What Makes Harvard, Harvard

Growing up, Harvard felt like an abstract idea. Raised in the South, where 90% of each graduating class from my high school went to the same few SEC schools, I had little exposure to the Ivies beyond TV references. For me, Andy Bernard was the quintessential Cornellian, while Harvey Specter embodied Harvard. These schools—especially ours—felt more like cultural symbols than real places, their names hinting at intimidating intellect and elitism derived from exorbitant wealth.

When I got accepted, I was, unsurprisingly, shocked. I hadn’t expected my application to be read, let alone selected. Alongside the pride and excitement, though, came a twinge of embarrassment. Harvard’s prestige also makes it a lightning rod for criticism. To many of my peers, I was deviating from the mold to attend the “wokest of the woke,” a place where I’d surely be “politically indoctrinated.” 

This past April, Harvard publicly refused to comply with demands from the Trump administration to eliminate diversity, equity, and inclusion policies. Not long after, a friend from high school reached out—unsolicited—to list Harvard’s many alleged flaws, hoping to prove that the school was, in fact, “bad.”

Harvard has indeed faced growing criticism in recent months. And amid external threats and political scrutiny, it’s necessary to remember what the school still does exceptionally well and all the good that Harvard provides both to the broader community and to us as individuals.

A Variety of Opportunities

Whenever any teachers or family friends would ask what my long-term career plans were, I could never answer. My time in high school was great in informing me of the difference between a colon and a semicolon or how to solve a multivariate equation, but I had no experience in any profession that excited me. However, I knew that attending Harvard would give me the chance to truly explore different ideas and find what interests me.

With 50 undergraduate concentrations and 49 secondaries, Harvard offers an extraordinary academic range. The over 3,700 courses available each year enable genuine intellectual exploration and academic growth. The Gen-Ed and distributional requirements ensure that every student gains exposure to a breadth of knowledge, whether they’re learning about the history of firearms in the U.S. or examining apocalyptic themes in global religions. 

But Harvard’s opportunities extend even further than the classroom.

The College hosts more than 400 student organizations, ranging from civic service and professional development to niche interests. If a student wants to join an organization that is not one of the 400 listed organizations, they have the resources and support from the College to create said organization. It’s not uncommon to go from attending a Forum with the Secretary of Transportation at the Institute of Politics to playing quadball in the same evening. This diversity of extracurriculars allows students to tailor their Harvard experience—and often uncover interests they didn’t even know they had. 

While some students arrive with clear paths in mind, others show up as wide-eyed first-years with no idea of what they want to do. What sets Harvard apart is the sheer breadth of pre-professional organizations that allow for meaningful exploration. Students can dive into finance, law, journalism, entrepreneurship—and not just through exposure, but through real, hands-on experience. Not to mention the Mignone Center for Career Success, which further prepares students to enter the working-world by facilitating internships and workshops for professional development.

When I first stepped on campus, I felt behind. I hadn’t researched student organizations, and I had no idea what consultants did, much less how a student-run consulting group worked. But over time, I found the groups and academic paths that genuinely interest me.

Diversity in Experiences

Before college, my exposure to international perspectives was limited. My high school included students who had immigrated from Mexico or Central America, and a few first-generation Asian Americans. But on my first night at Harvard, I met two students from the UK and one from Pakistan—something that would’ve been unimaginable back home. 

This diversity is one of Harvard’s most underrated strengths. Over the past four years, an average of 26.4% of all admitted students have been international, representing more than 140 countries. Each of these students brings unique experiences and perspectives that enrich the community.

The result is a campus culture that encourages curiosity and dismantles assumptions. Harvard urges students to ask questions, to seek out what they don’t know, and to leave any preconceived notions at the gates. In a time of rising nationalism and a declining international reputation, this kind of exposure is not just valuable—it’s essential. Tomorrow’s leaders need to understand differences before they make decisions that affect others. 

Harvard’s diversity doesn’t end with international students. Domestic diversity—across regions, class, race, and ideology—also fuels important conversations and broadens perspectives. Talking with my classmates about gap years in North Macedonia or training for the Olympics has helped me realize how much more there is to learn—and has inspired me to ask better questions about my own assumptions and ambitions, pushing my own curiosity past the status-quo of the South. 

The current Presidential administration hopes to eliminate the enrollment of international students, which would severely diminish this diversity. Reports show the direct contribution that international students have on the economy, but beyond this loss, the Trump administration threatens the chance for future generations to better understand cultural differences. I would have never met some of my closest friends on campus. I would have never been able to become engrossed in how their experiences were unique from mine. I would have never developed such a perception of belonging to the world, not just the U.S.

Harvard is not perfect. No institution is. But amid criticism—some warranted, some not—it’s important to remember the many ways it shapes lives for the better. The opportunities for growth, the diversity of thought, and the chance to learn from those entirely unlike yourself are all parts of what make Harvard good. To me, that’s something worth fighting for. 

Tyler Dang ’28 (tylerdang@college.harvard.edu) was born and raised in Memphis, TN.