Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 08:16     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:I couldn’t get over how touristy the whole place felt. Mind you, I was one of them 😂


Ha! Same!
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 08:05     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
I feel like the 1960s to 1990s was the golden age of bad architecture.

At both Harvard and Princeton, the campuses look great until you run into some STEM (it always seems to be STEM) building built in this area and they look like garbage and out of place.

Just a small pet peeve. The newer buildings are now built in the style of the 18th and 19th century buildings.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 07:49     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.
mid white people mad that their children aren't special like they've been told their whole life
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 05:53     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different




uh, those buildings are authentic, built in the 18th century for Harvard's growing community of students. Most consider it an honor to be living in them and in the Yard. What freshman enjoy at Harvard - unlike the Yale house system - is that all freshmen spend one year together in the Yard. So,by the time you have finished freshman year, you know everyone in your class. Then you pick one of the beautiful river houses for the next three years. At Yale, freshman go directly into a house and miss the Harvard bonding experience.

My rooms at Harvard were huge and comfortable. I had a shared suite with an enormous living room and working fireplace. A neighbor even managed to bring his baby grand up five flights of stairs


I have no beef with Harvard but there are some accuracy problems with your post. Most first years at Yale live on Old Campus, the rough Yale equivalent to the Yard. They are grouped by their residential college system but don’t physically live there til sophomore year. And as you know as an alum the Yard is actually multiple spaces. Second something like 25 of the student body at Harvard gets “Quadded” and sent to live on the old Radcliffe campus for sophomore year onward, those who get River House placement land through a process outside their control. They certainly don’t just “pick a beautiful River House” and the housing placement process is described as pretty stressful.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 05:12     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.


I agree with you - Dcum has gotten more ugly. Posters in the College forum want to cut down the colleges or institutions that refused them or one of their children. Many are jealous so post negatives. Many posters are here just to be nasty. Many posters are argumentative or contrarian just for the sake of being an a@@. Many posters are disturbed people who get a temporary positive rush by dumping on other prople and their problems and dreams.

I've shared a lot of college admissions knowledge here and wisdom on other topics, but the ugliness of the website is disconcerting. I can find much better ways to improve myself and share what I know than staying here.


DCUM can be maddening and some posters willfully obtuse, but pushback on the Ivies doesn’t come solely from rejected applicants. Rather, it’s that those who push the Ivies and WASP can be extremely provincial and close-minded about great schools in other parts of the country, so much so that you really wonder if they’re as bright as they claim. Any elite school in the South or Midwest never gets fair credit among this crowd. In fact, it is this smug, provincial attitude that encourages smart, more open-minded kids to go to other great schools. Both of my kids were Ivy-qualified but applied to none of them. They’re both attending elite schools in the South.



But no one is exhibiting here the "smug and provincial attitude" you claim. That's you projectiing your own smug and provincial attitude. Because you come to DCUM to be judgmental of others.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 05:07     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different




uh, those buildings are authentic, built in the 18th century for Harvard's growing community of students. Most consider it an honor to be living in them and in the Yard. What freshman enjoy at Harvard - unlike the Yale house system - is that all freshmen spend one year together in the Yard. So,by the time you have finished freshman year, you know everyone in your class. Then you pick one of the beautiful river houses for the next three years. At Yale, freshman go directly into a house and miss the Harvard bonding experience.

My rooms at Harvard were huge and comfortable. I had a shared suite with an enormous living room and working fireplace. A neighbor even managed to bring his baby grand up five flights of stairs
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 01:32     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Always loved the river houses when I was there. To each his/her own
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 01:30     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.


I agree with you - Dcum has gotten more ugly. Posters in the College forum want to cut down the colleges or institutions that refused them or one of their children. Many are jealous so post negatives. Many posters are here just to be nasty. Many posters are argumentative or contrarian just for the sake of being an a@@. Many posters are disturbed people who get a temporary positive rush by dumping on other prople and their problems and dreams.

I've shared a lot of college admissions knowledge here and wisdom on other topics, but the ugliness of the website is disconcerting. I can find much better ways to improve myself and share what I know than staying here.


