus the whole weekend, for other activities. Academic activities naturally include reading assignments, work on papers and problem sets, meeting with faculty members and advisers, study group meetings plus time for language lab or library research.

Non-academic activities might include daily workouts or practice with an athletic team, rehearsal for a musical or dramatic performance, attendance at a public lecture or seminar, serving meals at a local homeless shelter, paid work in a campus office, plus time for dining, catching a film, sharing news via e-mail, Skype, Facebook or phone with family and friends and yes, time for sleep!

student life