20140906

哈佛的特大光環


這麼多年來我跟來自不同地方(主要是中港台)的華人有交往,得出一個印象,就是在很多華人父母心目中,哈佛大學的光環比任何名牌大學的都要大,連耶魯、史丹福、和普林斯頓也要輸那麼一點點。這個印象,在我們參觀哈佛時算是得到印證。

我們到東岸參觀的每一間大學,都安排了參觀者的大集會,介紹大學和解釋申請入學應注意的事項,大多是集會後才分成小組參觀校園;哈佛的集會是最多人的,少說也有二三百人(暑假期間一星期五天都有這樣的集會和參觀,可見人數之多),比其他大學多至倍計。那天我們早到,到達時演講廳內只坐了約五六十人,卻幾乎全是亞洲人,有不少看得出是華人;到集會開始時,我環顧了一下,發覺那二三百位出席者中,仍然大多數是亞洲人,至少有七成,就算其中兩成不是華人,華人也佔了一半!我們參觀的其他大學 --- 包括耶魯和普林斯頓 --- 都沒有這個情況,可見希望子女入讀哈佛的華人父母特別多。十多年前有一本書名為《哈佛女孩劉亦婷:素質培養紀實》,相當引(華)人注目;據說這本書在中國大陸特別暢銷,假如書名是《普林斯頓女孩劉亦婷:素質培養紀實》,銷量恐怕會差一些。

到東岸參觀大學,已是個多月前的事,而且寫過有關文章;今天才寫哈佛,是因為早兩天在阿樂學校的新學期家長會裏發生了一些小插曲,令我想到哈佛的特大光環。(我沒有出席家長會,以下所述是阿樂媽媽告訴我的。)

阿樂的學校只有十多位華人學生,而這些學生的家長有不少是互相認識的;他們大多都聽聞阿樂的成績優異,由於申請大學的時間將至,有些甫一見面便直接問及阿樂打算申請哪些大學。對於這個問題,媽媽通常都只會給一些含糊的答案,以免讓人覺得阿樂很有把握似的,例如說「會申請其中幾間 UC 和一些東岸的大學」;問的人一般都知道適可而止,不會查根究底。可是,這天有位家長卻好像看不出人家在迴避問題,不斷追問下去,終於直接問:「他會不會申請哈佛大學?」

媽媽正在考慮要不要直接回答,更有趣的事情發生了。通常學生不會跟家長一起出席,但這位家長的兒子卻陪她一起到家長會;據阿樂說,這位同學一向不大懂得如何跟人交往(英文的 ‘socially awkward’意思比較準確),當他聽到自己的母親問及哈佛大學,竟搶著回答!我怎樣也估不到他會這樣說的(大意如此,譯為中文):「阿樂的成績的確很好,但不要怪我這麼說,哈佛只收十全十美的學生,而阿樂還不是十全十美,所以不應該申請哈佛!」媽媽趁機笑了一笑,便不答那問題了。

這位同學並非妒忌阿樂才這麼說,他為人憨直,平時對阿樂表現得相當佩服,甚至在父母面前不時稱讚阿樂;他這樣說,是因為他相信哈佛大學高不可攀,連他認為是學校裏最優秀的學生也配不上!阿樂被哈佛取錄的機會的確不高,但這不是重點;我想指出的是,這位同學對哈佛大學的認識不會深,他之所以有「哈佛只收十全十美的學生」這個(錯誤的)看法,大概是受了父母及親朋戚友的影響。

幸而阿樂沒有這個看法,他對各大學的評價是根據閱讀過的大量資料,和考慮到自己打算主修的學科;他明白到哈佛的名氣可能是最大,但那不表示哈佛是最好的大學,更不表示哈佛是最適合他的大學。事實上,哈佛並不是阿樂的 dream school。

順便一提,我們參觀哈佛大學時,見到極多遊客,在校園各處都見到。這次我還約見了一位在哈佛任教的朋友,據她說,哈佛不只是在暑期才有這麼多遊客,平時也有很多,多到令她覺得煩厭。當然,我們見到的遊客中,也有不少是華人。

9 則留言:

  1. 强国华人爱刻字 “到此一遊” 哈佛不一會例外!