DCUM can be maddening and some posters willfully obtuse, but pushback on the Ivies doesn’t come solely from rejected applicants. Rather, it’s that those who push the Ivies and WASP can be extremely provincial and close-minded about great schools in other parts of the country, so much so that you really wonder if they’re as bright as they claim. Any elite school in the South or Midwest never gets fair credit among this crowd. In fact, it is this smug, provincial attitude that encourages smart, more open-minded kids to go to other great schools. Both of my kids were Ivy-qualified but applied to none of them. They’re both attending elite schools in the South.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 01:12     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.


I think what happens is that some kind of social media manipulation school sends the students out to practice here. Trolling us is just there homework.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 00:40     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:I couldn’t get over how touristy the whole place felt. Mind you, I was one of them 😂


I couldn't get over how crappy everything looked once you got away from the main old building areas.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 00:34     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.


I agree with you - Dcum has gotten more ugly. Posters in the College forum want to cut down the colleges or institutions that refused them or one of their children. Many are jealous so post negatives. Many posters are here just to be nasty. Many posters are argumentative or contrarian just for the sake of being an a@@. Many posters are disturbed people who get a temporary positive rush by dumping on other prople and their problems and dreams.

I've shared a lot of college admissions knowledge here and wisdom on other topics, but the ugliness of the website is disconcerting. I can find much better ways to improve myself and share what I know than staying here.
Anonymous
Post 09/17/2024 00:21     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
^tents^
Anonymous
Post 09/16/2024 23:11     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:the grass!? It's called Brown Patch, OP . Also the grass got trampled last year in the quad and before Widener by the DEI protesters who put up tents and destroyed the lawn. Why put money into it when they are undoubtedly returning this fall to camp out again?https://www.lawnstarter.com/blog/massachusetts/worcester-ma/4-common-lawn-diseases-found-in-massachusetts/


+1. There is no point in addressing the lawn this time of year. Protesters and their te ts are about to destroy it again plus fall is very short there. But, come May, the lawns in Harvard Yard will be magnificent for graduation.
Anonymous
Post 09/16/2024 22:06     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:Harvard yard’s grass is terribly maintained considering the resources available.

The buildings are copy and paste Georgian brick and not done well.

Cambridge is nicer than New Haven or Providence but Yale and brown have way better campuses

As for the vibes and kids — a lot of convergence with MIT

I don’t remember the difference between Harvard kids vibes/look being this different from BC kids 20 years ago but in 2024 they seem to be starkly different



WTH is going on with DCUM lately? There is a thread that trashes all the ivies as being run down and filled with geeks and/or asians, there is one that has a Vandy alum or two or 3 going off about the nerds and asians there. Someone went off that the Duke 2028s "look different" and look "not fun". This has to be coordinated. I have three kids , two at ivies and one at one of these others: the kids "look" the same as they did when the oldest started 5 yrs ago versus the freshman we just moved in --sure there is some geeks and nerdiness and there is a great diversity of ethnicities. It is not new. Why is this bad? The only difference in look between now and 25 yrs ago is less white. Is that your issue? If somehow you mean truly nerdiness not race, what in the heck do you expect? These kids are overwhelmingly very smart kids, the top 1% mostly, which is a significant shift from 20 years ago when the majority were not top 1-2%. These schools are also more filled with financially needy kids than they have ever been, with 50-65% on aid and a high % pell grants. They are not going to have the same fashion /makeup / demeanor as the way southern country club culture is. If it is "too geeky" (or "too poor" or "too asian") don't apply! The so-called geeks who are there and the new ones who get in this season do not need your kid or your attitude. My white mildly quirky to very geeky kids are having a blast and enjoying the huge opportunities, and my bank account is grateful for the aid we get.
Anonymous
Post 09/16/2024 22:03     Subject: Harvard’s campus and vibe is underwhelming
Anonymous wrote:Did you read the Reddit from the Harvard kid someone posted today? Seems like an awful place to be.


Link?