<p>OP: you say "it seems to be me that the culture at each of the schools is quite similar "</p>
<p>I think ‘culture’ covers a lot of ground. Whether you find UofC and Harvard to be similar depends a lot on what you mean by culture. Anyways, my impression is that for most people, they offer a fairly distinct experience – that having been said, a flexible, smart, well-adjusted undergrad could no doubt obtain a great education and have a good time at either one.</p>
<p>They just really really feel very different. So, are there plenty of kids at UofC who would have happily gone to Harvard if they’d been accepted there? I would bet that there are. If you could talk a bit about the point of your query, it might help narrow the discussion.</p>