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On Campus Information Sessions & Tours

Registration instructions.

• Registration for a campus visit is required .
• To sign up, please select an available date from the calendar below. Multiple events may pop up when you select an available date. Click on the event labeled "On-Campus Visit" at the time that works for you, and then complete the registration form on a new page.
• Once your registration is complete, we will be in touch via email with helpful information to plan your visit and visit reminders.
• If you arrive on campus without registering, a member of our visitor team will help you to determine your best options including providing information about a self-guided tour and helping you to register for an open tour date and time.
• Sign up for an online session here  - this is a 1 hour live session with an admissions officer. 
• Click here to do a self-paced virtual tour  of Harvard's campus. 
• If you are in the area, you may stop by our office at 5 James Street from 9am-5pm Monday to Friday (11am-5pm on Wednesdays) and pick up a self-guided tour map and ask questions of the Visitor Center staff. 

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Group visits/tours, important information for your visit.

• Special Accommodations - there will be space on the registration form to request special accommodations. Please note that we require 21 days advance notice in order to secure ASL interpreters. We cannot provide interpreters for other languages at this current time. Those requesting the use of a wheelchair must leave a current driver’s license or state ID with our Visitor Center personnel until the chair is returned. 
• Most buildings are closed to the public. Public restrooms will be available in the Elizabeth Cary Agassiz House before/after the information session, and at the end of the tour at Smith Campus Center.
• At this time, it is not possible to store luggage or other personal property during your visit. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, especially for families who have traveled long distances to join us.
• Your registration and attendance have no bearing on the admissions process should you decide to apply.
• Guests are not permitted to record any part of the information session and/or tour. 

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Introducing the visit harvard mobile app.

By Amy Kamosa

The Harvard Visitor's Center has launched a new Visit Harvard mobile app that will provide free, self-guided, self-paced themed walking tours of the University. The first tour released on the app is a historic walking tour of the Cambridge Campus. It incorporates 14 locations throughout campus that highlight some of the most important buildings and events of the University's nearly 400-year history.

In 2019, approximately 8 million people visited Harvard Square, and more than 35,000 visitors took part in public and private tours of the Harvard Campus. When the campus shut down in early 2020 due to the pandemic, Robin Parker, Associate Director of Harvard's Visitor Center, worked with colleagues and a small team of undergraduate tour guides led by Fari Mbaye '22 and Madi Fabber '22, to create a series of live, student-led online virtual tours as an option for would-be visitors who were no longer able to come to the Square.

The mobile app tour builds on the content developed for those virtual offerings, but provides a more accessible option that visitors can use to guide themselves while they visit campus in-person, or from the comfort of their own couch anywhere in the world.

"Our student tour guides really led the charge on the creation of these tours. Some of the images they've included have never been seen before, and the content weaves a really compelling story through Harvard's history," said Parker.

It was that storytelling aspect of the mobile tour that Mbaye said was the most challenging and important aspect of translating the live tour content to the app. "When we, as tour guides, give live tours, we're really just working off bullet points and we weave our own details and jokes in as we go. With the app, we had to turn the content into a complete story that people would want to read and listen to," she explained.

If app users choose to visit the campus, they can follow the geo-location tags on the app to travel point-to-point. The total distance of the tour is approximately one mile and should take approximately one hour to complete—including travel between stops, but the self-guided nature of the app means that users can complete this circuit at their own pace.

According to Visitor Center Manager Maggie Dawson, the ease of use and simplicity of design was an intentional choice to ensure that the app was as accessible as possible. Additional features like geo-location tagging, audio tracks with transcript, and image alternative text for visually-impaired users, all enable a large range of users to interact with the app in their own way, and according to Dawson, inclusion will continue to be a priority as more content is added. "Our hope is to tell many parts of the Harvard story to as many audiences as possible. Not only are additional tours in development, including a Black History Tour, and Arts Walk, and a Women's History tour, but we are expanding the tour languages as well," she explained.

The Visit Harvard App is available for download through the Apple Store and Google Play . There is also a desktop version of the app you can access here .

