<p>The government department (which is what they call the political science department) at Harvard is absolutely first-rate. (I was a government major again, some time ago, but a number of the top professors that I had are still there.) In addition to being leading scholars, many members of the faculty also have extensive practical experience in government. As marite mentioned, Harvards worldwide reputation also attracts a number of top visiting scholars and dignitaries. And Harvards graduate schools, such as the Kennedy School and the Law School, provide additional resources for undergraduates both in terms of qualified undergraduates taking courses there and in terms of faculty from those schools teaching undergraduate courses. For example, Graham Allison from the Kennedy School and Roberto Unger from the Law School are both teaching undergraduate courses this year. (I took a course with Unger as an undergrad and he is one of the most brilliant people I have ever encountered.)</p>
<p>The government department is the second largest undergrad major at Harvard, but it is divided into four subspecialties American politics, international relations, comparative politics and political theory. It didnt feel like a big major to me, and I had a number of small classes, seminars and tutorials with senior faculty. In terms of your interest in international study, as you may have read, President Summers has made international study one of his top two priorities as part of Harvards recent curricular review.</p>
<p>I am less familiar with Yales political science program, so I will let others address that.</p>
<p>As for the comments you have received from some Harvard students that every day is a battle, that was certainly not my experience, nor is it reflected in what current students told my son (and me) on his visits there over the past year. I have no doubt that there are some Harvard students who feel this way (I also have no doubt that there are some Yale students who feel that way about Yale). Both Harvard and Yale are intense places almost by definition, they are full of students who have excelled and achieved much in their lives even prior to going to college. But thats also part of what makes them exciting, stimulating places. You need some self-confidence to thrive at either school, but most of the students who go to Harvard or Yale have that.</p>
<p>Mariela -
"Every day a battle" is definitely NOT my daughter's experience at Harvard. She's a science major and not a government major, so maybe it's different in other parts of the school.</p>
<p>As I said above: "(there is) a lot more support and cooperation than competition among the students. A lot of work? Yes. Competitive pressure cooker? No."</p>
<p>To be fair...I am a fan of Harvard and believe it is unfairly maligned on these boards (as though Harvard needs me to defend it lol). However, a few students I know who have attended who arrived believing that they were, perhaps, God's gift to the intellectual world, did find the place to be a battle. In class they would find themselves sitting beside the smartest kid in the state of Missouri, etc. Or several students who were international math competitors. Suddenly they did not feel quite so golden.</p>
<p>This is true at HYP in general, and at similar schools. If you go there thinking you are unusually brilliant, you are going to be humbled by being around a whole bunch of other very bright and brilliant people, and a visible minority who are downright world-class geniuses. </p>
<p>In this case, it's not a question of H vs. Y. It's about recognizing that it's time shift from worrying about whom you are smarter than to considering who you actually are and how you want to grow. </p>
<p>I am not saying the OP has an attitude like this, but I do think some of the grousing comes from students who would prefer an experience that is less humbling.</p>
<p>I do think some of the grousing comes from students who would prefer an experience that is less humbling.</p>
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<p>I agree with this whole post. No matter what you are great at, you're going to meet somebody at HYPetc. who does it better, AND is smarter than you, AND is such a nice person that you can't resent them for it. It forces you to find ways to be comfortable with yourself that don't involve being the Best Whatever-It-Is. If you come to terms with that, as most kids do, the result is a lot of newfound maturity -- it did me a world of good to be a role player instead of a superstar. If you can't adjust, as a few kids can't, the result may be resentment toward the school or fellow students.</p>
<p>"Mariela, you're talking to current Harvard undergrads who say that "every day is a battle"? In what sense? Who are they? Are they international students who didn't adjust to the culture shock well? Are they obsessed with getting into a particular grad school?"</p>
<p>Hannah, I have heard that from several international students, as well as from one American. The internationals complained how tired they are of proving themselves academically every day, and of rubbing shoulders against the best and the brightest from the whole world.
And the American guy noted that while H is a very competitive place, the competition was the price he gladly paid for being part of H's extremely bright and talented student body.</p>
<p>"It's about recognizing that it's time shift from worrying about whom you are smarter than to considering who you actually are and how you want to grow."</p>
<p>In today's Crimson, an undergraduate writes about being reminded why she loves Harvard after hosting some pre-frosh. </p>
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<blockquote>
<p>I told the pre-frosh about directing a play that I co-wrote, taking a class on swing music, my awesome professors, the uncanny success of freshman rooming assignments, being a Jewish girl in an African gospel choir, how people at Harvard really arent nerds, and how Boston was greatunless you are a Yankees fan. Amidst a week of work and bustle, the rosy-cheeked high schoolers caused me to actively remind myself why I love Harvard. In disclosing to them the secrets of this brick-and-ivy municipality, I finally transcended the stack of textbooks on my desk and came to an objective understanding of my life at Harvard.</p>
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<p>Whether or not my pre-frosh attend this springtime home of frisbee playing, sunbathing, and flip-flops, my interaction with the young visitors left me reassured that despite occasional noises about Harvard student dissatisfaction, I could never be happier anywhere else.>></p>
<p>I'm sure similar articles could be published in the Yale Daily News (although the TA strike seems to dominate these days) or the Daily Princetonian.</p>
<p>Rubbing shoulders with "the best and the brightest from the whole world" can be either daunting or exhilarating - it's up to you to decide which. My son's attitude is that he can't wait to be surrounded by students who are as bright as or brighter than he is, and who won't consider him a freak for wanting to debate, say, Indian and Pakistani policy in Kashmir.</p>
<p>But I don't view this factor as a basis for distinguishing between Harvard and Yale. The quality of the undergrad population at the two schools is virtually identical.</p>
<p>Hey everybody! Thanks for all the posts... Though I've not posted on this thread, I have a similar problem to Mariela (Mariela... if you want to talk you can email me at <a href="mailto:judith@rachelandjudith.com">judith@rachelandjudith.com</a>) - choosing between Harvard and Yale. I'm also a humanities person, interested especially in English Literature, and an international student from Singapore. Have spent the last 2-3 weeks agnoizing and emailing all over the place, but this thread is the first one to have given me a sense of comfort that wherever I go the difference isn't that great anyway. Incidentally, if anyone here has had experiences with Yale's directed studies (DS) program, do tell me about it - or Harvard's equivalent - because I was offered it by Yale. (I know Harvard doesn't have an official program, but was just wondering if such could be designed as well) </p>
<p>As a footnote to nothing, we should be pleased to have Hanna here. She was one of the few sources of useful information on the cesspool of racism, sexism, and anti-Semitism that was the PR boards.</p>
<p>Time to dust off the Conan O'Brien Class Day Speech at Harvard. It nearly sent my S applying elsewhere. :)</p>
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<p>So what can you expect out there in the real world? Let me tell you. As you leave these gates and re-enter society, one thing is certain: Everyone out there is going to hate you. Never tell anyone in a roadside diner that you went to Harvard. In most situations the correct response to where did you to school is, "School? Why, I never had much in the way of book larnin' and such." Then, get in your BMW and get the hell out of there. </p>
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<p>You see, you're in for a lifetime of "And you went to Harvard?" Accidentally give the wrong amount of change in a transaction and it's, "And you went to Harvard?" Ask the guy at the hardware store how these jumper cables work and hear, "And you went to Harvard?" Forget just once that your underwear goes inside your pants and it's "and you went to Harvard." Get your head stuck in your niece's dollhouse because you wanted to see what it was like to be a giant and it's "Uncle Conan, you went to Harvard!?" </p>
<p>Google Conan O'Brien + Harvard for the rest of the speech.</p>