<p>I agree with wrathofachilles. Harvard's undergrad education seems far inferior to its (probably deserved grad school rep) - as studies have consistently shown, Harvard students are unhappy and professors are not happy with having to teach undergrad rather than do their own research, etc.</p>
<p>My English teacher chose Yale over Harvard because the people at Yale actually studied together for tests. The Harvard people didn't because, well, they all wanted to get the highest score....</p>
<p>
[quote]
Harvard. I think it definately is one of the best universities in the world, but seriously no school deserves the reputation Harvard has.</p>
<p>Contrary to popular belief, Harvard students and faculty can't walk on water or use their touch to cure lepers.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>While I agree that the perception/reputation probably exceeds the reality at places like Harvard - the contrarian view is that this is the distinctly unique advantage of attending / graduating from Harvard.</p>
<p>As a graduate, you will forever walk around with that positive aura surrounding you.</p>
<p>In the media, when someone has attended or graduated from Harvard - they never fail to mention this fact - you constantly read about "Harvard educated" so-and-so. (By contrast do you ever hear "In the news today, University of [XYZ] educated so-and-so did this-or-that?"</p>
<p>As a Harvard grad, you are privy to instant goodwill - in terms of intelligence and ability - whether deserved or not is irrelevant - the fact that you automatically receive a certain measure of goodwill for doing absolutely nothing but attending such a prestigious school is very much the point.</p>
<p>So while the "half empty" pundits out there will say "Ah, Hah-vahd? It's totally overrated - they're no where good as their reputation."</p>
<p>I say the flip side to that coin is that (at least over time - and we are talking about a LONG, LONG, LONG time) perception BECOMES reality - and from that standpoint Harvard is hard to beat.</p>
<p>So, whether this is fair or not? Debatable.
Whether this is deserved or not? Again debatable.
Overrated? Not from my perspective - I can't think of another university where you get instant global recognition / instant goodwill merely by being attached to it - if that's the definition of being overrated I'd take that in a heatbeat.</p>
<p>Note that IG did't say undergrads get a better education at Harvard, just that the perception is that Harvard grads are something special (which they probably are, considering the elite faculy and fellow-students they dealt with for 4 years, and to have won admission there in the first place). I think he's right--the name still carries a ton of weight. So if the overrated part deals with prestige, I'm going to line up shoulder to shoulder with my buddy Ivy Grad (or probably two steps behind, and to the left, to avoid getting singed by his aura) and say no to Harvard being overrated. But if "overrated" deals with the actual education UNDERgrads receive, that's a whole 'nother story.</p>
<p>Tourguide, I'm glad you understood that small but important distinction - yes, I never said that Harvard undergrads receive a better education than any of the other elite schools in its peer group.</p>
<p>Cambridge and Oxford have the same kind of aura that Harvard has, more so overseas than in the U.S. though.</p>
<p>Alexandre, I have seen first hand the type of students from my school that go to Cornell. They are the students who were so set on going to an ivy but couldn't get in anywhere else, or those who figured they'd just apply for the heck of it and got in. It is a very different caliber of student than one who gets into say Yale, or Georgetown, or Duke. I don't know a ton about the college itself but based on admission selectivity and thus probably strength of the student body, I would say certainly that Cornell is overrated with Georgetown being very underrated.</p>
<ol>
<li> Nyu</li>
<li> Wustl</li>
<li> Bu</li>
<li> Gw</li>
</ol>
<p>That's the problem with using one's own limited exposure to judge something as complex as a university. Georgetown, my father's alma matter, is a great school, but it is ranked very fairly. Georgetown is a top 30 but not top 15 university.</p>
<p>Harvard is probably overratted for undergrad, but it's probably still one of the best. Why? Perhaps because perception has become reality, but really, the peers, professors, resources, reputation, places where graduates end up, alumni, and other things are truly amazing.</p>