Harvard University (USA)

Harvard University

You can always spot the English people who get into Harvard. Ask them where they’re going to university and they’ll somewhat shiftily reply, ‘America’. Ask them where in America and they’ll say, ‘Somewhere in Boston’. Pry further and you’ll eventually be rewarded by a combination of pride, humility and general embarrassment as they mumble, ‘Harvard’. This false modesty is rewarded in England, because Harvard is about the only American university that anyone over here has ever heard of. The oldest university in America, it also (rightly) prides itself on being one of the greatest. From its early beginnings to the latest league rankings, Harvard has stayed at the head of the field – a name that carries worldwide recognition. With faculty that dominate international academia, a mere 9 billion dollar endowment to play with and alumni who sing its praises across the globe, Harvard is definitely one option that you want to leave on your list.

The Campus

Harvard’s campus is akin to that of so many of the other big New England universities – a mix of charming old and fairly revolting new. Of course, Harvard, founded in 1636, revels in the fact that its old is older than anyone else’s and its new, while almost universally disliked, was designed by architects such as Le Corbusier. The campus centres around the ‘Yard’. This attractive expanse of green, enclosed by red brick buildings, plays host to the oldest dorm rooms (once used to house troops fighting the British), the magnificent Widener Library, the striking memorial church and throngs of students tossing Frisbees, sunbathing, snowballing or participating in the biannual naked run! Freshmen enjoy all the advantages of living in this heart of the college campus, placed in smaller houses with more supervision and more exposure to their year group than the older classes.

The extended Harvard campus consists of a collection of houses (modelled on Oxbridge colleges) where the upper-class students live. Some of these bear the good old New England names of their Puritan founders (Eliot, Winthrop, Kirkland and Lowell) and have changed little since the eighteenth century. However the housing lottery can be cruel and other students find themselves relegated to the old Radcliffe quad with its modern monstrosities and long walk from the central campus. Inevitably each house develops its own sense of camaraderie and people grow to love even the ugliest dorms. In addition, the advantage of en masse freshman housing means that initial bonds often last entire university careers. Thus the disadvantages of being housed nearer to Canada than the Yard are softened somewhat by the fact that friendship groups are dispersed all over.

Many students gripe about the Harvard campus and its accommodation. The noisy Mass. Avenue cuts straight past the Yard and ruins the tranquil feel that John Harvard initially aimed for, while Harvard Square has sacrificed much of its eclectic intellectual charm and succumbed to big brand name shops. Students also consistently moan about being crammed into rooms with little space or privacy. In American colleges it is not unusual to find yourself with a roommate for some of your four years, something that rarely occurs on this side of the pond. At Harvard, however, divine recompense ensures that those houses that are attractive and central generally offer much worse accommodation than those that are modern and isolated. And moan as they may, most students would probably agree that your room serves as little more than a base from which to conduct the rest of your frenetic life. Similarly, although Harvard has, like all modern universities, had to lose some of its olde worlde charm, it remains a vibrant and attractive place that the vast majority of students are proud to live in.       

The Crimson Man/Woman

Whatever else you can say to insult them, Harvard students are never ones to be left behind. Most of them are used to being the best in their high schools and the combination of all of these IQs (and egos) in a high-pressure, academic environment often leads to some explosive results. It is said that every year Harvard would be able to fill its freshman class with people who have achieved 100% on every SAT exam they took. It speaks highly of Harvard that they try to look beyond that and gather together a group of people whose talents go beyond the rigorously intellectual. And they get what they want. Harvard has, and always has had, the highest yield rate among its applicants, a statistic that suggests it is near impossible to turn down. After all, author bias aside, Harvard is Harvard.

Arriving at Harvard can be a rather daunting experience. You may well find yourself sharing a room with a concert pianist or eating with someone who has already won two Olympic medals. This is one of the most valuable parts of the Harvard experience. Every individual there is interesting and talented – you just have to take a deep breath and remind yourself that the admissions committee can’t have screwed up that badly picking you. (Harvard lore has it that most students spend their freshman year asking, ‘How did I get here?’ and their sophomore year wondering, ‘How did you get here?’ – so don’t be too nervous those first few days.) Just remember, everyone is there for a reason – and that reason doesn’t have to be an ability to make straight As.

Inevitably, all these brain cells and talent can lead to a competitive and ultra-focused environment. People at Harvard are always stressed out and (like every other elite school in the country) enjoy nothing more than moaning about how much more work they have than anyone else in the entire world. While the problems of adjusting to the strains of a bigger workload and new social environment mean that some freshmen can have a tricky time, most people quickly settle down. And by their second year, students have easily learnt how to juggle the bare minimum of work with the maximum amount of free time. After that, the moans simply become another status symbol!

