| Username |
Post |
| ashu |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 12:34 AM
Hi all,
One of the most pleasurable voluntary works I do in Kathmandu is encouraging, encouraging and encouraging many young Nepalis and many other Nepali professionals -- regardless of where they went to high school and regardless of where in Nepal they come from -- who are making plans to pursue higher education in the US to think seriously about applying also to Harvard
University.
Often, what I end up doing is answering questions (to the best of my ability) and
allaying people's misconceptions about the University. I woulkd delighted if MORE and MORE able Nepalis of all backgrounds -- in Nepal and elsewhere -- decide to apply to Big H, and get into its various schools through their their own talents.
Still, one question I get asked a lot is about the application essays. How do you write them? And what are they (i.e. admissions committe) looking for in my applications?
Well, I am NOT an expert on how to write appplication essays, and nor do I have
special connections to any office at Harvard. But over the years, based on assisting friends, acquaintances and even strangers apply to colleges and universities in the US, here are some guidelines I have prepared for myself.
Some of you with children or friends aspiring to go to Harvard may or may not find this useful . . . and that's fine. It's always a pleasure to share this kind of stuff.
So, let me begin:
a) Be HONEST on every part of your application essays.
b) Whatever you have written on the essays, make sure that it is verified and commented upon positively by at least one of your recommenders. For instance,
if you wrote that you love writing, then, have your English teacher back you up with solid one or two examples in her recommendation.
c) Give reasons for them to admit you as a student, and NOT you as a Nepali. So, don't start writing something like "if you admit me, you'll be helping Nepal ko bikas" type of essays. Read the catalog, and give them your reasons as to where in Harvard -- academically, ethnically, socially and intellectually -- you see yourself fitting in and/or making solid contributions as a thirsty student.
d) Harvard is big on admitting people who show leadership -- and leadership is defined broadly, I think. It could mean showing intellectual or thought leadership, or social leadership or even political leadership. Make sure that you applications
addresse the issue of your own growing leadership skills.
e) Write the essays as though you were writing long emails to a close friend, and then later edit them for correct grammar, diction and so on later. Reveal yourself
in your essays -- and read some model essays to get you in that mindset. Show your essays to people you trust, and seek comments. Normally, good application essays emerge after sixth or seventh drafts.
f) Enjoy the process.
g) If Harvard does not admit you for whatever reason, well, there are always
many other great schools of all sizes and shapes to go to. In the long run, where you go to school matters little than what you do with your education to change the world around you. And that's the bottom line.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
|
| Rajib Sharma |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 02:20 AM
Harvard phobia
Ashu, You have definitely Harvard phobia, you always seem busy to keep posting messaage about Harvard Stuffs. I am not Harvard graduate but I have seen so many students and teachers from Harvard and their super quality. Even Rahuk Ghandhi son of Rajiv Gandhai (late indian PM) used to get "A plus" grade who kicked out from St. Stephen College, Delhi, hardly slove quardartic equation.
Plagiarism is the common phenomena among the Harvard students. so why they get A plus grade.
Peter Jennings of ABC news, a school dropped out student, he became one of the word famous news anchor.
You should probably know Indira Gandhi, late PM of India. she was the greatest political leader, politician and thinker in all times, she was not educated from Harvard and other schools. I am not sure, whether you listen the name of Henery Kissinger and President Nickson both were out class by her extra ordinary political skill.
Further, you have to know about Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) a world Class permier education institutes of India, do u know how easy to get in or pass IIT an entrance EXAMINATION???????? So, how may Harvard students can slove single entrance examination quesation of IIT??
Even our copuntry Nepal, you may find many smart and intelligent person I donot think they need any Harvard education to challange??
Rajib Sharma
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 02:23 AM
Thank you Mr. Sharma for your views.
Yes, BP is right: Soon enough, threads morph into pure entertainment.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
|
| _BP |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 02:41 AM
This one may have started a little earlier than usual.
On a similar line of thought, on hind sight I have come to realize that high school is probably one of the most important times of one's life, academically speaking. If one does well then and enters a reputable college, then things come a little easier. So when young people ask me for advice, I tell them to really be conscious and try to distinguish themselves in high school. The competitive pool is never larger than then.
Once your achievements have gotten you into an esteemed place of higher learning, then you can go about seeking your calling and exploring the world at large.
