When international students arrive at Masters they don’t just have to unpack their suitcases, they also have to unpack a new culture and a different learning style. For many Harkness can be the first challenge they face in the classroom.

Dylan Fernandez ‘27, a boarder from Costa Rica, remembers feeling confused when first hearing about Harkness. “Back in Costa Rica, we usually don’t sit around a table with everyone being able to participate, so that change of everyone being on the same table instead of being on different desks I think is better and more interesting.” He shared that overtime he began growing more confident in discussions, “I used to be really shy at the table, but now I’m pretty sure there’s not a single class where I don’t participate.”

Language can also add to the difficulty of learning to thrive in Harkness. Jasper Yang ‘29, an international student from China, mentioned how it took time for him to start participating in Harkness.

Not every international student arrives at Masters with no knowledge of Harkness. Maria Viniegra Ocampo ‘28 practiced the Harkness method at her old school although she mentioned differences. “My previous school only used Harkness for English and History, here we discuss in every class, even math. The hardest part was adjusting to how different teachers use it.” She also enjoys how discussions expose her to diverse perspectives. “You hear from people from all different backgrounds, and it makes you more respectful in real life conversations.”

For others, the transition to understanding Harkness is still ongoing. Mark Bracun ‘29 said, “ It is hard because you don’t need to raise your hand, and I’m shy when it comes to talking in big groups, but every day I’m improving.”

Even after class, Harkness-like discussions continue. Yang said, “During dinner we sit around a table talking about our day, similar to the format of Harkness.” Fernandez also talked about conversations continuing after class. “Walking back to the dorms we continue discussions that were held in class,” he said.

Even though adjusting to Harkness can be challenging at first for international students, over time they adapt to the discussion based learning and participate more and more in class.