What is it Like to Live at Harvard?

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>So I ask the question because the regional head of the interview association just spoke to me and told me that the admission office was really interested in my app and suggested that I should not have applied to other schools. So maybe I can get in (LORD willing :))!</p>

<p>I live in Texas so it is expensive to visit and I haven't done so yet. But thanks to CC there are Harvard students here so i wanted to ask about life at Harvard. What is it like? I mean is there alot of stuff to do? Is there good food? Do people go out often? Is it competitive? The whole nine yards.
Any input would be appreciated.</p>

2

<p>cold. no but from my extensive visits the life there is fantastic and the people surrounding you are incredible. very few people are unhappy there. out of curiosity, are there any special circumstances/hooks that may have gotten you this expression of interest?</p>

3

<p>I'm from Texas too, so I assume the temperature drop would hypothetically be...significant. =P</p>

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<p>No I am not amazing or anything. If you go through my post history you can find my stats. What are Harvard girls like?</p>

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<p>i have heard a lot of current students say that they are not happy there. of course, that, like the opinion of any one else on this forum, is just anecdotal evidence.</p>

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<p>I wonder if that is because people expect too much maybe? For me it is the campus, it does not seem particularly attractive although everything else about Harvard seems great.</p>

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<p>it might be the weather during winter. low levels of sunlight. i think expectations have a lot to do with it too. there's a lot of research that shows high expectations that are not quite met leading to unhappiness. this is all speculation.</p>

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<p>I watched one of the videos about student prespectives and it seemed like the harvard students did not have lives outside of school. I mean i remember watching the UPenn student perspective videos and it seemed like the people were I don't know "normal", but the Harvard one seemed like the students were trying to hard or weren't very happy. Maybe that is just my impression, but I am wondering do people have a normal college experience at harvard? I mean do people drink and do all the other stuff that people normally do? Because so far all the vibes I have been getting about Harvard student life have been bad.</p>

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<p>More anecdotal evidence: I have heard that many Harvard students take extracurriculars (e.g. Newspaper, the Lampoon, etc.) more seriously than schoolwork.</p>

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<p>I've got two kids there - they're insanely happy, big social lives, huge extracurricular scene, there's definitely social drinking, the peer group there is phenomenal. I agree that you're more likely to pick up negative vibes, but honestly, who's going to write a post that says "I hear Harvard's good . . ."? That's not exactly a "Man Bites Dog" insight.</p>

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<p>
[quote]
I watched one of the videos about student prespectives and it seemed like the harvard students did not have lives outside of school.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Wow! Harvard is in the middle of Cambridge, an 8minutes ride from downtown Boston on the T. It's not in the middle of nowhere or an isolated campus in a suburb. My S and his chums regularly go out into Cambridge and Boston (also known as "the best college town in the country"). Students who are members of orchestras or singing groups regularly perform throughout the country and indeed overseas. </p>

<p>chanfest is right that some students take their extra-curricular activities more seriously than schoolwork. For some, it's a great learning experience (think David Halberstam at the Crimson, the Harvard Lampoon alums who became staff writers for SNL and so on). Then, of course, there is the Facebook creator who never graduated.</p>

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<p>CONGRATULATIONS Dbate!</p>

<p>You deserve this so much! And don't worry, I've spent a few nights at Harvard (with some friends) and I had a blast. You'll have so much fun there and, of course, it's a great school (although Yale is irrevocably the best ;)).</p>

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<p>Yeah I mean Boston seems like it would be a blast! The only real downside to Harvard is that Harvard yard is kind of ugly.</p>

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<p>wow...congratulations dbate, expect your likely letter to come in the mail soon, lol</p>

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<p>In my opinion, Harvard is what you make of it. You can join the party crowd if that's your thing, or immerse yourself in your schoolwork, or continue with an old passion (or find a new one), or whatever else.</p>

<p>Regarding competition... I wouldn't say that people are competitive with each other, but they're competitive with themselves. So the standards are quite high, but there is really not much grade comparison going on. We all study together, complain together, celebrate together, and kick ourselves over bad test days, but I find it to be a very encouraging atmosphere.</p>

