<p>Congratulations on the HYP hat trick!
Yes, it is quite a choice, and your D should be ecstatic. She can't go wrong - they're all great (although I hope she chooses the school I chose when I was in her situation.)
My two best high school friends and I had the HYP choice - and each of us went to a different school!
Do give some consideration to the schools' academic calendars, and do not underestimate the schools' different traditions.
Best of luck from a Yale alum.</p>
<p>I definitely agree with just<em>forget</em>me. The exam schedule and the very short breaks are the most annoying aspects of life here for me. I think, to add to the discussion, Harvard students, as a whole, tend to be very driven in many areas of their lives. Therefore, I feel like I lose sight of what is really important in my life at times and that it is okay to know what the future holds.</p>
<p>Overall though, I am very happy with my experience here. The positive aspects of Harvard -- the down-to-earth and amazing people as well as the classes -- really outweighed the negatives.</p>
<p>I happen to love the schedule, the very long reading period is very very necessary at princeton, as it is nearly impossible to do the work that is due on dean's date during the semester if you're involved in ECs. It also provides time to study, and we have a very long exam period so exams are spread out. While having to work over winter break kinda sucks, you rarely actually have to. All assignments (other than junior independent work) are due 10 days after returning to school, so you should be able to do it in that time. But, if you want to start, you have lots of time to work and that way your reading period isnt as crazy. It's useful to be able to manage your time to fit your personality. Reading period and exam period is also a nice time to hang out with your friends without the pressures of classes.</p>
<p>I think the issue of Harvard's and Princeton's academic schedule is seen through very different lenses, depending on the kid. When my d. was applying for college and she found out about the split in the Harvard winter break, the school was immediately axed from her list. Being an intense studier, she felt that for sanity, she would really need a complete break between semesters. My son, however, kind of likes the slower pace that allows for much less stress between Thanksgiving and Christmas (altho it isn't great to then come home to all his friends being done!), as well as the long reading period before exams. Also, the Harvard schedule doesn't dovetail , tho overlaps with that of kids from home who are on the more traditional schedule. Luckily for him, he also has a couple of good friends from home on tri-mester, so they're usually around when the others are back at school. And in addition, he has started spending some vacation time with Harvard friends, eg. having just returned from spring break in CA with his suitmates. </p>
<p>In sum, I think that because there is such varying opinions within Harvard about the merits of the schedule (not to mention the professors liking the longer summer break), there has been no consistent strong push for change.</p>
<p>I went to grad school at Columbia - it was particularly stressful in architecture because the studio presentations always seemed to be the very last day of school which was about two days before Christmas, and studio presentations usually seemed to require at least one all-nighter. I never had anytime to buy Christmas presents - a particular problem since my parents were in Uganda at the time and it was impossible to buy things for them there.</p>
<p>I agree about the Harvard calendar being in need in review. The exams after break are really not an issue in terms of studying because of the long reading period provided after the break. However, when my son and all of my kids' friends came home at winter break for anywhere from 3 1/2 weeks to 5 weeks with not a care in the world, and my daughter came home from Harvard for her one week break with reading period/finals ahead of her ... there was a world of difference. As a parent, I see the calendar as the biggest drawback of the school. The late start and late finish aren't so great either ... and the spring break matches up with few other schools.</p>
<p>I see both sides of the calendar issue. This term, S will have three Psets per week; he will also have one 15 page paper due first day of reading period (i.e) right after end of classes) as well as a paper and presentation due at the beginning of the last week of classes. This is going to make for a rather stressful month of April compared to the more relaxed November and December last term. Then, he also had three Psets every week, but his two papers were not due until after the Xmas break. I'll have to ask him at the end of May which system he prefers.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I happen to love the schedule, the very long reading period is very very necessary at princeton, as it is nearly impossible to do the work that is due on dean's date during the semester if you're involved in ECs.
