Anonymous wrote:How often does this come up OP? In social circles? At work?

We went to top schools and it comes up only every so often, and we tell the person who asked which city. If pressed, we tell them the school -but most people who "need to know" don't really press, they simply aren't that ignorant. For the latter, it is more fun to wait until they have really shown their ignorance, then tell them, then they are surprised, naturally. In which case, does it really matter?

You need new friends, OP. Where you went to school should be no big deal, really - especially if you are over about age 25.

This is stupid. Just say “Harvard.” Done.

Only insecure douchebags and really old WASPs do the stupid "near Boston" schtick. In your 20s, you get asked all the time where you went to college because "do you know so and so" is the easiest way to connect with someone you meet. It never impressed anyone on either coast. On interviews, its in your resume so it doesn't come up. In your 30s, people are more interested in how old your child is and it really doesn't matter when you have spit up on your jacket. But, in your 40s it comes up when your DC notices the Harvard Magazine in the mailbox and when your child starts applying to college people ask whether they are legacy.

^^^^^ endure

If someone says I went to Harvard, I will ask them whether they went to "Lower Harvard" or "Higher Harvard". If they say Higher Harvard, I will say good for you. If they say Lower Harvard, I will say I am sorry you must have had to endury fouy years of misery. If they say I did Engineering at Harvard, I will pity them for going to a no name program at Harvard in the shadows of the greatest Engineering institution in the world, MIT.

Anonymous wrote:"I went to Harvard bitches!!" Actually JMU. I wanted to see what it was like

Ahaha this made me laugh out loud.

Anonymous wrote:My DD is a student at Cambridge and everyone thinks she's being coy about saying she goes to Harvard. The first couple of times it happened I was so confused.

Cambridge, UK.

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Anonymous wrote:There's the old saying about having gone to school "near Boston" which is often dismissed as a false arrogance but if you say the name, it sounds snobbish. If it comes up, what do you consider the right way to approach it?

If it comes up, you say where you went to school. If you feel the need to bring it up often, and you're more than 2 years out of school, you're the problem.

And "(elite school, HYPS, etc)" isn't the issue. Nobody I've ever met who went to Yale had these tortured "but how do I say my school name in front of the proles without causing resentment??!?" problems. This is something specific and peculiar to Harvard - you're all telling each other no one can handle you "dropping the H bomb" in conversation and you're all falling for it. It's not that serious.

+1 Harvard Law Grad. It is specific to Harvard, and it is often accompanied by assumptions made about you--snobby, and/or super-smart, etc.

+2. Another Harvard Law grad. I’m also in my 40s and still get asked. I used to beat around the bush. Now I drop the H bomb and let the assumptions fall where they may.

And those assumptions would be you couldn’t last more than two years at a large firm and a catholic law grad made partner over you?

You’re a law firm partner and still that insecure? I’m sorry.

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Anonymous wrote:There's the old saying about having gone to school "near Boston" which is often dismissed as a false arrogance but if you say the name, it sounds snobbish. If it comes up, what do you consider the right way to approach it?

If it comes up, you say where you went to school. If you feel the need to bring it up often, and you're more than 2 years out of school, you're the problem.

And "(elite school, HYPS, etc)" isn't the issue. Nobody I've ever met who went to Yale had these tortured "but how do I say my school name in front of the proles without causing resentment??!?" problems. This is something specific and peculiar to Harvard - you're all telling each other no one can handle you "dropping the H bomb" in conversation and you're all falling for it. It's not that serious.

+1 Harvard Law Grad. It is specific to Harvard, and it is often accompanied by assumptions made about you--snobby, and/or super-smart, etc.

+2. Another Harvard Law grad. I’m also in my 40s and still get asked. I used to beat around the bush. Now I drop the H bomb and let the assumptions fall where they may.

And those assumptions would be you couldn’t last more than two years at a large firm and a catholic law grad made partner over you?

How often does this come up OP? In social circles? At work?

We went to top schools and it comes up only every so often, and we tell the person who asked which city. If pressed, we tell them the school -but most people who "need to know" don't really press, they simply aren't that ignorant. For the latter, it is more fun to wait until they have really shown their ignorance, then tell them, then they are surprised, naturally. In which case, does it really matter?

You need new friends, OP. Where you went to school should be no big deal, really - especially if you are over about age 25.

If Harvard sucks so much then why are you all whining about its admissions policies?

For law school there is sort of an inverse relationship between practical preparation and prestige.

The Spy Who Dumped is an under appreciated movie that has a good recurring gag about a guy who went to Harvard.

Say whatever makes you comfy.... it was pretty well known when I went to law school (and still), that , practically speaking, Harvard is the 3d best law school (still very good) in Boston (other than the cachet/ reputation).

Law firms who wanted well trained lawyers weren’t necessarily looking for the big H.

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Anonymous wrote:"I went to Harvard bitches!!" Actually JMU. I wanted to see what it was like

I’d stick with JMU. The dumbest people I have worked with attended Harvard undergrad.

Agree with this.

Sure they have been lol

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Anonymous wrote:"I went to Harvard bitches!!" Actually JMU. I wanted to see what it was like

I’d stick with JMU. The dumbest people I have worked with attended Harvard undergrad.

Agree with this.

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Anonymous wrote:You say “I went to Harvard”.

+10000

If someone says, where’d you go to college (or grad/law school) you answer them. If someone is just talking about college generally, please do not drop that you went to HYP.

Not that complicated. In some circles it impresses, but in many it simply sparks “oh what year? My sister was class of ‘01” or whatever.

+1