Harvard student culture - current students please respond

Admiral
Sat, 27 Jun 2009 03:31:52 +0000

Hey Puzzle,

This is a great question but is a little general. There is no typical Harvard student life, just as there is no typical Harvard student.

In general, it’s really a normal college atmosphere! Students that come to Harvard are generally really smart, but we’re first and foremost 18-22 year-olds- we like drinking, dating, goofing off, sleeping in… the number one thing to remember is that Harvard’s academics don’t define the experience.

Parties are a huge part of undergrad life- anyone interested in finding them always can. The last thing you should assume is that anyone who can get a great SAT score isn’t interested in doing anything but studying.

I certainly don’t know anyone who “writes essays” for fun Math for fun… not really, though a lot of students do grad research (and if it’s unpaid, as it occasionally is, I guess you could say it’s for fun!). Frisbee, scrabble, chess are all reasonably popular (though I know no hopscotch players), as are video games, bowling, beer pong, Indian food… I wish I could give a more unusual response, but it’s just a typical college atmosphere!

One difference I could think of is that Harvard students are generally very committed to their extracurriculars. It’s not uncommon for someone really involved in a large club (Crimson, Model UN, etc) to spend 15-25 hours a week on it. Extracurriculars tend to build up a culture of their own- the Crimson has infamous initiation rituals- and are a great way to make friends and explore your passions, especially as Harvard’s ECs tend to be top-notch. Most importantly, they’re fun!

One thing you brought up is whether it’s a collaborative atmosphere. In my experience, it certainly is. I have no way of comparing the attitude to other schools, but I’ve been consistently impressed with the way students work together on problem sets, discuss tests after they’re finished, and generally share each other’s academic burdens. I’ve heard rumors that Harvard is thought of as “cutthroat,” and I find that stereotype absolutely ridiculous.

Incidentally, I’m a rising senior, and absolutely love it here at Harvard, both academically and socially. Here’s some stuff I like to do for fun:
-Television
-Beer tasting (I’m on a bit of a mission to try as many kinds available in Harvard Square as I can- check out John Harvard’s or Cambridge Common sometime)
-Comic books
-The Yankees
-Bowling
-Hanging out with my girlfriend, who goes to Boston University

As for extracurriculars, I program robots on the Harvard-MIT Robocup team (heading to Austria tomorrow for the international competition!) I also do science research, which I’ve done for two years, and TF a couple Computer Science courses. I’m also directing at the next Model UN conference.

So that’s the general story of life at Harvard. People can find whatever they want here- parties, laid back video-game nights, or, well, study groups on a Friday night if that’s what you’re interested in. In that way, it’s really not different than any other college.

I hope I answered your question!