<p>hi all.
so i applied to harvard early (switching at the last minute from yale) and got in. i haven't applied anywhere else, but (i dont know, blame it on gilmore girls) i've started doubting my decision. i mean i constantly hear how stressed out and miserable harvard kids are and how awesome yale is, with its quirky things like masters teas and the res colleges (i know H has too but theyre not as prominent, i dont think). but im headed to harvard and i refuse to go with a negative attitude so i thought it might be helpful if any current or prospective students had nice things to say? that sounds stupid but i just need some...reassurance. thanks.</p>
<p>Hey, Gilmore Girls is cool in its own way, but note that the setting isn't the real Yale but a greeting-card mock-up in sunny SoCal. There's no way the skies are that robins-egg blue the majority of the time.</p>
<p>There's one big, big reason I'm devoting all lucky pennies to Harvard admission instead of Yale: Cambridge. And by extention: Boston. There's no way anyone with the right attitude could be miserable there. You know, I expect the two schools would be extraordinarily similar, but the location of Harvard trumps all, IMO. Didn't you say you were switching for just that reason (back in, like, November)?</p>
<p>If you want a masters tea, we'll abduct one of the visiting professors in the dead of night and smuggle them to a remote location for scones and hot cocoa. I make a meeean cup of cocoa.</p>
<p>One more note: the screenwriter for Gilmore Girls said she only sent Rory to Yale because she needed to stay in CT for the show to keep going. She didn't want her to be one of those needy kids who crosses state lines every week to visit home.</p>
<p>you don't want to go to harvard because of "the gilmore girls and becuase i constantly hear how stressed out and miserable harvard kids are etc" </p>
<p>now wait a second. didn't you do your college research ? why did you apply to harvard ? because it's ranked #1 ? because of the name brand ?</p>
<p>whenicomearound:</p>
<p>1) CONGRATS. Getting into Harvard EA feels amazing. </p>
<p>2) What you're feeling is completely normal. Last year I was in about the same boat as you were--I was so ecstatic to get into Harvard EA that I stopped applying anywhere else. By this time of year, I was feeling kind of blue. Not only did high school seem SO trivial, but I started questioning why I was going to Harvard and lamenting the fact that I had sealed my fate by nixing all of my other applications. The thing is--The high that you feel initially can only last so long, and it's natural to start to feel less ecstatic. You're about to go through a big change in your life--an awesome one, but a big one--and there are a lot of question marks.</p>
<p>You're right that there are a lot of stressed out kids at Harvard, but there are also A TON of really cool students who love to learn (in not a cheesy nerdy way) and have great conversation. For me a huge worry was that I would get to Harvard and feel like a Valley Girl or unintellectual or feel that everyone around me always had to be serious. This could not be farther from the case.</p>
<p>Of course there are times at Harvard when it's hard--Harvard is a hard place, I mean, it's Harvard. And the truth is that you could probably be happy at a lot of really good schools. But Harvard has a lot to offer, and freshman year has been a whirl of firsts and eye-openers. I hope you will find this too, because I can certainly recognize the feelings you are having.</p>
<p>PM me if you want to talk about anything specific!</p>
<p>I'm sure it does...</p>
<p>I'm never gonna get to experience that because I'm gonna get deffered next year.</p>
<p>My son went through a similar experience last year - got into Harvard EA, was ecstatic, withdrew the couple of other applications he had already sent in, didn't complete any other applications, and had a wonderful Christmas break. By about this time of the year, he was starting to worry about whether it was the right choice. There's even a label for this phenomenon - it's called "post-decision anxiety."</p>
<p>He is now about as happy as I've ever heard him. He loves the classes, he loves the people, and he says the place is "mad cool." Is it ever stressful? Sure. So is Yale (or just about any other college). But it's also exciting, challenging and exhilirating. He's made some very close friends (from all around the world), and makes time for fun as well as work.</p>
<p>Btw, the son of one of my close friends applied early to Harvard this year and was deferred. He's going through a lot more anxiety now than my son did. ;)</p>
<p>I'm sort of in your situation except that I haven't withdrawn my application to Yale, yet. Back in December, I made up my mind that I would apply to certain colleges in I wasn't accepted EZ and only a few if I was, just to keep my options open. However, after being accepted, I ultimately decided to send in my Yale app only. </p>
<p>Why? </p>
<p>Well, knowing how much I would analyze and compare every college, without even being sure that I'd be accepted just seemed like a headache to me and seemed like it would defeat the purpose of applying EA. I had to avoid my tendency to say: "what if, maybe I should apply stateside in case I chicken out". I tried to use foresight and asked myself: "realistically, would I choose to go to any college other than Harvard?" (plus I didn't feel like doing Princeton's entire) So, I applied to Yale as a backup in case President Summers did something horrible or Harvard decided to withhold financial aid.
