Admission
Career Discovery is open to anyone graduating high school in 2008 or older with an interest in design or planning. A high level of academic skill is necessary to take full advantage of our rigorous program. Applications are due on May 1, 2008 and are reviewed in the order in which they are received; we encourage you to submit your application early.
Certification and Academic Credit
Each successful Career Discovery participant receives a certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a written evaluation from his or her instructor. Although the GSD cannot offer undergraduate academic credit for Career Discovery, some colleges and universities will award academic credit for a student’s participation in our program.
International Students
International students must enter the U.S. on an F-1 student visa. You will be required to certify living expenses in the amount of $3900 before the visa may be issued. Please consult the American Embassy in your home country immediately upon acceptance into Career Discovery in order to begin the visa process. If you are currently studying in the U.S., you may ask your school’s international office for approval to attend our program in lieu of applying for a new visa. International students who are not enrolled in a school where English is the primary language must demonstrate proficiency in English by taking the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). Students are expected to receive a minimum total score of 600 (paper-based) or 250 (computer-based) on the TOEFL and a minimum score of 60 (paper-based) or 25 (computer-based) on each of the three sections. If you take the internet-based test (TOEFL iBT), which is preferred, you must achieve a minimum total score of 100, with 26 in each section. Please visit http://www.ets.org/toefl/ for more information about the TOEFL, and please contact the Career Discovery office if you have any questions.
Typical Student Profile
Career Discovery students represent a broad range of ages, lifestyles, and training (most have no previous design experience), and this contributes to the challenging experience. Although most participants are college students or recent college graduates, the program has been helpful to many graduating high school students as well as men and women in their thirties, forties, and fifties who are considering a career change. In a typical year, approximately 65% of our students concentrate in architecture, 15% in landscape architecture, and 10% in urban planning and 10% in urban design. The following chart reflects demographic information for the summer of 2007:
education level
- 1% High school seniors (recent graduates)
- 56% College students
- 43% College graduates or those professionals with no previous design training
geographic origin
- 24% West/West Coast
- 27% New England
- 20% Middle Atlantic
- 13% South/Southeast
- 7% Midwest
- 7% Foreign countries
- 37 States represented
- 13 Foreign countries represented
age/gender
- Average age: 27
- Minimum age: Graduating High School Students
- Oldest participant: 59
- 42% Male
- 58% Female
- Number of participants: 250
Housing
We encourage participants to use Career Discovery housing in the nearby Harvard Law School dormitories or arrange to live near the University. Dormitory housing is supervised by student proctors; the cost of a single room is $1,156. Students using Harvard housing are asked to move in one day before the program begins and move out one day after the program ends. Upon your acceptance to the program, you will receive a housing application and information.
Please note: Dormitory space is limited and will be issued in the order that applications are received. When dorm space is not available, students will be responsible for obtaining off-campus accommodations. Refunds will not be given if a participate chooses to withdraw from the housing option after June 20, 2008.
Immunization Regulations
Students staying in the on-campus dormitories and international students attending Career Discovery while on visas of any kind must comply with Massachusetts regulations requiring proof of immunization against certain communicable diseases. These students must have a Career Discovery Immunization Form completed and signed by their healthcare provider, and they must submit their completed form to the Career Discovery Coordinator by May 30.
Meals/Miscellaneous Expenses
Career Discovery does not offer a meal plan. Breakfast and lunch may be purchased at the GSD cafeteria, and the dorms have limited kitchen facilities with no utensils. Harvard Square offers a variety of affordable restaurants. Students should expect to spend approximately $30/day for meals. Your tuition fee covers a basic kit of drafting/model-making supplies, but you should plan ahead for additional miscellaneous expenses.
Commuting
We discourage commuting because of the intensity of the program. If you must commute, we recommend public transportation because parking in Cambridge is notoriously difficult. A few permits for a University garage are available for purchase; for information, please contact the Harvard University Parking Office at 46 Blackstone Street, Cambridge, MA, 02139, 617 495-3772.
Campus security
The Harvard University Police Department publishes an annual security booklet entitled Playing It Safe, which describes Harvard’s security policies, provides campus crime statistics, and outlines some of the counseling programs offered by the University. You may obtain a copy of the booklet at http://www.hupd.harvard.edu/prevention_handbook.php
Tuition
Tuition for the Career Discovery Program is $2760.00 and includes a kit of basic studio supplies. It will be necessary to purchase some additional supplies for your studio. Dormitory housing is $1,156/room; meals and miscellaneous costs are not included. Students may use University Health Services on a fee-for-service basis. Athletic facilities are available on campus, and athletic passes may be purchased before the start of the program for $150.
Payment policy
A nonrefundable application fee of $40 must accompany each application. The tuition charge of $2,760 and the housing charge of $1,156 (if living on campus) are due within two weeks of receiving the acceptance letter. All tuition and housing payments must be made by certified check or money order (for $2,760 or $3,916 if housing is requested; please be sure that the student’s name is written on the check). No credit cards or personal checks will be accepted for tuition or housing payments. Financial aid applicants may defer tuition payment until their eligibility for aid has been determined. However, the housing charge of $1,156 must be received within two weeks of receiving the acceptance letter, as dorm space is limited and assigned on a first-come, firstserved basis. All final payments for the program must be received by May 30, 2008, whether or not financial aid was requested.
Any participant who withdraws from the 2008 program will be refunded tuition and housing costs according to the following schedule: withdraws on or before June 20, 2008 — 100% refund; withdraws on or before June 27, 2008 — 50% refund. After June 27, 2008, no refund will be given. Refunds will not be given if a participant chooses to withdraw from the housing option after June 20, 2008.
Nondiscrimination Policy
In accordance with Harvard University policy, the Graduate School of Design does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, veteran status, or handicap in admission to, access to, treatment in, or employment in its programs and activities. For inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policy, please contact the Director of Human Resources, Graduate School of Design, 48 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138; 617-495-4323. In addition, inquiries regarding the application of nondiscrimination policies on race, color, national origin, age, sex, or handicap may be referred to the Regional Director, Office for Civil Rights, U.S. Department of Education, J.W. McCormack Post Office and Courthouse, Room 222, Post Office Square, Boston, MA 02109-4557.