To the 2024 Visitas Attendees

To the Class of 2028,

Welcome! This upcoming weekend marks Visitas, when many of you will descend on our campus. Over the course of two jam-packed days, you’ll get a taste of life here: what it’s like to attend classes, eat in Annenberg, and stroll through the Yard.

We are two current first-years who had vastly different Visitas experiences this time last year. Nevertheless, we both decided to commit to Harvard and since then, we’ve never looked back.

Catherine’s Story — A Less Than Optimal Experience

Since I did not stay with anyone I knew, I was assigned to live in the Quad for the weekend, an experience so memorable that it drove my initial disappointment at being “Quadded” on Housing Day. For the fifteen minute walk from the Quad to the Yard, it was pouring outside and I was lost, frantically loading Google Maps to find my way to Memorial Hall for the first event.

I remember those two days in chunks of time. The frenzied extracurricular fair, lunch in Annenberg, the academic open houses, a coffee break — the events filled my schedule with little time in between. Though it was helpful to observe the various aspects of Harvard culture, it was chaotic and overwhelming. I shared some moments with a few people I already knew, but spent the majority of my time alone.

My dinner on Sunday consisted of a Cliff Bar from the vending machine in the basement of the Science Center (prefrosh were expected to eat dinner in their host’s house, and there was no way I was walking back to the Quad in the rain). As I ate alone, uncommitted to any college at the time, I was scared that I had not found a home where I was meant to spend the next four years.

Adar’s Story — A Pleasant Experience

One of my closest friends was a first-year at the time and offered to host me for Visitas. She lived in the Yard, with close proximity to the dining hall and most events. Throughout my time at Vistas, my friend guided me to various club fairs, department open houses, and cultural programming. She was able to answer specific questions about campus life from housing to classes.

I remember attending a Black Student Association talent show that showcased dances, poetry and singing. I grew excited to join BSA and become a part of similar extracurricular activities.

I remember walking through the pouring rain, laughing and smiling as my host shared story after story about her first year, from Harvard-Yale to River Run. We walked until we reached Annenberg, where we stopped by Brain Break. I met other prefrosh and we bonded over hot chocolate and cereal.

From trying Jefe’s in the Square to getting lost in the Widener stacks, I knew — from the second I set foot on campus — that Harvard was the place for me.

Our Advice to You

While Visitas can be representative of the Harvard experience, it isn’t necessarily so. Ultimately, the fabled weekend is just two days, and it can go very well — or very poorly — for any number of reasons. Just one sunny day, for example, would have made a big difference in both our Visitas experiences.

And despite our differing experiences, when we returned home, we both rushed to our computers to commit to Harvard. We were able to see past the chaos and the unfortunate weather to imagine all that Harvard could really represent — opportunity, transformation, and intellectual curiosity.

Not everyone will have the ideal introduction to Harvard. We can confidently say that neither our Visitas accounts — one good, one bad — fully reflects everyday life at Harvard. The point of Visitas is not to solidify your new friend group or decide exactly what classes and extracurriculars you wish to pursue, but rather to engage with future peers and professors for the first time (of many!) and explore a small fraction of what Harvard has to offer.

Our advice to you: Take Visitas with a grain of salt. Enjoy the opportunity to experience Harvard through the lens of a student, but try not to let it completely shape your view of Harvard. Even if you have a suboptimal experience, you belong here and can be excited to attend Harvard next fall.

So have fun during your visit here, and don’t take anything too seriously! And be thankful that, unlike last year, the weather forecast is clear and dry!

Adar M. Abdi ’27, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Matthews Hall. Catherine E.F. Previn ’27, a Crimson Editorial editor, lives in Thayer Hall.