Harvard students always like to be protesting about something. If they’re not bemoaning the latest curricular changes, they’re launching a living wage campaign against the university administration. Grumbling about grades is only one minor indication of a valuable desire to get involved and change things. Harvard students love participation and no day is complete without a mind-boggling range of extra-curricular activities. Whether they are organizing marches on University Hall, writing a weekly column for the renowned daily Crimson or involved in a social-service scheme that benefits half of Boston, there are few Harvard students who spend all their free time in bed. With well-respected orchestras, choirs and drama troupes, not to mention the numerous sports teams, Harvard offers something for almost everyone and most people are only too keen to pursue an extra hobby (or seven!)

Harvard students like to revel in their tradition and history, but are also keen to point out that the university has come a long way from the rich, white man ethos that defined it for hundreds of years. This is not to say that Lowells, Winthrops, Cabots and a handful of other Mayfloweresque names do not still haunt the campus. The traditions of these East Coast elite continue to thrive, but an influx of international and minority students have diluted them. The problem for the future lies in integrating these groups. Many Harvard students complain that self-segregation means that the student body (while apparently diverse) is still fairly socially homogenous. But the average English student (themselves a token diversity point for Harvard) will encounter more varied ethnic, religious, and political backgrounds in one day of this university, than in their entire high school career.

Almost everyone eventually discovers that Harvard students are friendly, enthusiastic and easy to get to know. The fact that the university boasts the largest endowment of any in America points to the commitment and affection of its alumni. It is also vital in ensuring that Harvard students are spoilt rotten. Money can be wheedled out of the university for just about any purpose, whether your desire is to set up a tiddlywinks club or to get a grant to go and study the beers of Bratislava. And once you have your grant, you’ll almost certainly discover a student who has done the very same thing before and a top-notch faculty member who is keen to support you.

Hitting the Books

Words cannot describe the calibre of some of the Harvard faculty. This is an institution that regularly recruits the best brains in the world, seducing them to Cambridge with promises of tenure and academic glory and then plonking them down in front of a class of undergrads. While the best brains in the world might resent such treatment, the undergrads benefit hugely and the teaching resources at Harvard are truly the thing that make it one of the world’s best universities. Harvard has first-class academic resources – from the vast Widener Library (beware, it is so huge you can lose mobile reception and be gone forever) to the incredible science labs and all of them are available to the eager undergrad.

One of the more amazing things about Harvard (and there are many) is the fact that you are continually brushing shoulders with the gods of academia. Students really do see Seamus Heaney drinking in the local bar or Michael Sandel running late for class. Meanwhile the pull of the H-bomb (or Harvard name) brings in speakers that range from Bill Clinton to Ali G. Professor-student interaction and contact with these big names is much encouraged, and faculty members could not be friendlier. All students need to do is screw up the courage to have a conversation with them and select their classes carefully. If you pick wisely and listen to people around you, you could end up in a seminar with someone as illustrious as President Summers himself.

Harvard students quickly learn the importance of never taking no for an answer. There is a renowned story about a professor who rejected all 200 of the applicants for a fifteen-place seminar and then accepted everyone who complained. American university has no place in it for British manners and reserved modesty. There are numerous services and tutors who are more than willing to look out for you, but you have to ask them to do so. Go to office hours, talk to your professors (after all how scary can a Nobel Prize winner or poet laureate be?), think about your courses and you will come out as the educated graduate your parents always hoped you would be.

Harvard’s course load is fairly structured and can be extremely hard work. Those individuals who wish to spend four years in a pub, and believe that Widener Library is merely a place with great tobogganing opportunities when it snows, should think about whether Harvard is really the right place for them. Freshmen must declare a major (or concentration in Harvard-speak) at the end of their first year, much earlier than at other universities. Some of the departments do allow you an easy ride of it but others have masses of requirements that can overburden even the most dedicated geek. Luckily there are plenty of people (including your subject tutor) who can help you find the right balance. And once you’ve found your interest, you can be secure in the knowledge that almost nowhere else in the country will be able to offer you quite the same level of research facilities, labs and general guidance (thanks to those 22 billion dollars).

At the moment Harvard’s requirements are undergoing a prolonged review. Many students are busy crossing their fingers and praying that the eventual result will do away with the dreaded core curriculum. In fact, it seems likely that the core (which accounts for a quarter of the average course load) will become more rigorous. No student is going to be able to escape from compulsory science or maths – unless of course they are a maths major and then they face compulsory poetry. Although students love to grumble about the core, many of the classes are in fact fairly easy-going - popular ‘guts’ include courses on dinosaurs and fairytales! In addition, core classes tend to be huge and more of a social and mind-expanding experience than a hard-core academic challenge.