[/quote]
Indeed. Actually, my D found the long reading period a godsend. It meant she could come home, relax, not worry about studying or anything because she knew she had a very long time to prepare once she returned. The power of taking finals after the return is that you are fresh and eager to go for it - not just trying to get it over with. If you have worked during the semester to assimilate the information, then once you relax at home, you can then gear up at the end and do very well. Works nicely for D, though I can understand how one might feel anxious over the holidays if one hasn't really done the work all during the semester.</p>
<p>
[quote]
I definitely agree with just<em>forget</em>me. The exam schedule and the very short breaks are the most annoying aspects of life here for me.
[/quote]
When you say "very short" what do you mean? Just how short are we talking here for Thanksgiving and Winter?</p>
<p>Edit:</p>
<p>I think twinmom answers this. So is it the case that at H kids are getting a week for Thanksgiving and a week for Winter?</p>
<p>at princeton we have a week of fall break (around halloween), thursday and friday for thanksgiving, and then like a 3 week break before reading period starts. We then have 3 weeks of reading period/finals, and then a week long intersession break before spring semester starts. Although the week of intersession doesnt seem very long, it seems longer as exams are very spread out, so it's possible to have 2.5 weeks off, if you don't have any exams or have exams on the first day. Otherwise you get random days around exams to chill and hang out on campus. Most people don't go home for intersession-- they either stay on campus or its a popular time to travel with friends, since you had just been home with your family for christmas break.</p>
<p>I spent two years of college under the Harvard and system and two under a standard calendar. It really didn't make any difference to me, and the only time I did a lick of studying (or even thought about class) during break-before-finals was when I was taking Japanese. But frankly, if you are serious about learning a new Asian language, you can't put it aside for weeks at a stretch whether you've already taken the semester exam or not; memory decay, especially of kanji, starts immediately.</p>
<p>Harvard students get Thursday through Sunday for Thanksgiving, though most cut Wednesday classes to travel.</p>
<p>True. They also get the week after finals in January, which many use to ski and others use to do community service projects. D is on the plane back to Boston today, boo hoo.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Harvard students get Thursday through Sunday for Thanksgiving, though most cut Wednesday classes to travel.
[/quote]
Okay. Well, that seems fine. I thought by "short" we were talking Thanksgiving Day and then returning the next day. It seems Christmas break begins sometime around late-mid December and ends Jan.1, which I think is also just fine.</p>
<p>Anitaw,
you made me laugh.....most definitely not trying to sound clubby....nor was I trying to put a large cart in front of a small horse.... I picked the most obvious graduate program off the top of my head..... I view geographic diversity as a wonderful component of a kids decision matrix, frankly. I do know a child who went to college at Williams, did a few years of work out of Wash DC and is now doing an architecture graduate pgm at Berkeley..... and I think they will have a definite advantage in life having those disparate adventures. I was also "assuming" that a kid who gets to choose btwn HYP most likely will not have an issue attending a top graduate school if they apply themselves or have the same focus as they did in HS. </p>
<p>I also find all the responses about academic calendars to be interesting... which is why I mentioned it...might be a factor, might not. My girlfriend's daughter refused to get out of the car at one school......after a 3 hr drive!! Don't think she ever found out what the concern was...but that LAC was off the list before it was even really on....</p>
<p>"just" a state school grad myself!! and as I have been known to cite, NONE of my college friends are divorced....not one.... that statistic is not part of US News & World Reports criteria....but I can't help wondering if there is an inverse correlation as one moves up the top colleges/universities list.....</p>
<p>Eh, none of my college friends are divorced either. Not one. Sort of surprising. (Harvard grad.)</p>
<p>hey mathmom......
it is a surprising thing isn't it? course, not sure how many years you have been out of school....but, I am dealing with >30 yrs.....so, went thru a burst of local folks getting divorced the past 5 yrs....before that, lots of work peers over the last 10 yrs......but, none of the college buds.....</p>
<p>now, my hubby's friends are not so lucky.....</p>
<p>Maybe not so surprising. I believe statistic show that college educated people have a lower divorce rate. And I believe divorce rate at 25th reunions for both my class and husband's are well below national averages. But still. Not one. Not from college.</p>
<p>Is it me, or is this thread kinda getting a little bit bizarre?</p>
<p>Okay, okay morph back to the orginal discussion!</p>
<p>For me, it was all about location. :)</p>