Visit Report by silentorchestra (Member since January 05 2007 with 36 posts) Visit Date - August 2006
Visit to Harvard University in August 2006 by silentorchestra (Other, HS Class of 2009)
Visit Activities:
Harvard University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 3 - Good -
didn't see many students, but there were TONS of prospective students and their parents
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 2 - Fair -
Some of the staff looked rather cranky and bored. One lady slammed the door in my face the second I stepped outside.
Appearance of Campus: 4 - Very Good -
the buildings were gorgeous, but a bit old-fashioned. But I prefer harvard's architecture over MIT's modern-crap buildings.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 4 - Very Good -
Everything was nice and clean
Dormitories: -
didn't get to see any
Security/Safety: 3 - Good -
with all those visiters roaming around, you never know...
Overall Campus Impression: 4 - Very Good
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 4 - Very Good -
havard square was very nice. My dad's friend owns a restaurant near Harvard, which is a plus because i get free food =)
City/Town/Community: 4 - Very Good
Campus Visit Notes for Harvard University:
Visit Description:
My family and I went to Boston, NY, and Cape Cod last summer. (I live in Canada, so it was a pretty big deal lol) Being Asian, they wanted to check out Harvard, P-ton, Yale, MIT, and the likes. At the time, I was 14 so I really didn't care about life after grade 12.
When I got to Harvard, I could NOT believe how many tourists there were. I mean there were parents dragging their 9 year olds into Harvard.
Harvard (not just Harvard Square), to me, was an exploited tourist attraction. I guess you could argue that it didn't really matter since was summer, and the students were back home, plus Harvard is a public university, therefore people can visit if they want to. But still, it didn't have the homely, comfortable feeling that i think a university should have.
The lawns were not as well-kept as Princeton's, and there was just something off about the atmosphere. The students seemed a little arrogant and impersonal. But I guess they have the right to be that way. And most of them didn't even look smart.
All in all, Harvard didn't live up to my expectations. Being the #1 university in the world, i thought that the campus would be even nicer than Princeton's. I was mistaken.
To be honest, I don't see what makes Harvard so special. Maybe its the 20-some billion dollar endowment, or the geniuses that graduated from there (although I doubt they would be any less successful had they attended Yale or Stanford). I honestly think that its overrated.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
parking was hard to find, and the space is very small.
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didn't see many students, but there were TONS of prospective students and their parents
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Some of the staff looked rather cranky and bored. One lady slammed the door in my face the second I stepped outside.
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the buildings were gorgeous, but a bit old-fashioned. But I prefer harvard's architecture over MIT's modern-crap buildings.
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didn't get to see any