Tackling pre-frosh weekend can be intimidating, but you might be wondering what it’s like to actually go to school here. Famous professors from Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. of the Af-Am department to English superstar Jamaica Kinkaid to trickle-down Economic guru Martin S. Feldstein teach gargantuan classes and small seminars.

Harvard’s academic world promises other gems, but you may have to do some digging, especially when it comes to the Core. With nine areas, ranging from Quantitive Reasoning to three variations on English, these overwhelmingly large classes with strange syllabi also promise cryptic grading standards and generally ill-prepared graduate students posing as teaching fellows. There are some stars in the Core, from famous poetry critic Helen H. Vendler to Shakespeare expert Marjorie Garber, Kenan professor of English.

Harvard students often find their homes in academic departments. While Harvard is known for Economics and Government departments, popular with the white-hat, DHA (Department of Harvard Athletics) wearing posse, its science offerings are also stellar.

You may hear some students speak of oddly named concentrations, such as History and Literature, Social Studies and Folklore and Mythology. These programs offer interdisciplinary study, individual attention and excellent advising in exchange for grueling tutorials and endless piles of papers.

Personal contact with professors can be tricky. You might be too scared to visit the professor whose new book is on display at the Coop, but an appointment during office hours can often be worthwhile, even if it’s just to introduce yourself.

Advising is also a shot in the dark. Some incredibly lucky first-years receive deans or professors as academic advisors, but for most, your academic advisor is also your proctor, the graduate student who will live in your first-year dorm, feed you pizza and keep a box of well-stocked condoms near the door.

Students themselves are an incredibly varied lot. This is not your father’s Harvard-while prep school alums are common, they no longer exclusively run the show. Harvard undergrads come from every state and increasingly from abroad, with the range of students further bolstered with a newly improved financial aid program.