Frequently Asked Questions

Who is eligible to take a Freshman Seminar and do I have to be a freshman?
Only a student who enters Harvard as a freshman may apply to any Freshman Seminar during the first two terms of residence. Courses offered through the House Seminars or Extra-Departmental Courses are open
to all undergraduates.

How can I find out about updates to the printed catalogue?
Students should check on this Freshman Seminar Program website and in the "NEWS" section of the application site, as well as in the Yard Bulletin, and on dormitory bulletin boards at the beginning of each term for additions and deletions to the Freshman Seminar Program.

How many Freshman Seminars may I enroll in?
Although a student may apply to many Freshman Seminars, a student may ultimately enroll in only one seminar in a term, though it is possible to take one in each term of the first year if space is available.

How do I apply to a Freshman Seminar?
Applications to Freshman Seminars may be submitted electronically through a web-based system beginning on Friday, August 1. Click on the "How to Apply" link to gain access to the application and read instructions for this process or contact the Freshman Seminar Office (617-495-1523) if you need assistance.

Applications for fall term seminars may be submitted any time between August 1 and September 10.
Applications will be accepted until 12 noon on September 10. Students will be informed of their status by email on Friday afternoon, September 12.

By applying, am I automatically in a seminar?
The class size of a seminar is limited, usually to 12 students. Admission to a seminar is determined by the instructor.
In the fall term, students will be notified about admission to a seminar on Friday afternoon, September 12 and must then inform us of their decision about whether to enroll in the seminar online here by 12 noon, Monday, September 15.

Since space is limited, all applicants must submit their acceptance of placement on-line before this deadline. All applicants are advised to plan and consider a full program of courses and sectioning. As with all courses, it is possible to drop a seminar at a later date, if necessary.

What if I am not accepted to any of the seminar to which I have applied?
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 list of seminars that still have open spaces on our FSP website, www.fas.harvard.edu/seminars. You may view these on on Monday, September 15 with instructions about how to proceed if you are interested in one of them.

If I am accepted to a seminar, am I required to take it?
You are not required to take a seminar. On Friday afternoon, September 12, 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 before 9am on Monday, September 15. Please let our office know if you need to decline your place so that others may have a opportunity to fill it.

Can I drop a seminar at any point after I have accepted a place in it?
Freshman Seminars, like other courses, may be dropped until the "5th Monday" of the term. For fall 2008, it will be on Tuesday, October 14, 2008 because Monday is the Columbus Day holiday. Please notify the instructor and Freshman Seminar office of your need to drop in case another student may be able to take the open space in the seminar. To change courses after the study card has been filed, students must file a petition to drop a course with the registrar, 20 Garden Street. There is no charge for dropping a course during the first three weeks of the term. After the "5th Monday", students are charged a $10 fee to drop courses.

Do I have to have experience in the subject matter of the seminar I choose?
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.

How are the seminars graded?
Seminars are not letter-graded: a student's work in the seminar is evaluated as Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory. Students who neglect the work of the seminar or do not perform satisfactorily will be excluded from the seminar and/or denied credit. Seminar instructors report in writing on each student's performance in a seminar; these reports are available to the student through established procedures.

Is the seminar offered for credit?
Freshman Seminars are offered for half-course credit, and are normally taken as part of the regular program of four half-courses in each term of the year. Ordinarily a student will take a seminar as part of, not in addition to, a full program of regular courses. All seminars count towards degree credit. Some seminars may be counted towards concentration requirements or regarded as "related" courses in a field of concentration; this decision is made by the department or the committee of the concentration.

Can a seminar count for credit towards the Core requirement?
The Core Program follows certain specified rules. For further information, please consult their website.

How will the Expository Writing requirement effect my enrollment in a seminar?
Freshmen will learn their Expository Writing assignment later in the same week that their fall term Freshman Seminar applications are due. Expos is a requirement which each entering freshman must take during the first year. The term in which a freshman will take Expos is assigned randomly. A student should discuss with his/her adviser whether both Expos and a Freshman Seminar can be taken in the same term. Other factors such as language requirements may make this impossible for some students, but the possibility is clearly one that should be discussed with the student's adviser. If they cannot take both in the same term, students may request a change in their Expos assignment. For more information, please go to the website of the Expository Writing Program.

How do I get to the Medical School for a seminar?
There is a Shuttle to the Medical School which is free for registered undergraduates. It travels regularly between Cambridge and the Medical School campus. Please be sure to reserve time in your schedule to accommodate travel to and from seminars at the Medical School.

Harvard Medical School (M2) website
HMS Shuttle (M2) Route Map
All Harvard Shuttles