How to Apply

Application and Admission

Applications to Freshman Seminars may be submitted electronically through a web-based system. This "How to Apply" page supplies access to the application and instructions for this process.

Information about applying to fall term seminars may be obtained on this "How to Apply" page or from the Freshman Seminar Office (617-495-1523) for the start of the application period beginning on Friday, August 1, 2008.

Applications will be accepted until 12 noon on Wednesday, September 10, 2008, and students will be informed of their status by email by 5:00pm on Friday, September 12, 2008.

Admission to a seminar is determined by the instructor. Some seminar leaders set no prerequisites other than interest in the subject; other seminars, because of their specialized nature, require particular qualifications or appropriate academic background.

Web Application Program

Dear Member of the Class of 2012,

Welcome to the web application program for Freshman Seminars. Using this system, you may apply to as many seminars as you wish and rank your choices:

To get to the application home page, you will need to enter your Harvard ID number (8 digits) and your personal identification number. There is a link to this application home page at the bottom of this letter.

If you need a personal identification number (PIN) or are having trouble using the pin provided to you by the University, please direct your web browser to http://www.pin.harvard.edu for further information. Please note that PIN information is sent to your FAS email account.

Once you get to the start page, you’ll see that there are three parts to the process:

Modify my personal data. Please complete this section as accurately as you can.

Browse / Search for seminars. Here you can sort seminar offerings by number or title within each term, or search by when they’re offered (e.g. “Tuesday”) or by keyword (e.g. “science” or “nineteenth century”). You should be aware that both searching and browsing involve the complete data base, though you’re only able to apply to fall seminars now.

Once you’ve decided to apply to a particular seminar, hit the “apply” button on the seminar description page in order to reach the essay section of the application. The essays are the most important means by which the instructor will form an impression of your interest in and qualifications for the seminar. All seminars require that you complete one short essay; some also require that you respond to a supplementary question. Read the descriptions carefully to check whether you need to write this second short essay. Essays should be no more than 250 words.

Rank / Manage current applications
(edit applications, reorder application priorities, view applications).
The program assumes that your first choice for a seminar is the one to which you apply first, and your subsequent choices (if you have them) are those to which you apply in that sequence. If you apply to only one seminar it will automatically become your first choice. But you can change your rank-ordering very easily on this page.
Remember that the program will try to place you in a seminar that you have ranked highly, so please think carefully about your choices.

Please note that the final deadline for submitting applications is Wednesday, September 12 by 12 noon.

Once you’ve applied, make sure you know what you need to do next. In some cases, instructors will make admission decisions based on written materials only; in others, there will be a first, open meeting of the seminar that you should attend to ask questions and find out more about the seminar; in still other cases, instructors will interview applicants, either individually or in groups.

Information about what to do next can be found in the "NEWS and Updates" section - “Selection, Informational Meetings, and Interviews” on the application home page and on the confirmation page after you submit your application. If this information is not yet available for the seminar(s) you are considering, keep checking; it will be updated frequently in the next few weeks.

In the afternoon of Friday, September 12 by 5 pm, you will be notified via e-mail whether you’ve been admitted to a seminar. If you’re admitted, you will need to accept or decline your place in the seminar online here before 9am on Monday, September 15 .

If you haven’t been admitted—perhaps there were simply too many applications for the seminar(s) in which you expressed interest, or perhaps the “match” just wasn’t right—there may still be hope. Not all seminars will be filled to capacity, and the Freshman Seminar Program will post a link on our FSP website to a list of seminars that still have open spaces beginning on the afternoon of Monday, September 15 with instructions about how to proceed if you are interested in one of them.

Important Dates:

Fri, August 1 - Application website available

Weds, September 10, 12 noon - Application Deadline
Although you’re encouraged to begin the application process early, you’ll be able to edit, re-order, add, or delete applications until the deadline. All applications received by the deadline will be treated equally.

Fri, September 12 by 5pm- Admission decisions sent by e-mail

Mon, September 15, before 9am - Students confirm or decline enrollment in seminar ONLINE HERE

Mon, September 15, 12 noon - Seminars with openings posted on FSP website beginning today
students contact instructors directly by email for consideration for acceptance.

Mon, Sept 22 Freshman Study Cards due today:
signed by instructor or by the Freshman Seminar office, 6 Prescott Street, 2nd floor.

Finally, the application home page will be updated with news and further instructions, including what to do after you apply. Remember to check it regularly.

Thank you for your interest in the Freshman Seminar Program. Please don’t hesitate to let us know at seminars@fas.harvard.edu or 495-1523 if you have any questions.

Yours,
The Freshman Seminar Program Office