Britannica
Sources used in this answer
How did Henry David Thoreau perform as a student at Harvard University?
Created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Henry David Thoreau
American essayist, poet, and Transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.
Henry David Thoreau was a good student during his time at Harvard University, which he entered in 1833. However, he remained indifferent to the university’s formal rank system, preferring instead to utilize the school library for his own personal interests. He ultimately graduated in the middle ranks of the class of 1837.1