“Harvard is hard.”
At one point or another, we’ve all come to the unfortunate realization that the phrase is actually true. But does Harvard have to be so academically rigorous? There’s no need to buy into the Harvard academic overachiever stereotype (I’m looking at you, LS50 and Math 55 first-years) when you can minimize your course schedule and maximize your time for extracurriculars, socialization, sleep, and anything else that will help you maintain some semblance of sanity at this institution. For those who wish to opt out of excessively demanding course loads, there are quite a few ways to simplify your schedule.
- It’s easy to get caught up in comparison, but figure out a way to disregard peer pressure. Do not take on a heavy course load or make any academic decisions based only on the recommendations of others. Just because your blockmate is doing it does not mean you need to. This is a prerequisite for any of the following tips.
- Simplify your classes. This is a pretty obvious one. The easiest way to have a less demanding schedule is to take classes with fewer demands. The Q-guide has pretty accurate and detailed descriptions of the typical hours spent on each class, along with the professor’s grading style, course expectations, and skills that are best suited for the class. Word of mouth, Sidechat—and if you’re feeling bold, social media polling—are all good sources as well.
- Take seminars. They meet once a week, there’s no discussion section, and participation makes up a good chunk of your grade. There are generally final projects instead of final exams. With a schedule composed only of seminars, four-day weekends are suddenly more than possible, and you can spend more time managing course material on your own schedule rather than spending valuable time in multiple, impersonal lectures.
- Enroll in optional attendance classes only. Comb through syllabi to find classes that don’t count attendance toward your participation grade. It’s even better if the lectures are recorded. It’s difficult, but not impossible. The class can be fully asynchronous and you can maximize efficiency by watching lectures at 2x speed.
- Intentionally plan your courses based on their exam schedules well in advance. If you’re taking two p-set-based classes, don’t pick two classes with p-sets both due Sunday evening and the same midterm schedules. Instead, pick classes that stagger so you’re not a wreck every Sunday and during the ⅓ and ⅔ points of the semester.
- Pre-meds, you don’t have to follow the crowd. Life and Physical Sciences A is a softer introduction to biology and chemistry than Life Sciences 1A. Chemistry S-17 (the summer version of Chem 17) is rough but allegedly more doable than organic chemistry during sophomore fall. The Physics as a Foundation for Science and Engineering courses (colloquially called AP50a and AP50b) involve a twice-per-week trek to the SEC and group-based projects, but you’re essentially guaranteed a good grade as long as you do your work. It’s a much more enticing option to some than the large, exam-based physics courses of Physical Sciences 2 (PS2) and Physical Sciences 3 (PS3). In most concentrations, there are similar alternatives to harder, more widely known courses. Do not be afraid to do some digging.
- Take three classes. If you need a lighter semester and no fourth class is calling to you, just take three. It’s not as radical as it sounds. You’ll have to do a five-class semester or a class over the summer to meet the required 128 credits to graduate, but this can still be a good tradeoff and a better option for some to spread out their course load differently.
There are multiple courses of action you can take to make your academic load easier. But even if you do your best to make academics easier for yourself, Harvard can still be a very challenging place. Minimizing your course schedule can help, but it’s important to minimize life at Harvard wherever possible. Harvard’s toxic culture of overcommitment and overachievement is one of the greatest inhibitors of student well-being at this school, and the negative stigma surrounding taking easier classes should end.
Kayla Reifel ’26 (kaylareifel@college.harvard.edu) is excited to see what the SEC looks like when she takes AP50A instead of PS2.