Abstract:

How do students experience taking a leave of absence from Harvard University, and then reintegrating back into university life? To gain insight into this question, a survey of Harvard students who had taken a leave of absence was completed by 34 respondents. Survey results showed that students received a wide range of information on Harvard’s policies during the process of taking a leave of absence, indicating that more information should be provided to students to supplement Harvard’s existing publications. In addition to survey responses, a comparative analysis of the policies and information provided by Harvard University and Princeton University was conducted to formalize a list of recommendations for improvement. Recommendations include a revisit of the work requirement for students who take a medical leave of absence and the improvement of the online materials presented to students searching for information on the Leave of Absence policies.