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Pre-Grad

The Pre-Grad Tutor team serves as a resource for students interested in pursuing graduate degrees at any level and in any academic field and is here to provide support at any and all stages of the application process. Feel free to talk with us about doing research as an undergrad, applying to grad school, funding a postgraduate degree, and possible careers paths after earning a masters or doctorate. We want to ensure that anyone who wants to thrive in the Academy has the opportunity and support to do so.

Study Hall:

Our weekly Study Hall, from 8 to 9 PM in the Dining Hall, to work on homework alongside other folks, chat with pre-grad tutors, meet visiting scholars, and eat some snacks. Starts September 17.

Resources for Students Applying to Graduate School:

  • Speak with faculty in your field of interest early and often. These individuals will be intimately familiar with the nuances of the application process in their particular discipline, and their references will likely form an essential component of your application.
  • The Mignone Cener for Career Success offers one-on-one appointments with one-on-one advisers who can help guide you through the application process from start to finish. Check out this guide available on their website.
  • first-gen-guide.com maintains an absolutely massive catalog of resources for FGLI students applying to graduate programs in all fields.
  • The GRE Math Review is a short, but absolutely essential read for anyone preparing to take the GRE, especially for those in the humanities and social sciences, whose math skills may be a bit rustier. Magoosh's free vocab flashcards, on the other hand, are a superb resource to prepare for the reading portion.
  • phdstipends.com provides a great, and generally reliable, overview of pay rates for graduate students in a variety of fields and at a wide array of institutions.

Research opportunities for undergraduates at Harvard:

  • The Harvard College Office of Research and Fellowships is generally the starting point for students seeking reserach opportunities on campus and can assist you with finding and applying for research fellowships and assisstanships.
  • The Student Employment Office is meant to help students find term-time work opportunities; usually they are paid, but often research internships are posted.  If you are looking for a research opportunity that is also paid, this is a possible place to look.
  • The Mignone Cener for Career Success is meant to help students find summer & post-graduation jobs & internships, which can be research related.
  • Websites for learned societies and professional associations in your discipline (e.g. the Archaeological Institute of America, the American Economic Association, and the Association for Women in Science) frequently post information concerning relevant research and funding opportunities.
  • We strongly encourage all students to read over the advice on joining a research lab here. This is broadly applicable and very good advice on the process of identifying a research lab and reaching out. We as pre-grad tutors are also available to chat or meet if you have questions or seek guidance about the process!
  • For students in STEM, the Undergraduate Science Research Advisor, Kate Penner, is advertised as the go-to person to meet with when an undergrad starts considering joining a research sciences lab.  She points out departmental websites, helps with resumés, and remembers which students had positive/negative experiences in a lab/if a professor is actually located somewhere else and is jointly appointed/if the lab is doing really well or poorly with funding, etc. We specifically recommend anyone with questions to reach out to Kate and schedule a meeting—she is truly the expert and will be able to guide students from any starting point!
  • From the Life Sciences page, here's a directory of STEM Head Tutors/Support Staff.  It is also considered to be completely normal for a student to ask course TFs and Head Tutors about research opportunities.

Other academic resources:

  • Concentration advisors are always the best resources for navigating the requirements of each concentration. You can find all of them on their departmental pages. Some of them are also listed below.
  • The Advising Programs Office has drop-in advising available and can help connect you with the right academic resources for you.
  • Peer tutoring is now free through the Academic Resources Center, and more information can be found here.
  • Accountability groups can provide a quiet, focused, and highly productive space to study, no matter what you're working on.
  • The Academic Resource Center also offers online and in-person academic coaching, free of charge, to students interested in learning more about techniques to better manage their work and increase productivity.