Hosted by The Harvard Crimson, one of the most prestigious college papers in the U.S
Receive official certificates and personal portfolio with the chance for publication in The Harvard Crimson
International top high school students gather at Harvard Crimson's headquarters to learn with star mentors
Tackle the factors in the US university application to improve individual competitiveness and writing skills
An immersive learning experience designed to provide a deeper understanding of journalism
Be immersed in an academic and humanistic atmosphere at Harvard and MIT

Welcome Letter

The Harvard Crimson Introduction

Founded in 1873, The Harvard Crimson is the official student newspaper of Harvard University, and the oldest continuously published daily college newspaper in the United States. and is routinely recognized by organizations like the Society of Professional Journalists and the Associated Collegiate Press as one of the most prestigious college papers in the country. Our reporting has a major impact on Harvard, oftentimes breaking stories that lead to shifts in campus discourse and push our paper to the forefront of a digital-first media landscape.

With over 350 students on staff, the Crimson is one of the largest student organizations at Harvard. We're also home to over 40 Pulitzer Prize winners. Countless Crimson alumni have gone on to make history in journalism, business, public service, and politics; distinguishable figures include Franklin D. Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy, Steve Ballmer, Linda Greenhouse, Jim Cramer, Susan Wojcicki and more.

The Harvard Crimson runs educational programs for high school students of all experience levels centered on journalism, business, and college admissions, and aims to provide high-quality resources and mentorship students need to recognize their full potential. Through inviting dedicated Crimson editors, notable alumni, industry leaders, and Harvard professors, our programs prepare students with skills critical to future success in all aspects of life.

Introduction to Harvard Crimson Journalism Academy

The Harvard Crimson is a 19-year-old academic media initiative tailored for high school students in the US, aiming to provide students with a rigorous and practical academic experience to help them hone the skills essential for their future academic pursuits and careers. In 2023, Harvard Crimson collaborated with ASEEDER to introduce The Harvard Crimson Journalism Academy to China for the first time, to foster students' interest in news and media through comprehensive instruction on the news reporting process and engage in the journalism activities.

In July 2025, The Harvard Crimson Journalism Academy will invite aspiring news and media enthusiasts worldwide to its headquarters. This esteemed program boasts a highly qualified faculty including current Harvard Crimson editors, renowned alumni, and industry pioneers. Through a series of lectures, seminars, and guest speakers, the program will delve into the news reporting process and cross-platform writing. It aims to immerse students in the world of journalism, honing their communication and analytical skills through news simulation and practical reporting exercises.

The Harvard Crimson program focuses on the US university application, offering an in-depth exploration of the application process to help students showcase their unique strengths through personal statements and boost their competitiveness for top-tier universities. Participants will develop a personal portfolio, with the chance to be published in The Harvard Crimson and receive official certificates. Additionally, the program includes visits to the Harvard University Art Museums and a tour of the Harvard campus. Students will also explore Boston's rich cultural and educational landscape by visiting the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Freedom Trail, the MIT campus, and other notable historical and academic sites, immersing themselves in the vibrant educational atmosphere of this famous city.

Why Us

Immersive Experience as A Harvard Media Participant
The program will be hosted in Harvard University. The Harvard Crimson has 100 years of development and change, making it one of the landmarks on the campus. During the program, students will delve into The Harvard Crimson to explore its history and development.
Star Mentors from The Harvard Crimson
The teaching faculty is composed of the current Harvard Crimson editors, journalists, and other members, as well as industrial pioneers to teach students the techniques and process of the news report, helping them to gain a comprehensive understanding of the latest status and trends in the journalism industry, expanding their perspectives and honing their writing ability
Application for US Universities
The program emphasizes college admissions applications and teaching students how to construct a strong applicant profile, particularly through their essays.
Certificate and Portfolio Output
Upon the completion of the personal portfolio, students will receive an official certificate issued by The Harvard Crimson. Excellent work will have the chance for publication in The Harvard Crimson.
Immersion in Diversified International Classroom and University Life
Students will learn with peers all over the world to gain insights into journalism and media reporting, the realities of journalism, and the skills required of journalists to experience a highly international and diverse classroom environment.
In-depth Experience of Historical and Cultural City
Students will have an opportunity to travel to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, Freedom Trail, MIT campus and other well-known cultural, historical, and educational venues, focusing on the city experience, and feel the educational atmosphere of the famous city of Boston.