When they called for an interview the other day, though, I found myself thinking that I don't want to go through the hassle again. I'm not sure if I should eat the $75 fee and withdraw or skip the interview and see what happens. I'm sure it's natural to feel regrets but good luck with whatever happens.</p>
<p>this whole thing is not, as someone suggested, a reaction to gilmore girls. as much as i love that show, i'm really not idiot enough to follow rory gilmore to school. its just...post decision anxiety sounds about right. thanks for all your posts so far. hopefully prefrosh weekend will also dispel these doubts.</p>
<p>
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i dont know, blame it on gilmore girls....
[/quote]
</p>
<p>I was just going off of the throw-off comment on your original post. It was meant as a joke; sorry if it offended.</p>
<p>I've felt the same stuff you're feeling dude. But then I went to the admissions website with all the interviews with the kids who go to Harvard, and I watched them. And I read the packet on why to choose Harvard that was in the acceptance letter. And I realized, wow, Harvard really is the best place for me. </p>
<p>And honestly, in my opinion, CC can be fairly bias against Harvard. It's kinda like the whole, Harvard's the best, so people hate it. You can't trust the opinions of all the kids on this site who have never even visited Harvard and only base their opinion on stereotypes.</p>
<p>And as far as Gilmore Girls is concerned....when Rory got her acceptance letters to Harvard, Yale, and Princeton, she was just like oh ok. So obviously, the show knows nothing about college life. NOTHING. And Rory dropped out of Yale, just because some dude said she wasn't good enough to be a reporter. Yeah, Yale must be a pretty terrible school to have Rory Gilmore drop out for a terrible reason like that.</p>
<p>hahahahaha</p>
<p>HARVARD IS AWESOME.</p>
<p>RORY IS STUPID.</p>
<p>She's reeeeally pretty though :)</p>
<p>On a side note, by watching the Gilmore Girls, I get the impression that Yale students are known to steal yachts in their spare time.</p>
<p>And sneak into the dining hall before it's open to steal cocoa puffs...geeze louise.</p>
<p>and have gorgeous apartments with pool tables (but why anyone would leave the residential colleges is beyond me)</p>
<p>Hey, if you go by reality TV, every college student has a gigantic gorgeous apartment or a nice house.</p>
<p>My D is an '09. She applied EA to Yale and was deferred. Yale was her first choice based on two spring break visits. She was admitted RD to HYP+. She went through admitted students weekends at both Harvard and Yale, and ended up at Harvard. The difference for her was two fold. </p>
<p>One, Yale spent the whole admitted students weekend knocking Harvard. She didn't like the chip on the shoulder thing and the criticism for even considering Harvard. </p>
<p>Two, at Harvard, she attend amazing parties (yes, Harvard students do party), watched Bush speak from the IOP and was able to text message with reporters in the room with Bush, and in general loved the girls she stayed with. She still sees them. I don't think you can really evaluate based on a one day visit anywhere.</p>
<p>I've heard the same thing about last year's Yale prefrosh weekend, but in fairness to Yale, it's also really hard to get an impression of a school based on prefrosh weekend!</p>
<p>the gilmore girls?
if anything you made me laugh.
it's a big big world out there and you cant be omnipresent. you will always have to forgo something for something else. run off to cambridge now, it is way funner than new haven.</p>