<p>Why Harvard? What makes it prestigious? Is it just the name, or is there really a better education?</p>
<p>Because it is Hav ard.</p>
<p>It is the oldest University in the nation.
It is number 1 at the moment for undergrad, medicine, top 3-5 in business, law.
It has the largest endowment in the nation (world?).</p>
<p>I don’t like harvard I think its dumb</p>
<p>I don’t like harvard I think its dumb</p>
<p>This, kids, is a good example of constructive criticism.</p>
<p>“This, kids, is a good example of constructive criticism.”
And this is a perfect example of sarcasm :D</p>
<p>Pretty much paying 55K a year for the name on the sweatshirt. To be honest, education is what you make out of it, no matter if you go to Harvard or a good state school. Harvard is huge for Grad school I guess with its numerous research opportunities, but for undergrad, I don’t think it’s that important.</p>
<p>Does it have engineering? That’s all that matters…</p>
<p>A&M University in Texas has a great engineering program… And half the cost</p>
<p>^ only for in state though.</p>
<p>It’s expensive. It’s overrated. They don’t care about undergrads. It’s everything everyone has said.</p>
<p>However, real talk, Harvard is so great because of location, students, financial aid, and prestige. </p>
<p>Boston/Cambridge is one of the best cities/towns to ever go and study, and it is vibrant. There are so many college students there that the average age of the city drops considerably when college students descend upon it.</p>
<p>The Harvard students are self-selected to be the best and the brightest. The people with the most impressive credentials are allowed in, which in turn makes the school what it is.</p>
<p>With these days, with Harvard and other Ivies offering full blow for under 60K families, that is a huge plus. Even families who make 180K usually pay about 20 grand at the most. Many times, Harvard will be cheaper than a state school.</p>
<p>That Harvard name on a resume can open serious doors, but fortunately for those of us who don’t get in, those Harvard students don’t always know who to go through the doors. </p>
<p>For example, the difference between Harvard and some regular liberal arts school is that the Harvard grad will get great opportunities heading out of college, while the person who came from the LAC may have to work harder for that same opportunity or work longer, but can get there reasonably.</p>
<p>I like hahaha-vard.</p>
<p>Harvard is prestigious (for undergrads) because it is super selective: a Harvard degree signals to society that you are either ambitious, talented and hardworking, or else wealthy and well-connected. Both of these are desirable traits in some circles. </p>
<p>As for the quality of education, I truly believe that students get a better education in some respects at a university with top-notch faculty. Learning a subject from the person who invented it is so much more rewarding and enlightening than learning it from someone who learned it from a textbook!!! On the other hand, lower-level classes are probably better learned in a small classroom with personal attention from the instructor than in a big lecture hall at an Ivy.</p>
<p>As a Cornell student, I can tell you that the tuition (which can be reduced by the generous aid usually given by Ivy’s) goes toward a lot more than being able to attend the school. I don’t think some folks truly understand how many resources these schools have for undergraduates (and graduates).</p>
<p>Though I don’t attend an Ivy, I do go to a school of comparable quality (University of Chicago) and I am inclined to agree with Islander4.</p>
<p>At these top schools, they are prestigious for a reason. Challenging academics (extremely challenging at places like Chicago, Cornell, MIT, Caltech, etc.), a culture of diligence and ambition, professors at the top of their fields (I concede, this is somewhat clich</p>
<p>Why not Harvard?</p>
<p>I still think Harvard is stupid.</p>
<p>It’s like coca cola.You don’t really know why it’s so famous,and why so many people think so highly of it.But every fool in the world knows what it is and thinks it’s the best thing ever so there must be A LOT to it.In the future though,Harvard may lose it’s rep as being “best in the world”.Truly international universities like NYU Abu Dhabi and Jacobs University may very well be the future centres of the world’s best and brightest.</p>
<p>And if its like coke, there are dumbasses in the south that call every college Harvard. You know, Florida Harvard, South Harvard, Orange Harvard</p>
<p>Harvard may not deserve the prestige but I understand the volume of applications. I went to Wharton because my father had gone to Wharton before me, but I’m starting to wish I had applied to Harvard. The exit opportunities are insane. Insufferable morons with 2.x GPAs are graduating from Harvard with good consulting jobs in desirable cities. My older(and graduated) Harvard friends with good GPA’s all got into med school, a top10 law, or got a top finance job like JP Morgan.</p>
<p>Harvard does care about undergrads…absolutely GREAT first year.</p>