<p>...and this is the first time I've actually visited Harvard's forum. I feel so insignificant and poor lol.</p>
<p>If your location is Penn '13, then you’re certainly not insignificant or poor! 
But I think I understand what you’re saying. When my eldest was in HS, I pored over every other top-level school’s entry in the College Guide I had but over a couple years I carefully avoided looking at Harvard’s write-up. My attitude was “that’s Harvard - that surely wouldn’t be relevant to us.” Then I was surprised when my D sent blanket e-mails to faculty in selected areas at all the Ivies + other top Us, and got a long, detailed, enthusiastic response from a Music professor at Harvard. Three years later with two kids there, I can report that it’s just a college - a very good college with remarkable resources, but not a perfect college. My Ds love being there, they wouldn’t be anywhere else, I’m glad they’re there, but if you put me in charge for a day I’d have a list of things I’d like to see addressed.</p>
<p>It’s also a college with a huge brand name. I don’t see that that brand name creates much of a day-to-day impact on its students except for the hordes of tourists it attracts to rub the foot of the phony John Harvard statue. But that’s another, somewhat gross, story.</p>