<p>Roger Myerson, who co-won the Nobel Prize for economics. He was a classmate of a woman who became head of state (Benazir Bhutto), an aspiring senator man who is a famous comedian (Al Frankin), a famous sports broadcaster, Harvard sports hall of famer, who used to host America's Funniest Videos (James Brown), a former lieutenant governor (Kathleeen Kennedy Townsend), a former U.S. solicitor general (Seth Waxman).</p>
<p>Would they all have done well if they hadn't gone to Harvard: I would bet the mortgage that they would have done well. They got into Harvard because they already were doing very well. Still, it's a rare university that would have so many high achieving people in different fields in the same class.</p>
<p>(At least 2 Nobels for Harvard grads this year. Al Gore is the other Harvard Nobel winner that I'm aware of).</p>
<p>Mario Cappechi, who shared the Nobel prize for medicine this year is also a Harvard grad. He earned his bachelor's at Antioch College and his Ph.D. at Harvard.</p>
<p>TWO of the three Nobel Economics Prize winners this year are from Harvard. Eric Maskin received both his undergraduate and PhD degrees from Harvard, in Math and Applied Math, respectively.</p>
<p>For Harvard aspirants who think that being snobbish and egotistical will endear you to the admissions officers, I'm happy to pass on that Roger Myerson's reputation with his fellow Harvard undergrad classmates is one of brilliance, generosity and humility. I don't know him personally, but he has been described that way by classmates who have been his longtime friends including some who knew him even before he went to Harvard.</p>
<p>A quick look at the class Northstarmom mentions, and the list goes on - E. J. Dionne (Washington Post columnist, Rhodes scholar, etc.), Roger Ferguson (former vice Chair of the Federal Reserve), Andrew Delbanco (Columbia U Humanities professor and Time Magazine's Best American Social Critic & NRYB contributor), (former) Ambassador Peter Galbraith, Evan Thomas (Newsweek editor and Historian, tv commentator), economist James Galbraith, and graduating in that class (advanced standing a year early) Cornel West... yet other classes have some public notables too (though not too many have Nobel winners)</p>
<p>As long as concerned Nobel prize, it is Chicago, The Univercity of Chicago.</p>
<p>The University of Chicago. Hands Down. Mr. Myerson was to go to Chicago to fully enjoy his academics. Harvard seems to have some inferiority feeling to Chicago.</p>
<p>Uh, my counting was wrong. Wikipedia indeed shows Harvard 82 vs. Chicago 81. Sorry. Harvard tops the country in the number of Nobel prize receipients.</p>
<p>"Wikipedia indeed shows Harvard 82 vs. Chicago 81. Sorry. Harvard tops the country in the number of Nobel prize receipients."</p>
<p>And both are less than Cambridge with 85 (highest in the world) and, by an even more signifigant margin, (at 59) the most graduates with Nobel prizes.</p>
<p>I visited a Nobel museum once in Sweden and they had this special exhibit dedicated to Cambridge as some people were doing a study to try and uncover why, relative to other top Universities, so many Cambridge gradutes recieved Nobel prizes. The conclusion was that the unique 'Oxbridge culture' surrounding the place (e.g. discussing research each evening in the famous dining halls, the small supervision system of teaching, focus on idependent learning vs. mass produced courses) likely promoted a different way of thinking that is more condusive to discovery. Probably not a coincidence then that the No. 2 school Harvard has a teaching and University system based on Oxbridge too.</p>
<p>Columbia University is home to the Pulitzer Prize, which, for over a century, has rewarded outstanding achievement in journalism, literature and music. As of 2007, 82 Nobel Prize winners have been in some way affiliated with Columbia, putting the school on a par with Harvard University (also 82), followed closely by the University of Chicago (81), and rivalled only by the University of Cambridge (85).[2]</p>
<p>If these people applied to Harvard today (with the credentials they had when they finished high school), how many of them would be competitive applicants?</p>