Harvard University

April 20, 2005:
A Harvard student wrote to me yesterday. (There goes my perfect streak!) The student wrote that she hoped that my experience at Harvard was not too displeasing.

It wasn't. I actually had a good time exploring on my own. I observed quite a bit, and I have plenty to write about. In a project with very sharp highs and lows, Harvard was blissfully neutral.

My only misgiving is that Harvard students will not have as much of a voice in the book as their peers at other schools. It is unfortunate, but it will not be much of a handicap for the students, the readers, or me.

The worst part of it will be the outraged and patronizing emails that I am bound to receive when the book comes out. "The lack of contact just goes to show how busy we all were!" "Why didn't you contact the administration for logistical help?" "You are making gross assumptions based on too narrow a sample!" "Waahhh!"

Of course, I'll get this from people at every school. In fact, I already field the suggestions and comments of critics from time to time. (It isn't the content per se that makes me so crazy—it is the delivery, as if they have found the crucial flaw in my project that I overlooked, or they wearily deign to impart a unique piece of wisdom.) But I hope that, when the time comes, Harvard students will appreciate the book and the efforts I made to hear their stories.

And now I'm off to the final chapter of my adventure...

April 16, 2005:
I once told a student at another Ivy that I had a hard time meeting students there. He seemed very taken back. He asked, "Well, why didn't you pay someone to come here before you arrived and hang flyers at the school? Or why didn't you take out a big ad in the student paper?"

I shrugged and said, "Because I don't care that much."

My goal is to treat every school the same in order to see how it treats me. Sure, I could start accosting students on campus, or I could hire a skywriter to announce my visit. But it seems odd and somehow desperate to go that far.

Nevertheless, I tried one extra step at Harvard. I posted flyers around the campus, briefly announcing my arrival and saying that I'd like to meet with as many students as possible. Each had about eight tear-off tabs at the bottom. I checked them two days after I posted them. Not one tab was taken; not one mustache was drawn; and I still have not heard from a single Harvard student.

From the beginning, I have thought of this book as a journey on several levels. Although the book corresponds to an academic calendar year, it is also analogous to a four-year college career. I arrived with the freshmen, and I will finish with the seniors. I started out nervous but excited, going to many parties and eager to sit in my classes. Over the next many months, I had periods of homesickness, boredom, and excitement—times when I was proud of my project and times when I was ready for it to end.

I'm thinking of Harvard as a period of externship, where I am associated with the school, but focused on outside projects.

April 10, 2005:
Remember my flip comment about how some Harvard student may Google my name?

When a school paper publishes a story about my project, I get varying results. At the extremes, I have received more than 100 emails at one school and less than 20 at another. The article at Harvard came out five days ago. I have not received a single email from a Harvard student.

Moreover, I haven't been introduced to anyone at Harvard. When I arrive at most schools, students at other Ivies have already put me in touch with several students on campus. It just didn't happen at Harvard.

Strangely, I'm okay with it. Don't get me wrong: I'd prefer to meet hundreds of Harvard students and hear their stories. But, although the Harvard chapter may come out much different from any other, I'm not concerned. In fact, I think it would be kind of funny if I never met any Harvard students.

The good news is that I am finally finding my way around Cambridge. It may sound like an exaggeration or joke, but every time I have visited Harvard, I have gotten incredibly and hopelessly lost. Coming and going. Even if I was staying for a few days, each day was a new ridiculous adventure. It would usually end with crying, frantic phone calls to friends using Mapquest, and the traditional rending of maps.

Yesterday, I ran from Lesley University, across the campus of Harvard, down Mass Ave to the campus of MIT, and up along the Charles River until I wound my way back to Harvard Square. I am finally getting a sense of the city, and that alone makes my time here worthwhile.

April 6, 2005:
We're all back from break and enjoying life in New England. Well, most of us are enjoying life.

Last week, the media picked up a story about the dissatisfaction of Harvard's students. The week before, I wrote that many students across the Ivies told me that their impression was that Harvard students were not happy with their school. And I've seen at least two students crying since I've been here...

No, I suspect that most Harvard students are thrilled with their school, the same way that students at every school are. Some of the happiness might be cognitive dissonance, and some may be lack of comparables. But, let's face it, a top college is a good place to be. You meet interesting people, you have your choice of classes and professors, and the college makes socializing and extracurricular activities accessible. I've only met a few students unhappy with their schools—and none at Harvard, by the way—and they always surprise me more than the folks who are giddy with happiness.

On an unrelated note, The Crimson ran an article about my project today. I am very glad that they produced a piece to let people know that I am around, but I wish it contained a way for people to contact me. But, hey, this is Harvard—I'm sure that someone will have the skill to Google my name!

March 26, 2005:
Harvard is having a tough time. Between the vote of no confidence in the president and the litigation involving Harvard staff, it is an odd time to insert myself. In addition, students were finishing exams and preparing for Spring Break.

This week, I observed and researched without inferring in the happenings on campus. I walked around campus with scores of other tourists—something you rarely find on other campuses—and talked with a handful of students. When the students return from break, then I will jump into the mix and do some more exploring.

March 23, 2005:
I am now at a crucial point in my research. I am at Harvard.

Harvard is one of the most recognized brands in the world. Several of the Ivies are almost unknown to the general population, but most people in the U.S. know what Harvard is. I imagine that many people will read the book that will spring from my year of research only to find out about life at Harvard.

The fact that I find more interesting is that Harvard is on the minds of many of the students that I met at other schools. I often ask people what they think of the folks at the other Ivies, and I often encounter stories of Harvard. At one school, I heard that Harvard students are cool and down to Earth; at another, I was told that the school was full of narcissists of mediocre intelligence; but the belief at several schools is that the students at Harvard are unhappy with their experiences and their school.

I guess I'll find out a bit more in the next month.

Princeton University >
April 20 - present

< Columbia University
February 25 - March 20

< University of Pennsylvania
January 17 - February 17

< Yale University
November 15 - December 19

< Dartmouth College
October 20 - November 15

< Brown University
September 20 - October 20

< Cornell University
August 24 - September 20