@florida26 Nah you’re right the other day I heard a kid say he chose Yale and his friend couldn’t stop laughing and he showed him Yale only had a Times ranking of 33. Come to think of it I’ve never heard of Yale before today their reputation must really be lagging. They should advertise more or something, might help them get more applicants
@florida26: : In this article from another reputable publication, Harvard does come out ahead of Yale, but not anywhere near the amount in the link you posted: http://www.businessinsider.com/harvard-vs-yale-2013-4. Having one kid at each school, I can attest that HY are pretty evenly matched academically, and in terms of students getting high paying jobs upon graduation.
@notjoe actually this is the bullshit excuse that harvard kids give but it really is total bs. Overall the average Harvard student is not really smarter than the average student in many other ivies and at Stanford, mit. So yes the fact that Harvard median GPA is that much higher is coddling and gives Harvard kids an unfair advantage in terms of employment and grad school, on top of course of the advantage of having the world’s most prestigious and highly recognized university name on your resume.
Even though this article was posted 5 days ago, I think the Crimson is a bit slow to respond to the allure of Stanford. To wit: most of the repartee is devoted to HY rather than HS: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2015/4/15/a-guide-to-those-with-8-ivies/
Harvard is actually very welcoming to freshmen, and the upper class houses form a cohesive community. Yale also has houses. I don’t know about Standford’s residential arrangements.
I would caution you to investigate these schools yourself. Read the websites thoroughly (for instance, Yale has more gen ed requirements and more courses overall than Harvard.) Stereotypes persist and cannot always be trusted.
Any of these schools can generously fund overseas study or summer experiences.
I hope you have visited or can visit each and form a gut feeling about where you will fit.
My son found a very collaborative, friendly atmosphere at Harvard. He went in as a math guy, but has explored the humanities while there and writes for the Lampoon. He also plays a club sport. He has had a wonderful experience! He had to decide between Harvard and Stanford and does not regret his decision at all (even though the weather was rough this year, and he complained about it once or twice). He has made friends from all over, and loves Cambridge and Boston. We are all sad that his experience will soon be over as he will graduate in a little over a month. Time to move on to the next great adventure!
Thank you @curiousmother. There tends to be a lot of Harvard bashing and throwing around of negative stereotypes here and it’s always nice to hear positive reports from you and @BldrDad. My daughter may not be able to attend Visitas (a teacher is threatening to grade her down pretty dramatically for the entire semester if she misses an event-one where she has a very marginal role- at school Friday night) and the stereotypes that swirl around her are making her quite nervous. It would have been nice for her to get a different look at the school and her future classmates before committing.
I have no doubt they exist, but what kind of a teacher would downgrade a student graduating in good standing for missing to attend something like Visitas?
@JustOneDad, my question exactly. It’s an elective, not a core class, and I’m frustrated beyond words. This teacher believes the visit isn’t necessary and that the obligation to the high school should be the student’s priority. The teacher claims that the other seniors involved in school visits all scheduled around this obligation. I’m not aware of any visit that conflicts with the date apart from Harvard’s and Stanford’s and I’m not aware of any other person in my kid’s position. I’m still battling with the administration and if I don’t get a clear and reasonable answer, I’ll be more than happy to come back and fill y’all in.
Assuming the downgrade doesn’t affect anything substantial, I’d be of a mind to take it and let the teacher stew in his/her own misplaced sentiments while the student goes forward with their life.
Oh, these teachers exist…my d had to choose between dropping a full letter grade in a class (therefore disqualifying her) and an interview for Berkeley’s reagent and chancellors scholarship. This was for a CHOIR event. Eventually, the teacher agreed to allow her to write a ten page paper instead. Now realize, the rest of the class simply showed up at the event and was given full credit. My d wrote the paper and he still didn’t give full credit but at least she kept the A.
The cluelessness was disheartening…when asked why he would not look at the value of this interview he told her ‘because your dream school is Stanford so you don’t need it’. He believed she would just ‘get into Stanford’. Lol
Fast forward to today…she was fortunate enough to get reagents and then got into Stanford too. My frustration at anyone assuming any student is just going to get into Stanford, remains. How many very talented young people did not?!!
The good news… it taught her yet another lesson in standing up for herself. I don’t feel as if this teacher learned anything from it. He did however lose the respect of his student.
3girls3cats
If your daughter takes a grade hit for visiting a college she’s been accepted to, then so be it. It’s not like it’s going to keep her from attending Harvard. Some teachers seem to forget what being a student advocate is all about.
ps. especially since your daughter is marginally involved, it’s not as if she has a major role or obligation she is reneging on. I hope she goes if she really wants to visit.
notjoe summed up what I meant by not coddling. I wasn’t referring to grades, but since you bring it up, allow me to enlighten you. Just because there is some grade inflation doens’t mean hard work, stress, and all-nighters don’t exist. These kids work HARD and the classes are challenging.
It is up to every student to take advantage of what Harvard has to offer them. And there is a lot. I just meant that no one is going to announce it or serve it up on a silver platter,it’s up to students to take the initiative to make the most of what is available to them. Be that finding professors to work with, internships, jobs, or help with classes. Just know that it’s all there for the taking.
OP, you can’t go wrong here. Visit all 4 and follow your gut. I was admitted to Harvard and Stanford, but I’ll be choosing Harvard. Good luck!