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<blockquote> <p>I find it interesting when Yale proponents cite the assignment of freshmen directly to residential colleges as a relative advantage of Yale compared to Harvard. When Harvard proposed to do the same as part of its curricular review recommendations, the students overwhelmingly opposed it. <<</p> </blockquote>
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<p>I think another advantage of the Harvard approach to residence colleges is that, by housing all the freshman together for one year in Harvard Yard before moving them out into the colleges, it gives them an opportunity to form a larger identity as the Class of '08 or '09 or whatever before they move off and bond with their new college-mates.</p>
<p>At Yale by contrast they get segregated right from the start. Any given incoming class gets totally Balkanized by college. I think Harvard strives to strike a happy medium.</p>