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its just a shame that they dont have to put more effort into it.
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Would you mind explaining this?</p>
<p>Anyways, you're completely missing my point. Harvard has obviously opted NOT to spend as much time/resources maintaining a "welcoming" admissions office, complete with an admitted students room, snacks, admissions officers "there to chat," etc. Maybe it's because they're instead opted to invest their budget into financial aid ($84.6 million, the largest in the ivy league). Or maybe they've instead chosen to focus resources on the upcoming Allston expansion (which may completely change the undergraduate experience)... or... or... or...</p>
<p>It's all a question of priorities. I'm still at a loss why it's "a shame" that Havard doesn't prioritize the creation of a "warm and cozy" admissions office when it's obviously not hurting them any!</p>
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lol their directed mailing was never flattering, and their website is unimpressive.
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<p>Unless you were recruited for whatever reason, I doubt you've recieved the "directed mailing" which I'm referring to (office of minority affairs, HFIA, etc.). The mailing are irrelevent, however, as they were just a random example I used to illustrate my point (for the record, I wasn't recruited either, so I'm not speaking from any personal experience). Also, the website for *admitted *students was great (I liked the message board and the "Ask an Admissions Officer" forum). Don't be so hasty to generalize.</p>
<p>i cant imagine it costs as much to have a friendly admissions office as it does to build a new building. its not as if harvard doesnt spend money on seemingly less important events and things.</p>
<p>obviously, harvard doesnt NEED to, because the students will come merely because its HARVARD. when i say its a shame that they dont hafta put more effort into it, its the same way as wishing that politics could be cleaner and more honest, and that people in general were more honest. sure, from a purely functional standpoint there would be no purpose in putting money into the admissions office. however the social benefits of improving the atmosphere of this part of harvard would be nice to have.</p>
<p>I have to say that when my son and I visited Harvard, we found the admissions staff and guides to be helpful, low key, down to earth and decidedly unpretentious. As it happened, at the Yale visit, we were extremely unimpressed with the admissions person who conducted the information session (he was new, as I recall), and I think others felt this way as well, as a bunch walked out before it was over. However, I think it would be foolish to let these impressions strongly impact the decision about where to apply/attend.</p>
<p>When I visited Harvard, it was a very hot Summer day. Parents and kids were stuffed in a small waiting area. The admission person was 20 min late, then they put everybody in a small auditorium that couldn't acommodate everybody, so ppl were standing and sitting on a floor. Overall it created quite a bad impression, especially comparing to MIT we visited same day.</p>
<p>Obviously, the nearly 23,000 applicants (and even more visitors) taxed resources that are the same size they were when there were less than half as many applicants.</p>
<p>raven001-Not that it matters, but you should have met with your regional rep @ harvard after you were accepted. I did that (right before prefrosh) and it was wonderfully personal. There weren't free snacks (but I did get coffee and a course catalog).</p>
<p>I, for one, was definitely more impressed with Harvard admissions than Yale's. The directed mailings were very nice (I received 4, including 2 apps, haha), while it took me a while to even get a Yale application. I would have chosen Yale over Harvard had I applied and got in to both, but I did enjoy Harvard reaching out more.</p>
<p>I don't know about Harvard reps, but my Yale rep first sent me a handwritten letter, than called me and arranged a meeting with him during the Buldog days. Columbia went even further: their rep arranged a dinner with a few faculty members including the dean of admission.</p>
<p>I never visited the Harvard admissions office before I was accepted, so I can't really compare the experiences there. But I agree that the contact after admission was much better with Yale than with Harvard. However, I won't be dealing with admissions officers for the next four years. I'll be talking to professors and other students, and as someone else posted before, I was extremely surprised at how friendly and low-key the Harvard students were when I visited.</p>
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its a shame though that harvards admissions staff can get away with being arrogant.
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<p>In a way, Harvard is just being more honest. They don't want you to come because they gave you nice snacks and convincing speeches. They want you to come because YOU want to go, not because THEY want you to go.</p>