Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith greets Handong Park ’18 in Matthews Hall in Harvard Yard. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer

Jon Chase and Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographers

Campus & Community

Settling in

4 min read

Class of ’18 arrives with parents, belongings, and excitement in tow

They came from Thailand, Australia, and Costa Rica, from Victoria, B.C., Vermillion, S.D., and Lexington, Mass. The members of the Harvard College Class of 2018 hail from all 50 states and 69 countries, and today they streamed into the dorms in and around Harvard Yard to begin their undergraduate journey.

Parents helped lug bedding and clothes as the temperatures slowly climbed throughout the day. Cars and vans navigated through the people and the piles of students’ belongings.

Harvard President Drew Faust, Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana, and Dean of Freshmen Thomas Dingman were on hand to greet Harvard’s newest students and their parents.

“I think it’s really cool. It shows that they know we are here and they really care,” said MacKenzie Lawrence, as Khurana and Smith entered her room in Greenough Hall.

Lawrence, who comes from Leawood, Kan., said she is excited to get started.

“It’s crazy to me to think that I am actually starting college. But my suitemates are here, and we all clicked right away,” she said. “We’re all excited.”

Freshmen have a busy week ahead of them with a full calendar of opening days events and programming, culminating in Convocation on Sept. 1. Returning students begin arriving Thursday when the residential Houses open. The first day of classes is Sept. 2.

You can share words of advice for and photos of the Class of 2018 by using #WelcometoHarvard and #Harvard2018 in your posts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and explore the collection of words and images already shared by the Harvard community.

Freshmen receive a big welcome in Harvard Yard on move-in day. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana talks with Hillel staffer Paige LaMarche (left) and Sam Fisher ’15 on the steps of University Hall as freshmen move into the dormitories. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Jesse Zhang ’18 watches as Freshman Dean Tom Dingman and President Drew Faust greet Zhang’s classmates and their families. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith greets Handong Park ’18 in Matthews Hall in Harvard Yard. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Ethan Plotsker ’18 lugs a box across the Yard as his aunt Leslie Spannato follows. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
Chloe Li ’16 (left), Ellie Bridge ’17, and Pooja Podugu ’16 serenade incoming students and their families. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
President Drew Faust greets Thomas Slack, his mother, Sarah, and incoming freshman Lucy Slack. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
Nathaniel Horwitz ’18 leans out a window of Grays Hall with his harp, fencing foil, and lacrosse stick at his side. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
President Drew Faust and Dean of Freshmen Tom Dingman greet Peer Advising Fellows Amarachi Erondu ’15 and Katie Schmalkuche’16 (right) outside Straus Hall as they prepare to help freshmen move in. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
Shahd Tagelsir (center), from Sudan, jokes in front of Grays Hall as Jennifer Kizza ’16 (left) and Ilham Tagelsir look on. Jon Chase/Harvard Staff Photographer
At Mower Hall, Valerie Kalkejian ’18 gets a helping hand from her mother, Marcella Mora. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith greets Jeita Phillips, a proctor in Greenough. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
In Greenough Hall, Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana laughs with MacKenzie Lawrence ’18 and her mother, Sandra, of Leawood, Kan. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana (left) and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith greet Lauren Elson ’18 in her room in Matthews Hall. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana hugs Austin Harcarik ’18 in Matthews Hall. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana talks with Natalie Vega ’18 and her mother, Rosa, inside Greenough. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Carter Allinson ’18, his sister, Brooke, and mother, Hilary, receive a welcome in Hurlbut Hall from Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer
Peer Advising Fellows help freshmen move into Matthews Hall as Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana observes. Rose Lincoln/Harvard Staff Photographer