<p>lingbo, just to throw another perspective in the mix…</p>
<p>i was an undergrad at brown, now a grad student at harvard and was recently offerred a position as a house tutor in a few of the harvard houses. </p>
<p>now in the position of having to formally advise undergrads at harvard, i find myself comparing their experience to my own. overall, there are more similarities than differences but i have a few impressions that stand out:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>the resources at harvard–particularly for student initiated extracurriculars (and occasionally curricular projects)–are extraordinary and unparalleled anywhere else.</p></li>
<li><p>house life is at the absolute center of the undergrad experience at harvard which is both nice and unfortunate. it’s nice for all the reasons you would expect. it’s unfortunate because outside of houses, harvard can be a very cold place towards undergrads. students do not have the level of direct access to faculty i had at brown and encounter much more bureaucracy and closed doors. they also are (i think) too dependent on grad students like me for academic and pre-professional advice, as opposed to the appointed deans and faculty advisors i had at brown.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>neither place is perfect, but both are wonderful. as others have said, you should visit both and go with your gut. feel free to PM me anytime.</p>