Yale Vs. Harvard

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
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I know this kind of thread has been posted before, but I am really struggling mightily with this decision so any help is appreciated. I carried this over from my post on the Yale forum.

Yale was my dream school for a long time. It was the first school I visited (by accident actually). I did YYGS last summer and fell completely, head over heals, in love with the school. I am planning on majoring in molecular biophysics and biochemistry. Anyway, so I was in love with Yale, so I applied SCEA and was deferred. My heart broke, I felt betrayed (my application literally oozed affection), and I resolved to end my attachment to my most beloved university.

Harvard, as it would turn out, helped in this regard. I got a likely letter from them in early February and I began to try to envision myself there.

Now, come Ivy Day, I am accepted to both Yale and Harvard (and schools that didn’t show me the financial love). I almost wish I had been rejected to one, but now I must choose. Here are some of my thoughts for both, please PLEASE give me any thoughts you may have.

Yale: My first true love. I still find their campus to be breathtaking (gothic architecture is my favorite). I also love their residential college system and the general vibe on campus. They profess to be more undergraduate focused. I am concerned about their poor relations with the city of New Haven and Connecticut. I am also very concerned about the impending expansion of the college student body. I don’t want to get caught in a transitional period in which the school struggles to readjust itself to its increased student body. I am also wondering if this expansion will increase the student to faculty ratio and class sizes. The smaller nature of Yale is part of what attracted me.

Harvard: Is bigger, which concerns me. I am very VERY interested in undergraduate research, so I am a bit nervous about attending a school with such an emphasis on graduate education. Additionally, Harvard seems more formal whereas Yale seems more collegial. I don’t know how the Housing system compares to the Residential College system, but the RC system is great so I hope they work similarly. I am looking for a more collaborative than competitive environment, and Harvard seems perhaps a bit more competitive. Georgian style buildings aren’t really my thing, but whatever. That being said, Harvard reached out to me in my hour of need. Boston>New Haven. Then again, Yale is closer to NYC. Does Harvard have those nice little cultural things like master’s teas, etc?

Im going to part of Visitas and all of Bulldog Days and I generally know more about Yale than Harvard. Which school has happier students? Ugh.
There will be people in my life disappointed either way, and honestly the paradox of choice is for real at this point.
Please help.

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The Harvard house system is great and yes there are master’s teas etc. There is a lot of house spirit.

Harvard has tried to address the somewhat dated rap that it is not focused on undergads, for several years now.

I don’t know what you mean about Harvard being more formal. Some people at both schools are competitive, and some are collaborative. Some people are happier than others, anywhere. I don’t think generalizations hold up.

There are some differences in curriculum. I believe that at Yale, students take 5 classes some semesters; at Harvard it is 4. Check out gen eds/distribution requirements at the two schools. Things like that. Look at the curriculum and courses for the areas you want to study as well.

Check out the departments for your desired major, attend some classes if you can, talk to current students. Ask about research opportunities.

Spend the night if you can. It’s a toss up whether it is better to visit on admitted students’ days or a regular day. On admitted students’ days you will be able to talk with peers involved in similar decisions, but make sure to also talk to current students with similar academic interests.

In the end these things can come down to “vibe,” your personal experience of vibe, so it’s good that you are visiting. Remember Yale did not “betray” you and Harvard doesn’t “love” you!! I don’t think admissions officers work like that :slight_smile:

Good luck! You have two great choices and once you make it and are on campus, you won’t look back…

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There is no bad choice here. Be very happy about that. Visit both schools, talk to your peers and to current students, and decide which school feels like home. Then make your choice and never look back.

I am not sure why Harvard continues to have the reputation it does of being cold and uninterested in its undergrads. I was pretty anti-Harvard last year when my daughter was in your position. I kept hearing that Mother Harvard does not coddle her young and admonitions that you had to really push yourself and compete. Maybe, as compmom says, that’s how it was and it hasn’t shaken that characterization. Then my daughter actually attended. If this is what people think of as cold and competitive, sign me up for it. I could not believe the levels of support and friendliness and open doors. Between multiple levels of advising and small freshman seminars taught by professors for the purpose of getting to know freshmen personally, it seemed like a completely different school from the one I’d heard about. She’s had a great year. She’s met many wonderful people, has had a lot of fun, and has had opportunities all around her, so many it’s ridiculous.

I really like Yale’s residential college system. I also like Harvard’s. There’s something to be said for getting to know a lot of the members of your class and then with that footing,moving into a house. That way you have friends everywhere, not just in your house. And Housing Day, when the freshmen are sorted into the 12 different residential houses, looked like a lot of fun!

Good luck to you and congratulations! Let us know how it goes and what you decide.

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Harvard was an unexpectedly supportive and friendly environment for my kid as well.

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If Yale is your first true love, go for it @nondescript1

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The answer is in your post. " Yale was my dream school for a long time. It was the first school I visited (by accident actually). I did YYGS last summer and fell completely, head over heals, in love with the school." Follow your heart.

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First world problems :stuck_out_tongue:

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Harvard Crimson’s take on Y v H http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2003/11/20/the-cult-of-yale-bfor-god/ though from 2003, nothing much has changed since.

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Here’s a recent story from the Crimson, which I think supports @tdy123 's view: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2016/3/2/final-club-yale-model/

See also here: http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2012/5/24/grateful-hatred-harvard/

I get the impression that Yale undergrads on average enjoy their college years more. I think Harvard students also suffer from a unique, high-class problem: their school is the top brand and considered to be the gold standard of university education by more people than anywhere else, and many Harvard undergrads have spent years focused specifically on getting admitted to and enrolling at Harvard. Accordingly, if the experience once they get there seems less than perfect to them, or, God forbid, worse in some ways than comparable schools, the adjustment can be difficult.

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I’ll also add this relatively recent perspective from the Yale side (be warned, it might make you cry):

http://yaledailynews.com/blog/2012/05/27/keegan-the-opposite-of-loneliness/