<p>Hi everyone,
I’m back - I kind of forgot about this site for a while (am in grad school). Regarding visiting Harvard, I would strongly (!) recommend that you speak to current students and/or have your son/daughter stay with a student (you can arrange an overnight stay for a prefrosh with the admissions office). I honestly almost didn’t go to Harvard because everyone (the recently-admitted prefrosh group) was so obnoxious - I think a lot of people felt insecure and were trying to impress others. Once I thought about it, the people who had chosen to go there and had suffered through exams etc. were the ones it made sense to listen to - they’d lived the student experience.
The classes are generally excellent, and yes, the workload is tough. The resources are practically unlimited. It’s the students you have to live with, though - so talk with them, and don’t pay too much attention to obnoxiousness. Also, please please don’t touch the statue’s foot if you visit.
As for Jamaxmom, honestly I have no idea - every class is different, and I don’t know what exactly they look for. I have the feeling that being driven and having apparent significant potential are two high factors on the list, but there is so much that goes into each admissions cycle. The huge number of applications doesn’t really help. Where’d your daughter end up going?</p>