This is the first in a three-part series on advising at Harvard. The other two parts will appear on Wednesday and Thursday.
When Harvard students arrive in Cambridge as freshmen, they don't know what to expect. Roommates, classes, the campus, the city, even the rules are unfamiliar, often frightening. But by the end of the year, all that should have changed, and students should have begun to think of Cambridge as their home.
And, in theory, it is the job of proctors and freshman academic advisers to help students make that transition.
"It's possible to think of advising as contract making," says Dean of Freshmen Henry C. Moses, adding that the proctor's job is to help students come to mutual agreements about Harvard life with other students, administrators, faculty and others.
But it does not always work that way.
One junior who spoke on the condition of anonymity says he did not see his adviser once during his freshman year. "We had to stick our study cards under the door and then pick them up," he says. "Now, [as a junior, my adviser] is new and doesn't know any of the requirements. I advise him."
While this reaction may not be typical of the experience of most Harvard students in their freshman year, many students have similar stories to tell.
While Moses says that freshman advising fared "marginally" better on theCollege's survey last year on Harvard life,students and administrators agree that some areasneed improvement.
Under the freshman advising system, eachstudent is assigned to a proctor--a Harvardgraduate student or administrator--who lives inthe student's dormitory and takes care ofday-to-day problems for a group of approximately35 people. Proctors also serve as academicadvisers for most of their freshmen, although someare given nonresident advisers. Six senioradvisers oversee the process providing a secondlevel of supervision and counseling.
Since proctors do the bulk of the advising,they draw most of the complaints.
"I think I would have liked a little moreguidance from outside," says Nancy Kim '90. Shesays that her proctor offered good advice onpersonal matters but was unable to offer insightin her decision to take four or five courses andin choosing a concentration. "He was busy, and sosometimes he was not informed."
While Kim says her adviser had been a proctorfor several years, other students say theirproctors are unhelpful because they did not attendHarvard and do not know the system. Many proctorsare law and medical students unfamiliar with theCollege.
Daniel A. Graybill, a proctor in Straus, saysthat although he did not go to Harvard as anundergraduate, he learned from friends and othersabout the lifestyle. In fact, he says he thinksadvisers who were not Harvard undergraduates areespecially careful about learning about theCollege. "Often times people who weren't Harvardundergraduates tend to learn the system reallywell--at least with the policy," he says.
But Jen Wang '91 says he thinks the fact thathis proctor went to Harvard was part of the reasonshe was able to give good advice. "I think beingan undergraduate [at Harvard before being aproctor] really helps with [explaining the housesystem,]" says Wang, adding, "That's where aproctor who isn't from Harvard doesn't come in aswell." Wang says his proctor took students tovisit her old house--Lowell--before the Marchlottery took place.
Not Around to Help
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