<p>Totally agree with you gadad. My D got the same impression. All she did was hear bits and pieces of comments on why she shouldn’t go to Harvard and yet when she met with some of the alumni, she was surprised and actually excited to her them talk about Harvard. There was No put down of any schools. Just life in general at Harvard. It’s nice to see Alumni talking positively and maybe brag about the prestige but overall it was a very good experience for her.</p>
<p>Harvard bashing bothers me. I nearly didn’t choose Harvard because everyone was so willing to point out its flaws. Weren’t its strengths obvious? No, actually, I didn’t think so, so my impression of it ended up being quite negative. All I’d heard was negatives, because everyone seemed to expect me just to know about its strengths. (And my first visit was a disaster, but that’s a whole nother issue.) Luckily, I did eventually figure out how awesome it was, but it gives me the willies to this day that I nearly deposited at another school before even visiting Harvard.</p>
<p>That said, I will not be an unapologetic booster for Harvard come this weekend. It is a fantastic school, and I could not be happier anywhere else. That said, I recognize that many people could indeed be happier elsewhere (Stanford, Princeton, MIT all have fairly distinct and different characters, for instance; I’m not convinced that Yale is very different from Harvard, but maybe for some people the difference is significant). In my opinion, it would be irresponsible of me to go around claiming that Harvard is the best. That sounds too much like “Harvard is the best school for every student,” which it is not. I do not want to contribute in any way to someone choosing Harvard when really, they were meant for Amherst. All I will do is present my own experiences, and hope that the prospective students make their own best decisions.</p>
<p>Regarding Harvard students’ writing style, I claim the right to use the phrase “a whole nother” because I can name the literary device in question: tmesis. #goclassics</p>
<p>Abso-frickin’-lutely!^^</p>
<p>Harvard bashing can be v. misleading. My d was v. convinced that she was going to Yale because of the negativity on this board about H. Luckily, we knew a Marshall scholar, who was in touch with ex-Yalies and ex -Crimsonites. He put her in touch with about half a dozen of ex Yalies and crimsonites and all of them reported great experiences and are doing well in their respective fields.Each one had great things to say about their respective institution. I think my D would have been happy at both places. So, the best way is to visit and then decide. For some people, H may give a better fin aid package, for others they may be more comfortable at Y. It’s time to put an end to H or Y bashing, and for you to decide whatever fits your needs best. In the end, it depends on the kid.</p>