|
Gayle Merrithew, Director of the Registration Office
What do you most want incoming students to know or understand about the services you offer?
The role of the Registration Office is often perceived as that of a “gatekeeper” of the records or “enforcer” of the rules and policies of the school. In fact, much of our time and resources are dedicated to helping students navigate the Harvard and HGSE bureaucracy, giving them the information and options they need to make good decisions, and providing them with official HGSE documents such as transcripts and diplomas. Whether it’s an enrollment question, an inquiry about health insurance, or an urgent tuition-related problem, we hope that students will take advantage of the Registration Office’s open-door policy and feel free to either drop by or e-mail us with questions and concerns.
What are some of the best-kept secrets about the services you provide?
One service that many students do not take full advantage of is the free official transcript after each term of enrollment (additional transcripts are available at $2.00 per copy). Current students and alumni are often unaware of our free-transcript policy and are frequently surprised that they are not charged for a transcript when they order one. Although the Registration Office does issue grade reports at the end of each semester, we do so at a time when some grades are still missing and some students still have Incompletes. Ordering a transcript mid-semester is a good way for students to monitor their own progress and to avoid any pre-Commencement problems involving outstanding grades or course mix-ups.
What advice would you like to tell incoming students?
The best advice the Registration Office can give new students is to keep informed about important HGSE dates, deadlines, and policies and to bear in mind that they are also members of the larger Harvard community. Although e-mail has become a primary means of communication with and among students, it is a good idea to become familiar with all the relevant web sites, student portals, and printed documents used to convey information to students. We hope that the Useful Links page of the Registration Office web site (http://www.gse.harvard.edu/~reg/links.html) helps students get registration-related information quickly and efficiently.
The registration process at HGSE is unique. Can you explain this process to incoming students?
At most colleges and universities, “registration” is synonymous with “enrollment” in courses. Here at HGSE, and at Harvard University in general, we differentiate between registering at the school and enrolling in classes. Registration, which occurs first, marks the student’s official arrival on campus and is the time when the student provides the school with census-type information such as local address and phone number and when important documents such as I.D. cards and course catalogs are given out. Enrollment in courses is done officially on Course Enrollment Day, which occurs about one week later, at which time students are expected to have made their course selections and are to submit a study form listing the courses they plan to take for the semester. The week in between Registration Day and Study Form Day is called the “shopping period,” during which time students may visit as many classes as they wish.
How can students access and monitor their course enrollment online?
After study forms are collected and processed, HGSE students are able to view a list of the courses in which they have enrolled for the semester and see, at a glance, course-specific information such announcements, assignments, important dates and section listings. Using a Harvard University I.D. number and PIN, students may access this site at the following URL: http://my.gse.harvard.edu.
From this site, students are also able to access other important HGSE and Harvard University information and links and to customize the site by adding their own favorite links.
Could you talk about the option of taking courses Satisfactory/No Credit as opposed to a grade?
Here at HGSE, there are two grading options: 1) the letter grade option (A, A-, B+, etc., down to D-, E); and the Satisfactory/No Credit option (Satisfactory means work of B- or better quality). When students file their study forms, they are expected to indicate their grade-option preference for each course. However, the student’s preference may be overridden if the instructor chooses to grade all students one way or the other.
What advice do you have for students interested in cross-registration?
The best advice for students is to investigate the course as much as possible before cross-registering. What are the course requirements? How does the course fit in with one’s overall study plan? How many HGSE credits will it convert to? Is there an examination? When will the examination be held and will it conflict with an HGSE class? If it’s a spring class, is it possible that the grade might not come in on time for graduation in June?
Return to top
|
