<p>i think it would be nice to hear from someone who actually goes to harvard. i'm wondering if there are any students there who just LOVE it. this message board is full of rumors that students are unhappy and bored. even when i went to an admissions chat, none of the students were really gung-ho about the whole thing. that worries me. someone please tell me that i have the wrong impression! i want to go to a school where everyone has a huge amount of pride for where they are and what they do.</p>
<p>its what you make of it</p>
<p>Harvard -- where your best effort hasn't been good enuff since 1636.</p>
<p>It's a tough school where you compete with the best of bests, but if you graduate, many doors will be opened for you</p>
<p>If you want happy students and opportunities, go to Princeton.</p>
<p>Me!</p>
<p>I'm a freshman, having an amazing first year.</p>
<p>"i want to go to a school where everyone has a huge amount of pride for where they are and what they do."</p>
<p>My son, like the last poster, is a freshman and is also having an "amazing first year." He loves it there: the classes, writing for the Crimson, the constant buzz of activity (speakers, concerts, etc.), the opportunity to go to to China with a group of fellow students for three weeks this summer, etc., etc., etc. That said, my sense is that Harvard isn't a real rah-rah kind of place. If that sort of atmosphere - one that absolutely exudes school "pride" at every turn - is of paramount importance to you, Harvard might not be the ideal place for you.</p>
<p>My D is having a wonderful year, but she's way too busy to post here these days. I think you find most students get away from CC pretty quick after they start college life. Harvard students in general aren't the gushy type. It's not a party school, but the opportunities are amazing. As a freshman, my D has had Harvey Mansfield for a government class. She is currently taking a literature class with the author Jamaica Kincaid. Her Arabic prof is the department head and all the kids love him. Her Expos instructor wrote for the NY Times. She was recently drafted to cox for the Radcliff crew boat. She is making $14 an hour as a publishing assistant for Harvard Ed. Publishing Group. Pretty good freshman experience overall.</p>
<p>two of my cousins attend Harvard, one is VERY happy thinks its the ultimate school in everyway.......his girlfriend goes to Bentley and most of the kids he hangs around go to other schools, as there are so many but he loves the constant stimulation, the sheer grandness of being at Harvard, my other cousin, his brother is ok with it, he says looking back other schools he applied to maybe would have been a better fit, although he is amazingly smart, and actually gifted he is by nature a much more laid back kid, really into his guitar and baseball, loves to go to concerts,etc.............in fact he said where i am considering going is more his speed, IU! How ironic that? As they say, be careful what you wish for. But overall he is pretty content and certainly realizes the amazing privledge of attending harvard!</p>
<p>Bandit-Is your daughter in Ethics + the Professions? That's my expos.</p>
<p>I'm a few years out (I was on campus until 2002), but I was fantastically happy at Harvard. I'm going back tomorrow for my a cappella group's spring jam. We have many alumni come back twice a year (or more) because we all miss each other, and Harvard, so much. If you're in town, come to the jam Sunday night at 8 in Sanders Theater. You'll see many happy Harvard students there!</p>
<p>My son, a current freshman, is exceedlingly happy. He has loved most of his courses, says his profs are amazing. He has made very close friends among his suitemates and has a girlfriend from there since the fall. He plays tennis on the club team, and is active in the Harvard Democratic club. Just this week, he landed a summer research position at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. So, all in all, I don't think he/we could ask for more.</p>
<p>I'm a current freshman, and even though this semester is killing me, i'm pretty happy.</p>
<p>My daughter is a sophomore at Harvard, and she LOVES the place. Last year she said of the 24 kids in her freshman dorm, 21 of them were very happy with Harvard and three were unhappy. My observation is that, this being Harvard, all three of the unhappy ones will probably end up publishing magazine articles or books detailing their unhappiness.</p>
<p>I don't know of any of us here on the board that aren't happy. And I don't know of many Harvard students in general that aren't happy.</p>
<p>My sister's a sophomore at Harvard and she loves it. I know she attends a lot of parties and events. She also encouraged me to apply against my initial judgement that MIT would be a better school for me, and I ended up deciding to enroll, so unless she hates me that much... ;)</p>
<p>To mirror epistrophy, my sister has explicitly mentioned that there IS NOT a lot of school spirit there - she exhibits more pride in her house than in the school itself. I'm not much of a school spirit person, myself, so this was not a factor in my decision.</p>
<p>According to her, the nice thing about Harvard is that even if you can't find anything going on on campus, you're still connected to a lot of activity in the cities. She often goes to Porter Square for some fun.</p>
<p>I think the school spirit is growing and those that complain that its lacking are those that just make the problem worse by not making any effort to change it around. </p>
<p>And yes, you can always go into the city or to other colleges, but you never HAVE to. There's always something.</p>
<p>Having transferred to Harvard after two years at another institution, I have to say I was <em>very</em> surprised by the strength of the community here and the warmth of the students. I -- and Hanna perhaps can also attests to this -- was welcomed with open arms. The House community, comprised of 12 upperclassmen houses, is particularly strong, with House sweatshirts and the like (for some reason, Currier seems to have the most paraphenilia). In any case, prefrosh weekend is coming up and we are looking forward to it.</p>
<p>-Transfer 1O1</p>
<p>I visited Currier and ate at the dining hall during some Christmas party thing. It was so much fun! They gave us all Christmas crackers and stuff, it was really exciting, though everyone was staring at us because our food was covered in confetti and we were wearing tissue paper crowns while blowing cheap plastic whistles. ;)</p>
<p>Haha sounds like fun. The Quad always puts on a good show. Still, you must come down by the River sometime.</p>
<p>I'd love to, but I don't know if I'd be able to live there as an upperclassman. I have cockroach allergies and I heard that some of the River houses have cockroaches. :( (Yes, I know that's a weird allergy.)</p>
<p>But for a campus that's supposedly made up of a bunch of preppy stiffs, there was a lot of excitement. I don't know what everyone else's experience will be, but the Harvard students I met sure know how to have some fun. I really can't wait to get on campus and meet other students from the class of 2010.</p>
<p>I have a feeling everything is going to work out just fine.</p>