<p>Of course, Harvard has great reputation, has need-blind admission policy etc. Yes, that’s all right, but… some time ago, I’ve heard the story from real Harvard international student, he said, that most of Harvard’s words are just “words”. Yes, its policy of non-discrimination, need-blindness work, but only rich men has real opportunity to get into. International applicant from rather poor or even average, or even rich country is there in absolutely severe disadvantage. </p>
<p>He says:“There are so many rich students, students of famous parent, who really are bad students, and financial package with 2,500$ for personal expenses is awfully low; to live there, to study there well yoyr family should has at least 50000$ per year”.</p>
<p>My attitude toward this: As I see, Harvard is imperialistic nature, with no opportunity for poor international to get in, and with no perspective to study in".</p>
<blockquote>
<p>anyone can get in.<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>Words, words, words.......</p>
<p>-rajinthebox<br>
Are you student of Harvard? If yes, you're also rich, if no, you're st...d(no offense) yourself. I think we have different explanation of what the rich is: for me people with 20,000$ are rich, but I'm sure there are much more people with above the average income.</p>
<p>i think the mods will step in anytime now to slay the troll. good grief man, there are so many problems with what you're saying that i don't know where to begin. like this strange sense of entitlement and marginalization. </p>
<p>as hard as it is for you to believe it, anyone can get in. its a matter of merit, luck, and progressive affirmative action policies. that's kinda just. whether you think its socially equitable and egalitarian is your own business.</p>
<p>Stardragon has been around here for a while. He is certain Lenin was right all along.
Star: write to Sergey Trishin, a currect senior at Harvard who happens to be from the old eastern bloc. Ask him how it is:
<a href="mailto:trishin@fas.harvard.edu">trishin@fas.harvard.edu</a></p>
<p>I don't know why I seems to be such. Really, I hate Lenin with its antiquated ideals, I am for the freedom, and democracy, even more than in USA. That's why I want to study here. But I live in severe reality, and I understand that the community, university etc. is like a small box: once you reach its walls, you can't grow any more. And I begin to be sure it's world wide feature.</p>
<p>stardragon: be a little more optimistic. the world has its limits but life itself is necessarily limiting. meanwhile, it is quite possible you will find yourself in some great american university soon, learning and contributing and growing and perhaps even contemplating <em>staying</em> in this foreign land. at that point you'd be just like the majority of us....immigrants!</p>
<p>Are you immigrant? Oh, that's great!
I'm ready to contribute in every american university I'll be admitted. I just hope I'll be. School, I think, crash me, vanish all my talents and capabilities, and univ. here will also do, so, maybe, change of environment will give more perspective to everything I can, but I don't do.</p>
<p>And it's not easy to meet all the requirements of univs: recs and school report are now so great problem for me. Teachers and Principal don't want me to go abroad espesially in USA. I break all this by myself - this is what I mean "box"</p>
<p>My daughter is currently at Harvard. We are not at all a rich family --> middle class. Of the 2 dozen friends my daughter has in her dorm, I think only one of them is rich (some are quite poor). And the one rich guy is not from a rich family; he made himself rich at a very early age by founding and then selling his own high tech company. I think he was admitted not for his wealth but because of his extraordinary achievements in technology and founding his own company while still in high school.</p>
<p>Stardragon - I think you are only hurting yourself with your constant tendency to doubt all the good news and believe all the bad news. People here are trying to help you and others. Harvard has nothing to gain by lying to its applicants, but if you are determined to believe only the worst about Harvard then, fine - strike it off your list and move on to other schools.</p>
<p>No, I don't want to exclude Harvard from my list. Meanwhile, I want to change it to the best, to see it from inside. I think Harvard is all-in-all good school, but now, therev is too much unfairness.</p>
<p>And, I don't understand: if you have relatives among alumni, you have more chances. What it?? Even in Russia, it's unbelievable! It's called "criminal relation", "corruption without money"! In Russia, one can be punished for it, but in USA it's official annoncement.</p>
