<p>But if Harvard tends to be more well known than other great universities, then that means that the Harvard student body contains the most number of top notch scholars / athletes who are able to contribute to Harvard during and after their college education.</p>
<p>Not necessarily. Other schools seem to be right on track to surpass Harvard in the near future:</p>
<p>Look at Caltech--the student body is considered to be superior to all other colleges in America in terms of raw intellect. </p>
<p>Stanford seems ready to grab stem cell research by its balls and never let go--just like it did with the tech revolution.</p>
<p>I guess the California colleges, by virtue of their superior location, seem poised to become the best of the best. Anyway, I tend to be more in awe of Caltech students than of Harvard ones. You never know which Harvard students are recruited atheletes of low intellect or underqualified legacies and URMs.</p>
<p>You're absolutely right... the California universities that you metioned are rising in fame and they are all full of brilliant students. It'll be only a matter of time that superior schools like Stanford and CIT will become just as good as Harvard in technology or anything else for that matter.</p>
<p>Statistics prove that Ivies such as Princeton and Yale are catching up in political science and other fields. (although Harvard is still ranked high as the best place for political science, business, and other fields). But up to now, Harvard University, the oldest private institution in the United States of America, seems to have the leading number of numerous famous alumni. I think it has to do with it's history as the 1st private institution and its foundation that was made early by people such as famous presidents. Because of the famous people that walk out of Harvard, word spread around speaking of Harvard as the ideal college for great success. But that will soon be the same case for schools like Stanford or CIT; in fact, a lot more people know about those schools nowadays than before.</p>
<p>In conclusion, there are potential institutions out that that will most likely be great rivals of Harvard, but Harvard has already established itself strongly throughout time and will undoubtly continue to maintain its reputation now and in the future.</p>
<p>Oh, please. Why continue on with this ridiculous praising of Harvard. Before I came to this site, I already knew about Harvard and its prestige. But after coming here, I frequently notice posters elevating Harvard to the level of Mt. Olympus, where only gods can go or something. Prestige by itself doesn't mean anything. It's like buying a Ferrari that doesn't have an engine. I'd much rather buy a Ford Escort that can actually be driven than a car that just gathers dust in my garage(although it might be nice to look at). The same thing happens to one's Harvard degree when one graduates.</p>
<p>For example, my old U.S. History teacher is a Harvard alumni. However now he is just a normal middle school teacher who is glad to have the job that he has because he was unsuccessful in his other ventures. However, my dad, went to a local college in India, worked his tail off there, and is now a HR Director at Ford Motor company.</p>
<p>When you go to social parties when you are older, no one evaluates you based on what university you went to for your grad or your undergrad, they assess you on the position and respectability of your current job.</p>
<p>In the end, it doesn't matter whether you attended Harvard, Arizona State, or your local community college. All that matters it is how much money you earn, your character, and the type of lifestyle you lead.</p>
<p>So, Byerly and company, give it up. No one really cares how big Harvard's endowment. I'm a firm beleiver that you can get a similar education and opportunity from the University of Michigan for example(if not much, much better) than from HYPSM. There is no point in having a world-renowned faculty if they can't can't properly interact with their students and impart the will, the ambition, and the knowledge to succeed effectively, which is what happens in most cases.</p>
<p>P.S.: Stanford produces more business and management tycoons that Harvard. Silicon Valley>Cambridge....</p>
<p>Yes, man<em>on</em>fire, you are correct. It is all about the individual's work ethics, personality, and characters that are able to bring them far in society. The "Ivy League" brand name, I think, serves to help that individual, but again it's all up to him / her when it comes to interacting with people and working in society. I know a family in which the child (a female) entered a presitigious institution in Massachusetts. The tuition there is quite a bit (should be over $40,000), and the parents of the family made a huge sacrifice for their daughter. However, the girl ended up working at a supermarket as a worker and didn't really make big bucks like the parents have anticpated. I feel very bad for the family, but I do hope that they realize that it's the individual's motivation and personal qualities that really count. Which proves that no matter what college / university you attend, as long as you try your best to achieve your own set of goals and excel at what you enjoy or what you're good at, then you're golden. </p>
