<p>i thought i wanted an individualized, highly personal, small, close, and supporting community. so i applied to pomona, carleton, amherst, the usual liberal arts college set. i also applied to harvard. just for kicks, i thought. i wouldn't actually go there if i got in, i thought. </p>
<p>so, to the point..yesterday i received one of those infamous "likely letters." now, i don't know what to do. with harvard's new financial aid initiative, the cost for me to attend is going to be next to nothing.</p>
<p>what do i do? is harvard all that bad for undergraduate studies? would i really be 'just a number'?</p>
<p>Whoa. Harvard sends likely letters? My mail, for reasons too complicated to explain here, is always 2-3 weeks behind. I want one. :)</p>
<p>Anyway, obviously you can say no to Harvard if Harvard's not what you want. Base your decision on personal considerations, not the expectations of others.</p>
<p>ariad - ive had MANY friends do that in the past. they had never really been interested in harvard and applied to smaller less known schools with the only ivy with any interest at all was dartmouth for its small size, applying to harvard just for kicks, but after getting in they started thinking - yes it is VERY hard to pass up harvard; however, they visited and researched and decided to attend, they all LOVE it. i have yet to hear a story of someone not liking harvard. the opportunities are ENDLESS. my friend that got in last year is in the orchestra and gets lotsa attention from her teachers. u definitely would not be just a number. i would suggest you to visit and on that experience im sure you would consider harvard. once again i have yet to hear a bad experience at harvard.</p>
<p>
[quote]
is harvard all the bad for undergraduate studies?
[/quote]
sure, i believe it is overrated, but the education is still incredible. even if it IS overrated, it would still provide one of the top undergraduate education programs in the country.</p>
<p>It just seems like you're looking for such different things in comparison to Harvard. If you can, I would say to visit the schools that you get into so that you can compare the rest to Harvard.</p>
<p>20% of students who are accepted to Harvard turn it down. The choice is yours. It would be a good idea, though, to visit it and the other colleges that you get accepted to before you make up your mind.</p>
<p>Unless you somehow don't get the aid you need or you want to be an engineer or something along those lines, I'd imagine there is no reason to not go.</p>
<p>I'll assume that ariadne will get into the other schools she's applied to, since she received a likely from Harvard. So she needs to think hard about what school environment she would thrive in. Harvard is a wonderful school, but it is not for everyone. Too many applicants and their families feel they can't turn down Harvard and the applicants end up going there and feeling miserable because it's not the right fit.</p>
<p>So I strongly suggest to Ariadne that she visit the schools she applied to, talk to students, look at the surrounding city/town, consider distance from home, and so forth. She'll need to really think about herself as well, her own personality, interests, likes and dislikes. She will need, of course, to consider financial issues. If, after considering all this, she prefers to go to a LAC, then, that will absolutely be the right decision for her.</p>
<p>You're only the second person I know to've gotten one. (The first was a friend of mine who applied last year, "just for the heck of it." She chose the U. of Pittsburgh, instead--and I admire her for turning down Hahvahd. Must've been a toughie.)</p>
<p>Why would anyone turn down Harvard for U Pitt? If the answer is $, then I am surprised that anyone who was stellar enough to get a likely letter from Harvard did not apply to some highly competitive place like Wash U, Vandy, Emory, Duke or Wake Forest, where they might have gotten excellent merit aid.</p>
<p>On Harvard Application, it says, "Harvard does not send out likelys" or something like that.. I think. It's really cool that you got one, though.</p>
<p>"Why would anyone turn down Harvard for U Pitt?"</p>
<p>Pitt, if i'm not mistaken, gives out a ridiculous full-scholarship that includes special dorm treatment (you're in the same dorms as the athletes) and general spending money. Plus, it is really a good school. I know someone last year who turned down Carnegie Mellon Comp. Sci and Yale to go there.</p>
<p>Also, I'm wondering what it would take to get a Harvard likely? Sounds like you'd have to be out of this world or bring something truly unique, any ideas?</p>
<p>"Why would anyone turn down Harvard for U Pitt?"</p>
<p>/shrug. Who knows? The only "reason" she gave was that she felt she'd be under too much pressure at Harvard. I didn't necessarily agree with her decision and many people tried to talk her out of it, but what could we do?</p>
<p>Anyway, she's very, very happy at Pitt and is confident she made the right choice, so more power to her.</p>
<p>i honestly don't know why i got in at all. i'm pretty normal, truth be told. </p>
<p>i guess the fact that i'm from a public high school on the big island of hawaii (kona, home of world-famous kona coffee!) and my mom's from the philippines helped. i tried to be as honest as possible in my essays, and spent a long time on them...but i didn't think any of those factors would give me a big enough boost to get in, much less get a likely letter.</p>
<p>so, like i said, who knows. the admissions game is a mystery, despite all of our attempts at deciphering it. </p>
<p>oh...i have a friend in maryland who got a likely letter as well. maybe they're not so rare after all?</p>
<p>From Hawaii? Have you visited the east coast in the winter?</p>
<p>Please take Marite's advice and visit. Unlike shrek, I do know of kids who have gone to Harvard and not liked it. A few, actually, and two have transferred to Stanford. One wants to, but his parents won't let him. Another is sort of happy, but isn't sure.These are California kids, used to warm weather and a "warm" environment overall. Harvard undergrad is not for everyone, but it offers a great education for very serious students who are very goal oriented.
You really must visit all your schools, and wait for all of your offers. Then compare, and listen to your heart.</p>
<p>If you think Harvard weather is forbidding you surely won't like Carleton. Carleton is in my ancestral home town, so we've been putting up with weather like that for generations. But Carleton weather is very different from weather in Hawaii (or the Philippines).</p>