<p>It’s interesting to read all that. One thing for sure - if somebody is good enough and interested enough to write about my high school (or many HSs, for that matter), it’ll definitely look worse than Harvard. I have friends at Harvard telling me about it. They are very close friends, not internet friends. They work very hard there, and they are happy. 
</p>
<p>Good luck everyone! Don’t be too stressed. We’ll all be fine, one way or the other. </p>
<p>@gibby. I agree that is fairly accurate depiction as well…at least that’s how K1 describes it. And, I have to say, K2 says Stanford can sometimes feel like that as well…so no school is perfect…let’s be at least thankful it’s not the fire-and-brimstone hell that is MIT or Caltech! 
…and people wonder where the term…“getting the hell out” comes from…
Congrats to your daughter again!</p>
<p>Yes, Harvard can certainly be hell on earth. Gibby’s daughter has not had an ideal time of it there, despite being an academic superstar. I know some recent grads who do not look back fondly at their time at Harvard. My daughter, who was an amazing HS student in every respect is very active at Harvard but she is working flat out 24/7 to keep up with it all. She comes home for breaks totally exhausted and needs weeks to recuperate. Despite it all, she would definitely choose Harvard again though. We’ll see how she feels in another couple of years .</p>
<p>I and everyone I know look back at our college years at another top Ivy as some of the best years of our lives, so I don’t know what it is about Harvard. So, I would second gibby’s comment about being careful what you wish for. Nah, on second thought, that’s a little too harsh a comment. Harvard has truly amazing resources and my daughter has met some extremely awesome kids and profs. I will amend my statement to say if you are accepted, just go in with your eyes wide open. If you aren’t, don’t for a second think that there’s Harvard and there’s everywhere else. Sometimes, things happen for a reason. A good reason.</p>
<p>Oh, and congrats to Gibby’s daughter too!!!</p>
<p>Do decisions come out on the portal or over email ?</p>
<p>^^ Email</p>
<p>What’s with the excessive amount of recommendation letters? I only had three recommendation letters: one from my chemistry teacher, one from my philosophy teacher, and one from my guidance counselor. </p>
<p>I hope that didn’t put me at a disadvantage.</p>
<p>@Falcon1 do you think your daughter is working hard 24/7 because she is involved in time-consuming ECs and/or classes? Do you think students who focus on only 1-2 things would feel as exhausted as her? </p>
<p>Ok just for everyone’s future reference:</p>
<p>DECISIONS COME OUT THIS THURSDAY AT 5 PM EASTERN TIME VIA EMAIL. </p>
<p>This has been confirmed by about 3 people directly calling admissions. </p>
<p>everyone new seems to be asking so there you go…</p>
<p>
I have many friends who attended Harvard some twenty to thirty years ago, and they all said they had a blast when they attended. However, their kids – who are currently attending Harvard – are having the same experience as our kids. So, I’m not sure what exactly has changed, but the school seems to be vastly different today than it was when our peers attended.</p>
<p>@Gibby @Falcon1 It could be the loss of homogeneity. As fantastic as diversity is at Harvard and as special the carefully crafted class is, it still has some problems which could be contributing to the worse attitudes about Harvard now opposed to 30 years ago. When a class is so incredibly competitive as Harvard’s is, the admissions officers must make very careful selections in order to maximize the interest and ability of its class. This means that there are a great many students who are starkly different from each other. All except the wealthy white male elite, who have been a staple at Harvard since its founding. Because they, more than any other group, are constant every year they have the ability and chance to participate in set traditions created by hundreds of years of the same group such as the finals clubs. Their experience with Harvard caters much more to their interests and lifestyles than with any other group. As they come together, united by their commonalities, there is a tendency to close away those who do not “fit in” per se. It is sort of like because not everyone is “elite” that goes to Harvard anymore, the old networks are reserved for those who still are, or those who work tirelessly to enter them. The culture that results is one that can be unpleasant for some, especially those who are not as concerned with the race. Not sure how accurate this is, I just sort of came up with it while I wrote, but it may be part of the reason for this change over the last 30 years. </p>
<p>I don’t think the reason Harvard has changed has anything to do with diversity. I do agree that Harvard has changed because the applicant pool has become more competitive – more intensively focused on achievable goals. Admissions just can’t pass on the type "A’ kid who created the latest cure for cancer. Those kinds of students were far and few between thirty years ago. But that student, who may be so good at research, may not have the best “people skills” and may not reach out to others as their peers did years ago. These days, applicants seem to more competitively obsessed, which may lead to a campus of students chasing different goals, but none having the time or inclination to be nice to each other – which I think is the reason the administration tried several years ago to enact: <a href=“Harvard College Introduces Pledge for Freshmen To Affirm Values | News | The Harvard Crimson”>http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2011/9/1/pledge-freshmen-students-harvard/</a></p>