Teaching Faculty

*The faculty is subject to change.

Eleanor Wikstrom

Social Studies, Harvard University
As the longest-serving Editorial Chair in The Crimson's recent history, she has edited and fact-checked over 250 opinion pieces to date, coordinated the work of over one hundred staff writers and eighteen editors, and produced staff-editorials that garnered awards from the Society of Professional Journalists. Her individual opinion pieces on Harvard and the Philippines have also gone viral on social media and been featured in national news outlets across Asia.

Cynthia V. Lu

Applied Math, Harvard University
As the The Crimson's business manager, she oversees the $500k financial and operational foundation of the oldest continuously published collegiate student newspaper in the U.S., and is particularly focused on revenue initiatives that align with The Crimson’s educational mission. Having come from an extensive creative writing background, her work has also been published by The Adroit Journal, Rust+Moth, and more. In her free time, she enjoys painting, museums, and good espresso.

Liam Peterson

Economics, Harvard University
Liam serves as the manager of the Global Programs department at the Harvard Crimson, overseeing the planning and execution of various conferences and events. Outside of his academic and professional pursuits, Liam enjoys reading, weightlifting, and playing board games. His passion for exploring different cultures and perspectives led him to study abroad in Beijing, where he gained valuable insights and experiences.

Claire Pak

Economics, Harvard University
Claire is currently the Native Conference Director for The Harvard Crimson, where she takes pride in organizing and running journalism conferences for high school students. Claire's passion for journalism began at an early age and blossomed during her time as Editor-in-Chief of her high school newspaper. Beyond academic pursuits, Claire enjoys learning new languages and traveling, as well as having cooking competitions with her friends.

John Pena

Economics, Harvard University
John has been a reporter with The Crimson for more than a year. He covers house and student life, speaking frequently with students to report on news from the college’s ever-exciting residential and social scene. He previously provided coverage from Harvard Law School, including reporting the institution's break from the U.S. News and World Report Rankings. Aside from his work with The Crimson, John enjoys spending time with friends and family, watching sports, reading, and traveling.

项目模块

学术专题讲座
学生将通过新闻学基本原理、新闻报道、突发新闻应对等不同学术专题讲座，学习一系列新闻学基础知识，了解新闻报道全流程，积累应对突发新闻的经验。
实践演练
项目通过社论模拟、新闻主播模拟、突发新闻应对和外出实战演练等不同模块，为学生提供了体验真实的《哈佛校报》社论环节、化身新闻主播进行新闻报道的机会。学生还将走出教室挖掘新闻素材，在突发情况中锻炼问题解决能力，培养新闻思维。
作品创作与展示
项目期间学生将在导师指导下，利用所学知识完成个性化作品集并进行展示。学生作品集可免费送审美国高中生传媒大赛，是学生名校申请的有力证明。
大学申请分享
项目聚焦美国名校申请流程，将通过大学申请经验分享、文书写作 2 个不同模块帮助学生理清申请逻辑，利用文书写作突显自身独特优势，增强申请竞争力。

The Certificate of Completion

Academic Lecture

Students will comprehensively learn journalism basis,including basic principles of journalism, news reporting, and respond to breaking news,to understand the whole process of news reporting and gain experience in responding to breaking news.

Practical Exercise

The program provides students with the opportunity to experience a real review editorial segment at Harvard Crimson and to report the news as a news anchor through different modules including editorial simulation, news anchor simulation, breaking news response, and field exercises. They will also go on field trips to explore new materials and practice problem-solving skills in breaking news situations to develop a journalistic mindset.

Enhance University Application

The program is centered on the application processes for the top US university, aiming to assist students in clarifying the logic of the application through two different modules: experience sharing of university applications and essay writing, highlighting their unique strengths and enhancing the competitiveness of their applications.

Exploration on the Harvard Campus and the Historical City

Students will explore the Harvard campus to experience the educational atmosphere of the prestigious university and visit famous historical and cultural sites in Boston to experience the historical city of the United States.

Sample Schedule

*The schedule is subject to change.

