#studynwrite

10.05.2020

Hello, folks, my first fall semester at Harvard is over and I thought I would share what the readings in a semester at Harvard looked like. I will preface that I took a humanities-heavy course load as I'm planning to concentrate in English! I've broken each course's readings as I felt appropriate. As always, if y'all have any questions at all feel free to send me an ask -- I'm always more than happy to talk about my experiences in education!

Expos 20.242: Why Shakespeare (Expository Writing Req):

Required Texts

Hamlet by William Shakespeare

Macbeth by William Shakespeare

Ambition by Rachel Bridge

Research Paper Texts

Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

A Good Man is Hard to Find & Other Stories by Flannery O'Connor

English 10: Literature Today

Books

Sing, Unburied, Sing by Jesmyn Ward

Whereas by Layli Long Soldier

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro

The Hard Tomorrow by Eleanor Davis

Short Pieces

"Happiest Moment" by Lydia Davis

"Smithereens" by Aleksander Hemon

"Hill of Hell" by Laura van den Berg

"How Many by Bryan Washington

"Can a Woman Who is an Artist Ever Just Be an Artist?" by Rachel Cusk

"The Muse at Her Easel" by Zadie Smith

"The Embassy of Cambodia" by Zadie Smith

"The Mupandawana Dancing Champion" by Petina Gappah

"The Disaster Store" by Helen Phillips

"Face Time" by Lorrie Moore

Freshman Seminar 40P: Appraising and Reimagining Middle and High School Math Education

Books

The Teaching Gap by Stigler and Hiebert

Excerpts from Reign of Error: The Hoax of the Privatization Movement and the Danger to America's Public Schools by Diane Ravich

Supplemental Readings

"Views on High School Mathematics Education"

"A Mathematician's Lament" by Paul Lockhart

"A Brief History of American K-12 Mathematics Education in the 20th Century" by James Royer

"Do the Math!" by David Wilson

"Why are Finland's Schools Successful?" by LynNell Hancock

"The Economic Impact of the Achievement Gap in America's Schools" by McKinsey and Company

"Achievement Gap Between White and Black Students Still Gaping" by Laren Camera

"Can Public Schools Fix the Achievement Gap? Yes, but They Won't." by Peter Sacks

"Reframing the Achievement Gap" by Robert Evans

"Closing the Opportunity Gap in Mathematics Education" by NCTM

"Summer Can Set Kids on the Right - or Wrong - Course" by Jeff Smink

"What Doesn't Meet the Eye: Understanding and Addressing Racial Disparities in High-Achieving Suburban Schools" by Ronald Ferguson

"An 82% Failure Rate on High School Algebra Exam?" by Stuart Anderson

"Rethinking 'Algebra for All'?" by Edward Silver

"The Myth of 'I'm Bad at Math'" by Miles Kimball and Noah Smith

"Building Thinking CLassrooms in Mathematics" by Peter Liljedahl

"No Child Left Behind Has Been Left Behind" by Lauren Camera

"The Math Wars" by Alan Schoenfeld

I wanted to ask if it's okay to dm you for tips for applying to Harvard as I'm going to start my application this fall!

All the love!

Hello!

Sorry for a later reply than I'd usually give, but I've just gotten home from the ~2 day drive home from Harvard & have been deep into unpacking, etc.

You can absolutely DM me about specific questions and such about applying to Harvard, though I'm gonna offer some larger, looser advice here for everyone

You absolutely do not need to present yourself as jack-of-all-trades-renaissance-man that we often get told is the perfect applicant in high school.

The best way to work through your application is to tell a story. Explain why you care so much about Math or poetry or environmental activism or whatever it may be -- did you do several activities in high school related to STEM? You can make yourself a STEM applicant. If you didn't give a fuck about the humanities in high school you don't have to make yourself look like you did

Let yourself have fun! I know, I know -- what? But, truly, doing personal essays and putting together the pieces of yourself, all that jazz can be fun if you don't stress too, too much! Yes, applications are important but separating yourself from that is worthwhile to keep yourself sane.

Stay ahead of deadlines. Ask your teachers for recommendations as soon as possible. Draft a personal essay over the summer. Working down to deadlines will make you miserable, and if you can stay ahead of them it is worth doing.

for context i have experience with:

- common app

- accepted competitive college applications, including Harvard

- applying first gen

- applying from a lower-income background

so if i can help any current seniors (or any high schoolers who are curious!) let me know!

much love,