University of Miami or Harvard?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

It’s harder to get in.

They only take 4 classes a semester.

They have insane grade deflation.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

It’s harder to get in.

They only take 4 classes a semester.

They have insane grade inflation .

Correction

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If your son got injured and couldn't play his sport in Miami, would he wish he'd gone to Harvard? If your son decides after two years that he doesn't want to play his sport anymore, will he wish he'd gone to Harvard? I would think very carefully about the answer to these questions. Maybe in a stupid class second semester of his sophomore year he'd be like, why aren't I at Harvard? Please don't make a decision based on weather!

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Yes I am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Exactly. Since when is writing easier than math? They are just different, but are equally hard. Are you able to just churn out papers with a deep level of analysis and with great writing easily?

[Anonymous]

It seems like OP is fine with letting the kid make an immature or lazy choice. If there are really no ambitions beyond his joining the family business, why bother choosing the more challenging academic environment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Exactly. Since when is writing easier than math? They are just different, but are equally hard. Are you able to just churn out papers with a deep level of analysis and with great writing easily?

You are f’ing kidding! Haha! English is as hard as math, FFS!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It seems like OP is fine with letting the kid make an immature or lazy choice. If there are really no ambitions beyond his joining the family business, why bother choosing the more challenging academic environment?

Said no Harvard grad ever!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Exactly. Since when is writing easier than math? They are just different, but are equally hard. Are you able to just churn out papers with a deep level of analysis and with great writing easily?

If you can write well enough to get in, you can write well enough to pass. Math requires a base of knowledge that you can't fake your way through.

[Anonymous]

OP here. He is good enough for D1 schools but not good enough to be a pro. He plays one of the elite and wealthy sports.

As far as networking is concerned, his grandfather and uncle are already in the wealth management and investment banking business so he will be fine with either Miami or Harvard. At the moment, he thinks University of Miami is a better fit for him than Harvard. He just can't see himself in the Northeast cold weather between November and March.

They can hand him clients a lot easier with an H on his wall. No client wants to be shunted to the nephew from the U. Just sayin.

[Anonymous]

If the student will be significant happier at Miami and has his career hooks already, then I guess that is okay then. But this thread is a pretty good example of the bias or preformed opinion people have of Miami. He will deal with that for the first 5-10 years after college if that matters. If he plans to go ivy or highly selective for b school for example then it won’t matter as much.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

OP here. He is good enough for D1 schools but not good enough to be a pro. He plays one of the elite and wealthy sports.

As far as networking is concerned, his grandfather and uncle are already in the wealth management and investment banking business so he will be fine with either Miami or Harvard. At the moment, he thinks University of Miami is a better fit for him than Harvard. He just can't see himself in the Northeast cold weather between November and March.

They can hand him clients a lot easier with an H on his wall. No client wants to be shunted to the nephew from the U. Just sayin.

This is hilariously brutal, but also true.

Look, Harvard really isn't anything special in terms of undergrad academics. But that name will take you extremely far in life and open lots of doors. If you want to work overseas, the H name immediately gets you into elite circles.

Kids go to U-Miami because it is solid academics in a Club Med-like environment. It's a big party school. It's for rich kids who have the path already clear for them post-graduation (spending family money & taking over the family business). If that's the vibe where he will be happy and around likeminded people, go for it.

Frankly, you kid sounds well-off and won't be struggling after college. He will be fine wherever he goes. At 18, I would've clearly picked Harvard because I was a middle class kid with no connections and I knew that degree would set me up for life. Your kid clearly doesn't have my middle class anxieties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Exactly. Since when is writing easier than math? They are just different, but are equally hard. Are you able to just churn out papers with a deep level of analysis and with great writing easily?

If you can write well enough to get in, you can write well enough to pass. Math requires a base of knowledge that you can't fake your way through.

Again, you know nothing about the expectations in world-class humanities departments. Also guarantee a kid recruited for athletics was not evaluated primarily on the basis of his writing skills. You wouldn't even get a C for writing intelligibly in a Harvard humanities class--actual analysis is expected. I wouldn't expect someone evidently focused on math automaticity to grasp this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Don't take this the wrong way - I am sure the OP's kid is smart. Does anyone ever factor in how challenging it must be to be a student in Harvard classes? And be surrounded for 4 years by Harvard students? I mean - does the magically networking fairy bless everyone that goes there? Not without a price...and I don't mean just money.

The hardest part about Harvard is getting in. It's a trope, but there is a lot of truth in it. If OP had said MIT or Cal or Cal Tech, I'd agree, but he can be a History or English major at Harvard and be fine.

Well you really aren't familiar with the level of writing and analysis expected in those disciplines at Harvard, are you?

Exactly. Since when is writing easier than math? They are just different, but are equally hard. Are you able to just churn out papers with a deep level of analysis and with great writing easily?

If you can write well enough to get in, you can write well enough to pass. Math requires a base of knowledge that you can't fake your way through.

Again, you know nothing about the expectations in world-class humanities departments. Also guarantee a kid recruited for athletics was not evaluated primarily on the basis of his writing skills. You wouldn't even get a C for writing intelligibly in a Harvard humanities class--actual analysis is expected. I wouldn't expect someone evidently focused on math automaticity to grasp this.

I went to a very highly rated SLAC, so not Harvard, but strong humanities department. I was a philosophy major and took several 300 level history and literature classes in subjects that I thought would be interesting without ever having taking a related 100 or 200 level class. Try doing that with math and see how it goes.