Until this trip, I never imagined that I would be visiting Harvard University as a prospective student. This past year I have truly dedicated myself to striving towards my dreams of transferring to a 4-year university that fits the ideal qualities of education I see for myself. Entering the campus was at first overwhelming, especially trying to find our way around, but it was beautiful and everything I’d expect from my “dream college”. As I walked into the lecture hall, my mind and nerves were buzzing with excitement, imagining how my class would be. Would I be able to keep up with these Ivy League students? Will this class be much harder than I’m used to? How many students will there be?

 

I was so amazed by Professor Caton’s Social Anthropology class, which I visited. He was obviously very passionate about his work and his experiences of exploring a Middle Eastern country. He was also very sweet and very welcoming of my fellow peers (Michael Jefferson and David Pan) and me. His textbook, which he authored, was so intriguing. I wished that I could have had a better understanding of what was going on in the readings.

 

As we were sitting in this class, absolutely impressed, I noticed the professor struggling to get answers out of his students. He’d often ask questions based on the readings and it was like pulling teeth. No one wanted to answer and didn’t really seem to care about the class at all. This was definitely not what I was expecting from a school like Harvard. I felt as though if I was a regular student here, I could comfortably keep up with this particular class and its readings with enthusiasm. How is it that all of these students were so uninspired by this course?

            When the class finished, and most of the students left, Michael, David and I spoke to the professor about the class and bombarded him with questions! I almost squealed with excitement when he told us that we asked him better questions than his own students! Dr. Caton also explained that even though most Harvard students are very intelligent, most of them are longing for more professional advancement so a class like Social Anthropology doesn’t tend to appeal to them. I explained my desire to study liberal arts and social sciences and Dr. Caton flat out said this school wasn’t for me and I should not apply. As much as he loves Harvard, he explained that students like us, who have a pure thirst for academia and knowledge, would not thrive at Harvard University. I was so shocked that he was willing to admit this, but couldn’t be more grateful.

            After speaking with him for about a half hour, he offered to take the three of us on a private tour of his favorite spots on campus and then have lunch together. The tour was great and I couldn’t be more excited to have a private tour from a professor at Harvard! I expected this trip to go well but not like this!

            Even though I realized Harvard isn’t the school for me, it made me that much more inspired and motivated to continue to take my pursuit of knowledge and academia a priority in my life and that as amazing as a school can be, it doesn’t mean the university will be right for everyone. It’s a challenge to decide what school will be best for an individual, but it was so amazing to be able to have the opportunity to explore these options on a trip like this. This trip also helped me in knowing what to look and ask for as I visit other universities.

            Thank you so much to everyone who made this trip possible. It’s vital that community college students have this opportunity to explore 4-year universities and realize they can too receive a quality education like the one Harvard provides.