The first lesson you learn at Harvard is how to drop the H-bomb. Before you conjure images of student militants and terrorism, dropping the H-bomb merely means telling someone you are from THE Harvard University. While this might seem perfectly simple, the students on campus have perfected an art of this, making sure that when you actually tell someone where you study, you create an indelible impression. While I am not about to reveal ‘classified information’ about how exactly one does this, I can tell you that learning to name-drop is definitely a unique soft-skill (one of many) which I picked up during my time as a student.
I was 22 when I got accepted into a programme at Harvard University, and I had never lived alone and was quite excited about this new world of freedom. Suddenly it meant no more ‘Daddy May I?” for everything I wanted to do, no more fancy excuses for night outs and mostly it meant I could eat ice-cream for breakfast, pizza three times a day, and most importantly, get away with it! Of course in retrospect, these very same dietary decisions were the ones I most regretted at the end of the year, when I had put on a good 20 pounds, but more on that later.
Cambridge, the city which plays home to Harvard is without doubt one of the most beautiful places in the country. Situated on the banks of the Charles river, the University is something out of a fairy tale – tall ivy-covered buildings, dorm rooms filled with history, the largest University library in the world and a pristine cathedral which will take your breath away. However, what makes the school so special is the wonderful people you meet on campus, Harvard is the alma mater of several world-famous politicians, businessmen, philosophers and scientists. The current US president Barak Obama is an alumni of the Harvard Law School, while former president George Bush went to Harvard Business School. A host of other International leaders like the current UN General Secretary Ban Ki-moon, India’s own P Chidambaram are also alumni of the school.
My cohort at the University was an impressive, motivated and extremely bright group. The oldest person in our class was in her early 60s and came from as far as Tasmania to earn her Masters in Education. Other classmates included a celebrated author, a famous Hollywood star, an Asian princess and achievers from different fields who represented over 100 countries worldwide. I was almost afraid that someone from the University would walk up to me and say “sorry your admission is a mistake”. I really could not fathom how I would study and compete with such accomplished peers. On the first day of my student orientation, the Dean seemed to have read my mind, so the first thing she said was “We read every application four times, so if you are here today, it is no mistake. Welcome to Harvard!” Phew! I heard 525 students heave a collective sigh of relief!
While I fully expected the academic experience to be challenging, what I did not plan for was the decisions I had to make about which classes to choose – Should I study under Howard Gardner, the genius who founded the multiple intelligence theory? Should I take David Gergen’s class on leadership or just attend a few lectures by Amitav Ghosh? Selecting just five classes a semester was difficult and heart-wrenching and well, decisions had to be made.
Luckily, Harvard has a ‘shopping period’ during which you can attend every class you want to, do the assignments and reading and participate in class discussions. At the end of two weeks, you can choose the classes you like best. I took a mix of classes, some of which had over 100 students and celebrity professors, while some had fewer than five students, lots of hands-on interaction and high-intensity learning.
Of course all this studying does not mean that the students have no time for fun, on the contrary, Harvard has some event – a speech, play, dance, get-together going on everyday and you can always get the information on the student’s website. Aside from Harvard-wide events, each school i.e the School of Education, The School of Design, etc. has its own events and parties all year round and students turn out in large numbers to blow off steam after a hard week. There are several clubs which you can get involved with and undergraduate students have the additional opportunity to write for the Harvard Lampoon, a humour publication which has produced the likes of Conan O’Brian, Paul Simms, etc.
The University is surrounded by the Harvard Square, a giant old-style market, filled with shopping, restaurants, pubs and interesting people. Legend is that Bill Gates and Pual Allen decided to invent the Personal Computer during a discussion at Out of Town news, a small newspaper shop in Harvard square, which sells newspapers from over 50 countries worldwide. Other interesting people include a homeless man who speaks over 20 languages and often works as an unofficial interpreter for the foreign students, a quasi-gypsy chess master who sits by the local coffee shop and challenges students to games, where the loser usually buys him breakfast or lunch in exchange.
My time at the school went by a lot quicker than I hoped it would and soon it was time for the Big Day – Commencement! Thousands of graduates and proud parents crowded into the main campus and the commencement speech was made in Latin (an English translation is given to the audience). While I did not understand a word of what was being said, being part of the ceremony felt like I was part of history. Standing on the same ground which produced some of the world’s greatest leaders and wearing my commencement robes seemed surreal. As I went on stage to pick up my degree, I heard my family cheer me on – I looked around at my classmates knowing that someone sitting among us was someday going to change the world. For now, I am just hoping that someone will be me!