Originally, i think folks didn’t bother with a rebuttal because it seemed silly to bother. So much of this is blather, only remotely corresponding to on the ground reality.
Competition to get on the Crimson? Maybe years ago, but not so much now. If you show up for the meetings, and turn in the required number of articles, you’re in (where do you think they get sufficient content to fill a daily newspaper?). There’s a little more competition for editorships, but it’s not very intense. Many activities, it’s just show up and participate. My older son started a cross country skiing club one year. Whoever came, came. And Harvard paid for everything but riding on the T.
My younger son "comped"for the radio station, which meant, showing up for meetings, taking the mandatory training (emphas is on words not to use when you’re on air so the FCC doesn’t take their license away) and a willingness to take some shifts that more senior folks don’t want.
After freshmen year, students may form housing blocks, which means, the students don’t get to select their house, but the block all go together to the same house. Some folks start out being unhappy to be assigned to the Quad, but come to appreciate its benefits (quieter, less hustle and bustle, better amenities). Because students choose a core group of friends after freshman year, folks really enjoy their house experience. My sons are both in Lowell, and to Lowell (which, they will tell you, is the best house, lol), they are true. Every year when housing assignments (everyone gets their assignment on the same day. Each house takes pride in welcoming their new housemates. There are contests for which house presents itself best. Students paint their faces with their house names. It’s a cause for partying, and they, therefore, party. I still have pictures of my sons in their Lowell face paint. Quite something. As children, they would go to parties where there would be face painting activities, and they always adamantntly refused to have their faces painted. It took going to Harvard to get them to loosen up. Lol.
The real problem with social activities and extracurriculars is that there is so much that students can do that they sometimes give short shrift to their academics.
The social scene is fine, but for folks with no interest in final clubs (about 80% of everybody), it seems more organized around specific regular activities. Both my sons attended the weekly get together of the alleged physics “study” group on Wednesday nights during freshman year. Apparently the Classics Department holds a very nice Friday evening social. My older son was regularly found at t hat one. He reported that there was better food than at most social events, and lots of it. And premium brands of beer. Now, since he’s an editor, my older son’social life revolves around the Crimson. Sine my younger son is an on-air dj, his social life is mostly around the radio station.
Oh, by the way, Harvard’s alcohol policy features an official code that looks like the insurance company wrote it, but has an unofficial policy of, can you all just drink in moderation not get alcohol poisoning, and not get too rowdy? How do I know that’s there unofficial policy? Because they more or less told us so in writing. Prior to their freshmen years we got a dear parents letter for each of our sons. The letter reiterated the formal policy but then continued with We know your kids are going to drink: here are important guidelines for how to drink resposibly. Don’t drink to excess. Know your Iimits. Eat when drinking. Avoid private situations while drinking to avoid unwanted serial encounters. Then, they spelled out the “amnesty policy.” No penalties accrue to anyone who shows up at health facilities for treatment of alcohol related maladies, and no penalties accrue for those who help them get to the facilities. It is well known that folks do not call Cambridge police about problems with parties. One calls the Harvard police, who, upon coming across a party with alcohol getting a bit to wild, just tell the folks to tone it down.
In terms of undergrad experience, my sons have always found their profs accessible. They take questions during lectures, have generous office hours, and will meet privately with a student. In larger classes, my sons have found good Teaching Fellows for their small class sections. Unlike traditional oniversity TAs, the TFs are generous with their time, and are actually chosen fo r their knowledge in a field. My younger son ate breakfasr with his math TF almost every morning his fist semester at Harvard. The TF wwould check his problem sets, and help him through to understand anything he was fuzzy on, or where he was missing the boat altogether. But frankly, my sons have dealt more with the tenured profs, as most of their classes are to small to have a TF. My older son has a class with a couple of grad students and him. Two grad students and a single undergrad. My older son has been on a J-Term (Christmas holidays) tour of Greece with several of the senior Classics Department faculty as gides, has worked with Harvard scholars on manuscript tanslation, and worked an archaeological dig under the supervision of Harvard faculty and Fellows. All mostly for free. The lack of attension and interaction with tenured faculty at Harvard is mostly a myth.
By the way. I noticed you chose Harvard to attack. You did a compare and contrast trust with Stanford vs. Harvard. I guess Harvard is still the standard against which others measure themelves.