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Harvard Campus Tour: 15 Best Places to Visit at Harvard

From lofty libraries to picturesque walks, from Harvard Square to Charles River, here are the 15 best places to include on your Harvard campus tour!

Whether you’re a new Harvard student starting your school year, or visiting Harvard University on a campus tour, there is so much to discover. My lovely university is a heaven for students, tourists and photographers alike. During my time at Harvard, I got plenty of visitors, both friends and family. And for everyone, it was an overwhelming experience taking in all the beauty of our breathtaking campus.

Harvard University is one of the most visited places in Boston, and even all of East Coast. A Harvard University tour is a memorable experience, since every visitor has seen parts of the campus either in movies, pictures or places that have been inspired by Harvard architecture.

Harvard Campus Tour – Where to Go

Harvard University is full of new and old buildings, beautiful architecture and iconic spots to take your pictures. Of course, some of the best places at Harvard are reserved for the students, so if you aren’t one, it’s best to visit with a student or during the Open House.

But whether you have a Harvard ID or not, Harvard University will have a lot to offer you if you’re visiting. From hallowed libraries to historic dining halls, busy dorms to picturesque riverside walks, here is my list of the 15 best places to visit at Harvard.

Harvard Square and the Coop

Harvard Square may not be the most iconic place at Harvard if you’re just googling images of the university. But for every student and visitor, this is where the tour starts. Harvard has a whole T station (metro, subway or underground) dedicated to it, called Harvard Square, which can be the starting point of your Harvard university tour. It’s also the meeting point if you ever lose your tour partners!

Located at the junction of John F. Kennedy Street and Massachusetts Avenue is the building of Cambridge Savings Bank, which has become something of a landmark over the years. Along with this building, other structures and shops such as bookstores, toy stores, and a Bank of America also surround Harvard Square.

Harvard Square is unmissable, central and is the congregation point, where students run into old friends, meet new acquaintances and grab a bite to eat. The most popular and central spot is Starbucks, below the Cambridge Savings Bank, which is right at the corner of Mass Ave, and opened while I was a student at Harvard. Right outside is the Cambridge Visitor’s Information Center booth.

Some other popular spots next to it are the Au Bon Pain, next to Starbucks, and The Coop, across the road, where you can buy all possible books and official Harvard merchandise.

Harvard Yard & John Harvard statue

The green space between undergraduate dormitories is called Harvard Yard, which is enclosed by iron fences, walls and gates. Harvard Yard is the most iconic place at Harvard University, and is a must on any Harvard campus tour.

It is one of the oldest areas that became a part of Harvard University in the late 1600s, housing Harvard College dorms. Now it is also home to the famous John Harvard Statue, where you can see throngs of tourists taking pictures every time, everyday, touching his shoe to take pictures.

However, Harvard students would never touch it, because we all know that urinating on John Harvard’s shoe is one of three traditional deeds some Harvard College students strive to complete. It still remains the most touched spots of Harvard University. Sigh.

Harvard Yard is spread over 25 acres (10 ha) and it’s boundaries have 25 gates, opening at Mass Ave, Science Center. The yard is also home to libraries and memorial church, where the Harvard graduation ceremony takes place annually.

The Yard is the best place to soak the sun and read, be around College students. If you’re traveling in the fall season, it’s a beautiful place to take pictures. Here, you can see the New England fall colors in their full glory.

Widener Library

This is right in the part of Harvard Yard that is behind the John Harvard statue (called Tercentenary Theater). Widener library is the oldest one at Harvard University. And it’s the largest private and university-owned library in the United States. It is home to 3.5 million books, countless stacks and all types of reading spaces.

The library is named after Harvard College alumus and book collector Harry Elkins Widener, who died in the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.

Although Harvard has many beautiful libraries, Widener is my favorite one. With high ceilings, chandeliers and royal chairs, it’s easy to forget Widener can also have so many hidden low-lit spots in its depths too. I used to spend all my free time there as much as possible, discovering new reading spots and books. My favorites were the comfy high-backed chairs that face the tall windows opening into Harvard Yard.

