<p>Lynn -- The Classical High School valedictorian has faced a dilemma that few in the world will ever face -whether to go to Harvard or Stanford. </p>
<pre><code> The six-time advanced placement student ultimately decided on Harvard, but not without a little controversy. The decision just came on May 1 and she had already turned down Harvard's offer.
"Stanford was my first choice for a long time because they had a really awesome biology program and I thought I needed to go away to get the whole college experience," she said. "But I changed my mind. It was very suburban and very isolated."
Instead of settling for a campus that wasn't ideal, Messina said she reached out to Harvard, with the hopes its offer still stood.
"I had already replied to Harvard and said 'no,' so I emailed them back that night and let them know I was interested in changing my mind and they said, 'That's great and we'd love to have you,'" she said. "I love the city and I love being around all sorts of people, so I changed my mind..."
</code></pre>
<p>Yes Byerly,
this is all great. I also personally know a pair of twins who gladly turned down Harvard for Stanford. Their Harvard certificates still hang on their family living room.</p>
<p>Who cares where people choose?
They're both great schools.</p>
<p>She is also a sometime poster on these boards - though her last post here was to report her decision to attend Stanford.</p>
<p>Savvy, if you're still around here, congrats on your final decision! Stanford's a great school, but I think you're really going to love Harvard. :)</p>
<p>That's probably because she realises research opportunities are a tiny consideration when choosing university. The vast majority of students do not go on to be academics, and even those that do will have to do further degrees first. The quality of an undergraduate depends on a lot of things, but research opportunities and the academic excellence of a major you may even turn away from being ranked slightly higher or lower is not major among them.</p>
<p>I really don't understand why Byerly feels the need to post myriad threads like this.</p>
<p>Is it supposed to tell us that picking Harvard over Stanford is the right choice?</p>
<p>Ok right.</p>
<p>Byerly, if u claim to be unbiased and a reasoned person, why don't you post a similar thread in which a student picks Stanford over Harvard. Didn't you learn anything about giving balanced, objective,equal assessment.</p>
<p>Oh wait, then that'd defeat your sole purpose, wouldn't it?</p>
<p>Well of course most common admits DO pick Harvard . But here's a kid in San Martin California whose most likely going to Stanford on a golf scholarship. The runner-up in the same tourney is going to Harvard. I don't know who's smarter, but I don't doubt the Stanford kid is a better golfer!</p>
<blockquote>
<p>I really don't understand why Byerly feels the need to post myriad threads like this<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>I really don't understand the need to complain about these threads. If Byerly wants to post them, fine -- they are not off-topic. If anyone doesn't like to read them, that's fine too. Just ignore them. It's simple.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>She's turning down the number one biology program with the best research opportunities in the country.<<</p>
</blockquote>
<br>
<p>And this is why:</p>
<p>"Stanford was my first choice for a long time because they had a really awesome biology program and I thought I needed to go away to get the whole college experience," she said. "But I changed my mind. It was very suburban and very isolated."</p>
<p>first of all, i'm not solely complaining. I'm acknowledging a contention that i have with the manner in which Byerly presents his biased views.</p>
<p>I don't know what you were taught, but there's nothing wrong with voicing one's opinion or acknowledgment of a problem.</p>
<p>It's like saying that one shouldn't voice one's concern if a bully were to constantly insult and beat up one's geekish friend in class because "ohh wait, you shouldn't "complain" about how your friend constantly gets beat up. If you don't like watching the bully beat up your nerdy friend then look away. Goshh, just look away and ignore."</p>
<p>As if we were taught to take that approach in life, right.</p>
<p>I don't see any valid objection to posting stories about students who chose Harvard on the Harvard board. Zephyr posts stories about students who chose Stanford on the Stanford board; PtonGrad2000 posts stories about students who chose Princeton on the Princeton board. They tend to be nice human interest stories, but no one is forcing anyone to read them. In any event, Diamond, your analogy is totally inapt.</p>
<p>It seems to me that each of the college-specific forums would welcome an alumnus posting news about that college. I think it's a little odd to see Byerly posting a few of his posts over on the forums specific to other colleges (and I may miss some of those, because I don't read all the college-specific forums on CC), but here on the Harvard Forum most of us are looking for information about Harvard, period. And Byerly provides a lot of that information through his posts here that link to news articles, and I like these and other activities of his so well that I have designated him a "buddy" on my CC account. (Does naming a CC poster a "buddy" have any real-world consequence? NorthStarMom is another Harvard alum whom I have named as a buddy.) </p>
<p>If alumni of some other college--and I would be the first to say that there are other fine colleges besides Harvard--want to post similar links to news stories about young people choosing their college, they can go right ahead and do so on each college-specific forum. I'm actually quite amazed at the HUGE difference in information value between this Harvard Forum and almost all of the other college-specific forums. I like (as you can ascertain by viewing where I put my own posts) the Caltech and MIT forums a lot, and those too have a lot of information. But I'm quite amazed that there are alumni of certain colleges (which I will leave unnamed ;) ) that enjoy college-specific forums here on CC who seem to post almost as much over here on the Harvard Forum as they do on the forum for their own college. Why is that? </p>
<p>Bring on the information in the on-topic place. If you think you went to a great college, or if you think your child is going to a great college, or if you think your place of employment is a great college, by all means post information about that college on one of CC's college-specific forums. I'd love to see more detailed information and more specifics about the student life on each of the CC forums for colleges that are of interest to my family. My lowly alma mater has a college-specific forum with very few posts (I post there). Some other colleges that are, in my opinion, GREAT colleges that my children ought to consider applying to just don't seem to get much discussion except for "What are my chances?" posts. Please let us lurking parents of prospective students know what you like about your favorite college, and DETAILS about classes there, residential life, true expense after financial aid, the campus culture, etc., etc. Then no one will need to worry much about what Byerly posts about his alma mater.</p>
<p>Yes, this is indeed savvy_sley, the afore-mentioned college confidential poster. Guilty as charged. </p>
<p>And yes, I did ultimately choose Harvard over Stanford, but I am in no way implying that one school is better than the other from this decision. It just so happens that Harvard is the better school for me. I know everyone has their own opinion about such things, but I would be a very unfortunate individual indeed if I looked to the comments of certain biased college confidential posters to make decisions that are mine, and mine alone. And believe me, it was a tough decision.</p>
<p>So good luck to everyone with their decisions and I hope they work out for you all!</p>
<p>Oh yes, and I would just like to add how strange I found it that I was the topic of a thread. Haha, I feel special. Thank you to all of the congratulatory posters!</p>
<p>Welcome back to the board savvy, and thank you for the kind of intelligent post that this thread needed. There are many great schools out there. You made the choice that you considered right for you. Which is what anyone with a choice should do.</p>