<p>As we all know, the US primaries/caucuses are going on, and harvard is represented.</p>
<p>Senator Barack Obama - Harvard Law School
Governor Mitt Romney of MA - Joint Program With Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School</p>
<p>So, what are your thoughts? Predictions? Favourites? Had those two not gone to harvard do you think they would be in the position they are now?</p>
<p>poooooost people</p>
<p>"Had those two not gone to harvard do you think they would be in the position they are now?"</p>
<p>Probably. I'd think they'd be right where they're at. Surely one can argue that Barack made some really important contacts while at Harvard Law and Romney made important business contacts at the B-school---but they could've made equally good contacts elsewhere simply through the sheer force of their personalities--esp. Barack. I'm sure Harvard helped...but it's not what made the deal. </p>
<p>I do hope Obama gets the nom. and I don't like Romney much, but as those who made fools of themselves after New Hampshire, I'll try not to offer any predictions.</p>
<p>I can tell you that Obama got additional support from me back in the day because his Harvard connection made me aware of him before he got famous. (As you can imagine, the Harvard Law alumni association in Chicago has been behind him for years.) But I am pretty certain that he'd be where he is today even without my help. :)</p>
<p>Yeah I have no doubt that Senator Obama would have gone far regardless, he possess this passion and masterful oratatory skills along with the ability to deal with adversity..I think that no uni degree could give you tht.</p>
<p>As for Gov.Romney, his dad was a former governor so I'm sure he would have all the connections he needed. But now his resume is definately padded and the harvard b-shool degree def. helped him be successfull in the private sector that he keeps reiterationing now.</p>
<p>As we all know, the current resident G W Bush was a harvard b-school grad, so with bush, romney, obama and all the other world leaders including former PM pierre elliot trudeau of canada and fmr PM of pakistan benazir bhutto among others..is it safe to say harvard has the ABILITY to produce leaders? Or is it the individuals that become the leders and still would have regardless of where they went?</p>
<p>"is it safe to say harvard has the ABILITY to produce leaders?"</p>
<p>I think it's not that Harvard produces leaders. Rather, I think Harvard attracts leaders.</p>
<p>Any way you look at it, a Harvard degree is incredibly valuable (almost as good as a Yale degree -- 5 of the past 7 U.S. Presidents went to Yale, once Hillary is elected; and in every U.S. Presidential election since 1972, at least one Yalie has been on a major party ticket). </p>
<p>They would probably not be where they are without it.</p>
<p>I disagree, look at the other contenders in this election:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>John Edwards - North Carolina State University - far from the caliber of Harvard and Yale in terms of prestige, making connections and getting your name out there.</p></li>
<li><p>Rudy Giuliani - Manhattan College</p></li>
<li><p>John McCain - US Naval Academy</p></li>
<li><p>Ron Paul - gettysburg college</p></li>
</ol>
<p>none of those candidates went to harvard or yale, and still became very succesul: physicial, lawyers, mayor of NYC, Senators, Representatives</p>
<p>US Naval Academy is nothing to laugh at.</p>
<p>No none of them are anything to laugh at. I have the uttermost respect for John McCain, his courage, bravery, and the "straight-up" campaign he is running right now.
What I was trying to say was that obama, romney as well as all the other candidates didnt need a harvard or yale degree to be where they are.</p>
<p>I don't think anyone ever said that you HAVE to have a Harvard or Yale degree to get somewhere in life. If anyone ever tries to tell you that they are seriously deluded. </p>
<p>But going usually doesn't hurt and can sometimes help.</p>
<p>Well there is a misconception that to be sucessfull politically you ought to have graduated from an ivy school and thats what i disagree with.</p>
<p>Any way you look at it, an HY degree is very valuable. Fewer than 3000 people graduate from H or Y each year (and another few hundred from the law schools), compared with millions of college students nationwide. </p>
<p>If other schools were represented proportionally, you would have one candidate from HY about once every 100 years. </p>
<p>But look at the 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004 elections -- out of the 16 major party candidates (P/VP) on the ballots during those two elections, 9 spent time at Yale (Bu,Cl in 1992, Cl in 1996, Bu,Ch,Li in 2000; Bu,Ch,Ke in 2004). That's more than half of the candidates from Yale alone. Harvard was also represented a few times. </p>
<p>That's not the only area where HY dominate. A recent article in USA Today complained that an HY degree was basically a requirement if you want to get a clerkship at the Supreme Court -- Yalies were literally about 50 times more likely to become a US Supreme Court clerk than graduates of other top 10 law schools. Also, at one recent point, the U.S. Ambassadors to the U.N., France, China and Russia among others were all Yalies.</p>
<p>Bottom line is that HY are more dominant now, across every field, than they have been at any other point in history, even 300 years ago when they were the only colleges in the U.S.. And that trend is just likely to continue.</p>
<p>I don't think it makes THAT big of a difference. I wasn't even aware Mitt Romney went to Harvard</p>
<p>You don't need a degree to launch a campaign though.
Sure a HY degree helps, but charisma,policies and what you bring to the table surely outweighs a HY degree.</p>
<p>When you see the candidates in debates or on the campign trail or even when they declare candidacy, I think the last thing that is weighed if they got an ivy league degree.</p>
<p>Maybe before the year 2000 one coud go "oh he went to harvard (or yale), he mustbe a good leader" and that itself was a very important part of the candidates resume.</p>
<p>GW Bush disproved this, having gone to both harvard and yale, and considered one of the worst presidents in US History.</p>
<p>Plus look at the candidates now, a part from clinton, obama and romney the candidates all went to no-ivy league uni's</p>
<p>Bush is far from being one of the worst presidents in US history. Brush up on it a bit and you'd see there have been at least a dozen worst than him.</p>
<p>Oh no doubt there's many far worse than bush
Let me correct my self, worse president after 1900
so.. in 107 years.</p>
<p>And if you see his presidential approval rating, clearly the worst-modern president.</p>
<p>Evidently, Yale College Grad
Harvard b-School grad</p>
<p>Well, I'm no fan of W. but you can hardly judge a president based only on approval ratings.</p>
<p>I actually dont mind W but the reason y ppl hate him so much are</p>
<p>Things he says during public speaking
Unable to annunciate simple sentences
State of the economy
war in iraq
no gov't transparency</p>
<p>and a whole bunch of other issues</p>