9:00-13:00 14:00-17:00 After 18:00
DAY 1 Arrival and check-in
DAY 2 The Basics of Journalism: Fundamental Skills

• Introduction to SJA & Program Overview

Journalism: Fundamentals and Ethics

- Gain insights into the basic concepts, definitions, and ethics of news reporting

Sourcing Tips and Tricks

- Learn about news reporting, such as how to response a breaking news, how to find news clues, how to report the news effectively, etc.

• Interview 101: Practice

 Tour the Harvard campus under the guidance of Harvard students Rest time
DAY 3 The Basics of Journalism: Ethics & Reporting

  • Breaking News Simulation Workshop

- Experience the most realistic breaking news reporting scene in a scenario simulation, and use what you have learned to follow up news clues and gather information, as well as collate the information gathered into a news release

      • Intro to Date Journalism
      • Editing News Articles Workshop
 After-class Activity/ Complete the academic tasks assigned by the instructors
DAY 4 The Crimson Boards: News & Sport

  • Get to Know the News Board: The Inside Scoop on Crimson Reporting

- Learn about the characteristics of sports news and the basic requirements of sports news interview and writing.

  • Pitching News Articles Workshop
  • Fireside Chat with New York Times Opinion Editor
  • Halftime Report: Covering Sports
DAY 5 The Crimson Boards: Arts, Design, & Editorial

  • Intro to Design Presentation

- Understand the role and types of editorials and conduct editorial simulation activities based on the news topics released by the mentor to develop communication, logical thinking, and news insight skills.

* Note: Editorials, as the comments by the editorial board of a newspaper, are one of the most important tools of journalistic commentary and opinion and are comments by the editorial board of a newspaper on major issues.

  • Design Workshop
  • Get to Know the Editorial Board
  • Dissecting Editorials, Op-Eds, and Cultural Criticism
DAY 6 The Crimson Boards: Flyby & Multimedia

  • Narrative Writing
  • Get to Know Multimedia
  • Introduction to Audio and Visual Storytelling

- Understand the difference and connection between visual and auditory narratives, and learn how to deal with the audio-visual relationship in news reporting
DAY 7-8 City Exploration in Boston

Students will have an opportunity to visit various famous venues such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston/ Freedom Trail / MIT campus, etc.
DAY 9 Project Introduction and Insights

  • Introduction to Week-Two Assignment
  • Running a College Newspaper: A Fireside Chat with Crimson Executives
  • Project Worksession
 After-class Activity/ Complete the academic tasks assigned by the instructors Rest time
DAY 10 College Applications & Resumes

- Mentors will explain in detail the preparation of the application, resume writing, etc., to help students clarify the application logic based on their own experience of applying to Harvard University.

  • College 101: Admissions and Student Experience
  • Project Worksession
DAY 11 SJA Wrap-Up and Showcase

  • Business and the Future of Journalism

- Mentors will share their judgments on the development of journalism based on the focus and work changes of The Harvard Crimson, in the context of current theories and personal experiences.

  • Project Showcase
  • Closing Ceremony
 Back to China

After-class Activities

Harvard Campus

MIT Campus

The Harvard Crimson Building

Boston

Old North Memorial Garden

Museum of Fine Arts

Program Information

Application

  • Date：July 6th - July 16th, 2025
  • Location: Harvard University, USA
  • Grade: 10-12
  • Language: English

Requirements

  • English language level equivalent to IELTS level 6.0 or TOEFL 80.
  • If the above requirements are not met, an English telephone/online interview with an ASEEDER teacher is required.

Program Fee

  • Included: tuition, hotel accommodation (twin room), excursions in Boston; ASEEDER group leader service fee(assembly and unitedly departure from Beijing/Shanghai/Shenzhen/Hong Kong); transport during the program (including two days of round-trip transportation between airports and accommodation, four days cultural exploration in Boston using coaches, and metro cards for going to the Harvard campus during the study period leading by group leader); international insurance.
  • Excludes: 1. International transportation costs to and from London (departure and arrival from Beijing/Shanghai/Shenzhen/Hong Kong, you can use a third-party service or ASEEDER's unified service); 2. Visa fee and visa service fee (ASEEDER's VIP visa service promises that if the visa is refused for reasons other than the client's own, the visa service fee will be fully refunded or the client will have the right to a second visa application free of service fee, and the program fee will also be fully refunded.)