Memorial Church

Situated right across Widener Library, this is another iconic building in Harvard University and one of the best parts of Harvard. Most Harvard students see and pass by it daily, whether on their way to their dorms, dining halls or classes. And of course, almost all Harvard students graduate here, although not every student has been inside it!

The interiors themselves are often used for ceremonies, commemoration, etc. For example, the only time I ever went inside was for a candlelight vigil for Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami.

Although every year, the Church is home to bittersweet memories for everyone. The area in front of Memorial Church, the central green of Harvard Yard, is known as Tercentenary Theater. This is where the Harvard commencement ceremony takes place every year. Many celebrities and famous Harvard alumni have delivered graduation speeches on its porch, such as Steven Spielberg, Mark Zuckerberg, J.K. Rowling and John F. Kennedy.

Memorial Hall & Sanders Theater

Memorial Hall is yet another iconic building in Harvard University. The building is located near the Yard, at the junction of Cambridge, Kirkland, and Quincy Streets. It has high Victorian Gothic architectural style. Constructed in 1878, the building has many stained glass windows, ribbed vaults, spires and pointed arches.

Also called Mem Hall or just ‘Mem’, the building used to be the background of the John Harvard Statue in the early 1920s and before. Mem Hall houses three parts: Sanders Theater, Annenberg Hall and Memorial Transept.

Memorial Transept is a vault that anyone can enter, and is serves as the congregation space for Sanders Theater. It has a high vaulted ceiling and large stained-glass windows above the entrance on either side. Great place to take pictures, if only it were better lit. Either way, it’s an important one to include in your Harvard campus tour.

The Sanders Theater is Harvard University’s largest indoor space. Used for lectures, concerts and most notably, the annual graduation ceremony for Harvard College students. Sanders is where they receive their diplomas.

Even Harvard students aren’t allowed inside, unless it’s for a mandatory lecture or they have a pass for a particular lecture or ceremony. Most lectures that take place in Sanders are by celebrities or famous alumni, such as Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Theodore Roosevelt have spoken there. One of the times I have attended a lecture there was when Bill Gates came to speak.

Although if you are accompanied by a Harvard student and you request, they may allow you to take a peek inside when the theater is not in use.

Annenberg Hall

Located inside the Memorial Hall, Annenberg Hall serves as the dining hall for freshmen of Harvard College. When it was constructed in 1874, people from all over the country came to visit, since it was one of the largest indoor meeting spaces ever constructed in the US.

It is also breathtakingly beautiful, and serves a large selection of food (yum!). With its large expansive, unobstructed space, Annenberg Hall is designed in Gothic style. It has stained glass windows, wooden trusses and vaulted ceiling. The hall is decorated with large hanging candelabras. Its walls have paintings of benefactors and presidents and its ceiling is so high I’m not even sure it exists!

Originally meant to be a place for alumni meetings, Annenberg was soon converted to a dining commons. Now it is used for the freshmen students only. And as a grad student, I only got the opportunity to eat there during the days my own dining hall was closed. (Of course, then my dorm mates and I loved it, because we were treated to their desserts, ice-cream and beautiful entrées.)

It is also used for dances, banquets, examinations and more. Also, Annenberg is what inspired the Great Hall in Harry Potter movies. Only Annenberg Hall is more beautiful.

Read more: Annenberg Hall & Harvard Memorial Hall: All You Need to Know

Science Center

Located north of Harvard Yard, Science Center is home to the computer labs, classrooms and science library for undergraduates. The first floor also houses a nice cafe where I frequently lunched.

To someone expecting the classic Harvard style of architecture, Science Center is not much to look at. In fact, not even many Harvard students find it pretty. That’s because it was constructed in the ’70s, amid the modernist movement, when designers sought to do something different than the existing antiquated Georgian architectural style.

The plaza in front of the Science Center is home to the beautiful Tanner fountain, where kids are often found playing and water-splashing! Students often put up Yard sales, College club events and protest rallies there. Oftentimes, you can also find food-trucks, farmers’ markets and even Quidditch practices there.

