The 10 Hardest (& Easiest) Classes At Harvard University

It’s 11pm on a Saturday night and your night has just begun!

Unfortunately, it is not quite as you envisioned in the days before you became a collegiette and realized that college is less like Asher Roth’s ‘I Love College’ and more like, well, work. Instead of partying, you’re sprawled on your bed or floor with textbooks, printed-out readings and unfinished problem sets cocooning you. Oh well. You came here to work, right? Everyone is dealing with the same stuff, right?

But what about that girl across the hall—the one who parties all weekend, sleeps all week, and never seems to be behind on anything? Or, on the other extreme, that roommate of yours who seems to have moved out of your room and into the library (has she even emerged to shower this month)? It all comes down to this: not all courses, and not all course loads, are created equal, not even if you go to Harvard. So using Harvard’s “CUE guide”, in which undergraduates are encouraged to share their course experiences by rating their classes after they take them, we’ve put together a list of the hardest and easiest class at Harvard University. Because aren’t we all curious?

The Hardest:

1. Physics 16: Mechanics and Special Relativity

Aspiring to be a physicist? Or just a fan of lots of work and little sleep? Then Professor Howard Georgi’s class might be for you! You can plan on spending a solid 11 hours on Physics 16 coursework outside of class each week and, as a former student so eloquently said in his/her review, “Just know in advance that Physics 16 will sometimes control your life, especially on Wednesday nights.” Does it still sound tempting? Then go for it. Although the class is infamous as one of the hardest classes you can take, with 85% of former students rating it as “difficult” or “very difficult,” 93% of those that make it through would recommend it, to some extent or another, to others. As another anonymous former student said, “It is hard, you will be like ‘wtf’ more than you probably ever have for a (science/math-y) course…but, there’s really no other way to learn intro mech[anics] with as much (sometimes only just manageable) theoretical/math-y depth.”

2. Math 55a: Honors Abstract Algebra

If you sign up for Math 55a, stock up on Red Bull and plan on spending around fourteen hours on coursework outside of class each week. It’s not without reason that when someone announces that they’re taking Math 55a, it’s pretty much an announcement of being a hardworking math prodigy: 81% of former students polled rated this class as “very difficult.” On the other hand, 100% of former students would recommend the class to others. Maybe it’s world-renowned Professor Noam D. Elkies’ above-usual accessibility outside of class, or his reported ability to generate enthusiasm for abstract algebra (if that doesn’t count as a superpower, I’m not sure what does). Whatever it is, although the course’s workload is almost double the departmental average, its rating by students is slightly above the departmental average overall.

3. Social Studies 10b: Introduction to Social Studies

Before all you science/math concentrators start bemoaning your decision to forgo the (seemingly easier) humanities, let’s take a look at Social Studies 10b—the monster of the humanities beginner’s schedule. Sure, social studies may be touted as the “non-major major” at Harvard, suitable only for aspiring trophy wives, but don’t be fooled—this course is no joke. History buffs can plan on spending around ten hours per week on coursework outside of class and 76% of former students polled rated the class as either “difficult” or “very difficult,” with only 1% rating it as “easy” and 0% rating it as “very easy.” As seems to be the trend with these scary-hard classes, however, the course’s level of challenge seems to correspond directly with the level of satisfaction its survivors’ experience. Of those polled, 95% would recommend the course to others. One former student called it a “truly life-changing course.”

4. Computer Science 225: Pseudorandomness

Though information technology may be the way to bring home the bacon (Mark Zuckerberg, anyone?) you’re going to have to work for that degree. Plan on about 11 hours per week of coursework outside of class and be forewarned that 0% of students polled rated the class as “easy” or “very easy.” On the other hand, the work seems to be rewarding: 100% of students polled would recommend the course to others and the course received the ever-elusive CUE guide score of 5.00 out of 5.00. If you’re willing to take on the challenge, this class could be great! You’ll learn to generate objects that “look random” using techniques that involve little to no randomness. Is it just me, or does this sound like something that could qualify you for a career as a Vegas magician?

5. Philosophy 129: Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason

Though this course’s weekly workload is below the departmental average (it only requires about 4 hours per week outside of class), 95% of students polled rated it is as “difficult” or “very difficult.” Focused on understanding Kant’s first Critique, the class has some heavy reading.  A real interest in philosophy is pretty much a prerequisite for enrollment, as this is no light foot-wetting experience, but aspiring philosophers may find that, as one former student said, “Kant is filled with magic.”

6. Government 1061: The History of Modern Political Philosophy

This certainly isn’t the course you would sign up for if you’re just trying to get a base-level understanding of politics. I wouldn’t be shocked to find the next Hillary Clinton or Condoleezza Rice in this class, as its in-depth study of the rise and history of modernity will prepare political hopefuls for the kind of effort they’re going to have to put in to succeed. According to former students, you will need to “be prepared to give your life up,” but will also get to learn from the beloved Professor Mansfield, who (in a somewhat sacrilegious assertion) “is a god.”

7. Economics 1126: Quantitative Methods in Economics

It only seems fair that economics majors, who can earn up to six digits fresh out of Harvard, should have to suffer a bit. And with this course, they certainly do. Picture this: a 7-10 hour weekly workload outside of class, tough assignments covering everything from statistical decision theory to incidental parameters, and a pretty low CUE guide score of 3.06 out of 5.00 (as compared to the departmental average of 4.12). Yup, that sounds just about right.

8. Chemistry 161: Statistical Thermodynamics

The humanities have gotten their fair share of attention on this list, but don’t worry—I haven’t forgotten the sciences. With Chemistry 161’s 10-hour per weekly workload, you’ll be hard pressed to forget, too. On top of that monster of a workload, its CUE guide scores are extremely low (an overall course score of 1.29 out of 5.00, as compared to the departmental average of 3.89) and 95% of former students would not recommend the course. The class may actually be a scarring experience, as one former student claims, “I was so terrified of this class. I am unbelievably relieved that it’s over. Thank God.” Yikes!

9. Medieval Latin 110: Latin Literature of the Twelfth Century

Who’s surprised that a Latin course made it onto this list? Let’s just say that I’m not. Taking this class means having about ten fewer hours per week to eat/sleep/socialize and 100% of former students rate this class as difficult. Astoundingly, however, 100% of former students also say that they are likely to recommend the course to others. It seems that the exceptionally well-led sections, which received a perfect score in the CUE guide, are this challenging course’s saving grace.

10. History 97: Sophomore Tutorial

91% of former students rate this course as “difficult” or “very difficult” and you can anticipate a workload of around 12 hours per week outside of class. This sophomore tutorial, a practical introduction to research in the humanities, seems almost like a rite to separate the weak from the serious, as far as history majors go. As one former student said, “If expos [a mandatory freshman writing course] is a friendly little puppy, [history] 97 is a grizzly bear that devours you.” On the other hand, another student says,  
“I had a love-hate relationship with History 97, but I think it actually was a very intellectually enriching experience.” Just be ready to work. Hard.