I value your perspective, though many Harvard students might disagree with you (with your claim that Harvard is not cutthroat), including (and especially) this recent graduate: Was Harvard Worth It? The Hidden Cost of Attending an Ivy League College - YouTube (this is a great video, highly recommend). My brother, who recently attended Harvard Law, heard very similar sentiments in his frequent discussions with Harvard undergraduates. That is not to say that this applies to all students’ experiences, of course, but it is important to consider a multitude of perspectives.
Of course, we can’t make sweeping generalizations either way. Collaborative is not a word I would use for Harvard, though.
And I have yet to find any “alpha personalities” at Amherst, though perhaps I’m not looking hard enough.
@hebegebe, good to see you again. I believe this applies to your comment as well.
I never read comments; the internet troIIs cured me of that.
She had her perspective of her time at Harvard, and that’s fine, since Harvard is not for everyone. But to repeat what my biggest message for the OP is that Harvard would not be my top choice - or even my top 10 - for CS.
Fair, but there seemed to be detailed, compelling, and credible stories from fellow students in the comments, though I suppose one can never be too skeptical. My argument here is that this perspective seems to exemplify a broader issue that many Harvard students encounter. However, it seems we have similar conclusions, even with different arguments. Thank you for the pushback, I always appreciate it (I am aware this might come across as sarcastic via text, but rest assured that I’m always a fan of civil disagreement).
There are many Harvard CS students who could have gone anywhere but chose Harvard. One reason is the flexibility I mentioned earlier.
MIT is clearly stronger in CS. For students that want the flexibility of Harvard and still want to tap into the strength of MIT CS, it’s easy to cross-register for MIT CS classes
Yeah, some of my extra curriculars embody this so I’ll be sure to mention this to create a cohesive application. Unfortunately, Berkley is out of the question for me. Far too expensive. :{
Interestingly, covid actually made this cross-registration easier to pull off as in-person attendance is often not required as most classes are taped and can be replayed when convenient. May still need to meet up with project partners at MIT, but that scheduling is easier than attending classes at MIT multiple times each week. Will have to see if this continues or not.
I want to add: please don’t let my comments about Harvard sway you from applying. This is MY impression of Harvard, based off of the conversations I’ve had with and concerns I’ve heard from Harvard College students and graduates. Harvard is obviously a WONDERFUL academic institution, with a virtually unmatched global prestige and presence. It is most certainly worthwhile to apply if you believe you are a good fit for the program. My comments genuinely come out of a desire to help you find the institution that best fits your interests, but should most certainly not be taken absolutely.
In general, kids that come from “cut throat” high schools may feel that a place like Harvard is cutthroat. Kids that come from high schools that are more collaborative may feel differently – i.e., it is the kid’s approach to life that determines this in part. Colleges in general tend to be less cutthroat than high schools because the goals are more diffuse. Also, unless you go to a very structured program like CMU CS, many colleges offer a lot of flexibility in their path. My son is in college, and I am sure his course mix and interests perhaps overlap some 60-70% only with about 10% of the kids in his major. There is no competition at that point to be cutthroat about. He welcomes the presence of that 10%. Otherwise it is a lonely life on campus. And his learning experience is impaired if he doesn’t have a “community” around his interests as he calls it. And this 10% of the crowd have their career interests further down the road – they are not competing with each other. The job market is national anyway for the local cutthroatness to matter. For his preferred summer internship for the upcoming summer, the company took probably 10% of their national intake from his campus. Infact he helped two of his room mates (in a quad) prep for the interview, and one of them made it. My son is not at Harvard, but I can imagine all of this at Harvard as well. It is also possible that Harvard can be more competitive in some sub communities than in others. If you feel secure in yourself, you won’t feel hyper competitive. Also it depends on whether you are focused on outcomes or the journey …
