a.k.a. Crimson Cart
What is it?
Towards the end of shopping period, you will have to electronically submit a document called your study card. This is done online through my.harvard.edu. Your study card lists the courses you will take that semester, and how many credits you will get for each course, and your advisor needs to approve the card before it can be submitted. It is a good idea to discuss your course selection with your advisor in advance, to minimize delays with study card submission.
How do I fill it out?
Each semester, you need to register for a total of 16 credits. Usually, a course counts for 4 credits (so you might take 4 classes). But since we are grad students, you might want to spend some of your time (and credits) on research or teaching.
Research: There are two ways to account for time spent on research on your study card. One is to enroll in a 299r (a supervised research course, often used as a way of finding out if a lab is a good fit for you). The other is to enroll in a 300-level course with your advisor. While a regular class counts for 4 credits on your study card, a 300-level course can count for up to 16 credits.
Teaching: If you are TF-ing a class, you can register for Time-T. The number of credits this counts for will vary depending on whether you have a quarter-, half- or full-time appointment.
Examples:
In your first year, your study card might look like this:
1) two courses, one 299r, one 300-level course or
2) three courses, one 299r or
3) four courses (*)
In your fourth year, your study card might look like this:
one 300-level course, counting for 16 credits (ie you are spending all of your time on research)
*: Taking four courses at once is generally not a good idea. You will not have any time left for research.
