First-year families may introduce their student through a letter to the First-Year Experience Office staff. Letters may address academic background, but it is also helpful to include experiences that have shaped the student’s personality outside the classroom. (e.g. frequent family moves, recent divorce or remarriage, serious illness or recent death), knowing how a student responds to new situations, medical concerns, inclination to seek help from adults, and reaction to challenges. Introductions are not limited to parents; another family member (sibling, aunt, uncle, or grandparent) or trusted adviser (teacher, coach, or clergy) may write.

One letter may be submitted per student, with a suggested length of one to two pages (mail to 6 Prescott Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; e-mail to firstyear@fas.harvard.edu; or fax to 617-496-1624). Or, families may choose to leave a voicemail of up to four minutes at 617-870-3729.