<p>And I do agree that a lot of people tend to advertise Harvard, as well as Stanford and other places, as "Mount Olympus". It shouldn't be viewed that way; it should be viewed as a well known school that attracts students that fall under its category. Needless to say, there is no university out there that fits everyone. I have tons of friends who sincerely think Harvard is not the ideal school for them, and a lot of students at my school think Stanford, Yale, Princeton, and many other places are just as good as Harvard, if not, better for their own interests.</p>
<p>Sorry if I made an error in saying that Harvard is the leading institution in business. Stanford is certainly the powerhouse for that!</p>
<p>I know it may sound like I'm only advocating Harvard. However, I'm looking into other universities as well. I want to go into business, so I'm seeking for the best business schools that would fit my motivation and personality! :)</p>
<p>You are of course entitled to your views. Fact is, however, that most top applicants with a choice do not share them, and overwhelmingly opt for Harvard.</p>
<p>Thanks Byerly! </p>
<p>"Fact is, however, that most top applicants with a choice do not share them, and overwhelmingly opt for Harvard." - What do you really mean by that? I'm not really getting you fully.</p>
<p>The bottom line is, even if statistics and the media portray a specific university with high regards, the general public should remind themselves to evaluate their opinions based on not only those reports but also on their own unique thoughts and characters. By broadening over views and ways of thinking, we are able to become unique contributors to soceity from different aspects. That's all I got to say about this thread! :)</p>
<p>Incredible. How close minded are 50% of you? You keep refusing the fact that Harvard is the best university in the world. Period. Largest endowmentm, the oldest, the leader in research, the best intellectual minds (I could go on...). And please dont give me that crap; Caltech students are more intellectual than Harvardians. What crack are you smoking? Also, what the hell did you mean that Harvard takes low scoring jocks and URMs? Do you believe minorities are idiots and that Caltech has better minds since it doesnt have these kinds of people? You are a racist. In addition, I consider myself an elitist, but you sir have beat me by far. You basically implied that since the Cal schools ar full of asians, their student body is more intelligent. Im sick of the Harvard bashing. If you dont like Harvard, go somewhere else and stop critizising it. Thats probably why you werent admitted, and if you were you do not deserve to be there. I believe a true student at Harvard should have both academic and extracurricular sucess, as well as school pride and spirit. Some of you that understated your university, and frankly do not belong there. </p>
<p>Oh btw, when I said SSP could get me any job, I mean any job a 17 year old would be a contender to be hired to. Not some corporate job smart one.</p>
<p>Forgive my grammar; I was ****ed off.</p>
<p>lol dha06, that was among the silliest posts in this thread! Didn't anyone teach you not to assume things about others? </p>
<p>Aside from that, Byerly is as usual correct in stating that most of the top students do favor Harvard over any other school in the country, and likely the world. However, the reason, IMO, is not for the raw money making potential that the degree affords. Money and success, as others have pointed out, is a function of aptitude and work ethic; coming from Podunk U. no more rules out future success than the Harvard degree guarantees one. The reason why most smart kids choose to go to Harvard is probably for the education it provides: the quality of the student body is largely unmatched and this is the largest asset any college can provide to its students.</p>
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<p>Ah, well in that case, why exactly would a potential employer in the retail, food service, entertainment services, or maybe childcare industries give preference to a job applicant who spent up to $8000 to spend two months taking one or two college classes? I fail to see how that experience would make you a better potential waiter/waitress, salesperson, etc., much less a candidate for a position of skilled labor. Do you assume the employer would just fall over drooling at the Harvard brand name? To use waiting tables as an example, imagine you're a restaurateur choosing between two otherwise equal applicants, one of whom spent the previous summer waiting tables somewhere, while the other went to Harvard summer school. Who would you hire?!</p>
<p>Harvard is a fine school. However, dha's post made me laugh out loud! </p>
<p>I don't go to Caltech, but I would definitely admit that Caltech students are, on average, the smartest students of any university. They are nerds to the fourth power. How can any school compete with that? You don't mess with Caltech in the intelligence department. Their dropouts can probably be valedictorians at Harvard or Stanford because of all the "grade inflation" we have lol.</p>
