Harvard University - Pictures

Harvard University - Basic Information

Cambridge, MA

Total undergrad enrollment: 6,655

Ranked #1 in 2011 edition of Best Colleges (US News)

49% male/51% female

Application deadline - Jan. 1 

Application fee: $75

Acceptance rate: 7.5%

Range SAT Critical Reading: 700-800
Range SAT Math: 700-790
Range SAT Writing: 690-790
Range ACT Composite: 31-35

Required standardized tests: either SAT or ACT

Admissions interview: recommendedSAT subject tests: 3
Common App

Tuition and fees: $38,416

Room and board: $12,308

No sororities/fraternities

Most popular majors: economics, English language and literature, political science and government, and sociology

Average freshman retention rate: 97.2%

NCAA I

Harvard University - PROS

Academics:

• Professors - incredible
• Freshmen can apply for advanced standing if they have enough AP credits
• Cross registration with graduate schools and MIT if you can't find a class you are looking for
• Hard to flunk out
• Ranked #1 - best college library
• Student-faculty ratio - 7:1
• 80% of classes have fewer than 20 students

Student Life:

• Boston (Cambridge) = great city
• Students randomly assigned to a co-ed house
• Awesome housing
• Red Sox
• There are lots of well rounded kids who aren't geniuses but pretty good at most things
• Ranked #10 - dorms like palaces
• Ranked #4 - best college newspaper
• 96% of students live on campus
• The T - incredibly convenient public transportation system

Harvard University - CONS

• Professors often geared more towards research
• Teaching fellows (graduate students)
• Can feel uncaring and antisocial
• No academic scholarships
• Cold weather
• Everything is a "constant competition"
• It's easy to feel completely overshadowed by everyone