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  2. 「民族性」? :)

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  3. The impression that I got when I was teaching there (as an adjunct, of course) was that the students are indeed very hard-working but at the same time very entitled. (There was a bit of a scandal last year when the Crimson, their school paper, reported that upwards of 95% of the students receive A's.) Of course, as a place where you want to meet the "right" people and make friends who can motivate you to work, it's a great school, but as a place where thou actually get an education (in the liberal arts/intellectual sense), the place is overrated. What's worse, there are people who attend Harvard (and the other Ivies) who can't put together a cogent argument in a clear sentence to save their lives. Harvard, like many other schools, need to recover the losses the financial crisis brought about on their instruments, so international students are accepted in droves for the money as long as their grades are decent.

    Incidentally, a Yale professor published a scathing critique on the Ivies recently, which turned into a book. http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118747/ivy-league-schools-are-overrated-send-your-kids-elsewhere

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    1. 哈佛係私校,外國學生同本地生學費一個價,而淨係美國生都大把爭住入學喇,係咪?人哋 endowment fund 都 $30+ billion 呀!使靠外國生幫補?

      想入哈佛,成績 + test scores 當然要好(30%),跟著就係課外活動+社區貢獻(30%),最後係自薦書+推薦書(30%),如果係 alumni 子孫,又加分,如果仲係不嬲有捐贈嘅 alumni 子孫,你執定行李啦!

      外國學生入學標準我就唔知,但推薦書邊個寫好重要。。。

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    2. -->哈佛係私校,外國學生同本地生學費一個價,而淨係美國生都大把爭住入學喇,係咪?

      yes and no. you have to give local students financial aid because they are your people (ever heard of the no-loan pledge?); you don't have the same obligation to the international ones. the list price is the same but i doubt that the actual amount(s) paid are. that's the case when i went to columbia (which also has a sizable endowment), so i think we can safely assume that to be the case here, too.

      -->人哋 endowment fund 都 $30+ billion 呀!使靠外國生幫補?

      definitely. you could google a lot of materials that have already discussed this. (in fact, the article from the new republic more or less hints at this.) in general, no one in their right mind is going to spend the endowment itself for the running expenses of the institution. indeed, many have accused these schools of hoarding the cash that can go to giving more generous financial aid packages for the needy.

      -->如果係 alumni 子孫,又加分,如果仲係不嬲有捐贈嘅 alumni 子孫,你執定行李啦!

      -->外國學生入學標準我就唔知,但推薦書邊個寫好重要。。。

      don't these contradict what you just said/i think you just answered your own question(s).

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    3. 嗱,閣下既挾 Harvard + Columbia 之朵想必德高望重日理萬機所以不屑上網查證,否則三分鐘之 google:

      (1) 哈佛嘅宗旨係 near-blind admission,即係考慮你入學申請時唔知你家底。而 financial aid(FA )is based entirely on need, not merit。而哈佛自己話嘅: International students receive exactly the same financial aid as Americans. 你要拗你有大內秘探爆料話你知其實係密室作業有分別,咁就冇得好講。

      (2)ever heard of the no-loan pledge(NLP)? ====> 有,但閣下可能唔明白私校跟公校 obligations 之分別。哈佛之辦學宗旨 NLP 是適用於全校學生,不分國籍。

      (3)一分鐘之 google "Harvard Endowement distributions": In fiscal 2013, distributions from the endowment contributed almost a third of the University's operating budget.

      (4)don't these contradict what you just said?====> 冇矛盾。外國入學資格同本土審批係有啲分別,因為你要考慮埋外國國家之特別文化(因為所有入學資格文件係由唔同國家發出,有 credibility 考慮)。而 alumni 係加分,唔係 stand alone 入學保證 (即你係外國或美國 alumni 捐咗十億但嗰仔冇樣掂,佢唔會入到學)。

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  4. 唉,哈佛文化係一個 brotherhood,重視[我哋哈佛]之觀念。點解哈佛有全球最高之 Endowement?因為不同國籍 alumni 要延續哈佛神話:哈佛是世界大學,教育最有潛質之學生,不分國籍經濟背景等等,哈佛要做福的,是全世界。

    以上哈佛辦學宗旨唔係我創立嘅,你覺得佢名過其實咪找我晦氣。

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  5. Harvard is indeed overrated. It is a huge knowledge factory. Classes held in an auditorium packed with several hundred students are not uncommon. So listen up you parents, forget about Harvard, send your kids to Pomona College or CIT instead! If your kids really like the East Coast, Princeton should be the top choice.

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  6. 港商恆隆基金會捐哈佛27.1億

    https://hk.news.yahoo.com/港商恆隆基金會捐哈佛27-1億-071800130.html

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