Harvard Graduate School of Design

Graduate School of Design or GSD is my alma mater, which is mainly located on 48 Quincy Street in a building named Gund Hall. The Gund is also constructed in glass, steel and concrete (just like the Science Center) and is different from the iconic Harvard architectural style.

Gund Hall has a stepped design, where different studios form the levels, called trays. The building has a lot of clear glass, allowing natural lights into the trays, where students have their drawing boards or desks.

GSD also has a yard where student works are often exhibited, including those using 3D printing, robotic machines, CNC machines, etc.

The area near the entrance at the first floor of GSD is used to exhibit student work throughout the year. These exhibitions are specifically designed to give a new “interior look” to the space with each exhibit, often theme-based or interactive. This space also houses temporary events, student performances and the spillage from the events happening in cafeteria called Chauhaus and the Piper Auditorium.

Harvard Law School & HLS Library

Harvard Law School (HLS) is located near the northwest of the Harvard Yard. The HLS library is a beautiful old building with a big yard in front of it. Named Langdell Hall, it is immediately recognizable with its large windows, columns and Harvardian architecture style.

HLS library has a large, high-ceilinged chandelier-lit reading space with countless stacks filled with law-books. But they serve free hot-chocolate at night, so it’s a good place for non-law-students to study, too. You can get in with a Harvard ID, and discover their chessboard coffee tables, too! HLS library is my second favorite library after Widener, and was also my first workplace after my Harvard graduation, where I worked for a whole year to create digital learning spaces.

Wassterstein Hall Harvard Law School

Take a secret underground passage from the HLS library and it takes you to the newly built Wasserstein Hall. (You can also get to it from above the ground, tho, but where’s the fun in that?) It is one of the newest and most beautiful buildings in all of Harvard University, and was opened when I was a student.

The Wassterstein houses a large fireplace-lit study space with the coziest high-backed chairs, two cafeterias and a bar, pool table and the most gorgeous toilets you can find on-campus. Even balconies and a grand semi-circular staircase. What more reason could there be to include it in your Harvard campus tour? I used to lunch here everyday when I was an employee at the HLS library, and the first-floor cafe is great for an evening snack (they have great fries).

Natural History Museum

Located north of the Science Center and near the graduate dorms, the Natural History Museum is a great place where many students don’t even go throughout their time at Harvard! Although admission is open only to Harvard community.

It is such a hidden gem within the university, especially to go if you’re visiting harvard with kids. In fact, the only time I went here was when I was showing my parents around the campus the day before my graduation ceremony (they loved it!).

The museum is home to many permanent and temporary exhibits that any student will love. These include a paleontology exhibit, which has the fossils of Kronosaurus, a 42-foot-long prehistoric marine reptile. Also, there’s exhibits of birds, wildlife microbes and a famous glass-flower exhibition.

Radcliffe Quad

Located north of the Harvard campus, the Radcliffe Quad, or just “Quad”, is not much of a touristy spot, but is a great place to visit if you’re a Harvard graduate student and looking to explore the campus. The Radcliffe Quadrangle houses the Quad green and undergraduate dormitories, including the oft-photographed Cabot house and Pforzheimer house.

The walk from Cambridge Commons to Radcliffe Quadrangle is a beautiful one, and depending on the season, you’ll see brilliant tulips or fall colors.

Malkin Athletic Center & Harvard Stadium

Harvard stadium.

The Malkin Athletic Center (MAC) and the Harvard Stadium are located at completely different parts of the campus, but I have to include them together here.

The Harvard Stadium is south of the campus, across from HBS. The world-renowned stadium was built in 1903, and is a National Historic Landmark. It’s an essential part of any Harvard campus tour.

The Stadium is primarily a College football stadium, but they also use it for music festivals and other sports. It’s next to the humongous Blodgett Pool (one one that you see Robert Langdon swimming in in the Da Vinci Code movie).

Malkin Athletic Center (MAC)

The MAC is my favorite gymnasium at Harvard and is the perf spot for all Harvard students to work out. The gym is located south of the Harvard square, and is a large five story facility.

