‘We Have To Show Out’: Undergrads Get Energized for First Day of Classes

Most days, handfuls of tourists pose on the Widener Library steps as Harvard students rush past. But on Tuesday, the steps buzzed with excitement as students themselves stopped for pictures to commemorate the first day of classes.

“I feel like energy is really high right now,” Nafisa Zaman ’28 said.

The high energy came with coordinated photo shoots and elaborate outfits, as students reunited with friends for the first day of the fall semester.

“This is the photo op, this is what goes on the Instagram, so you know, we have to show out,” Zaman said. “I also love seeing people dress up like this because then winter comes, and we’re all in sweatpants and puffer jackets.”

“I hope everyone in my classes today appreciates my fit while they can bc they will never see this level of effort again,” one Harvard Sidechat user posted.

For Harvard’s Class of 2029, Tuesday also marked their first day of college.

Coming out of her Applied Math 10: “Computing with Python for Scientists and Engineers” and Expos Studio 10 classes, Aster Dean ’29 said her first day was a good introduction to being a student at the College.

“I did have some difficulty getting to Expos 10 because my key card wasn’t working with the elevator at the staircase,” Dean said. “But overall, getting to see new students that I hadn’t run into in the dining hall or during orientation events and figuring out the layout of the classes that I’m taking so far — it was kind of a relief.”

“I do like that it’s a smooth transition into college, in a sense that we’re just going over basic information and the syllabus and stuff like that,” she added.

Yavuz S. Atlamaz ’29 said he felt both “excited” and “a little nervous” going into his first day of classes at Harvard. But once in the classroom setting, he was fascinated.

“It was just cool to see these brilliant professors talk about their very distinct ideas, and see the Harvard kids rushing to take notes and just very immediately impassioned as they sat in lecture,” Atlamaz said.

Fellow freshman Dorie M. Meunier ’29 said by the end of orientation, she was ready for classes to start.

“It was a little surreal this morning when I got up and was like, ‘Okay, we’re actually doing this thing that has been talked about for like a week now,’” Meunier said.

“It feels nice to feel like the beginnings of a routine are starting,” she later added.

Sophomores and juniors saw Tuesday as a transition, rather than a new dawn.

“Yesterday, I did not feel like today was gonna be that big of a deal, because I already know the campus, it feels less scary,” Jenny E. Ng ’28 said. “I think that just comes with not being a freshman anymore.”

“I feel old now that I’m a junior and seeing all the freshmen and sophomores,” Madison G. Echols ’27 said.

For seniors, Tuesday marked the first of many lasts in their college career. Despite the Trump administration’s continuous efforts to threaten the status of international students and strip away research funding, as well as the closure of Harvard’s diversity offices over the summer, many seniors remained optimistic about the new school year.

“Every year for the Class of ’26, it’s felt really, really different,” Lexi G. Williams ’26 said. “But I think that this year my sense is that everyone’s just really grateful to be here with each other.”

“It is really weird walking around campus and not seeing anyone older than you,” Williams said. “But it is really exciting to be back with a class for one last time.”

Jayden-Joseph G. Acoba ’26 said this year will be a “point of reflection” on his Harvard career — and a springboard for adventures to come.

“I think being here now that I know it’s my last first day of classes, now I feel like there’s so much pressure to make this the best year yet,” Acoba said.

“I’m just really excited to make more memories,” he added.

—Staff writer Chantel A. De Jesus can be reached at chantel.dejesus@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @c_a_dej.

—Staff writer Nirja J. Trivedi can be reached at nirja.trivedi@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @nirjatriv.