<p>The frequency of going out to Cambridge or Boston really depends on the student. Some people go out all the time. Every day if they're taking a class at another school, or every week if they're part of a group that helps the community. I find that I'm pretty content in Harvard Square most of the time, but I still manage to go to a Boston Symphony Orchestra concert or a movie near Boston Commons with my friends about once or twice a month. The rest of the time we entertain ourselves with Guitar Hero or a movie in someone's dorm, or we'll go to one of the (many, many) events going on in the Yard.</p>

<p>The food is livable. It's not much to boast about, but it's not bad either. You'll learn to love frozen yogurt. And if you need a break from the dining hall food, Harvard Square has lots of restaurants to choose from. I don't think the food will make or break a decision.</p>

<p>In the long run, the one thing that I experienced when choosing colleges is the communities really aren't as different as people make them out to be. The stand-out thing about the Harvard community (and those of other top schools) is that people tend to be very focused, very dedicated, and very good at what they do. Every once in a while, you'll find out that a friend played a violin concert for the White House, or an entrymate is training for the Olympics. It's a very cool thing to be immersed in a culture with such high achievements, and yet where modesty is (for the most part) very ubiquitous.</p>

<p>Partying is there if you want it, but avoidable if you don't want it. A lot of people find other ways to have fun (words of wisdom: playing Twister on the T is still quite fun when sober, but you might scare the other passengers), and a lot of people stick with the traditional party scene. I know I keep saying this, but it's what you make of it.</p>

<p>I think that about covers the topics that have been brought up so far. The academics are, of course, stellar, but you seem more interested about the college life, so that's what I focused on.</p>

16

<p>I have a son who is a Junior at Duke and a daughter is who is a Freshman at Harvard. </p>

<p>My daughter was very apprehensive about attending Harvard for some of the reasons you state. She had heard various things about the school....well let me tell you - she is having a BLAST. She absolutely loves it. She is a fun loving, social, athletic type. She wanted to be at a place where she could enjoy the same college experience that her brother was having at Duke. Of course the beauty and weather at Duke is unmatched - in my opinion - but everything else is very comparable. She has found a great group of friends and they are all very social. They play hard and they study hard. She was worried about it being very competitive but as a previous poster stated - she has found that individuals are more competitive with themselves than others. She has gotten great support from the faculty there and in comparing Duke vs Harvard - there is no comparison to how Harvard treats their Freshman. I have been so impressed - and I always loved Duke - but Harvard hands down - wins!!! My daughter had some great options to choose from and she is so glad she chose Harvard!</p>

<p>AND - there are some BEAUTIFUL girls at Harvard - my daughter being one of them...LOL - not all smart girls are nerdy...and her friends are the same!!!! </p>

<p>Good luck with your decision!</p>

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<p>"AND - there are some BEAUTIFUL girls at Harvard - my daughter being one of them...LOL - not all smart girls are nerdy...and her friends are the same!!!!"</p>

<p>I think that implies that nerdy girls can't be beautiful. Which I find kinda offensive, even being a boy. Being a freshman at Harvard, I would add that there are some very beautiful, nerdy girls here!</p>

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<p>I think that in general, when people hear the term nerdy - it implies a certain image - that is what I was speaking off - not to be offensive. I also think that when prospective students like the OP hear the term they also have a certain image in mind - that is what I was refering to. If you were to ask my daughter if she was nerdy - she would offer a resounding YES - but she is also 5'10", athletic,size 6 with long blonde hair and loves to wear high heels...LOL She is proud of the fact that she loves model UN, studying Shakespeare, and biological sciences...haha So I would proudly agree with you - nerdy girls can certainly be beautiful! Oh and by the way, she tells me there are some gorgeous nerdy guys there as well! ; )</p>

<p>She was told that Harvard was a bunch of nerds who studied all the time who were very competitive - the words right out of the mouth of her host at accepted students weekend. Not the image she was looking for! Thank goodness she met some other people that weekend who had the same outlook on life that she has!</p>

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<p>I've found that most people at Harvard are surprisingly good-looking...
And most people here are really quite happy. The unhappy ones are the ones that have a history of depression.</p>

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<p>My son loves Harvard!! He recently said that he couldn't imagine going to school anywhere else. The other students are great and the area is wonderful. My son is a very strong Christian and has connected quite nicely with the Christian Impact group at Harvard. There are so many activities to do that don't involve drinking. This is not the only thing to do on a college campus. He does know many kid who do go to parties on the weekends, but it is very very easy to stay away from the partying if that's not your scene.</p>