Welcome to Harvard! I infer from your username that you like chess, have you been studying https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-the-bongcloud/course/69860/ ? I am the faculty advisor for the chess club, hope to see you there! Course websites should be available by the start of next week. Judging from past experience, some will be very minimal and uninformative, while others will be very extensive (detailed syllabus, examples of readings, maybe even the first pset or assignment, etc.). How helpful the course website is, in and of itself, informative information. Some courses will also have office hours or other information sessions in the period Aug 16 - 26, so it may be good to attend a couple of those (though time zones and scheduling issues may well be problematic). It is unfortunate this year having to choose classes without a normal shopping period where you can physically attend various classes before signing up. But there is plenty of time to add/drop if you find you're not happy with your initial selections. Feel free to message me (here or you can get my email from the Statistics Department website) if you'd like to meet with me some time to discuss more. I mainly know about Statistics courses but also have picked up various pieces of knowledge about courses in other departments from years of advising experience. Answer from joeblitzstein on reddit.com
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Reddit
reddit.com › r/harvard › how are first years supposed to pick courses?
r/Harvard on Reddit: How are first years supposed to pick courses?
August 10, 2021 -

Hi, I'm an incoming first year, really interested in math, philosophy, physics, and economics.

How exactly are we supposed to pick courses? The my.harvard is a total mess, it just lists all the courses in the department without really helping to find which are meant for freshman, and so other than math(which we had a zoom for), I have really no idea about courses in like any other field. Also, they keep recommending I take a freshman seminar, but does that count as like a regular class or is that in addition?

We don't have advisors yet and I'm very doubtful that giving them to us ten days before move in will work great, especially with all 2000ish freshman jumping on them at once. I'm kinda freaking out cause college starts really soon and I already feel like I'm falling behind on everything cause of this.

Any help on narrowing down courses would be much appreciated. Thanks!

