Recent Experiences at Harvard

[Anonymous]

Social climbers.

[Anonymous]

My DS loved his experience there. Loved the house system and was inspired by the ambitions of his peer group. He came from a rigorous high school so didn't feel the competition level was any different. Found it easy to know professors and was a research assistant for one of them, who encouraged him to get his PhD. Went into IB instead.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Clubs/orgs (not just finance ones) are very competitive; many spend a lot of time comping their first year and you have to be ready for a lot of rejections. Summer research/internships also competitive. Profs are top in their field, and it’s pretty neat to be in class with famous profs, but they don’t have much time or interest in mentoring undergrads, though this depends a lot on the size of the department— many humanities departments are small and you can get to know professors. Optional first year seminars are small and pass/fail, one way to get a smaller class experience with a prof. They do have an extensive orientation program (you can choose a theme— arts, community engagement, etc) that helps you meet first years with similar interests. Grading curve policy might be coming fall 2027, it’s still being debated— that might change the current focus on ECs over classes, at least that’s the theory. If enacted it would make it harder to get top GPA for law/med schools. You should read the crimson articles to see the current proposal. Trump funding cuts have greatly reduced entering PhD students, which will eventually reduce number of TAs— it’s unclear how they are going to address this. Currently TAs teach some courses themselves, and there is an army of them leading discussion sections for big classes like EC10; I have no idea what that is going to look like with fewer grad students on campus. Many of these features (other than grading policy) apply to some extent at most elite research universities. Harvard students are probably a bit less focused on classes (profs have taken to taking attendance and including that in the grade) and a bit more focused on resume building than some others, and some T10s have fewer grad students and seem a little more undergrad focused (Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton), but these are all matters of degree. I think Harvard is a good fit for someone who is confident, outgoing and polished, a go-getter, and happy to be in a less intellectual and more pre-professional environment.

Yale instituted their grading policy this year.

[Anonymous]

My DS is there and loves it. He committed after Visitas, also right before the deadline.

I will push back on those who stereotype Harvard students as uppity strivers or non-collaborators. DS’ friends are the opposite and it’s the friendships that make Harvard special.

DS doesn’t have any special connections and has gotten two summer job offers through LinkedIn networking and cold emailing. He regularly meets with his professors to keep those relationships going. For lack of a better term, he hustles. He knows that the name Harvard alone won’t carry the weight so he’s taking advantage of every opportunity that presents itself. And, at Harvard, the opportunities are there on a daily basis.

I will say that he was rejected from a few of the comps he applied for in the fall and that stung a bit. But, just like rush or any other opportunity that requires an application, you roll with it and find your place.

They will talk a lot about impostor syndrome at Visitas and it’s a real thing. It’s tough to go from being one of the smartest in the room to feeling like you don’t even belong in the room.

Good luck to your student as they make their decision. Visitas should make it clearer one way or another.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my son's bestie is there. had a really terrible first term - hated everything about it. but so much of harvard is outside the dorms and classes (for good and bad). now he's involved in one of the major organizations (think crimson or lampoon) and is much happier. he did get into said organization via our nepo/connected high school. so as long as you're coming from similar, should be fine

Also fine if you want to avoid people like OP's son.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard sucks. - MIT grad didn't apply and would never go there.

Specifically why it sucks - social scene sucks. The kids I met were egotistical trust fund babies. Professors in the sciences/engineering were subpar. Then of course you have a rotten culture that allows professors like Larry Summers to continue to be involved because money talks louder than ethics.

Grad school at Harvard is a lot better than undergrad IMO. The only reason to go as an undergrad is for "connections" but the vibe of the people there is just way off IMO.

Hahahhahahahah

Jeffrey Epstein has his own lab at MIT

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Found it easy to know professors and was a research assistant for one of them, who encouraged him to get his PhD. Went into IB instead.

They all go into IB instead. That's where the Ivies lead students.

(See Poison Ivy: How Elite Colleges Divide Us by Evan Mandery, 2023)

[Anonymous]

14:09 again. As for social life, DS will typically go to house parties, a party for one of the comps he’s involved with or a friend’s comp, or they will host their own wine night. They enjoy going out in Cambridge and will also go to MIT or Tufts parties as well.

[Anonymous]

I am hearing that the scope of the remedial Math classes keeps expanding..
And the snowflakes keep protesting the idea of capping grades..
There are many mediocre kids who don’t want to get exposed … the whole facade breaks down

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I am hearing that the scope of the remedial Math classes keeps expanding..
And the snowflakes keep protesting the idea of capping grades..
There are many mediocre kids who don’t want to get exposed … the whole facade breaks down

Harvard kids are still kids, after all. Do you expect them to jump for joy at the cap?

They reinstated the SAT for the class of ‘29 so the remedial math is going away, not expanding.

[Anonymous]

An inconvenient truth is that highly competitive students have a better chance of being offered Harvard admission. Harvard admissions, and also many other T20/T40 college admissions, fundamentally are a zero sum game.

MANY colleges will have more collaborative academic environments than Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Here's another way to gain perspective into the culture of school: official parents FB group.

I joined the Harvard FB group, as well as several other peer schools. There was a distinct difference in culture that I observed between the various groups.

This was borne out by the actual experience at the school my kid eventually chose (not H).

[Anonymous]

Lol at folks insulting Harvard. Most people on this board would salivate for an opportunity like that.

Also lol at the MIT alum excoriating the social scene at Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:my kid choose yale over harvard after bulldog/visitas revisits. he's super happy at yale and so am I. it was the right decision, but I think kids put way too much into these revisits. they're like tours - a good one doesnt mean a good college experience and vice versa.

if he has anyone from his HS or your social group with an older kid there, I advise trying to either stay over with them or at least having a meal. kids who are juniors and seniors generally really love harvard, but I think it can take a minute. I think for a lot of kids it's "I sacrificed everything to make this happen and here I am, still me". (like the Adam Sandler SNL skit about Italian tours)

But it's a huge accomplishment and I hope they genuinely enjoy their visit

I am an old grad of Yale, but Yale has always had a very very different culture than Harvard. Much more focused on the undergrad experience. I have friends who went to Harvard, they were great people but didn't like Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Is there a chance that DC may decline Harvard?

This. Stupid