How did Harvard become the most powerful US university brand in the world?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It’s got a name that is easy to say, is nice & balanced, & sounds classy. If it had been named after Harry Weinblatt, Dick Weenie, or Rolpf Zerczievovicz it would be just another old school.

Yeah, well, not a lot of names like that around in the 1600s.

Irrelevant point

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Graduate school is not undergrad — and is program specific. Yale Law is more prestigious than Harvard Law. Which you should know…

Not in global rankings, and not in any meaningful way (i.e., other than US News and various internet weirdos that fixate on their weird methodology.) The depth and reach of Harvard law is frankly unmatched.

Yeah, no; this is not even debatable. Nobody cares about global rankings and what you internationals think…everyone in the U.S. legal community knows Yale is the top (bull)dog.

Very NPC take.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Graduate school is not undergrad — and is program specific. Yale Law is more prestigious than Harvard Law. Which you should know…

Not in global rankings, and not in any meaningful way (i.e., other than US News and various internet weirdos that fixate on their weird methodology.) The depth and reach of Harvard law is frankly unmatched.

Yeah, no; this is not even debatable. Nobody cares about global rankings and what you internationals think…everyone in the U.S. legal community knows Yale is the top (bull)dog.

Very NPC take.

It’s not really a “take”; you are just showing your ignorance.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Graduate school is not undergrad — and is program specific. Yale Law is more prestigious than Harvard Law. Which you should know…

Not in global rankings, and not in any meaningful way (i.e., other than US News and various internet weirdos that fixate on their weird methodology.) The depth and reach of Harvard law is frankly unmatched.

Yeah, no; this is not even debatable. Nobody cares about global rankings and what you internationals think…everyone in the U.S. legal community knows Yale is the top (bull)dog.

Very NPC take.

It’s not really a “take”; you are just showing your ignorance.

THe peer reputation subscores in US news rankings have always been the same or higher for Harvard. Not that rankings matter, but I hardly think it's "not even debatable"

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg probably have more power than most of those "lawyers".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerburg probably have more power than most of those "lawyers".

yes...but that's two graduates.

[Anonymous]

They had a head start with being first in the US.

They have many wealthy alumni, and the largest endowment. So many people have passed through their halls and made an impact. Think of the number of presidents, Supreme Court justices, titans of industry, intellectuals who have graduated from there.

Historically they were the most desirable and although sometimes students pick other colleges, most who get in, do attend.

They are very strong in many subjects, including government, law, business, education, divinity, etc.

They have a strong sense of tradition to uphold. I am impressed by how they run commencement, it is not like any I have ever attended. They do things so differently than most colleges in the US.

Although it has experienced troubles recently, they have a brilliant brand.

[Anonymous]

They've historically accepted the smartest people in America, while being the first college.
People will argue that they've accepted the "wealthiest" but 9 times out of 10 the two are interchangeable.
Legacy has accelerated their wealth and alumni base. Having a history of the most successful in America and their offspring means more money than you. There are complaints about the classist nature of this, but it has undoubtedly made them the most important American institution.

[Anonymous]

I have not read this entire thread, but wanted to mention that reading the student newspaper periodically this year - it seems like Harvard is a mess. Will it be able to keep its standing?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have not read this entire thread, but wanted to mention that reading the student newspaper periodically this year - it seems like Harvard is a mess. Will it be able to keep its standing?

It'll be fine. It's filled with controversy just because of Congressmen getting pissy. Where did those Congressmen go to college? Oh right, Harvard.
For every plagiarizer they have on campus they have hundreds of faculty doing important work and who, often, are the most famous in their field.
It is still Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have not read this entire thread, but wanted to mention that reading the student newspaper periodically this year - it seems like Harvard is a mess. Will it be able to keep its standing?

It'll be fine. It's filled with controversy just because of Congressmen getting pissy. Where did those Congressmen go to college? Oh right, Harvard.
For every plagiarizer they have on campus they have hundreds of faculty doing important work and who, often, are the most famous in their field.
It is still Harvard.