<p>"Incredible. How close minded are 50% of you? You keep refusing the fact that Harvard is the best university in the world. Period."</p>
<p>Whose close-mindedness are you referring to?</p>
<p>"Largest endowmentm, the oldest, the leader in research, the best intellectual minds (I could go on...). "</p>
<p>The size of the endowment means nothing; how it's used means everything, and other top universities are by no means poor. Likewise, Harvard being the oldest university is irrelevant. To make a blanket statement that Harvard is the leader in research is false; while Harvard is no doubt one of the finest institutions in many areas of study, there are also many areas in which other institutions are superior. Whether or not Harvard has the highest intellectualism of any university is a never-ending argument, and therefore pointless to discuss here.</p>
<p>"Also, what the hell did you mean that Harvard takes low scoring jocks and URMs? Do you believe minorities are idiots and that Caltech has better minds since it doesnt have these kinds of people? You are a racist. In addition, I consider myself an elitist, but you sir have beat me by far. You basically implied that since the Cal schools ar full of asians, their student body is more intelligent."</p>
<p>The previous poster never stated that minorities are idiots - you put those words in his/her mouth, and then proceded to call that poster a racist. It is an undeniable fact that many (but not all) admits who belong to the minority and (recruited) athlete pools have lower academic credentials than those who are not. If anything, the poster only made the mistake of implying that West Coast schools don't also take URM's and recruited athletes, because they do. However, there was no implication that the high Asian population in Cal schools is what fuels their intellectualism. In fact, Asians were first mentioned only in your post. Furthermore, while the percentage of Asians in Cal schools is higher by virtue of location, caucasians remain the dominant "race" within these institutions.</p>
<p>"If you dont like Harvard, go somewhere else and stop critizising it. Thats probably why you werent admitted, and if you were you do not deserve to be there. I believe a true student at Harvard should have both academic and extracurricular sucess, as well as school pride and spirit. Some of you that understated your university, and frankly do not belong there."</p>
<p>It cannot be denied that Harvard is one of the finest institutions in the world, and I would venture to guess that I speak for many people when I say that I have nothing against Harvard as an institution. What I am against, however, is the demonstrated elitism and need for so many Harvard admits to assert the superiority of their school. You state that a "true student at Harvards hould have both academic and extracurricular sucess, as well as school pride and spirit." Is this what school pride and spirit means to you? I would think that people as intelligent and mature as those admitted into Harvard would be happy and confident enough to take pride in their university without stooping to the level of arrogant boasts of superiority and, as you demonstrated in your post, wild and false accusations. For you to say "Some of you that understated your university, and frankly do not belong there." only reinforces my point.</p>
<p>"Furthermore, while the percentage of Asians in Cal schools is higher by virtue of location, caucasians remain the dominant "race" within these institutions.</p>
<p>Overall, I liked your post radial but I was put off by that one statement shown above. Causcasians are not the dominant race. If you meant that they are the most prevalent, that's also not true. For instance, I believe Asian-Americans outnumber caucasians at Berkeley.</p>
<p>You're right, sorry about that.</p>
<p>*It cannot be denied that Harvard is one of the finest institutions in the world, and I would venture to guess that I speak for many people when I say that I have nothing against Harvard as an institution. What I am against, however, is the demonstrated elitism and need for so many Harvard admits to assert the superiority of their school. You state that a "true student at Harvards hould have both academic and extracurricular sucess, as well as school pride and spirit." Is this what school pride and spirit means to you? I would think that people as intelligent and mature as those admitted into Harvard would be happy and confident enough to take pride in their university without stooping to the level of arrogant boasts of superiority and, as you demonstrated in your post, wild and false accusations. *</p>
<p>Very well said.</p>
<p>Are you guys done spitting your liberal propaganda? Oh and by the way, MIT is so much better than Caltech. Caltech to MIT is like Yale to Harvard- however, Caltech is ranked lower than the three combined. If in fact these allegations that these technical school are more intelligent than traditional students, MIT would beat Caltech by far.</p>
<p>Caltech loses most common admits - the really top students coveted by all schools - to Harvard, Stanford and MIT.</p>
<p>Indeed, Caltech loses most of those it singles out as heavily sought-after recruits by offering them large "merit aid" scholarships.</p>
<p>Liberal propaganda? Haha wow...</p>