Top answer
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Welcome to Harvard! I infer from your username that you like chess, have you been studying https://www.chessable.com/lifetime-repertoires-the-bongcloud/course/69860/ ? I am the faculty advisor for the chess club, hope to see you there! Course websites should be available by the start of next week. Judging from past experience, some will be very minimal and uninformative, while others will be very extensive (detailed syllabus, examples of readings, maybe even the first pset or assignment, etc.). How helpful the course website is, in and of itself, informative information. Some courses will also have office hours or other information sessions in the period Aug 16 - 26, so it may be good to attend a couple of those (though time zones and scheduling issues may well be problematic). It is unfortunate this year having to choose classes without a normal shopping period where you can physically attend various classes before signing up. But there is plenty of time to add/drop if you find you're not happy with your initial selections. Feel free to message me (here or you can get my email from the Statistics Department website) if you'd like to meet with me some time to discuss more. I mainly know about Statistics courses but also have picked up various pieces of knowledge about courses in other departments from years of advising experience.
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I'm an incoming first year, really interested in math, philosophy, physics, and economics. How exactly are we supposed to pick courses? Well, your math course is recommended by the placement test. Econ has a starting point of 10A, unless you have AP waiver. Physics has a starting point of 15a or 16. And you have to takes Expos. And if you have not fulfilled the foreign language requirement, then that's an option. And you might want to round out with a gen ed class. Also, they keep recommending I take a freshman seminar, but does that count as like a regular class or is that in addition? For course load, it counts as a regular class. If there is a seminar topic that interests you and/or the professor is really interesting, take a freshman seminar if, and this is a big if, it does not impact other courses you need for your concentration. In some instances, the freshman seminar can count towards the concentration.
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Harvard
undergrad.psychology.fas.harvard.edu › courses-0
Courses | Psychology Undergraduate Program
THREE, e.g. PSY 971: Tutorial Courses · FOUR, e.g. PSY 1501: Undergraduate/graduate lecture and seminar courses
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College Confidential
talk.collegeconfidential.com › colleges & universities › harvard university
What classes did you take freshman year? - Harvard University - College Confidential Forums
May 28, 2010 - I realize that it’s very important to have a challenging courseload. At the same time, I’m pretty involved in ECs and I really don’t want to be churning out 8 hours of homework a night… I am debating whether to take four or five honors as a freshman…and one of those will be hon. precalc, which is supposedly one of the more rigorous math classes.
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edX
edx.org › learn › justice › harvard-university-justice
HarvardX: Justice | edX
This introduction to moral and political philosophy is one of the most popular courses taught at Harvard College.
Published   September 30, 2025
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CollegeSimply
collegesimply.com › home › massachusetts › harvard university
Undergraduate Majors Offered at Harvard University
The most popular undergraduate major at Harvard University is Economics followed by Political Science and Government and Liberal Arts and Sciences Studies and Humanities, Other. A list of all 46 available majors and annual graduates is presented ...
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Harvard
mbb.harvard.edu › pages › courses
Undergraduate Courses | Mind Brain Behavior
Harvard offers many courses addressing topics and approaches in the study of mind, brain, and behavior. These include courses across the university, and some graduate/professional school courses are open to undergraduates (in particular, some courses in Medical Sciences at the Medical School and in Cognitive Development and Education at the School of Education).
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Harvard Magazine
harvardmagazine.com › 2009 › 09 › sandel-justice-television-series-book-website
"Justice" course now on television, online, and in book form | Harvard Magazine
September 30, 2009 - One of Harvard's most popular and celebrated courses, "Justice" (Moral Reasoning 22), taught by Bass professor of government Michael J. Sandel, takes its tutelage outside the University’s walls this autumn with a three-pronged media package: a public television series, a hardcover book from Macmillan, and a content-rich website. The course, which enrolled nearly 900 undergraduates last fall—and has had about 14,000 students in all—will now ask millions more to ponder the question that forms the subtitle of both the book and the 12-week television series: Justice: What's the Right Thing to Do?
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Chronicle of Higher Education
jobs.chronicle.com › job › 37956715 › staff-researcher
Staff Researcher job with Harvard University, Faculty of Arts & Sciences | 37956715
March 2, 2026 - Why join the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences? At the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), we work within and beyond the disciplines of engineering and foundational science to address the most pressing issues of our time.
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Hacker News
news.ycombinator.com › item
Pentagon chief blocks officers from Ivy League schools and top universities | Hacker News
March 3, 2026 - But also… the other half come from prestigious colleges, and the way you solve the first half is not by not hiring the second half · And to give advantage to candidate from right wing and conservative institutions. Because that is the oficial state ideology now
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edX
edx.org › cs50
CS50: Harvard’s computer science courses and certificates | edX
You can continue with CS50 courses on topics such as Python, AI, cybersecurity, and web development. Each one shares the CS50 name but focuses on developing a different skill set. ... Not sure where to begin? Your starting point depends on your experience and goals. Start with CS50x, Harvard's introduction to computer science.
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Harvard University
harvard.edu
Harvard University
Harvard researchers and scholars are exploring the physical, societal, and spiritual aspects of growing older.
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Harvard University
harvard.edu › programs
Programs - Harvard University
1 week ago - Browse the graduate and undergraduate degrees and majors offered by Harvard's 13 Schools and learn more about admissions requirements, scholarship, and financial aid opportunities. We also offer executive education, certificate programs, and online courses for professional and lifelong learners.
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Harvard College
college.harvard.edu › academics › liberal-arts-sciences
Liberal Arts & Sciences | Harvard
You have many options when pursuing your Harvard degree. We offer more than 3,700 courses in 50 undergraduate fields of study, which we call concentrations.
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Harvard College
college.harvard.edu › academics › liberal-arts-sciences › concentrations
Concentrations | Harvard
Harvard College offers more than 3,700 courses in 50 undergraduate fields of study, which we call concentrations.
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Harvard Business School Online
online.hbs.edu
Harvard Business School Online
Build fluency in the language of business and gain the confidence to make an immediate impact on your career and organization through foundational courses in accounting, strategy, and data analysis, plus curated workplace dynamics lessons and a capstone project.
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Shiksha
shiksha.com › home › study in usa › universities in usa › massachusetts › cambridge › harvard university
Harvard University Courses & Fees 2026: Popular Programs, Eligibility.
April 1, 2026 - The Harvard application deadline 2026 for undergraduate admission is Nov 01, 2026 (Early Action) ... The Harvard University courses consist of nearly 3,700 courses in more than 49 undergraduate fields.
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CollegeVine
collegevine.com › schools › harvard-university › majors
All 92 majors at Harvard University | CollegeVine
Is your major offered at Harvard University? See a complete list of all majors and calculate your chance of acceptance.