<p>I have friends at both Yale and Harvard (echoing Gibby’s S and D), and the Yallies seem to be having a far better experience socially. Does H take more type As than Y? I wouldn’t think so. Maybe there’s a self-selected douchyness at H?</p>
<p>I appreciate your comments and thoughtful description of your years at Harvard, and much of what you say sounds right from alums we know, but for students (like my child) who are awaiting responses this week, no less, this has dampened the mood of many people reading this. I know many people who have graduated in the past several years who really liked their time at Harvard. That’s not to say that there aren’t many other great schools, but the application environment has pushed students to select an early action school to improve their odds. No school is perfect. Harvard won’t be a walk in the park for anyone who attends, but students need to be supportive of each other and not feel that they are better than their classmates. This attitude is present at many of the top universities and colleges. I say good luck to all of you and stay strong and positive…it will all work out. </p>
<p>I brought up some potential negatives about Harvard (from actual student perspectives) NOT to dampen anyone’s mood, rather to dampen the sting of so many deferrals and rejections. Sour grapes i believe it’s called. Make no mistake about it, however, if blessed enough to get the nod, I’m going baby! I do think it’s important to understand some general critiques about the institution. If my child was accepted i’d require him/her to read postings about pressure at Harvard and mental health issues (these are issues at any school). Parents don’t baby your children! We can take the truth</p>
<p>@Burke1 Point taken. Life is what you make of it. My daughter is a type A overachiever like many of her Harvard classmates. She is no doubt doing too many things on the EC front and also has an extremely heavy workload because of her choice of concentration and secondary field. A lot of her unrelenting pressure and stress is of her own making. I will reiterate that she does not disparage Harvard in the least and would choose to go there again in a heartbeat.</p>
<p>@entrebusecon Interesting thesis. Perhaps, the Harvard of a few decades was a little more laid back and less cutthroat intense because there were many more scions of the wealthy who had the connections and the means to ensure they did not have to worry in school. In turn, the rest of the “masses” were less competitive. I don’t know I wasn’t there but I did see a lot of it at my school.</p>
<p>I will sum up by saying that Harvard is truly an amazing institution and students are able to benefit their whole lives from the incredible reach of its network of loyal alumni. My daughter already experienced this last summer. Also, there are terrific opportunities to do research as an undergrad with some of the leaders in whatever field your interested in. If you play in the orchestra, you may be sitting next to the next Yo-Yo Ma, or be him (her) yourself. Harvard is far from perfect, as any of you lucky enough to go there will find out. But if you can find you’re niche and also actively make a conscious effort to meet other kids (which is harder than at a place like say Yale), it can be very rewarding. I should have qualified my earlier post to say that I also know people who have graduated in the last ten years who can’t stop gushing about the school. Fortunately, they were the ones that reached out to my daughter when she was accepted and not the disgruntled ones. </p>
<p>^ It’s harder to socialize at Harvard compared with Yale? Is that because there are less college-hosted social events? Or maybe because Harvard kids lock themselves up in their rooms more? </p>
<p>@Karabekian My daughter was given the advice (by one of the less than enamored Harvard grads) to make an active effort to join as much things as possible freshman year even if meant sleep deprivation (did happen) or lower grades (didn’t happen, fortunately). He said (correctly so) that it would be harder to meet people as you get into these silos later on and also Harvard students don’t go out of their way to meet you so you have to make the effort. Many kids are very focused on their career aspirations and there is a fair amount of only wanting to meet kids who are important to their future goals. She has found this to be largely true but with 1700 kids in each class, there are still plenty of other kids to meet and bond with that are warmhearted, friendly and genuine. As a result of her nature to be out there socializing and the effort she put into it, she knows a great many kids. I would say though she only counts a very small number of them as her close friends. However, her close friends are a wonderful collection of kids from all over the world and all walks of life who are intelligent, funny and look out for her. You have to make the effort to find these people at Harvard. At places like Yale, I am told they find you. That’s why I said to go in with your eyes open - do so, and it’s all good.</p>
<p>All posting has died! Don’t tell me everyone is suddenly reflecting on their lives and reconsidering their application choice. C’mon, where’s that indomitable spirit that made you want to apply to Harvard in the first place? </p>
<p>@falcon1 I get really disappointed when the posting dies…especially now that i’m sitting through a nighttime online Multivariable Calc class - which I can’t STAND :(</p>