<p>"The advantage exists but in different ways. It exists when the Georgetown-educated partner at the law firm I worked at told me "whoa, you should be my boss" when he heard the name of my alma mater (he was being playful of course, but not sarcastic). It exists when people don't pass over your resume in the same way they would looking over one from blah regional college X. I could give you more examples. The opening doors these days emerge more from the awe of others than one's fellow alumni."</p>
<p>My dad (Harvard PhD '88) interviews alot of both the very senior microsoft employees as well as college interns or recently graduated job applicants, as do alot of his peers. And the consensus among them is that they really don't care where you went to college but rather what you did there. It's funny because alot of people start getting surprised when Harvard, Yale, MIT, Caltech kids aren't getting Microsoft offers and kids from supposedly "random" schools are... At the end of the day, the fact that you went to Harvard only tells people that you played the game right in high school. That's it. Alot of these Ivy league kids start getting arrogant when they view the real world because they don't realize that the name isn't enough, that good grades aren't enough. It's what you DID for 4 years that counts, be it at X Regional State University or HYPSM...</p>
<p>As far as I can tell, the Harvard 'mould' seems to be someone who follows his passions and does what he enjoys, to the best of his ability. So I say the best shot you have at admission is to do your own thing, and give it your all.</p>
<p>As for the name - you have to ask yourself why Harvard has managed to sustain such a big name over the years. If it didn't have something special and unique to offer, it wouldn't be so highly regarded. My guess is that what places like Harvard have to offer which others don't, on top of excellent faculty/resources/facilities, is the ability to attract some of the most interesting and talented people from around the world. If you look back at your time at school, I think you'll find that you learnt the most valuable lessons outside the classroom. So, if you value that, apply to Harvard.</p>
<p>About pushing yourself, you're not going to get anywhere in life if you don't take yourself outside of your comfort zone and aim high. Working hard for something, in this case Harvard, is worth it even if you don't get what you wanted. See it as self-improvement.</p>
<p>Okay. First off. What's up with that little Texas quip, Byerly?</p>
<p>Second - Relax! You really don't need to worry so much about college admissions. Instead, focus on your classes, extracurriculars, and enjoying high school. Most of the people I've met who enjoy their college years best are those who didn't seek out a name and instead sought a college which would truly answer their interests. Insofar as Harvard's exclusivity in offering an "academic mecca" or "unique experience"...I think that's silly. You'll find that in any number of educational establishments and in that regard, yes - it is overrated.</p>
<p>Harvard is not overrated. HYP and Caltech are honestly speaking, probably the most underrated universities in the United States. They provide opportunities and funding for undergraduates that are simply unmatched by any other schools out there (although a few other schools - namely Dartmouth and AS3W* - perhaps come within Inter-Continental Ballistic Missile range). </p>
<p>Given the number of smart, motivated high school graduates in this country, I'm actually surprised more people don't apply even if they are a longshot. Maybe their HS's don't let them or the application fee is just too high.</p>
<p>How do you come up with HYP Caltech being underated if they are at the top of every best colleges list and have the most yearly applicants. I think you mean that people don't give the schools enough credit, but I don't think you can say that those schools are underated. That is completely the opposite case with these institutions.</p>
<p>What I mean is, maybe they should be on another list altogether. The fact that they are on a list and ranked #1-4 or whatever, and then some other school is 5th, implies that the difference between #4 and #5 is the same as the difference between #2 and #3. Not at all true. These handful of schools are leaps and bounds ahead of the rest of the pack.</p>
<p>Predator - Rice is a wonderful, wonderful place. It combines many of the assets of major universities with a lot of the assets of LACs. Its student assessments are fabulous, and the student body is highly talented. That being said, Harvard is probably the most potent brand name in the Western world. To have that brand name associated with your own may be an asset that is unequalled by any other experience, or it may just be a point of casual pride. You'd have to decide how important the brand is to you, and how likely it is to become something of real value for you. At any given point in time, the greatest collaboration of diverse human genius on the planet may be Harvard's undergraduate student body and faculty. Perhaps that's an unmatchable value to you, perhaps the difference between that group and Rice's is small enough that it's of little significance to you. If you're in a position to be weighing one against the other, you're a remarkable success already and your college search is going to turn out very well, regardless of where it leads you. But the financial difference will be small - if you qualify for financial aid, your family's expected contribution will be calculated and then the college will make up the balance. Harvard will make up a lot more than Rice because it costs more than Rice. And Harvard's calculation of the Estimated Family Contribution is more genrous than the federal methodology's. If you don't qualify for financial aid, then the cost differential probably isn't that big an obstacle for you.</p>