<p>That's pretty much the entire university in a nutshell.</p>
<p>Why? Explain then. :)</p>
<p>Yale Is Way Better</p>
<p>All right, overrated is kind of an overgeneralization in and of itself... but the student body isn't as impressive as you'd wish it to be. It's less raw talent and more ambition. And then there's the raw talent with arrogance... but it's not the fostering background one would initially imagine. The teaching staff is probably the best part of it, but some of the intro level course teaching fellows are highly difficult to understand. </p>
<p>In general, it's not the haven everyone wants it to be. It's just a big opportunity to be taken advantage of, and less an actual college. Don't get me wrong, people have fun, but it's kind of that mutually self-serving brand of fun... I'm just encouraging people not to get caught up with the name or their dreams. Reality can be startlingly different.</p>
<p>^haha my sister's @ yale and loves it......good explanation Sindiferent but I know there are interesting people there, i mean the ivy's take from a relatively simmular applicant pool, considering the # who cross apply (I call it Ivy incest), even though some of the schools are completely different from one another. as far as i'm concerned i like all the schools i applied to and would enjoy going to any that let me in (besides my in-state safties). Harvard being more of an opportunity statement is quite accurate is some respects, but there is talent in Cambridge (in the students and especialy the profs), and if a higher percentage are workaholics, well then Boston to relax!</p>
<p>Sindifferent:
you're just jealous...
...and if you feel that strongly then don't go (that is, if you can even make it in)</p>
<p>I have the impression that Sindifferent's already there. The hype around Harvard is such that you have to assume that for many, reality can't be as high as expectations. And there's no real way that anyone could post that they've found it to be "underrated." But FWIW, my D who's a freshman there is finding the experience to be fuller and richer than she had imagined going in.</p>
<p>Ah, smell it in the air. I love when spring comes and the Harvard rejects bloom.</p>
<p>No, 4 posts total and one of those was asking about SAT/ACT curves. Just another HS kid that has never seen Harvard.</p>
<p>Haha... I was kind of hoping for people to say I don't go to Harvard. My post about SAT curves was well over a year ago, if you check it out. I was worried whether my score would be good enough to get me into Harvard. Lo and behold, though! </p>
<p>So I made it in and am going. I don't regret. A school can be good and still be overrated. Especially Harvard, considering how much overrated it is. You could take half the cream off the top and still have a substantial amount. </p>
<p>Do you guys even go to Harvard? I mean, I can brag that my Econ class was so big that it got moved out of Emerson in the third week and got moved into Paine... which has much better seats for sleeping. I know how annoyed my (non-Harvard) friends get when I tell them you need a swipe card to get into Lamont. I know the Lampoon sent out two hoax e-mails about the Harvard president. Broadway Market also changed their deli options recently and now has a wider selection of good sandwiches versus crap like the Northend. That much Balsamic has no right to be on bread. </p>
<p>People take criticsms of their dreams so badly. I'm just trying to allay people's fears. It's not a bad place, but don't kill yourself if you don't get in. There ARE cons. But girls from BC are cute and might be impressed if you subtley mention where you go to school.</p>
<p>Fair points Sindifferent.
You were in 1010a?
By the way, we should consider ourselves lucky. State school lectures are even worse. </p>
<p>Anyway...yes there are cons here. But also realize there is no one perfect university in the world. </p>
<p>"I know how annoyed my (non-Harvard) friends get when I tell them you need a swipe card to get into Lamont."
Why is that? </p>
<p>"I know the Lampoon sent out two hoax e-mails about the Harvard president."
It was kinda funny...in a way. Also kinda lame too.</p>
<p>Hi, Sindifferent, I'm also a freshman here.</p>
<p>I agree that it's ridiculous how people on the forums say things like "I want to be a part of the Harvard experience" or "I want to live the dream of going to Harvard." It's just a school! It's not a metaphor for perfection! And as long as you expect it to be some ideal abstraction, you're going to be disappointed.</p>
<p>However, when you say that Harvard is "overrated," it just kind of makes me suspect that you had these unrealistic expectations when you showed up. People I know who just expected a great college experience are all satisfied with the school. However, some people have the idea that an acceptance to Harvard is the crowning experience of a lifetime, and that's ridiculously far from the truth- where you get your education is nothing compared to how you use it.</p>
<p>There's no way you can sum up something as complicated as Harvard with any one word. It's just plain unhelpful- forum members don't learn anything. When I talk about Harvard's flaws, I'm as specific as I can manage- I let people know that Harvard doesn't have fraternities, that it has lousy weather, that it's known to be pretty difficult to date, and so on. I also try to correct people's misconceptions about Harvard- I tell them it's not true that Harvard students are arrogant and preppy, and that it's not nearly as easy as some think it is.</p>
<p>Just saying "Harvard is overrated" doesn't really do anything for anyone.</p>
<p>indeed you may think harvard is overrated, and perhaps it is, to some extent; but you can't argue that most students who graduate from harvard aren't immensely successful.</p>
<p>Actually, as a Harvard grad married to a Harvard grad, I would not like to make a case that most students are "immensely" successful. Although, it might depend on how you define "immensely". Most of us are solidly middle to upper middle class and happy - according to our 25th year anniversary surveys. :) Only a few are doing groundbreaking work in their fields.</p>
<p>Harvard is a great school. But don't you think that if you shuffle around the top 75% of all Ivy student bodies, you'd more or less get the same distribution in the end? </p>
<p>Speaking to many Ivy grads (including harvard, yale, princeton) etc, the Ivy brand will get you a guaranteed glance at your resume. But beyond that, it's entirely dependant upon your personal achievements. My mom was an immigrant, now runs a lab @ Columbia Medical Center. She's hired 6 H-Y-P TECHNICIANS (the people who get paid minimum wage running repititious stuff). What does this mean? Absolutely nothing.</p>
<p>Bottom line, if you have the drive and the academic foundation, you have equal chances of succeeding at StateU or the Ivy League. (refer to the ubiquitous Princeton median-income comparison for Ivy Leaguers for proof).</p>