What To Do When You Didn't Win the Lottery

So the course of your dreams—convenient time slot, knocks out a Gen Ed, cross-counts for concentration credit—has been lotteried, and the professor writes to you: "Looking forward to a great semester of this class—except without you in it." No need to panic just yet, though. On this Study Card Day Eve, Flyby's got you covered.

You didn't get: CS 105: "Privacy and Technology"

Guess Waldo didn't think your video application was ready for prime time.

You should take: GOV 1430: "The Politics of Personal Data." Meets Tuesday/Thursday 10:00-11:30 in CGIS-Knafel K-107. Same general topics as "Privacy and Technology," and a "data lab component" that may make this even more of a CS class than 105.

You didn't get: GOV 1510: "American Constitutional Law"

We scoured the entire internet for traces of its near twin, Laurence Tribe's United States in the World 18: "Thinking About the Constitution"—but unfortunately, that course seems to have vanished completely.

You should take: ER 31: "The Philosopher and the Tyrant." But only if you need an ethical reasoning class that meets at roughly the same time (Tuesday/Thursday 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. in Sever Hall 203). We know it's not the same.

You didn't get: USW 30: "Tangible Things: Harvard Collections in World History"

If you can wait, you should take: Anthro 1130: "Archaeology of Harvard Yard," offered next fall.

If you can't wait, and you're looking for a U.S. in the World, take: USW 13: "Medicine and Society in America" It meets at the same time (Monday/Wednesday 11 a.m. in Yenching Auditorium).

You didn't get: SPU 27: "Science and Cooking"

If you're just looking for the SPU requirement, you should take: PHYSICS 15c: "Wave Phenomena," which meets at the same time just one room over in Science Center D. But somehow, that doesn't strike us as too natural of a replacement.

If you just want to be able to snarkily respond that you're "studying" whenever you're stress-eating, take:

Anthro 1040: "Origins of the Food We Eat." Meets Monday/Wednesday at 11 a.m. in Peabody Museum Putnam Lab (59-D) or

EMR 22: "Nutrition and Health: Myths, Paradigms, and Science." Meets Monday 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. in Harvard Hall 104.

You didn't get: GOV 1540: "The American Presidency"

You should take: GOV 30: "American Government: A New Perspective." Meets Monday/Wednesday 1 p.m. in CGIS-South S-010 Lecture Hall or

GOV 1060: "Ancient and Medieval Political Philosophy" — a great way to sneak an ER in! Meets Tuesday/Thursday 11:30 p.m. - 1 p.m. in CGIS-Knafel K-050.

You didn't get: HIST-LIT 90at: "The Postwar American Road Narrative;" HIST-LIT 90au: Zombies, Monsters, and Super Heroes: The Fantastic in 20th-c. America;" or another small English, History, or Hist and Lit seminar

You should take: HIST-LIT 90aj: "America Through European Eyes" Meets Tuesday 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. in Barker 118. or

HIST-LIT 90ax: "Africans in Europe." Meets Thursdays 1 p.m. - 3 p.m. Barker 118. or

HIST-LIT 90aw: "Life Narratives in Postcolonial Africa." Meets Monday 3 p.m. - 5 p.m. in Barker 118.

You didn't get: USW 36: "Innovation and Entrepreneurship: American Experience in Comparative Perspective"

You should take: We looked really hard for something similar that you wouldn't have to cross the river to take but couldn't find one. Harvard, this is a pretty popular topic—what's going on?

You didn't get: Folklore and Myth 128: "Fairy Tale, Myth, and Fantasy Literature"

Huh: We looked pretty hard but somehow couldn't find another class that has Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows on the syllabus. We could look for other classes in this time slot that meet Folk and Myth requirements, if any of its handful of concentrators would find that helpful?