Reply to Harvard social life -- explain the paradox

Forum Index » College and University Discussion

Reply to "Harvard social life -- explain the paradox"

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][b]Harvard is said to be less focused on academics than most elite colleges [/b]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?  [/quote]

Still waiting for OP to provide proof for this weird statement.[/quote]

Not OP, but it is also very easy to find claims from professors regarding this:

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2025/09/teacher-evaluations-grade-inflation/684185/?gift=hES2-gYGuMNFzvFJOo-72ba4hqGBhAQX47VtSPKnrUU&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

"Melani Cammett, a Harvard international-affairs professor, saw her scores slide when she moved from teaching at Brown to Harvard. After deducing that a cluster of students had penalized her for assigning too much reading, she cut several academic articles from her syllabus and raised the grades she gave."

As well as both implied and explicit support for the statement from Harvard students:

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2025/10/30/students-react-grading-report/

Harvard students pushed back forcefully against a new University report condemning grade inflation, arguing that it misrepresented their academic experience and would add pressure to an already demanding campus environment....

Sophie Chumburidze ’29 said the report felt dismissive of students’ hard work and academic struggles.
“The
 whole entire day, I was crying,” she said. “I skipped classes on 
Monday, and I was just sobbing in bed because I felt like I try so hard 
in my classes, and my grades aren’t even the best.”
...
Zahra Rohaninejad ’29 added that grading already felt harsh and
 raising standards further would only erode students’ ability to enjoy 
their classes.
“I can’t reach my maximum level of 
enjoyment just learning the material because I’m so anxious about the 
midterm, so anxious about the papers, and because I know it’s so harshly
 graded,” she said. “If that standard is raised even more, it’s 
unrealistic to assume that people will enjoy their classes.”
...
“What makes a Harvard student a Harvard student is their engagement in extracurriculars,” Peyton White ’29 said. “Now we have to throw that all away and pursue just academics. I believe that attacks the very notion of what Harvard is.”

[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics