Harvard University Top Questions

smart. driven. inspiring.

Every one of my classmates excels at something, be it athletics, academics, or any other activity. No one is just average.

Super, unique, surprising people with a sprinkling of jerks just to make things interesting.

Many of the students are very intelligent and have wide varieties of interests.

The students at this college are incredibly driven and ambitious, as well as highly talented. It is also incredible however, how they are, for the most part, humble about their extraordinary achievements.

Harvard students talk about some of their favorite things.

When I came I was struck by how extraordinarily "put together" everyone seemed, in every sense. Aesthetically, academically, extracurricularly--people seemed to have a place and a direction and a sense of how to present themselves to themselves and to their peers and professors. Many people seem to be experts and spokespeople for particular causes, everyone impressive in some regard. Expert-amateur sculptors, linguists, scholars in any mainstream or obscure field, not to mention politically savvy socialists, feminists, Democrats, Republicans, and anything else. The great thing about Harvard is that there really are fantastic people there, and down-toe-earth people, would-be-Swarthmore students, people with eclectic and fascinating interests, people whose intelligence comes through in all sorts of ways, and people who are truly good and kind. It's just a matter of finding them, and thanks to what feels like hundreds of student clubs, you really can find them.

Pretty diverse group. Not yet too socio-economically diverse, but that will prob change with new financial aid initiatives. Most students wear casual clothes - jeans - to class. Different types of students DO interact. The house system is conducive to that I think. Most people are left of center politically.

Overall Harvard has a diverse student body but there are definitely silos that students continue to operate within upon coming here.

Ugh.