I would give up ___ to be able to go to Harvard

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>Let's face it, for some of us, Harvard, Princeton, and Columbia, as well as the other great schools, are somewhat out of the question.</p>

<p>So for those of you (who are like me) not expecting a top ivy acceptance letter, what would you give up to get to these schools?</p>

<p>Let's say you got into Harvard but you HAD to major in a topic you dont like (biology, for example) would you still go?</p>

<p>or if you could go to harvard but had to give up every single college party , would you still go?</p>

<p>just curious</p>

2

<p>I would go to Harvard and give up the parties (ugh but wouldn’t really want to -_-) but I would not go if it meant studying something that I did not enjoy (I’ve done enough of that with mandatory high school courses)</p>

<p>Would you go to Harvard if you had to spend 20 hrs/wk on an EC that you hate (a specific sport or club)?</p>

<p>Would you go to Harvard if you needed to have 25 hr work weeks to make ends meet? (If I get in, I’ll probably have to)</p>

3

<p>I’d give up partying, boyfriends, my legs, all of my money. </p>

<p>Anything.
Srsly.</p>

4

<p>id love to hear more thoughts, but also feel free to add like ragdolls :slight_smile: </p>

<p>Would you go to Harvard if you had to spend 20 hrs/wk on an EC that you hate (a specific sport or club)?
hmm… yes. i personally would probably.</p>

<p>Would you go to Harvard if you needed to have 25 hr work weeks to make ends meet? (If I get in, I’ll probably have to)
yes, this is definitely a yes. even if your grades slip a little, you still graduate with harvard</p>

<p>@alexissss so you would study something you dont like even?
i mean this is not exactly hypothetical. my friend is applying and im sure she will be accepted… she’s a really intense musician and if she gets in , her parents REALLY want her to go and study biology.
but she wants to continue with music and she really isnt interested in harvard surprisingly</p>

<p>idk, ill be interested in the answers just because it makes me think what i woudld do</p>

5

<p>Yes.</p>

<p>10 char</p>

6

<p>I honestly think I would not renounce to that much. I mean, of course Harvard is really amazing but well, I mean we should not “sacrifice” to go there. I mean, it is not a goal. If you get there you’ll surely be really happy, at least during the years you’ll spend there (but not yet guaranteed), but if you end up somewhere else, I’m sure it will be great too. I would not renounce to my night-outs, neither to anything else.</p>

7

<p>Nothing. Awk.</p>

8

<p>bump?
10char</p>

9

<p>A kidney. . .</p>

10

<p>Hell I’d give both of VeryHappy’s kidneys! But on a more serious note, I agree with Desperatefrench, college is more about you learning about yourself, than about you learning random facts. I forget where I read this, but on the NYT or something, it said that employers look for the ability to think, not vast amounts of knowledge. So as long as you learn how to think analytically, you’ll be alright (this applies for engineers, scientists, social workers, politicians (or not???), and pretty much any job you can come up with that would require some higher education)</p>

11

<p>Resurrecting this out of sheer boredom, but my left eye.</p>

12

<p>I’d give up two years of my life. Or an arm. Or a leg. Almost anything.</p>

13

<p>Some of these responses are truly sad, and yes I know most of you guys are joking. There are far more important things in life than getting into Harvard…</p>

14

<p>Four years of my life.</p>

15

<p>A number of years ago, a neighbor’s kid had a perfect SAT and was given a great scholarship to Vanderbilt. His dad was an engineer, and the parents were really pushing engineering. Turns out the guy wanted to study music, and did switch majors although his parents never ‘approved’. Student has to be honest with parents on what she wants to pursue. Never heard of someone having a happy life when they are working to parents’ wants/needs and not their own when it comes to choosing their career and passion. Maybe parents believe DD will not make a decent living, or do not want to spend the money on this degree. Families can be difficult, but communication is important.</p>

16

<p>Okay, this is a bit absurd. However, I understand where a lot of people are coming from. To me, Yale was “the” dream school. Luckily, I’ll be there next year.</p>

<p>BUT</p>

<p>Obsessing over a university to such an extent that you would sacrifice substantial aspects of your social, academic, and family life is silly. And, you know what? Harvard (or yale, or princeton, or Stanford, or [insert highly selective school here]) will try its best to stay away from such people. The students make the university-- don’t forget it. If the majority of Ivy league schools are filled with kids for whom the ultimate end is a degree, we’re in a lot of trouble. Luckily, they’re not; most students at top tier schools would be successful anywhere they went. </p>

<p>Threads like this are simply irresponsible. They only serve to propagate immature, useless images of prestige as the ultimate end. The question should not be: “what can I do to get into Harvard?”</p>

17

<p>^Aaaaaand this is why you got into Yale</p>

18

<p>Agreed. People saying that they would actually study something they don’t even like just to go to Harvard are especially disconcerting.</p>