What's Going on with the Bureau of Study Counsel?

On April 6th, Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris emailed Harvard undergraduates about the “Bureau of Study Counsel Oversight.” If you were anything like me, you might’ve thought that meant that the Bureau of Study Counsel had messed something up and Dean Harris was apologizing for it. But wait! On April 8th, there was a town hall meeting discussing the changes to the Bureau in the PBHA parlor room. Here’s what’s actually going on:

The Bureau of Study Counsel, located on 5 Linden Street, has been a home to study services for students and will be making an oversight change from University Health Services to Harvard College. By Daniela A Veloza

1. Apparently the Bureau of Study Counsel Oversight refers to an administrative change, not an error. Confusion cleared up!
2. The BSC now reports to Harvard College. Apparently, the BSC used to report to University Health Services, but no longer. If you’re just as confused as we are about what that actually means for us, read here!
3. The BSC is planning to expand the services it provides, which already includes gems such as a speed reading workshop (making A&I classes less stressful for STEM concentrators) and a workshop on how to avoid procrastination (which I clearly didn’t take, as I write this post instead of doing my reading).
4. The BSC also wants to solicit student feedback on how they can continue to improve. Go to yourbsc.fas.harvard.edu if you want to help out.

The Bureau of Study Counsel provides a much-needed service to Harvard College Students, from helping freshmen adjust to the college workload to helping seniors who are struggling in their first science class since high school by providing peer tutors. With its new changes, Flyby is happy to see the BSC so concerned with bettering the way they engage with students and soliciting student feedback along the way.