For prospective students and families, do you have any thoughts on how your experience was? What helped you learn most about academic or social life at Harvard, and what about the visiting experience would you improve?
If you’re comfortable sharing, I’d also like to know your year in school and when you visited, as I’m curious about how the experience of visiting has changed over time!
Personally, I was only able to attend the info session as I visited during a time of year when tours weren’t offered (this was 4 years ago now, and what a great 4 years it’s been!). I was struck by the contrast with other schools that required students to register for information sessions, as at the time, Harvard did not. I definitely got a sense that Harvard felt like it was “too good” to ask for demonstrated interest.
Despite the arrogant attitude I picked up on from that aspect of the info session, I remember being blown away by the what the speakers said about the support and resources available at Harvard. That was my biggest surprise.
As far as visiting the physical area of the campus, I didn’t find wandering the Yard to be that helpful in visualizing what life would be like at school. I did stop by a few of the Houses and saw the community there, which taught me a lot more about Harvard social life, so I found that additional exploration to be helpful. I don’t know exactly what the tour route covers, but life at Harvard is so much more than academics and so I found seeing the spots where life itself happens at Harvard much more interesting than seeing lecture halls.
Don’t rub the shoe!
I did a grad work there before my son was born. When he was a freshman in high school, I took him on a tour of the campus hoping that he’d take a strong interest in applying to Harvard down the road. Nope, he was immediately turned off by all the tourists invading the yard to look at all the ugly brick buildings. It took me awhile to convince him of the greatness within those brick buildings, lol.
Tourists are worst in the summer. Harvard Yard is used by the community, including parents with young children who enjoy the grass. I have always appreciated the way the campus is integrated with the community. If there are lots of people there on a Sunday morning, don’t assume they are tourists!
Young people are often too influenced by tour guides. My kids’ tour guide was super chill and relaxed and that made an impression.
The dorms are being renovated of course. And the Square is a bit of a mess and more change may be underway.
ps wondering about the “ugly brick buildings” thing…so different from my perception but I am from New England!
Having lived in California just about all my life, It took me awhile to get used to New England, its architecture, beaches, food, four seasons, everything. In retrospect, I shouldn’t have taken my young son on a tour of Harvard RIGHT AFTER our tour of Stanford campus. While I found the Stanford campus rather boring and way too sanitized, my son thought it was the most beautiful campus he’s seen. I think his first impression of Harvard totally contradicted all that he had imagined it to be. Stanford (like Princeton) had that “campus” feel, boringly sanitized or not. In fact, the word “campus” had actually originated from Princeton. Harvard, on the other hand, has that “Yard” feel where community, tourists and students all congregate with no demarcated feel. When I was there, I personally didn’t mind that feel as long as I can find a place for privacy somewhere else on campus. For first timers, though, the scene can turn them off.
I agree with most of the postings above. At first it can feel like too many tourists are present, but I am told by the students that their day to day activities are uneffected by the tourist. Like Yale and Princeton, they have a ‘house’ or ‘college’ System, where the students are grouped with a smaller community during their upper years, so they will have a more tight knit feel to their college experience. I also loved that fact that there are so many stores and eateries on or near campus, as well as the rest of Boston within a few minutes ride.
Between both my kids, we toured over 20 colleges, including Harvard, Yale, Princeton, MIT, Dartmouth, Brown, UPenn, Columbia, Amherst, Middlebury, Williams, Georgetown, Boston College, Tufts, University of Virginia, William & Mary, Wesleyan, Bowdoin, Northwestern, and UChicago.
As a family, we were struck by how similar the tours were. For example, every college we toured offered a liberal arts education, all professors taught classes, all professors taught underclassmen, all professor had office hours and were accessible etc. I think this article pretty much sums it up: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-swallow/colleges-arent-all-the-sa_b_9592134.html
It’s also, IMHO, import to NOT have a “dream school” on your list of colleges, as a student can get the same education, have the same college experience, and have the same opportunities for graduate school and employment at any number of good colleges. What matters most is finding a group of schools that seem like a good educational and recreational 'fit." I fully subscribe to Jeffrey Brenzel’s way of thinking:https://admissions.yale.edu/after-colleges-accept-you
TiggerDad, did your son see the river houses and walk along the river?
I did but not with my son when we toured the yard. @compmom
As you know the Yard is a tiny part of the campus, and the one most sought by tourists. Only freshmen live in the Yard, and there are some freshmen dorms elsewhere actually, on Harvard and Prescott Streets.