Events and Activities

UPCOMING EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

BSC Workshops and Discussion Groups
        The Bureau offers a variety of student workshops and discussion groups every
        semester. For current offerings, visit our Groups and Workshops page. Examples: 

Insanely Busy: What Would Happen if I Slowed Down? - May 7 3:30 - 5:00 p.m. - location TBA - for the Radcliffe Union of Students
"When we are insanely busy, we can feel as if we lose contact with the heart of what really matters to us.  And yet we fear that, if we slowed down or cut back, we couldn't succeed in an intense, high-pressure environment like Harvard.  This workshop is an opportunity for students to talk about their strivings and about realistic possibilities for living a life that honors their values and goals but isn't always on 'fast forward.'"

What Are You Doing With Your Life?
"A group to explore purpose, passion, and potential, along with the conflicts and challenges you feel in defining who you are, what you are doing, and where you are going in life."

Perfectionism: A Double-Edged Sword
"Do you view yourself and the world through the eyes of a perfectionist?  Many students struggle with the fine line between striving for excellence/achievement vs. suffering from perfectionism.  If your high standards leave you feeling constantly self-critical and miserable, if your fears of falling short of your own or other's expectations are obstacles to your learning, completing you work, or living a health life, if you feel trapped on a treadmill of joyless performing and achievement, then you might be suffering from perfectionism...."

ROOTS:  Where Are Your Coming From and Where Are You Going?
"Families can be a source of support and inspiration, or a source of obligation and conflict.  This group will provide an opportunity to explore points of connection and disconnection with your family and reflect on how past and present relationships at home affect your life, goals, and aspirations here and now."
 

PAST EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

FRED (Freshman Residential Education) Workshop and Discussion

PRISE Program - Managing Expectations for Success in the Research Laboratory
July 7, 2008gg

Insanely Busy: What Would Happen If I Slowed Down - a workshop for freshmen
April 30, 2008

Success and Failure - Panel for students at the Office of Career Services
April 2, 2008
Sponsored by two student groups:  "Students United Against Poverty" and "Diversity in Careers Awareness"

Your GPA: Myths, Risks, and Choices
Wednesday, February 21, 2007, 5-6 pm ---- PIZZA!
Panelists:
     Abigail Lipson, Ph.D., Director of the Bureau of Study Counsel
     James Mancall, Ph.D., Assistant Dean of Advising Programs (and past Resident Dean of Freshmen)
     Lee Ann Michelson, Ph.D., Director of Pre-Medical and Health Career Advising
     Ariel Phillips, Ed.D., Counselor at the Bureau of Study Counsel

Grades and Beyond: Perfectionism, Risk-taking, and Learning from Failure 
Thursday Sept 14, 2006 - for teaching staff only
Sponsored by the Derek Bok Center, Fall Teaching Conference
Presenters:  Ariel Phillips and SungLim Shin (BSC Counselors)
"As teachers, we want to encourage our students to truly learn and discover, not just work for grades. And yet, students are often reluctant to take intellectual risks for fear of less-than-perfect grades, which they see as failures. How can we encourage our students to take risks in the service of deeper engagement in their learning? This session includes a description of William Perry's scheme for understanding student development as it relates to students' beliefs about the nature of learning and teaching."

Round Table on Success and Failure
June 13, 2006
Sponsored by the Bureau of Study Counsel
Moderators:  Abigail Lipson (BSC Director); Ariel Phillips (BSC Counselor)
Presenters:  Tal Ben-Shahar (Lecturer on Psychology), on the "perfectionism" lecture in his course on Positive Psychology; Thomas Jehn (Preceptor in Expository Writing, Assistant Director of the Harvard Writing Project), on his Expository Writing section, "Success Stories," examining historical and cultural notions of success; Harry Lewis (Professor of Computer Science, past Dean of Harvard College), on his new book, Excellence Without a Soul.
Participants:  Michael Basseches (BSC Counselor); Sarah Bingham (BSC Assistant Director);  Robert Kegan (Professor in Adult Learning and Professional Development, HGSE);  Frank McNamara (BSC Counselor); Sandra Nadoff (Senior Lecturer in Literature and Comparative Literature, Master of Mather House); Sheila Reindl (BSC Counselor); Sung Lim Shin (BSC Counselor); Niti Seth (BSC Counselor); Craig Rodgers (BSC Counselor); Claire Shindler (BSC Counselor); M. Suzanne Renna (BSC Associate Director).

Perspectives on Success and Failure in College: Panel Discussions for Parents of First-Year Harvard Students 
Sponsored by the Harvard College Parents Association, Office of Undergraduate Admissions, Freshman Dean's Office, and the Bureau of Study Counsel.
Moderator:  Ariel Phillips, Bureau of Study Counsel

APRIL 2005 PANELISTS
Jay Ellison, Lecturer on Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, Secretary to the Admin. Board
Judith Palfrey, HMS Professor of Pediatrics, HSPS Professor of Maternal and Child Health
Bill Wright-Swadel, Director of the Office of Career Services
Yi-Ping Ong, Resident Tutor in Kirkland House, doctoral candidate in English
Wordna Warren, Class of 2005

APRIL 2004 PANELISTS
Catherine Shapiro, Senior Tutor of Leverett House
Charles Ducey, (past) Director of the Bureau of Study Counsel
Michael Rodriguez, Lecturer in Psychology, Senior Tutor of Adams House
Jay Harris, Professor of Jewish Studies
Margo Hoppin, Class of 2004

APRIL 2003 PANELISTS
William Kirby, Professor of History, Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Daniel Gorroff, Professor of Mathematics, Assoc. Dir. of the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
Ann Harrington, Professor of the History of Science
Lawrence Steven Long, Class of 2003

APRIL 2002 PANELISTS
Dudley Herschbach, Professor of Science
Allen Counter, Director of the Harvard Foundation, Professor of Neurobiology
Diana Eck, Professor of Comparative Religion and Indian Studies

APRIL 2001 PANELISTS
Satomi Matsumara, Senior Preceptor in Japanese
Everett Mendelsohn, Professor of the History of Science
Sandra Nadaff, Senior Lecturer on Literature, Co-Master of Mather House
Walter Bethune, Class of 2001
Cristin Hodgens, Class of 2001

OCTOBER 2000 PANELISTS
Howard Georgi, Professor of Physics, Master of Leverett House
Lauren Korfine, Lecturer on Psychology
Judith Ryan, Professor of German and Comparative Literature
Harry Lewis, Professor of Computer Science, (past) Dean of Harvard College
Kathrine Meyers, Class of 1998

APRIL 2000 PANELISTS
Tal Ben-Shahar, Teaching Fellow in Psychology and Resident Tutor in Leverett House
Margaret Darnton, Class of 2000
Daniel Goroff, Professor of Mathematics, Assoc. Dir. of the Bok Center for Teaching and Learning
Pamela Keel, Assistant Professor of Psychology