Everything you want to know before you join.

The Practice Field Guide is the operating manual for GradPlanHQ.

It explains the Growth Cycle, the three goals, the nine repeating processes, Action & Momentum Meetups, the Community App, and Project Launchers.

Whether you become a member or not, it is the fastest way to understand how the system works and how to start your first Growth Cycle.

Yes. Founding Beta Members receive access to the GradPlanHQ community during the beta period at no cost. GradPlanHQ expects to introduce paid membership after the beta period. Founding Beta Members will receive advance notice about future membership options, launch timing, and any available sponsor-supported or discounted access opportunities.

Action & Momentum Meetups, projects you can jump into, LinkedIn and resume help, the Community App, and a clear plan for building experience and connections.

No payment is collected during the Founding 100 beta, so there is no paid plan to cancel. You can stop participating at any time. If GradPlanHQ introduces paid membership after beta, you'll receive the pricing and terms before deciding whether to continue.

No. GradPlanHQ does not issue, guarantee, or qualify anyone for a Harvard credential. We help you prepare a project or leadership experience you can use in your own HarvardX coursework. Participation in the Harvard course, free audit, and any verified certificate are handled directly by HarvardX and edX. Audit options are free where available; verified certificates are paid through HarvardX if you choose that option.

That's fine. GradPlanHQ is designed to scale with the time you realistically have available.

Some members spend only a few hours a month exploring opportunities, building relationships, or working through a Project Launcher. Others invest several hours a week during an internship search, job search, leadership project, or career transition.

When you build your plan, you'll identify how much time you can realistically commit and choose goals that fit. The goal isn't to stay busy. The goal is to make steady progress with the time you have.

A freshman who invests a small amount of time consistently over several years often builds more experience, evidence, relationships, and visibility than someone who waits until senior year to start.

Each meetup is a one-hour virtual working session. The same sessions repeat on different days and times, including evenings, so you can pick what fits. Every session focuses on one project launcher or one brand-building task, with the resources posted ahead of time. Most tasks take a few sessions, so you pick what you're working on this semester and keep coming back.

So you know what you're there for and the hour actually goes somewhere. No vague career advice. Most of these tasks take more than one sitting. After ice breakers, a quick resource walk-through, and Q&A, you get protected work time. Then you come back to the same task until it's done.

Evening sessions and multiple time slots cover most schedules. The resources land in the library, and the launcher group keeps going, so you can post your work and get feedback on your own time.

Students from different majors, schools, and career interests, all working on the same step, plus occasional community supporters, mentors, and project partners.

Yes. You don't need an internship, a perfect GPA, or a polished LinkedIn profile. You just have to show up and work on one step at a time.

No. Join a GradPlanHQ project, team up with other members, bring your own idea, or turn something you've already done into a real project.

Yes. Plenty of class projects provide the proof for leadership, teamwork, and communication. We help you move that evidence into your Application Packet.

The Growth Cycle is a four-step process: Connect your goals to a strategy. Build meaningful experiences. Turn experience into evidence and visibility. Repeat and compound your advantage. Each cycle adds experience, evidence, visibility, and relationships that strengthen career momentum over time.

They're two halves of the same thing. Words with nobody behind them are just a claim. A person with no story is a reference nobody calls. Real experience gets you both.

That's what the meetups and the app are for. You practice introducing yourself, talking about your work, and asking for help in a low-stakes room of students doing the same thing. Small wins add up.