In the center is a large pool, and the upper floors have the cardio rooms with a view of the pool. Actually, I find the group exercise mezannine space overlooking the pool even prettier! This is where I discovered my passion for Zumba (miss it!). The building also houses many weight rooms, strength training equipment, basketball court and what not.

Charles River

The Charles river is an iconic body that divides the main Harvard campus. The north part of the campus on the north of Charles is the Cambridge campus, that borders at Memorial Drive. And the southern one is Allston campus, that starts at Soldiers Field Road. These two are connected by the Anderson Memorial Bridge, which is the perfect spot to take pictures and view both sides. It’s a must-see spot when visiting Harvard and MIT.

The space next to Memorial Drive is where you’ll see the bike path, students lounging around after classes, and skateboarders. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Park is right next to it, featuring a fountain. And while you’re here, also walk around to discover tiny lanes, tree-lined avenues. If you’re on a self-guided harvard tour, walk west, and enjoy a quiet cappuccino at Darwin’s, or go up north to have a cup of tea at Pete’s Cafe.

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School is the top-pick for MBA tourists or student-visitors who like business management. Located in Allston, the HBS campus is a bit separated from the main campus by the Charles River. However, it’s a beautiful campus that all students and visitors should check out on their Harvard campus tour.

Right from across the river, you’ll see the iconic Baker Library, a world-famous building. It has the best place to take a picture at Harvard – in the HBS yard, with Baker Library forming the backdrop. And if you want one with the Harvard sign, check out the HBS sign at the back entrance.

The next spot to check out is Spangler Center, which is the student center. A relatively new building, Spangler has the same Georgian architecture style that the old Harvard buildings have. Inside is a massive student lounge that’s actually the last place I can concentrate in, because it seems a bit daunting.

The HBS cafeteria is inside too, which is rather nice and serves different cuisines everyday. The dining hall is gorgeous with large tables and chandeliers (although nobody joins you if you’re eating alone). Step underground to their bar and also check out their underground passages while you’re at it. (It leads to the library).

– Experience the Harvard Student Life with Me: How is Life at Harvard – Is Harvard Worth It? Analyzing Costs to Benefits for a Degree – What Kinds of Students Get into Harvard?

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9 Things to See On Your Campus Visit to Harvard

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When you’re making your college list, it’s always a good idea to visit colleges in person if you’re able to do so. You can learn a lot about a college online and by speaking with students or alumni, but actually visiting campus can give you a much better idea of what it’s actually like to live, learn, and work there for four years of your life.

If you’re thinking about visiting Harvard University and possibly applying to the school, you’re not alone; the college is not only an educational powerhouse, but also a popular destination for visitors from around the world. Attending an information session and taking a guided tour through Harvard’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions is a good idea, but those activities may not tell you everything you want to know.

In this post, we’ll go over some options you may want to add to your agenda for your Harvard visit, both on campus and off. These sights and activities can give you a uniquely valuable perspective on whether Harvard is truly a good fit for your college plans.

Want to learn what Harvard University will actually cost you based on your income? And how long your application to the school should take?  Here’s what every student considering Harvard University needs to know.

A Brief Introduction to Harvard

As we describe in greater detail in our Ultimate Guide to Applying to Harvard , Harvard University is possibly the most recognizable institution of higher learning in this country, and is widely know as an exceptionally prestigious and accomplished school. It also holds the title of the oldest university in the United States, so it’s been a fixture of the American educational scene for a very long time.

Harvard’s main campus is located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, just across the river from the city of Boston. Most of its undergraduate facilities and resources are nestled into this campus, which is both a historically significant site and a center of cutting-edge resources. Its ornate architecture is reminiscent of the venerable colleges of England, or, as some recent students have noticed, of J. K. Rowling’s Hogwarts.

As you would imagine, such a well-known and well-regarded school receives a huge number of applicants — nearly 40,000 per year in recent years. Consequently, its admissions rate is very low, and currently hovers around 5%. Still, many students dream of heading to Harvard after high school, and some number of them eventually will become students there.

Since Harvard is such a popular choice among college applicants, we’ve covered issues specific to the Harvard application process several times before on the CollegeVine blog .

