Harvard vs. Stanford

sakky
Tue, 10 Apr 2007 22:56:13 +0000

I would vote for Harvard. Like it or not, Harvard is Harvard and does have that killer name that no other school can match. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it is. If there is one school that everybody has heard of, it’s Harvard. More to the point, if you go to Stanford, a lot of people are just going to think you did so because you didn’t get into Harvard. Again, it’s not fair, but that’s the way it is.

I would also discount the discussion of the strength of major that has been expressed here on this thread, simply because it is highly likely that you will end up in a career that has little to do with your major anyway. Let’s face it. Most math majors do not become professional mathematicians. Most history majors do not become professional historians. Most physics majors do not become professional physicists. And even if you do take a job that is related to your major, it is highly probable that you will end up switching careers. I believe CNN once estimated that the average American switches careers (not just jobs or employers, but entire * careers *) about 4 times in their lifetime. Hence, it is extremely likely that you will eventually find yourself in a job that is not related to whatever you studied in college.

But that Harvard name lasts forever. No matter what career you end up in, that Harvard brand name serves as a signal that, if nothing else, at least you were good enough to get into Harvard. Again, I think that it’s not really fair that Harvard has such a powerful brand name relative to everybody else. But hey, life is not fair.