Lajer09

Drugs are relatively low key at Harvard. You might find a few people with weed, but other than that, everyone sticks to drinking.

The University Health Services, UHS, are generally difficult to deal with, don't get things diagnosed very fast or accurately, and are a hassle. The safety is usually great, but recently there have been quite a few muggings around the Yard.

Very Competitive. Teachers are usually great. Great discussion of course material through mandatory discussion section for each class. Grading can be a bit harsh.

Most partying occurs on or around campus. The two most commonly used options are finals clubs and on campus parties. The on campus parties can either be registered parties in someone's dorm room or a house or university sponsored party like the Stein clubs held every other week or the other events organized and run by the house committees of each upperclassmen house.

Do not know much about off campus housing, but from what I've heard from the couple friends who use it, Harvard helps with expenses somewhat but not greatly and the cost of living in Cambridge and surrounding areas is really high. Paring is ridiculously expensive but even worse than normal for on campus parking.

The Harvard network is fast and reliable, can't be beat in terms of availability, consistency, and speed anywhere on campus. The computer lap computers are generally kinda slow, but function decently and get their job done. The printers are generally fast and efficient, but when there is a problem, which is often, it takes a while to get fixed. This may be due largely to the fact that most people get pissed off and leave rather than call someone and report that the printer is on the fritz. The Printers are great though when they do work and the price for printing is great which means that having your own printer is really unnecessary. Having your own laptop is almost a must just for being able to do work in your room, in the library and generally wherever you can. Laptops are also generally allowed in class so having one makes taking notes a lot easier. As long as you can be disciplined and stay focused in lecture, then you should have a laptop. Also, if you thing buying a laptop is a bit expensive, then there are plenty of scholarships that are specifically for laptops that you should definitely take advantage of, as they not only pay for a laptop, but with the money they give you to pay, will allow you to buy a rather expensive laptop. I wish I had known about these scholarships back before I bought my laptop. There is wireless access everywhere, literally every square inch, on campus. Overall, great!!!