Harvard.. for the name?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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<p>just wondering, how many people here were honestly influenced by the prestigous harvard name? i get the feeling that at least half of harvard applicants do it for the sake of applying to Harvard.
personally, i wasnt intending to apply to harvard at all, but my parents are the ones who pushed me into at least applying… and they won’t admit it, but i know it’s for the name value. and the pride of being able to say “my son was accepted to Harvard.”
if only harvard was not well known… admissions would be so much easier too. gah. XD</p>

<p>what are your opinions on this?</p>

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<p>Are you saying that there is something wrong with going somewhere for the name?</p>

<p>Look, that's what brand-names and icons are all about. Let's face it. How many people really understand the engineering differences of cars such that they can tell you, from an engineering perspective, the difference between a Mercedes and a Chevy? Or, consider this thought exercise. I take a Mercedes and a Chevy and I remove all the identifying plates, hood ornaments, decals, and defining interior features, and I change all the body paneling such that you can't tell which is which, and then I let you drive each of these cars around, let you inspect the powertrain, brake system, electrical system, and whatnot, and then I ask you which car is which. Could you do it? Probably not. In fact, most Mercedes drivers couldn't do it. They don't really have any idea why, from an engineering perspective, the Mercedes is a better car than the Chevy, or even if it is a better engineered car. They drive a Mercedes because they think it's cool to drive a Mercedes. It's a status symbol - a symbol of success. They are basically doing it to show off.</p>

<p>This happens everywhere. Lots of women would like to wear Gucci just because it's Gucci. Is Gucci really that much better than something you can pick up at the mall? They don't know, but who cares? It's Gucci. The entire multibillion-dollar fashion industry as well as the entire high-end car market thrives on this notion of 'luxury goods' - generating demand based on scarcity. </p>

<p>Adults supposedly know better when it comes to resisting demand for these sorts of things. But do they? Would your dad mind driving a Benz or a Lexus to work every day? Would your mom mind having a couple of Versace and Vera Wang dresses in her wardrobe? Of course not. They would love it. </p>

<p>The simple fact of the matter is, competition is inherent to all human beings. All of us feel a compunction to outdo everybody else. And I see nothing wrong with that - in fact, it is precisely through competition that mankind achieves great things. One need only look at professional sports, another multibillion dollar industry. Is professional sports about going out there and having fun? Not really. It's really about going out there and competing for the championship - which means being better than everybody else. We don't want to see our hometown athletes going out there and just "having fun". That's not why they're getting paid millions of dollars. We want them to go out there and beat the other teams. THAT'S why they're getting their millions.</p>

<p>And besides, look at it this way. Harvard is, if nothing else, a career move. It looks good on a resume. Lest you think that that's shallow - bear in mind that lots of people make career moves to improve their future employability. For example, lots of people prefer to take a job with a big famous employer like General Electric or Microsoft even if they don't really want to work there and don't see themselves staying for very long. Why? Because it looks good on a resume. So they figure - I'll just be here for a couple of years, and then I'll have something valuable on my resume to snag future jobs. </p>

<p>A couple of years ago, I was talking to a guy who was graduating with his MBA from MIT-Sloan, and he was saying that he got an offer from a plum investment bank, but he hesitated to take it because he doesn't really like the investment banking lifestyle. What he really wanted to do was get into private equity or hedge funds. But eventually, he took the I-banking job. Why? Because, he said, it will look good on a resume, especially to get the kinds of jobs he does want in the future. So in a sense, it's a matter of 'paying his dues'. Yeah, he knew he wouldn't really like it, but then again, he was only going to be there for a couple of years anyway, and then he would try to jump to the job he does want. And that's exactly what he did. He now has the job he wants in private equity, and he credits his investment banking experience with opening the doors for him. </p>

<p>The point is, sometimes you gotta do some things you don't really like to do in order to get to do the things you do like. That's life. You don't always get to do everything you like to do all the time.</p>

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<p>^^^ That would be a good admissions essay.</p>

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<p>i could easily tell the difference between any chevy and mercedes. i'm a car fanatic.
my dad is totally content with his corolla and doesn't want anything more than that. and he's offered to buy me a new acura when i go to college (regardless of where).
i personally decided to apply to harvard because i love the campus, dorms, students, and neighborhood. boston is a great place for a college student to be. i love the student organizations they have, such as the aacf and bachsoc orchestra, as well as the way they do exams. the educational opportunities and resources there are unparalled, and it's far enough, but not TOO far from, home. the diversity on campus is much better than most.
what i'm saying is this. it's not called harvard for nothing.
what i'm NOT saying is that it's wrong to go somewhere for the name, as you suggested.
i was only asking a simple question- how many harvard applicants were influenced by the prestige of the name of the school, as opposed to applying there purely out of love for the school. don't get too stirred up. just.. chill.</p>

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<p>sakky- ur posts r most convincing and assertive.r u in debate?</p>

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<p>Harvardhopeful -</p>

<p>If you get into Harvard, forget about the Acura. There is no good place to keep a car on the Harvard campus, and you don't need a car to get around town.</p>

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<p>Don't mean to start a rumble, but new poll has got Princeton as the lowest acceptance odds. Harvard has the name, but princeton has the goods.</p>

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<p>thanks for the advice, coureur. i think i will need a car tho for some basic transportation. i was thinking of something more affordable.</p>

<p>mallard26, how could you conclude that after a small online poll? btw, when i checked it just now, there were 39 votes. there couldn't have been more than 39 votes.. you can't depend on that.
in fact, you don't need any opinions at all. look at the objective stats-</p>

<p>Admissions Rate (2003)
1. Harvard 9.8%
2. Princeton 9.9%
3. Yale 11.4% </p>

<p>A. Admissions Rate (2004)
1. Yale 9.9%
2. Harvard 10.3%
3. Princeton 11.9%</p>

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<p>Bob Jones University could hava the best mathmatician in the wolrd working there; no one would go. A colleges name is probably the biggest influence for most people in choosing (very close to money).</p>

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<p>I would go to Bob Jones college and so would many prospective math majors. Saying you did research with the world's best ________ would inspire many people I'm sure.</p>

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<p>Who doesn't apply to Harvard for the name? You can get an education at a state university and triumph. You can even not go to college and become a millionaire (Harvard drop-out Bill Gates knows this all too well). Applying to Harvard JUST for the education?--baloney. Anyone who has filled out the Harvard app. knows that it's the name that draws them. Ultimately, the person--not the college they attended--determines whether he or she is successful later on in life.</p>

<p>Anyone who denies this fact is dumb and therefore will be rejected. The funny thing is that I'm not kidding.</p>

<p>ZZ3</p>

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<p>ok folks. i think i got my answer.
just about everyone. xD</p>