Visit Report by bwilton (Member since August 08 2006 with 18 posts) Visit Date - July 2006
Visit to Harvard University in July 2006 by bwilton (Student, HS Class of 2005)
Visit Activities:
Admissions Interview:
No - I was already accepted. Information Session:
Yes - Verbatim regurgitation of the info. sessions given across the nation. (I have seen two.) Campus Tour:
Yes - Really disappointing - we weren't able to enter any of the buildings, including Widener Library.
Harvard University Campus:
Friendliness/Courtesy of Students: 2 - Fair -
At least they had the courtesy to answer my questions, and the sense to tell me to stay away.
Friendliness/Courtesy of Staff: 1 - Poor -
I was given one solitary meal pass for myself - my family was left to fend for itself. I got thrown out of Annenberg by a cranky man who didn't care about my meal pass.
Appearance of Campus: 2 - Fair -
The Yard is really just muddy and roped off in sections. No flowers anywhere. Something is missing, and I think that those grey clouds are always overhead.
Building/Facilities Maintenance/Cleanliness: 2 - Fair -
The famous gate to Harvard Yard was rusty, the sidewalks were rutted, and the Yard had no grass, only mud.
Overall Campus Impression: 1 - Poor
Off-Campus:
Area Immediately Around Campus: 2 - Fair -
Cambridge is pretty overrated and the people are pretty cranky in general.
City/Town/Community: 2 - Fair -
Eh.
Campus Visit Notes for Harvard University:
Visit Description:
Harvard, in summation, is in big trouble. It was sad. The Yard was a muddy hole, and the students moped about as the grey clouds cast a shadow over the rusty iron gates. The faculty and admissions officers were so unbelievably rude and short with me that I left after about an hour and a half. All of the bad press in recent weeks concerning Harvard's travails is if nothing else modest. I actually had students approach me and tell me to stay away from Harvard. They (all seven isolated people) claimed that coming to Cambridge was the worst decision they had ever made. "The name isn't worth it. This is academic hell. I didn't know how bad it was until I got here. Honestly, Yale is far better," one told me. (I'm not kidding - that is an accurate quotation, not a flame!) Nobody would show me any of the facilities (not even people in the admissions office) and the tour simply followed the sidewalks past the half-dead people. I was given a pass to eat a meal at Annenberg Hall (Heck , I wanted to see the inside of something). I was in the building for about ten seconds before I was rudely kicked out. The man didn't even care about my meal pass. He said "Hope to see you next semester," to which I responded "Hmm, not likely." I left and never looked back. Ugh. I am serious, Harvard is in BIG trouble. I couldn't believe how horrible it was. My experience was comparable to Dorothy's discovery in the Wizard of Oz that the Grand Wizard in the Emerald City was only a man behind a curtain - a graduate student man who teaches so that the professors don't have to.
Hotel/Lodging Recommendations or Comments:
The Cambridge Mariott is nice and is very close to MIT if you are interested in visiting each.
Dining/Restaurant Recommendations or Comments:
Legal Sea Foods is pretty overrated.
Other Comments (Transportation, local attractions, parking, etc.):
Harvard Square isn't half as interesting as one might expect.
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At least they had the courtesy to answer my questions, and the sense to tell me to stay away.
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I was given one solitary meal pass for myself - my family was left to fend for itself. I got thrown out of Annenberg by a cranky man who didn't care about my meal pass.