<p>I certainly thought Harvard was only for the rich when I was a teenager. That is why I never applied: the list price was scarily high, and I didn't understand how much financial aid was likely to be available to a middle-class family like mine if I had applied and been admitted. It's up to my children where to apply, when they apply, but I am trying to wrap my mind around the idea that list price isn't the same as actual out-of-pocket price for most applicants to most colleges. I believe Harvard President Larry Summers when he says that he is trying to make Harvard more accessible to low-income families. Maybe one or more of my children will apply, or maybe not, but if they do, we will also apply for financial aid and see what the package looks like. I personally think that Harvard has some programs that are worth attending for, even if it costs more than our state university, and I get the impression that Harvard's financial aid policies might make Harvard MORE affordable than our state university when the time comes to decide on a college for each child.</p>
<p>I definitely don't think that Harvard is only for the rich, but when I think of rich i think of like $250,000. I bet 90+% of kids at Harvard come from a family with an income of $50,000 or more. In america that's not really considered rich at all.</p>
<p>I've thought about it before, and wondered if it would make me uncomfortable if I get in and decide to go there, but I try not to. Even if the (extremely wonderful) financial aid initiatives are blatantly making up for lost time, the school is trying. Harvard is the one school that doesn't make me (who wouldn't be considered rich by stardragon's 20k=rich statistic) nervous about money.</p>
<p>Besides, my high school's district is mostly rich (by US standards). Don't worry, they're good people, too.</p>
<p>P. Sedrish, I contacted Sergey Trishin, but I don't think that I should trust his words. After almost four years of studying in Harvard, Sergey became haughty and arrogant as the most of other Harvard students. He said:</p>
<br>
<blockquote>
<p>I answered your first email as a matter of exception; in general, I
don't respond to anonymous messages.<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>So, I became even more sure than earlier that Harvard is for arrogant and rich student, who just like to disparage poor ones.</p>
<p>English expression: "take that chip off your shoulder, star".</p>
<p>Meaning: "stop thinking everyone is picking on you personally or that you're so disadvantaged".</p>
<p>Apply to lots of schools, get in to one, come here and see for yourself. As my grandparents, who came here from Odessa in 1906 always said "only in America". Life has been very very good to us.</p>
<p>Oh yeah, and let me respond to that. Having become so terribly "haughty and arrogant" over the four years that I spent at Harvard, I feel that it is not worth my time talking to someone who prefers to remain anonymous when asking questions of this sort. While it may be appropriate for a board like this, when I receive an email signed "Harry Porter" I feel like deleting it without reading on. In this particular case, I did respond to it, giving my view and opinion. Maintaining a conversation with Harry Porter is, however, outside of my scope of interests. You can't expect to hear a personal opinion if you can't go as far as putting a name to your message. I receive a lot of emails from pre-frosh and prospective students; some send me their entire applications with essays and forms - and I never turn anyone down and help everyone who asks for it. I do not, however, respond to unsigned emails, and being a fellow Russian does not mean you're exempt. I feel that most of my classmates would share the same approach.</p>
<p>Sergey,
do you really think that I gave CollegeConfidential my true E-mail? Of course, not. I don't want to have my real name anywhere realated with this site. I created my E-mail quickly, specially for this need, and signed it Harry Potter, first that weht to my mind. I have my real personal E-mail, and I can tell it you for continuing our conversation. But really do I need it?</p>
<p>And another point. I sent letter to one American girl from this my E-mail, and she said nothing about my anonymity. Just because she is really polite, and not arrogant.
Maybe, after 4 years of studying you are not afraid of your real name, in Russia it's not pervasive practice. </p>
<p>I contact many people from Russia, who want to study in USA, who are first-year students and who are seniors in American universities. The strange trend: more time they study in USA, worse they are. To tell the truth, I hope for more understanding.
And, of course, another strange feature of Russians: if someone succeded, one interferes other succes.</p>
<p>Of course, you can laugh on my English. But just don't spend time, I know it.</p>