Oh - I am not just talking about that. Just take a look at the current edition of the student newspaper. A controversy about a law professor making statements that offend students to such an extent they want to ensure that no law student has to take a class of his; several people stepping down from leading Harvard's Legacy of Slavery initiative. Etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have not read this entire thread, but wanted to mention that reading the student newspaper periodically this year - it seems like Harvard is a mess. Will it be able to keep its standing?

It'll be fine. It's filled with controversy just because of Congressmen getting pissy. Where did those Congressmen go to college? Oh right, Harvard.
For every plagiarizer they have on campus they have hundreds of faculty doing important work and who, often, are the most famous in their field.
It is still Harvard.

Oh - I am not just talking about that. Just take a look at the current edition of the student newspaper. A controversy about a law professor making statements that offend students to such an extent they want to ensure that no law student has to take a class of his; several people stepping down from leading Harvard's Legacy of Slavery initiative. Etc.

You make an interesting point, but my hunch is that Harvard has been dysfunctional since it's founding in the 1600s and it hasn't hurt it one bit. With respect to the article about the law professor you point to, I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I am reminded of a time many years ago that the law school in particular was said to be so dysfunctional that some famous magazine (rolling stone? vanity fair?) actually came to Harvard Law to investigate and write an article about the law school that had so many warring factions that it was called the "Beirut on the Charles [River]" For some reason, negative press has the way of making Harvard look even more enticing for some reason.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It’s got a name that is easy to say, is nice & balanced, & sounds classy. If it had been named after Harry Weinblatt, Dick Weenie, or Rolpf Zerczievovicz it would be just another old school.

It only sounds classy because it’s the name of the top school in the country.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard's reputation has definitely suffered in the past couple of years but it's still popular. But if it has some more high profile controversies, it will go downhill fast. PP is right in that they have been letting in a large crop of unimpressive TO students.

Why are their students not impressive? Some people seem to think that Harvard has lost prestige because they have some students and faculty that have been critical of Israel.

That's merely a blip. But it is part of a larger pattern. Harvard admits for undergrad these days are generally not regarded as the best and brightest. And there's a large activist contingent - protesting for the sake of protesting something.

Grad programs are different though. Outside of a few mediocre programs like Kennedy, it's the reason Harvard maintains its academic prestige.

I used to think that the business school was Harvard's power center, but now I think it's the law school. The sheer amount of global power in the alumni of that one part of the institution is just absurd: foreign and domestic heads of state, legislators, SC justices, fortune 500 CEO, entertainment execs, billionaire investors and their billionaire children, authors, national security agents, intellectuals, etc. This doesn't even include their absolutely rock star faculty. I think that one part of the university is responsible for a large part of the Harvard reputation, and my hunch is that once they realize it the law school administration is going to start demanding a lot more in terms of resources from the rest of the university. No more crumbling buildings that look like an inner city slum.

Graduate school is not undergrad — and is program specific. Yale Law is more prestigious than Harvard Law. Which you should know…

Not in global rankings, and not in any meaningful way (i.e., other than US News and various internet weirdos that fixate on their weird methodology.) The depth and reach of Harvard law is frankly unmatched.

Yeah, no; this is not even debatable. Nobody cares about global rankings and what you internationals think…everyone in the U.S. legal community knows Yale is the top (bull)dog.

Very NPC take.

It’s not really a “take”; you are just showing your ignorance.

THe peer reputation subscores in US news rankings have always been the same or higher for Harvard. Not that rankings matter, but I hardly think it's "not even debatable"

“Not even debatable” refers to a certain subset of individuals to which you clearly do not belong.

On another note, if you are the “cart before the horse” poster who deems Harvard’s esteem as being driven by its law school, I can assure you that it is “not even debatable” that Harvard’s esteem derives — and has always derived — from “Harvard College.” The same is true for all elite American schools. Conflating graduate school with undergraduate school prestige is an international thing for those unfamiliar with the U.S. educational system.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stanford's more recent rise, especially in terms of international prestige, is notable. Harvard has been somewhat hurt, more outside the US than here, by being viewed as below MIT and Stanford in the hottest STEM fields.

Does Oxbridge get more prestigious based on how Chinese and Indian nationals (as the highest proportion of international students) perceive it? Does Harvard? Stanford? Williams? Grand Ecoles?

Doesn’t work that way…