<p>hey everybody,
i am a student at upenn, and while i did end up liking the school, i had decided to send some transfer applications out after the first semester. now, i found out i've been waitlisted at columbia (which i've opted out of), and accepted at harvard and swarthmore.
i was wondering what people's opinions are on this. i've heard good and bad things about harvard. obviously, it has the reputation etc as an amazing school, but also that it's allegedly overrated, little professor contact, the usual. my girlfriend goes to swarthmore, so i'd been there plenty of times, and really liked the school. and i'd imagine you have closer contact with the professors, it has a more intimate environment, etc.
i think that harvard does have better name recognition, though. would choosing harvard be a better option for my future? any other insights?
thanks a lot.</p>
<p>I am biased b/c I'm transferring to Harvard in the fall, but I say Harvard. Of course Harvard is overrated, anywhere with such a huge reputation will fall short of the legend/myth. But that name will follow you for the rest of your life, no one you ever tell where you went to school will have to think twice about it. You may get a better educational experience at Swarthmore (just based on the small liberal arts philosophy--I don't know that much about Swarthmore specifically), but it won't have the same name recognition. It still depends on your field though. If you are going to be a banker, for instance, people will know Swarthmore. But not everyone knows about it, and I doubt it registers as much outside of the east coast. At the end of the day, however, you need to go where you think you will be happiest. Although I feel for you about having your gf at Swarthmore--makes it harder. Good luck!!!</p>
<p>Harvard, hands down. Aside from the regonition and the resources (i.e. alumni network) you would get from Harvard, the students there are truly unique. You would be going to class with some of the brightest kids in the world, and no other school can offer that type of environment. Cambridge is an awesome college town, with Boston a couple of stops away on the subway. If you don't go to Harvard, you might regret it for the rest of your life.</p>
<p>go where you think you will be happy! both schools have great academics and swarthmore is more intimate and harvard does have better name recognition, as you said. no one can tell you which you value more, and i'm saying this is someone madly in love with and transferring to harvard. but when it comes down to it, they are both so great that you should just go with wherever your gut tells you that you're going to be happy.</p>
<p>yeah, that is the hard part, because i don't really know for sure at which place i'll be happiest. i mean, i've never spent a good deal of time at harvard, so i don't really know what daily life is like there. having read about both schools on campus dirt, it seems like students at harvard generally like it, but are there more just because it is harvard than anything else.</p>
<p>i went to swarthmore and i'm transfering out of there because i didn't like it at all. i loved harvard. but to be honest, having a boyfriend in the boston area, i have to say that keeping a relationship between philly and boston gets costly, long and lonesome. you might want to stick closer to your girlfriend. that is juts my opinion regardless of what others' opinions on 'choosing-a-school-based-on-a-relationship' thing are...</p>
<p>good luck either way.</p>
<p>What is your major? also do you plan on going to grad school?</p>
<p>I really hope you don't make the decision based on your girlfriend. Statistically, you'll be broken up in no time and then you'll look back and know that you could've gone to Harvard but you didn't because...(explain that one).</p>
<p>From an employers stand point it's a no-brainer. Swarthmore is a great school, no question. However, Harvard is a different level. You know, you've worked that hard. It's the ultimate "foot-in-the-door." It's an automatic interview for positions you could be unqualified for (no joke). Only because the interviewer knows the potential of someone that's a Harvard grad. </p>
<p>(if you need a reason) Again, Swarthmore's a top LAC (one of the best) but outside of the Northeast it's not widely known. </p>
<p>There are many more reasons but honestly, we wouldn't be having this conversation if you weren't dating a girl at Swarthmore. You would be going to Harvard, no question.</p>