Admitted Student Communications

Welcome to the Harris community!

We’re excited to share information about the Harris experience with you in advance of the fall quarter.

In the coming weeks, you will begin to receive three weekly digest emails. These emails will be sent until classes officially begin on September 29.

On Tuesdays, you will receive the Preparedness Digest. This series will outline key steps, actions, and tasks you need to complete over the summer to be set up for success when the fall quarter begins.

On Thursdays, you will receive the Career Digest from our Career Development Office ("CDO"). This digest will feature advice, tools, and opportunities designed to help you reach your career goals.

On Sundays, you will receive the Events Digest. Use these emails to plan your week, register for events, build your network, and get involved with your UChicago community. These emails will also include information about Harris Orientation programming.

Outside of those digests, we will also send you important emails about academics, orientation, resources, advising, etc., throughout the summer. We will also catalog each Preparedness Digest as well as other communications you may want to refer back to on the Admitted Students Portal. We recommend you review those previous communications and action items in the portal.

And remember, please email us at harrisorientation@uchicago.edu with any questions.

Welcome to the Harris community!

I’m Kate Biddle, and I serve as your dean of students at Harris.

The goal of the dean of students office is a simple but important one—to help and support you during your time at Harris. Our team oversees several of the areas that make up your student experience, including:

• Academic advising
• Course registration
• Disability accommodations
• The Writing Workshop
• Tutoring for core courses
• Academic support programs, including Math and Coding Camp and Jumpstart
• Student policies and conduct
• Student support and advocacy

The guiding values for my whole team are support and advocacy for students. Our academic advisors work directly with students to provide holistic and comprehensive advising on academic and personal matters. Our Writing Workshop ensures that policy students learn how to tell their story and communicate effectively to address pressing policy challenges. Our financial aid team supports students with financial questions and issues. Our registration team strives to offer students equitable access to the classes that will make them successful. My team and I frequently advocate for students to faculty and instructors, assist students with emergencies, and help you navigate and maximize your Harris experience through hands-on support and resources.

You will be hearing much more from me and my team in the coming months, but you can learn more about the dean of students team here and the academic support we offer, including academic advising.  

At the beginning of August, you will receive an introduction to your assigned academic advisor. At that point, your advisor will be your go-to person and first point of contact throughout your Harris experience. In addition to helping you select classes inside and outside of Harris and tracking your progress toward your degree, academic advisors also support you for both academic and personal concerns and can help resolve most day-to-day issues. They will be your point of support and your advocate for academic success.

Of course, as your dean of students, my most important role is supporting and advocating for you. I encourage you to come to me at any time during your Harris journey to seek help with a problem or emergency or to share feedback about your Harris experience. You are welcome to set a meeting with me, drop in to my office for a quick chat, or talk with me when you see me around Keller. Students are the best and most important part of my job.

I am so excited to meet you and to help you make the most of your time at Harris!

Sincerely,

Kate Shannon Biddle
Dean of Students, University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy

Congratulations on your acceptance to the Harris School of Public Policy! My name is Dana Bozeman, and I am the associate dean of Student Engagement and Belonging. I would like to personally welcome you into the Harris community. At Student Engagement and Belonging, our mission is to enhance your experience by supporting student development and building inclusive communities of policy professionals, all the while helping to build the Harris School’s distinctive culture. 

We have a wonderfully diverse student body here at Harris; Student Engagement and Belonging strives to create an inclusive and supportive environment for all of them. A significant amount of my time is spent creating meaningful experiences that will help shape the way you think about policy and the world we live in. Student Engagement and Belonging is paramount to those experiences; each year we continue to enhance, tweak, and create spaces for students to engage with others outside of the classroom.

The Office of Student Engagement and Belonging is rooted in the Chicago Principles with purposeful engagement, programming, and support to create an environment that fosters belonging for students at the Harris School. Our goal is to help students find community, engage in policy praxis, experience positive mentoring relationships, and establish policy networks. Our collaborative programming will provide graduate students with academic community and professional development opportunities critical to their success at Harris and beyond. 

We have a robust roster of upcoming programming:

• Supporting cocurricular mentoring, student organizations, student-driven programming, leadership development, cultural celebrations, and networking activities.
• Helping students of diverse backgrounds and perspectives build an inclusive community. 
• Working with students in collaboration with the faculty to develop and practice the skills of civil discourse toward the goal of evidence-based policy that is informed by diverse perspectives.
• Facilitating events to mark important milestones in our students’ communal life.

We want everyone at Harris to contribute to building our unique community. We call this being "ALL IN". 

Once again, congratulations! I’m excited to welcome you to campus and look forward to meeting you. Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

Sincerely,

Dana Bozeman
Associate Dean of Student Engagement and Belonging

The Harris core curriculum assumes proficiency in both algebra and calculus and requires students to use statistical coding. Additionally, all master’s students are required to pass the mandatory math exam, which will be administered during Welcome Week on Tuesday, September 23, 2025.

All students should take the math and coding self-assessments and report their scores to Harris Orientation by June 8 to help gauge your current level of mastery and determine whether you should attend Math & Coding Camp. The self-assessments also help our staff understand your current skill level and plan academic support for summer programs and autumn quarter.

Please complete each self-assessment in one sitting (note that the math self-assessment has a time limit), then submit your scores using the forms linked below by June 8. We will follow up with targeted recommendations based on your results and share more information about Math & Coding Camp.

• Math Self-Assessment
  • Math self-assessment
  • Math grading guide
  • Math score reporting form
• Coding Self-Assessment
  • Coding self-assessment
  • Coding self-assessment materials
  • Coding score reporting form

Please note that the self-assessments are not officially graded and will only be used to make sure you have access to the right math and coding preparation during orientation.

Follow these links to learn more about the Math Exam and Math & Coding Camp!

Stay tuned for emails from the Harris Orientation team!

Stay tuned for emails from the Career Development Office!