In addition to our Ultimate Guide to Applying to Harvard , you may be interested in the following posts:

• What Does It Take to Get Into Harvard?
• How to Write the Harvard University Application Essays 2016-17
• Harvard College Sample Essay 2016-2017
• The Harvard Interview: What It’s Like From a Harvard Student
• Should You Submit the Harvard Optional Supplement Essay?

Things to See on Campus

Before we begin our list of things to see on Harvard’s campus, it’s necessary to mention a few items about how Harvard responds to and accommodates visitors, including prospective applicants touring the school. While, as we’ve said, Harvard is itself a tourist destination, it’s also a functioning university and community that has a lot going on besides entertaining guests.

One factor to keep in mind when visiting Harvard is that many campus buildings aren’t open to the public. For example, Annenberg Hall, the ornate first-year dining hall, is among these private facilities. Harvard’s libraries, while fascinating, are also very strict in their admission policies, with even some visiting scholars having to jump through hoops to get access. For some facilities, if you’re visiting with a current student, you can be admitted as a guest, but that isn’t true everywhere.

Another important reminder is that Harvard’s campus is a place where people live and work year-round, so as a visitor, you’ll need to be respectful of those who call the school home. In the past, students have complained of visitors blocking important pathways — a real hassle when you’re rushing to class — or even taking pictures through dorm windows. New policies posted on campus make the rules clear , but it’s mostly a matter of common sense.

Now that we’ve dispensed with the practical advice, here are a few things you may like to add to your agenda while you’re on Harvard’s campus.

Harvard Yard

It may seem like a bit of a cliché to start with Harvard Yard, as it’s arguably the most recognizable part of the Harvard campus. However, this area is genuinely important for you to see as a prospective applicant, not least because it’s the area in which all first-year students live. If you attend Harvard, you’ll spend a lot of time in Harvard Yard that year — there’s no way around it.

After the first year, Harvard’s students enter residential colleges that are scattered across the campus, but they still have plenty of reasons to go back to the Yard. Not only do student events take place there, but it’s a great place to kick back and read a book. It’s also centrally located, so walking through the Yard is often the most convenient way to get somewhere you need to be.

Allston Campus

Right across the Charles River from Harvard Square, you’ll find Allston, a neighborhood that’s technically part of Boston. This area has long had a Harvard presence — it’s the location of the Harvard Business School campus, as well as Harvard’s stadium and other athletic facilities.

More recently, the Allston campus has become the site of a great deal of expansion and development on Harvard’s part. Ongoing projects and those in the planning stages will move many of the university’s engineering and computer science resources to Allston under the auspices of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. These are popular and expanding fields, so you may well spend time on that side of the river as a student.

The Allston campus is still a work in progress, but if you’d like to explore it, it’s easy to get to from Harvard Square. Multiple bridges make the area accessible on foot, by bus, or by car. Students, faculty, and staff also enjoy the use of a free shuttle that runs at regular intervals throughout the day.

Graduate School Campuses

As you may know, Harvard University is made up of twelve distinct degree-granting schools , most of which are graduate or professional programs. Each of these schools, from the Law School to the Divinity School to the School of Public Health, has spaces of its own on campus, whether large or small. Some are restricted to students from those programs, but some are open to the entire Harvard community.

You most likely won’t take courses at the graduate or professional schools while you’re an undergraduate at Harvard, but you may find yourself heading there for an event or navigating that section of campus on the way to somewhere else. These less central areas of campus can also be great places to find new study spots, explore different dining options, or see some impressive architecture and landscaping.

Harvard Museum of Natural History

Tucked away on the third floor of one of Harvard’s academic buildings, this small museum is nonetheless a gem — and not just because it’s home to a wide variety of mineral samples. You’ll also find treasures like massive whale skeletons, meteorites you can touch, an interactive simulation of the process of natural selection, and a world-renown collection of incredibly delicate glass models of plant specimens.

The Harvard Museum of Natural History is open to the public, and students and other Harvard affiliates enjoy free admission. Your ticket also gives you access to Harvard’s Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology , which houses an exceptional collection of historic artifacts from around the world.

