Orientation 2026: New Harvard Chan students start building connections and community

New students at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health were welcomed to the School at Fall Orientation, which began on Aug. 25.

The three-day event began at the Joseph B. Martin Conference Center, where 460 new students from 35 countries and territories got a chance to mingle with each other and hear from Dean Andrea Baccarelli.

Dean Andrea Baccarelli chats with new students

Baccarelli told the students that they are in the right place to do work that makes a difference. He urged them to make the most of their time at the School and explore opportunities to work with its world-class faculty, attend talks with experts outside of their fields, join student clubs, take courses across the University, and learn from each other’s diverse backgrounds and perspectives. And to any new students feeling imposter syndrome about their admittance to Harvard, he added a reassuring message: “You belong here.”

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