Social Life

While Harvard tries its hardest, it has never really been able to shake off its ‘put forty geeks in a room and you get a really bad party’ image. Students still look back to its brief heyday in the swinging sixties, while Yalies mock from their more social campus. But while students may have to work a lot harder than their English peers to discover what’s going on come Saturday night, there are plenty of social opportunities out there for those who want them. Freshmen may find themselves caught in an eternal cycle of dorm room cruising and the inevitable (Puritan Massachusetts has no mercy) ID problem, but by the second year most students have established a social niche. Sports teams can normally be relied on for the infamous keg parties, while the slightly more civilized head for the plethora of restaurants and bars that Cambridge has to offer. The even more adventurous also have the option of the Boston club scene – Lansdowne Street offers a million club venues – where the whole university decamps for college parties on a fairly regular basis.

Harvard also hosts that strange institution – the finals club. These male-only buildings, scattered around the Harvard campus, offer another refuge to the socially intrepid on a weekend night. Boys should however beware. As freshmen they stand as much chance of getting into one as a snowball does in hell (unless of course you have a contact on the inside). ‘Punch’ (or recruiting) process takes place over sophomore year and allows each club to self-select its members for the next three years. Each club has a distinctive character (ranging from the WASPy Porc to the Eurotrashy Spee), and they offer a great place to go and party outside university jurisdiction. Girls, however, are frequently heard to complain that the atmosphere can be more like a meat market than socially enjoyable. Much debate is ongoing as to whether these undeniably elitist clubs are beneficial or detrimental to Harvard’s image, but Brits seem to love them and no one can deny they throw some great parties!

Outside Those Ivory Walls

Cambridge itself is merely a suburb of Boston but to hear most Harvard students talk, you would think it was a self-contained town in the middle of nowhere. Although eager freshmen come to Harvard keen to experience life in a big city, many find that they rarely venture beyond the boundaries of Harvard Square. For those who do, and it is strongly recommended that you at least try, a whole new world opens up. Boston is a wonderful city (commonly believed to have the greatest number of affluent young singles in America) and packed with students. Whether you like clubbing, marathons, Italian pastries or ducklings, Boston is the place for you. A mere ten minutes by the famous T (underground) or a slightly longer and much more expensive cab ride, Boston is one of Harvard’s best and most underused resources.

If your tastes lean more towards nature than Newbury Street (Boston’s equivalent of 5th Avenue), then Harvard also allows for a certain amount of travelling. In the winter, if you are dedicated enough to battle through the inevitable snow, there are ski resorts close enough for weekend trips if you are lucky enough to have a friend with a car. In the warmer months, the wonderful Cape and Martha’s Vineyard are reachable by bus. Meanwhile opportunities for hiking, sailing and all those other outdoorsy things abound.

Finally for those who find Boston too limited (which is pretty hard given its size and diversity), New York is near enough for a weekend visit. About four hours by car or one by the wonderful air shuttle, it offers a great alternative for those who crave the amusements of the biggest city of them all.

Getting In

Harvard takes a certain amount of pride in boasting about the number of immensely talented and academically superior students that it rejects each year. This can be somewhat disheartening to the already nervous applicant. But while there can be no doubt that Harvard demands your highest grades and maximum academic effort, it also values those other random things that make up such a diversely amazing student body. So speak out to them about your record for the 100m or your early years in outer Mongolia. If they went for grades alone, they would have a pretty boring freshman class and it’s your job to show the other side to your character. The big chance to do this is in your admissions essay. The more random the subject and the more passionate you are about it, the better you will do.

On a more factual level, Harvard demands the standard SAT I and three SAT IIs. It also pays attention to international exams, so make sure you speak up about your A levels (they can also come in useful if you want to get out of required classes later on). There is also the option of an alumni interview – something that you should definitely take up (and remember it is as much for their benefit as it is for yours). Harvard grads love to talk about the best days of their lives in their dear old alma mater – and you can learn a lot about its good points (and its bad) by simply listening. So make the effort to jump through all the hoops Harvard puts in your path – in the long run they’re beneficial.

Fees

Harvard is one of the very few universities that offers FULL needs-blind financial aid to its international students. This is a wonderful resource and one that not enough people know about. Your education here could, conceivably, cost you less than your tuition fees would in England. So definitely bear this in mind and again, don’t be ashamed or reluctant to enquire. American colleges are well aware of the huge financial burden they place upon their students and they are extremely clued in to how to lighten it.

Famous Graduates (more than a little hard to narrow down!)

John Adams, John Quincy Adams, FDR, Teddy Roosevelt and JFK – all presidents of this great nation

T. S. Eliot – biggest star in the Harvard poetic galaxy

Tommy Lee Jones – just to show we have our lighter side as well! (Roommate of Al Gore!)

Contact

www.harvard.edu

You need to be a subscriber to University in the USA (or to The Good Schools Guide) to read other universitiy reviews in full.