<p>I realize that there is a great variety of people at these top schools and that there is no right "type", but should people who barely get through admissions go to Harvard? Or would they be better off at a lower tier school?</p>
<p>Another question is, what does Harvard feel like? Is the environment more like an small, elite, liberal arts college with a great amount of individual attention, or is it more similar to a university?</p>
<p>Virtually everyone "barely gets through" admissions at Harvard. The number of kids they take without a great deal of debate is miniscule.</p>
<p>Yes, but there are always people on the lower end.</p>
<p>Can anyone contribute to the latter question?</p>
<p>I think the only people who are definitely in at Harvard are senator's kids, alumni kids (as long as they've donated lots of money), olympic recruited athletes, and faculty kids. All of this granted only if the students have acceptable test scores,gpa,etc. Most all of the students who apply to Harvard are amazing in their own right. It just depends on what the school is looking for. Therefore, I think just about everyone else barely gets through.</p>
<p>The argument I love to use against people that think politicians' kids get in automatically is this:</p>
<p>Politicians have incredible access to programs and resources that their kids can take advantage of to make a real difference. Passing that new bill relating to social programs in the inner-city? Call up whoever you are buddies with and get your kid involved somehow. Have a charity dinner next week? Get your kid hooked up in the higher ranks to do something really cool. Visiting the ambassador's office? Get your kid something cool to do over the summer there next year.</p>
<p>Politicians, and powerful people in general, have many ways to make their kids shine. It's all about the opportunity.</p>
<p>First of all, Midaji wasn't asking who gets into Harvard, he (or she- I don't know) was asking who would fit in at Harvard. There's a big difference- people on these boards sometimes take for granted that everyone wants to go to Harvard and the only question is whether you get in, but this is definitely not the case.</p>
<p>First of all, if you want any of the following, Harvard is NOT the place for you:</p>
<p>1)An undergraduate business program (Harvard doesn't even have one)
2)Sunny weather all year round (Harvard has New England oceanside weather- pretty nasty, worst in the spring)
3)Fraternities or sororities
4)An isolated campus away from major cities</p>
<p>As for the small liberal arts vs. big university question: I've talked a lot in past threads about how the common stereotype "Harvard doesn't pay enough attention to its undergrads" is bogus.</p>
<p>The important thing, though, is that while professors are NOT "distant" or "focused entirely on research," and many will go to the trouble to learn everyone's name, even in a class of 200 or more students, it's true that you won't build the same relationship with professors that you will at a liberal arts school that's focused on smaller classes and closer professors. This is true of any national university- whether it's Harvard or Yale or Dartmouth or UC Berkeley or University of Wisconsin at Madison or whatever. (By the way, I have a number of friends at liberal arts schools- some say that the general atmosphere of "being close to professors" is overrated. I'm sure it's a matter of opinion, but make sure you know what you want.)</p>
<p>So if you want a small liberal arts school, Harvard's probably not the place for you (both because of it's medium size and because of its proximity to a major city). It does resemble a university more.</p>
<p>All Asains who have pushy parents Jk</p>
<p>Harvard in my own idea, is for students that don't have to study CONSTANTLY to get an A in a class. It's for passionate people, who are driven to success,and also ambitious to get ahead in life. Even though both those words are pretty much the same, it's ok.</p>
<p>the above, and for people who you can have both an enlightening and silly conversation with, like me!</p>
<p>Gangsters. People who listen to rap music.</p>
<p>Just bought a cadillac. Throw some D's on that</p>
<p>(D's refers to Dayton Rims, which are a style of wheel rims for automobiles that are spoked and look especially baller)</p>