Things to See Off Campus

Though Harvard is primarily located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the city of Boston itself is just across the river, easily accessible by bus or subway. (Driving is also possible, but traffic in the area is often heavy.) Cambridge has many of its own amenities, but the proximity of the larger city opens up additional possibilities, both for you as a student in the future and for you as a visitor right now.

Harvard Square

It would be nearly impossible to visit Harvard without walking through Harvard Square, which refers to the neighborhood around the Harvard Square subway and bus station. Located right in the center of campus, the square is an entertainment hub as well as a place where the Harvard community takes care of everyday errands, so if you end up attending Harvard, you’ll spend a lot of time here.

There’s always something new and exciting going on in Harvard Square, but you’ll also find fixtures like charming cafes, eclectic shops, and restaurants across the spectrum from cheap bites to exceptional cuisine. In the center of everything, don’t miss Out of Town News, an iconic news kiosk carrying a huge variety of periodicals.

Of course, being so close to such an intellectual powerhouse, Harvard Square’s amenities tend toward the intellectual side of life. The Harvard Coop, the official bookstore, is right down the street from The Harvard Book Store, which is not affiliated with Harvard. Both, however, are interesting places to browse, buy souvenirs, and get a better sense of Harvard Square’s atmosphere.

The Charles River

As we’ve mentioned, the Charles River acts as a boundary line between the cities of Cambridge and Boston. Besides being an unavoidable geographical feature of the Boston area, the river and its adjacent green spaces are popular for recreation, with paths for pedestrians and cyclists as well as boating, sightseeing, and picnicking opportunities.

Festivals and other public events also take place along the Charles, the best-known of which may be the annual Head of the Charles Regatta . This major annual rowing competition attracts huge crowds and competitors from around the world each October. Even if you’re not particularly interested in rowing, it’s an exciting and traditional part of life in Cambridge.

The Freedom Trail

One of the Boston area’s greatest claims to fame is its long history, particularly its importance during the American Revolutionary War. Many visitors to the area are eager to see what relics remain in existence from those foundational times. The Freedom Trail , a designated path through the city that passes by 16 important historical sites, is a convenient way to get a cohesive look at Boston’s past.

The Freedom Trail, which is marked along its length with a red-painted line on the ground, is a 2.5-mile-long walking trail that winds from Boston Common on one end to the Bunker Hill Monument and the U.S.S. Constitution on the other end. Y ou can take an official walking tour with a costumed tour guide or explore the trail on your own. Either way, you’ll have a unique opportunity to see the real-life sites of the events you’ve learned about in your American history classes.

Boston Common

This lovely public park in the center of Boston is a popular destination, both for casual relaxation and for large-scale community events like festivals, rallies, parades, and performances. Across the street, there’s even more green space: the Boston Public Gardens, another public park that’s more formally landscaped than the Common. It’s easily accessible by public transit and close to many other attractions in downtown Boston.

On the Common, you’ll find a number of different features, including public art, memorials and monuments, and a playground. In the winter, it’s home to an outdoor ice-skating rink and the city’s annual Christmas tree. It’s also a great place to view the Massachusetts State House, a beautiful historical building topped with an impressive golden dome.

Newbury Street

If you’re in the mood for some retail therapy in a classically Bostonian setting, Newbury Street is the place to be. This street in the Back Bay area of downtown Boston is packed with shops, cafes, restaurants, and other destinations, many of them in charming brick-and-stone row houses built in the late 1800s and later converted into retail space. 

Newbury Street is well known as home to some of Boston’s chicest — and most expensive — shopping destinations, but there are options along this block of shops for every budget. Even if you’re just window-shopping, it’s an enjoyable place to spend an afternoon enjoying the sights and sounds of Boston.

While we can’t possibly list everything there is to see when you visit Harvard, we hope this post can get you started on planning a trip that really helps you get to know the college and the surrounding community. We encourage you to do your research, seek out more destinations that reflect your interests, and have a great time!

