Harvard social life -- explain the paradox

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I got to see Harvard's campus in person for the first time a few months ago. To say I was underwhelmed would be putting it lightly. It looked and felt like a boarding school.

“A few months ago” would have been summer. You can troll better if you like

Do the buildings and grounds change in the fall? Or are you just tarted?

lol

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Nah, there is no paradox here. The Harvard scene is not bad in any way - there is just a higher rate of complaining.

Isn't the lack of access to parties for freshman a widely recognized phenomenon?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to MIT which had a pretty vibrant social scene. We have a such Greek scene. Parties usually corresponded to getting past key testing schedules or holidays.

I never, literally never met a Harvard student at a party but to be fair that part of Boston is pretty far from their part of Cambridge.

MIT has long pushed for all Greeks to come back on campus. Thankfully, they can't force the issue because it probably wouldn't be as great if so.

I think the network is more post-graduation but it's also in the grade inflation. Harvard 4.0 >>>> MIT 3.0 to most graduate institutions which is frustrating.

MIT's vibrant greek scene is really surprising to me. Are the parties open or only for members of the houses?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a Harvard freshman who is having a blast on Saturday nights (nothing happening the night before games). He's an athlete, but hangs with a number of non-athletes who are very social.

Where do they find parties? Are freshman allowed to go to final clubs?

Plenty of upperclassmen have parties and their dorms often have the space.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a Harvard freshman who is having a blast on Saturday nights (nothing happening the night before games). He's an athlete, but hangs with a number of non-athletes who are very social.

Where do they find parties? Are freshman allowed to go to final clubs?

Plenty of upperclassmen have parties and their dorms often have the space.

I guess it wouldn't really be that different at Yale, where, to the best of my knowledge, most parties happen in dorms also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard is said to be less focused on academics than most elite colleges and Harvard students are said to be more focused on a kind of pre-professional networking. At the same time, it is said to be have a relatively poor social scene and a worse party scene than any of the other top schools, particularly for freshman. This seems like a contradiction to me. Wouldn't a school obsessed with schmoozing and networking be known for its vibrant social scene?

I guess if the height of a social scene is networking and coffee chats?

Harvard has a fine social scene, and it’s a good place to go to college (obviously), but it is a very preprofessional space.

My sense is that everyplace is like this now.

Nope

#rushtok

[Anonymous]

Harvard has these pre-professional clubs that socialize a ton. They have dinners (each must have 10-12 per semester!) at the fanciest places and also go away on long weekend trips to interesting places. I guess that’s their “partying”, but you’re right in that it’s not the typical college social life. 🤷 Nothing like MIT but most kids do not feel bad about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard has these pre-professional clubs that socialize a ton. They have dinners (each must have 10-12 per semester!) at the fanciest places and also go away on long weekend trips to interesting places. I guess that’s their “partying”, but you’re right in that it’s not the typical college social life. 🤷 Nothing like MIT but most kids do not feel bad about it.

Oops not just pre-professional. Regular clubs have fun on dinners and trips too. A touch less fancy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to MIT which had a pretty vibrant social scene. We have a such Greek scene. Parties usually corresponded to getting past key testing schedules or holidays.

I never, literally never met a Harvard student at a party but to be fair that part of Boston is pretty far from their part of Cambridge.

MIT has long pushed for all Greeks to come back on campus. Thankfully, they can't force the issue because it probably wouldn't be as great if so.

I think the network is more post-graduation but it's also in the grade inflation. Harvard 4.0 >>>> MIT 3.0 to most graduate institutions which is frustrating.

Yeah Harvard students don’t care about the tech school down the street!(Bacow called it that. What I’ve heard is that not even the MIT girls go to the MiT parties. The BU/Simmons girls are the ones seen there. So sad that the MIT guys won’t look at the MIT girls. I know some do, but talking about parties.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have a Harvard freshman who is having a blast on Saturday nights (nothing happening the night before games). He's an athlete, but hangs with a number of non-athletes who are very social.

Where do they find parties? Are freshman allowed to go to final clubs?

Plenty of upperclassmen have parties and their dorms often have the space.

I guess it wouldn't really be that different at Yale, where, to the best of my knowledge, most parties happen in dorms also.

A good chunk of Yale upperclassmen live off campus so many more opportunities for parties/socializing in private spaces. The university admin is also much more easy going about noise etc so on campus events don’t get shut down regularly like they do in Cambridge and invest in/encourage socializing. Here’s a Harvard student’s take written last year

https://harvardindependent.com/what-harvard-could-learn-from-yale/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard is said to be less focused on academics than most elite colleges and Harvard students are said to be more focused on a kind of pre-professional networking. At the same time, it is said to be have a relatively poor social scene and a worse party scene than any of the other top schools, particularly for freshman. This seems like a contradiction to me. Wouldn't a school obsessed with schmoozing and networking be known for its vibrant social scene?

Says WHO OP?

Everyone knows this about Harvard. How can 70% of students have a 4.0 otherwise?

Your comment makes no sense. I’m yet another person waiting for OP to cite to something to support the claim that Harvard is “less focused on academics” -signed Harvard grad

+1. Yet another waiting for OP to support her opening statement

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard is said to be less focused on academics than most elite colleges and Harvard students are said to be more focused on a kind of pre-professional networking. At the same time, it is said to be have a relatively poor social scene and a worse party scene than any of the other top schools, particularly for freshman. This seems like a contradiction to me. Wouldn't a school obsessed with schmoozing and networking be known for its vibrant social scene?

Says WHO OP?

Everyone knows this about Harvard. How can 70% of students have a 4.0 otherwise?

Your comment makes no sense. I’m yet another person waiting for OP to cite to something to support the claim that Harvard is “less focused on academics” -signed Harvard grad

+1. Yet another waiting for OP to support her opening statement

OP has responded several times, which you will notice if you take time to read through the thread before commenting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I got to see Harvard's campus in person for the first time a few months ago. To say I was underwhelmed would be putting it lightly. It looked and felt like a boarding school.

Where are you from? Have seen the boarding schools in Massachusetts? They don’t look anything like Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I went to MIT which had a pretty vibrant social scene. We have a such Greek scene. Parties usually corresponded to getting past key testing schedules or holidays.

I never, literally never met a Harvard student at a party but to be fair that part of Boston is pretty far from their part of Cambridge.

MIT has long pushed for all Greeks to come back on campus. Thankfully, they can't force the issue because it probably wouldn't be as great if so.

I think the network is more post-graduation but it's also in the grade inflation. Harvard 4.0 >>>> MIT 3.0 to most graduate institutions which is frustrating.

They are both in Cambridge and I think two stops on the red line. A five minute drive.

I watched those soap opera type reality episodes of rushing for Sororities down South. The girls spoke to the screen on TikTok while applying makeup. Most had bleached hair. They then named the brands of clothing they wore plus the jewelry. They ran around for a couple of days hoping to get picked for a sorority. At the end they simultaneously opened their envelopes and then squealed like pigs who just found mud piles.

The exact opposite of the females at Harvard. 80% of Supreme Court Judges went to Yale and Harvard. Leaders around the world studied at Harvard including our Canadian friends Trudeau and Mark Carney. It’s not a large party school with frats and sorority girls getting black out drunk. It’s more smaller groups of friends getting together. Much nicer.

[Anonymous]

Most Harvard students have friends at MIT (and all of the Boston area schools) so there’s much mingling between them. Flying home for Thanksgiving will be a HS reunion!