<p>Not to be creepy, but who is your host Millancad? I know someone hosting a lot of prefrosh.</p>
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<p>The only difficulty is that very few of those who drink illegally exercise any individual conscience or regard for the potential consequences.</p>
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<p>If that occurred to any prospective student, he or she deserves absolutely zero sympathy.</p>
<p>^^Someone named Trisha. Her real first name is the same as my mother’s and her last name sounds even more French than mine, which makes me like her.
Since the black student group (whatever you guys call it there) sent me to her – despite my telling them “no, I don’t need to have a black host, and if I come, I’ll likely have other plans” – she’s black, which may be more helpful in identifying her, if you know her, than the other info I mentioned.</p>
<p>Aren’t most of you at the profrosh weekend right now? (It was supposed to be this weekend right?) So, how’s the school? Anything interesting?</p>
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<p>Yes, it is this weekend, but I am not attending. I would assume that today’s scheduled festivities have concluded by this point.</p>
<p>Actually, the prefrosh schedule of concerts, performances and dances typically continues throughout the evening, ending with a movie shown until 2:00 a.m.</p>
<p>I went, and, sadly, I was underwhelmed. I’ve visited dozens of college campuses in the past four years, but this was my first time to visit Harvard. I came with pretty high expectations, considering all the hoopla about the school, but I was left with a feeling of “this is it?” I know we all have our personal tastes, but to me, Harvard didn’t feel like a college. It felt like a giant tourist trap (which it is, to a degree), with the students serving as the living “exhibitions” (keep in mind that I’m saying this from an undergraduate perspective). My host was very unaccommodating too, which certainly didn’t help matters either. To be honest, aside from the “name value” of the degree, I don’t see why anyone would just LOVE to be there (but once again, this is merely my opinion).</p>
<p>I guess I’m writing this out of frustration, as I really wanted to fall in love with the school. But I’m left feeling even more confused as to my decision. Do I “suck it up” and go through with it, in hopes that I find a niche? Or do I realize that it just might not be the place for me?</p>
<p>@waylay - Did you find any extracurriculars at the extracurricular fair that you think you would enjoy?</p>
<p>waylay00 and any other prefrosh who came this past weekend,</p>
<p>first, congrats on getting in in the first place… now to the real issue…it’s really unfortunate that you felt that way about Harvard in general. And I’m sorry about your host as well (my roommate and I tried to make sure our girls felt as comfortable - but independent - as possible; but do remember that the freedom was for you to explore on your own with no restriction 
).</p>
<p>I think that your feelings are not strange or unique, though. I remember first coming to Harvard during my prefrosh weekend and speaking with a freshman at the time who claimed he was “unhappy” with Harvard. I was shocked. So, naturally, I asked why. And he said the same thing you said. He came in with expectations… high expectations. He said, “Well this is Harvard… what would you expect?” Ever since then, I have held my self to the mentality of never having an expectation whatsoever, despite what others may say. Because I did that, I feel I took the MOST and the BEST attributes from my first time experience on campus and that is what tilted the balance for me. </p>
<p>With that said, realize Harvard is not for everyone. I’m not sure what current students you were around, but I personally regret nothing and LOVE it here. And I know for a fact I am not an exception. If you feel you will get past the idea of being “underwhelmed” with what’s here, then I encourage you to come. And in addition, I can’t see how anyone could be underwhelmed. There is so much the school has to offer it’s exactly the opposite! But don’t force yourself because of the name, or the way your family will react to you going to Harvard, or whatnot, etc… Go with your gut. Don’t fake a love if you know you’ll come here in August still holding a bitter grudge… trust me, it won’t make things any more easier… But if you feel your just had the wrong dice thrown for the weekend, why not take the gander?</p>
<p>The best thing I can say is do what feels right and don’t push yourself somewhere that you don’t see yourself. If Harvard’s not the right “fit” it might not be the right “fit” but another school might be absolutely perfect for you. Despite it all, you’ll be phenomenal wherever you decide to go :)</p>
<p>GOOD LUCK!</p>
<p>waylay, I feel the same way after I visited MIT two weeks ago. Yeah, the scheduled activities were a lot of fun and some of the things were memorable, but I didn’t feel particularly attracted to the school. Some aspect of it just didn’t live up to my expectations, and I didn’t think the preview weekend was a good representation of the real campus life. Same thing with my original MIT host - her roommate didn’t like the fact that she invited prefrosh, so she ended up having to move me and this other girl to another room, so in this new room we had four prefrosh and two freshmen living in a double. (Although this “new” host she found for us was extremely friendly and helpful.)</p>
<p>After that, I sneaked away from MIT’s events for a few hours with my new host to visit Harvard and checked out some of their dorms and libraries. I also spoke with a few upperclassmen and found them to be in general friendly, eager, and approachable. I don’t know, I actually had a pretty good impression of Harvard that day. So that was my experience. Did you guys check out any of the classes? any good events that I missed?</p>
<p>“he said the same thing you said. He came in with expectations… high expectations. He said, “Well this is Harvard… what would you expect?””</p>
<p>This is exactly why it was madness for Harvard to stop its transfer program, and why it did exactly the right thing reinstating it. The transfers, who necessarily compare Harvard to competing human institutions rather than to some unrealistic fantasy, provide a crucial reality check. Not coincidentally, they are usually the most outrageously happy people at Harvard … with the exception of the Veritones 
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<p>I’m deciding between Princeton and Harvrd and am even more confused. I liked the people I met at Princeton much more than those I met at Harvard. Yes, it’s silly to base it off the small group I met, but still. I also dislike the isolation of the freshman in terms of Annenberg and the Yard.</p>
<p>Natim1, since you seem to be the recreational type, I believe that you would also thoroughly enjoy the concept of Princeton’s eating clubs. </p>
<p>There are many completely valid reasons to select Princeton over Harvard. But based on my own personal tendencies, which, of course, will not fully conform to those of others, I found Harvard to be the far more attractive option.</p>
<p>@natim1 - I really liked living in the yard as a freshman - it creates a lot of class pride/class unity. I actually didn’t eat at Annenberg that much (we made friends with Lucy, the Adams card swiper, and ate there most of the time), but I did love long Annenberg lunches where you’d hop around to three or four tables of your freshman friends.</p>
<p>You’ll meet lots of upperclassmen - primarily through extracurriculars, but also through classes (and then heaps more once you “get housed” in the spring). There are reasons not to go to Harvard - but I think this part of it is something that ends up working really well.</p>