Has Harvard turned a corner?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Harvard will be surpassed by some of their peers in reputation/ranking within 10 years if that hasn’t already happened. Stanford / MIT / Penn are pretty competitive.

Princeton has already been number 1 for about 10 years now and Harvard alum still can’t accept that reality. (Which is so Harvard tbh) so not sure what will change.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

DP.

My kid did not apply to Harvard last year. Not because “woke” or anything like that. This was before 10/7 but today she is sympathetic to the Palestinian’s issues but not an activist.

She didn’t apply because of her perception that it’s full of wealthy kids who are selected for reasons other than their ability to change the world. She applied to four reaches - Stanford, Chicago, MIT, and Duke. She got into three of them and is at one now.

I get MIT…but Stanford and Duke aren’t really much different based on the criteria you mention. Chicago seems to love rich private school kids.

So…it does seem like it really was the headlines.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Penn, and Stanford

Well…other than CalTech…those have a bunch of the same problems.

BTW…nobody seriously considering Harvard sends their kid to CalTech and you are likely just regurgitating rankings

Caltech is a great school, but the job network is terrible compared to the other school. It’s small and kids gravitate towards JPL and academia.

It is unlike any of the other top schools and attracts a very certain type of student.

Why are you arguing with my preferences? Bizarre.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

DP.

My kid did not apply to Harvard last year. Not because “woke” or anything like that. This was before 10/7 but today she is sympathetic to the Palestinian’s issues but not an activist.

She didn’t apply because of her perception that it’s full of wealthy kids who are selected for reasons other than their ability to change the world. She applied to four reaches - Stanford, Chicago, MIT, and Duke. She got into three of them and is at one now.

Congrats!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Penn, and Stanford

Well…other than CalTech…those have a bunch of the same problems.

BTW…nobody seriously considering Harvard sends their kid to CalTech and you are likely just regurgitating rankings

Caltech is a great school, but the job network is terrible compared to the other school. It’s small and kids gravitate towards JPL and academia.

It is unlike any of the other top schools and attracts a very certain type of student.

Why are you arguing with my preferences? Bizarre.

Because you aren’t serious…just pointing out the hypocrisy when people make these statements.

There are actually a number of reasons people may pick those schools…however the wokeness and activism of Harvard isn’t unique to Harvard.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Penn, and Stanford

Well…other than CalTech…those have a bunch of the same problems.

BTW…nobody seriously considering Harvard sends their kid to CalTech and you are likely just regurgitating rankings

Caltech is a great school, but the job network is terrible compared to the other school. It’s small and kids gravitate towards JPL and academia.

It is unlike any of the other top schools and attracts a very certain type of student.

Why are you arguing with my preferences? Bizarre.

Because you aren’t serious…just pointing out the hypocrisy when people make these statements.

There are actually a number of reasons people may pick those schools…however the wokeness and activism of Harvard isn’t unique to Harvard.

I am serious. I went to one of the colleges in my top 5 and know them all well. I also know Harvard well and it doesn’t make the cut.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

Princeton, MIT, Caltech, Penn, and Stanford

Well…other than CalTech…those have a bunch of the same problems.

BTW…nobody seriously considering Harvard sends their kid to CalTech and you are likely just regurgitating rankings

Caltech is a great school, but the job network is terrible compared to the other school. It’s small and kids gravitate towards JPL and academia.

It is unlike any of the other top schools and attracts a very certain type of student.

Why are you arguing with my preferences? Bizarre.

Because you aren’t serious…just pointing out the hypocrisy when people make these statements.

There are actually a number of reasons people may pick those schools…however the wokeness and activism of Harvard isn’t unique to Harvard.

I am serious. I went to one of the colleges in my top 5 and know them all well. I also know Harvard well and it doesn’t make the cut.

This thread is about Harvard’s recent problems and turning the corner…you aren’t serious about not choosing Harvard due to its wokeness and activism for schools that are equally woke and active.

There could be many other reasons…but not that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

List the 5

DP.

My kid did not apply to Harvard last year. Not because “woke” or anything like that. This was before 10/7 but today she is sympathetic to the Palestinian’s issues but not an activist.

She didn’t apply because of her perception that it’s full of wealthy kids who are selected for reasons other than their ability to change the world. She applied to four reaches - Stanford, Chicago, MIT, and Duke. She got into three of them and is at one now.

I get MIT…but Stanford and Duke aren’t really much different based on the criteria you mention. Chicago seems to love rich private school kids.

So…it does seem like it really was the headlines.

You asked. I answered. This was my kid’s perception, rightly or wrongly, after visiting and meeting some of the kids and getting a vibe of the campus. She is a STEM major. So those were the kids she met. She felt they were more serious intellectually (she was intimidated by them tbh) and also had ideas about how to use those ideas to make a real impact. I was honestly surprised that Duke made her list. But here is a data point for you on what a student last year felt before the headlines and controversy.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There are about 5 colleges I’d rather have my kid attend over Harvard.

I can think of at least 10.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Harvard is now the Bud Light of the Ivy League. It will continue to exist as a brand but it has alienated its customer base (alumni) who can and have taken their money elsewhere. It will be a slow decline but eventually they will reach the point where they will be the safety Ivy. Yes, the strivers will still apply in great numbers and embrace the woke ethos that will remain entrenched for a generation or two.

I wish people understood that alumni are often the WEAKEST part of the community. They think they’re the “customer base” which, lol. And they think their money matters. The endowments investments are what matters. Not your $50-5k a year. I’m sure they’re wondering if even the handful of big donors are worth their trouble.

The alumni isn’t that impressive. They couldn’t get in today. They often got in because their own parents got in. It’s not just Harvard. Even places like MIT have an alumni base that can’t hold a candle to their current students. Which is why MIT doesn’t consider legacy and no MIT grads think of themselves as the customer base.

Listen, if you want to give to your old school, do it. But do it as a way of paying back for what was already given to you. This is not a down payment on what they can do for you down the road. That transactional bullshit is what looks as bad as wokism - you just don’t see it in yourself

A lot of alumni run the funds that permit endowment investments. You are delusional.

[Anonymous]

The Harvard of today is not what is was 20 years ago. The college admissions landscape has changed, as well as the admissions policies at Harvard.

The graduates at Harvard do not stand out like they used to. The decline has been steady, while peer schools have been rapidly improving. The top graduates are not coming out of Harvard, with some exceptions. There is a strong case for considering alternatives.

[Anonymous]

Turned the corner several years ago, headed in the wrong direction with a full head of steam. Need a major reset at the Harvard corporation, hire a solid president, dismantle DEI program and weed out the whacko faculty. Should only take about 20 years to get back on course.

[Anonymous]

Schools like Dartmouth have handled anti-semitism very well. Jewish families see that, it changes decisions. Yes.

[Anonymous]

While Harvard's reputation has definitely been damaged in recent years - it is still massively popular (and still regarded as incredibly prestigious) that it won't really be turning any corners any time soon (unfortunately).

[Anonymous]

Harvard will continue to fall.