If you’re currently embroiled in the process of preparing for and applying to college, you know full well that it can be complex and stressful — especially if you’re applying to prestigious, highly competitive schools with low acceptance rates and high standards.

Want access to expert college guidance — for free? When you create your free CollegeVine account, you will find out your real admissions chances, build a best-fit school list, learn how to improve your profile, and get your questions answered by experts and peers—all for free. Sign up for your CollegeVine account today to get a boost on your college journey.

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Judge dismisses families’ lawsuits against Harvard over morgue scandal

Families who sued Harvard University after loved ones’ remains were allegedly stolen and sold on the black market have had their cases dismissed .

Paula Peltonovich says she was told her dad, whose body was donated to Harvard Medical School for research, is one of the victims of the  morgue scandal .

“To know somebody bought something of my father’s or multiple things of my father’s, I want that back,” Peltonovich said.

Harvard’s morgue manager, Cedric Lodge, is accused of selling body parts from donated cadavers. He faces several criminal charges in the case, as do people who trafficked in the body parts.

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Families of the victims hoped a lawsuit filed against Harvard would hold the university accountable. But a judge’s ruling Monday dismissed all  lawsuits against the school .

“How can Harvard just get away with this?” Peltonovich asked. “I just don’t understand.”

In the decision to dismiss the civil case against the school, the judge said that Harvard is immune because it acted in good faith and that it’s not liable for the alleged misconduct of its employee.

“Harvard gets basically a ‘get out of jail free” card,” said attorney Kathryn Barnett of the law firm Morgan & Morgan. “No responsibility for what happened in its morgue with the remains entrusted to it.”

Barnett is one of the attorneys representing the families.

She said Harvard turned a blind eye to what was happening in the morgue, and she said she’s profoundly disappointed in the judge’s ruling.

“To be a ruling that gives every school out there carte blanche to let criminals run wild in their morgue and so long as you don’t look, you’re scot-free,” Barnett said.

Attorneys for the families say they will appeal the decision.

Michael Rosenfield is a reporter for NBC Boston.

Degree Requirements

The following course requirements apply to both the SM and ME degrees in Computational Science and Engineering. Note that the term "course" refers to a typical Harvard semester-length course, i.e., a 4-credit FAS course or its equivalent. 2-credit courses such as AC 298r count as "half of a course" in the context of these requirements.

Degree Program Options

General requirements.

• Eight letter-graded courses are required for the degree. As many of these as possible should be SEAS 200/2000-level courses. ME students must take 32 additional credits, which can be satisfied by electives courses, non-letter-graded research credits (as AC 302), or a combination of the two.
• No 300/3000-level courses may be included among the eight required, letter-graded courses.
• Up to three of the eight courses may be 100/1000-level SEAS/FAS courses or U-level MIT courses. Courses lower than the 100/1000-level, including all General Education courses, may not be counted towards the degree.
• SM students may include no more than one semester of the reading and research course (AC 299r) and two semesters/four credits of the seminar/project course (AC 298r) among the eight courses. ME students may include up to two AC 299r courses and two semesters/four credits of the seminar/project course (AC 298r).
• Harvard Extension School courses and transfer credit are not accepted toward the degree. Waivers for course requirements may be approved on a case-by-case basis, but will not reduce the total number of credits required for the degree.

Grade requirements: In order to be eligible to count for the degree, a class grade must be a C (2.0) or higher, and the average grade of all courses counting towards the SM or ME degree must be B (3.0) or higher.

Course Requirements

Master of engineering (me) information.

The Master of Engineering (ME) in CSE is a two-year program requiring students to complete and defend a thesis project. ME students will spend the majority of their second year working on a substantial computational project that culminates in the submission and oral defense of a master’s thesis. While all thesis projects must have a significant computational component, students are given leeway in finding a project that applies computation to solve a problem in a domain of study that fits with their background and interest.

All ME students must find a research advisor and submit a master's of engineering thesis proposal by mid-April of their first year of study. Thesis proposals will be evaluated by the CSE faculty committee and only those students whose proposals are accepted will be allowed to continue for the second year of the program. Follow this link for more information about CSE ME thesis proposals.

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