Many Harvard students don’t go to class

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to a nesac but I can appreciate that if it is a large lecture class and you are getting the information elsewhere (reading the text book), it may not be the best use of your time to attend the class. If they are ditching discussion classes, that does not speak well of their intellectual curiosity. But my guess is they are ditching the large lecture classes that are major required.
It’s funny because if you think back 100 or more years, it was totally expected that students would just learn this stuff on their own and then sit for tests to prove they had learned it. The idea of sitting in a class to listen to someone lecture, if you already know the mateirial, doesn’t really make much sense. But if the class is about learning through discussion, that’s a different story.

I think this is a really good point. Large lecture classes are totally bogus. Just give me the notes to read and study from - so much more efficient. Nothing magical about having someone read the power points to you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:And still get good grades. Mostly due to grade inflation..

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/us/harvard-students-absenteeism.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Seriously, if students are not doing their reading, participating in discussions, what is the point of going to Harvard then? Just to get a job?

My kid at ECU doesn't go to class either. Its like the schools are mirror images.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So if HYP students chase ROI, they get criticized for not seeking intellectual curiosity, but if they seek intellectual curiosity, they get criticized for not valuing ROI. Aren't they in a no-win situation here?

"Who said that!?" in Porscha Williams voice.

Have you not seen the countless DCUM threads in this forum looking down upon liberal arts majors?

[Anonymous]

Why bother when everyone gets As. Inmates running the asylum. But why would profs making $900K a year care.

[Anonymous]

The classes at Harvard are still recorded. Left over from Covid. So plenty of kids watch later.

and, as has been pointed out, Harvard is a school that's always prioritized what's happening outside the classroom. lots of kids spend more time at the newspaper, the finance club, the lampoon, etc than in class

[Anonymous]

I’d donate my left kidney to have my kid have the opportunity to skip class at Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’d donate my left kidney to have my kid have the opportunity to skip class at Harvard.

This is so sweet of you to say! As a parent of a Harvard student, I’m so used to the constant bashing and don’t even tell people IRL where my kid attends (they’d probably key my car, raise prices on me and just be really vindictive!) so your comment made my day. Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d donate my left kidney to have my kid have the opportunity to skip class at Harvard.

This is so sweet of you to say! As a parent of a Harvard student, I’m so used to the constant bashing and don’t even tell people IRL where my kid attends (they’d probably key my car, raise prices on me and just be really vindictive!) so your comment made my day. Thank you!

My Harvard freshman tells people he goes to BU. Just easier that way.

[Anonymous]

Your kids may be outliers but the biggest braggers are HYPSM grads.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:And still get good grades. Mostly due to grade inflation..

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/06/us/harvard-students-absenteeism.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

Seriously, if students are not doing their reading, participating in discussions, what is the point of going to Harvard then? Just to get a job?

If you had bothered to read the article and the study you would know they are not attending class because they are trying to distinguish themselves from other students there in order to land summer internships. They do this by club membership, etc.

I did. My point was the rat race doesn’t end even after getting into Harvard.

You had previously thought getting into Harvard ended the rat race? I guess you didn't go to Harvard, not to a Harvard class reunion, where hundreds of incredibly insecure adults compete over who is richest, most powerful, most connected, etc.

[Anonymous]

You are paying for the name, not education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’d donate my left kidney to have my kid have the opportunity to skip class at Harvard.

This is so sweet of you to say! As a parent of a Harvard student, I’m so used to the constant bashing and don’t even tell people IRL where my kid attends (they’d probably key my car, raise prices on me and just be really vindictive!) so your comment made my day. Thank you!

How full of you. Nobody gives F about where your kid goes to school. Maybe your perceived attitude has something to do with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Lol. Imagine thinking a Harvard education was actually about getting an education.

Too bad the only people who really know the truth are unfortunate alums like me.

Can you say more about this?

[Anonymous]

This is primarily a problem with the admissions office. If you base admissions primarily on pursuing stratospheric extracurriculars to the hilt, you're going to have students who pursue stratospheric extracurriculars to the hilt. The emphasis needs to be placed back on academics in choosing which kids get in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This is primarily a problem with the admissions office. If you base admissions primarily on pursuing stratospheric extracurriculars to the hilt, you're going to have students who pursue stratospheric extracurriculars to the hilt. The emphasis needs to be placed back on academics in choosing which kids get in.

At least have a balance, but they use ECs to get students they want in. This is why MIT is considered the best school in Cambridge.