Having said all this, I must say that it is my experience, at least in my field, that graduates of smaller colleges (undergraduate schools) in general have a stronger work ethic than the elite school graduates. Perhaps a sense of achievement and having paid their dues is used to justify the absence of a drive to keep on toiling away. The Ivy League graduate may certainly be more cerebral. Most of the students going on to graduate school greatness, even in the elite schools themselves, hail from smaller colleges. An objective study was done at the University of Virginia Medical Center, which bore out that residents who went to "lesser" colleges frequently performed the best.
|
| Curious |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 09:46 AM
I'm Curious,
I find two types of people who go for higher education. One is the pedantic academician who is there for knowledge and research. The other is the person who want's a degree to get into a profession.
For the researcher a degree from an esteemed Univ would probably make quite a difference. But in the professional world where experience is valued so much more than the paper, how much a degree (from what ever Univ) would matter. The purpose for the aspiring professional with a degree is to get into a well reputed institution to start his career. So if a person already finds themself there (and doesn't have to worry about immigration business), how much would a degree really help out?
Guess the reason I'm asking is cause I'm at cross roads of whether I should finish my degree or whether I should just keep improving my technical skills that the market immedietely has a demand for. Especially in the world of computers, things are changing so fast that what you learn in 4 years of college is out the door by the time you graduate. Any of you experienced lada or ladies shed light on this please?
|
| Debendra Karki |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 12:11 PM
As a Research Fellow at the Harvard School of Public Health at the Longwood Medical Area in Boston and a Nepali I agree with Ashu that there is a lot more room for Nepali students and scholars at Harvard Unviersity. I believe that Nepali students and scholars are underrepresented here in Harvard University. Having said that I think that there are several steps that prospective Nepali students and scholars can inititate that may provide them with a ticket to a Harvard degree.
1. Harvard University, to the best of my knowledge, looks at the future contributions of stuents and scholars rather than their past performances. Having said that the past achievements and failures are the markers that is used in the evaluation process.
2. Harvard University looks for students and scholars that have "International" experience and that is something Nepali students and scholars applying to Harvard must strive to achieve.
3. Harvard University looks for students and scholars that have contributed to the social development in multiple settings - that is again - something Nepali students and scholars need to pay attention to.
4. When applying to Harvard University - please DO NOT take the "front door" approach - that will get you no where. Try and communicate with Senior Faculty members and Researh Fellows within Harvard University that have a strong working relationship with the Senior Faculty. They will be the best persons to assist you to receive admissions and also to secure tuition waivers and reseach grants.
5. There is a small number of Nepali students and scholars who have graduated from Harvard and also there are several more that are currently furthering their education and/or teaching/lecturing at Harvard. These groups of Nepali students and scholars that have first hand knowledge and experience within the Harvard system may be able to provide clues to other Nepali students and scholars that are planning to apply to any of the Schools within Harvard University.
Hope this will provide some assistance to Nepali students and scholars that are considering applying to Harvard University.
*************************************************
Debendra Karki, Ph.D.
Health Research Ethics Fellow
Department of Population and International Health
Harvard School of Public Health
665 Huntington Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
*************************************************
|
| dude |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 01:54 PM
Harvard Harvard Harvard Harvard Harvard Oohi Ashu Oohi Ashu Oohi Ashu Oohi Ashu Oohi Ashu.....what's his problem..??
|
| wonderer |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 01:56 PM
..hahahahahahaha
|
| Bostonian bro |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 05:31 PM
hi opportunist,
I do not want to be like you damn guy " Bhayer Badanam" in Harvard. Expelling from Harvard, spending 10 years for a degree, doing nothing. trying to suicide many times. kicking out from girl friend. so many dude, damn dude.
yours bro from Boston
>Hi all,
>
>One of the most pleasurable voluntary works
>I do in Kathmandu is encouraging,
>encouraging and encouraging many young
>Nepalis and many other Nepali professionals -
>- regardless of where they went to high
>school and regardless of where in Nepal they
>come from -- who are making plans to pursue
>higher education in the US to think
>seriously about applying also to Harvard
>University.
>
>Often, what I end up doing is answering
>questions (to the best of my ability) and
>allaying people's misconceptions about the
>University. I woulkd delighted if MORE and
>MORE able Nepalis of all backgrounds -- in
>Nepal and elsewhere -- decide to apply to
>Big H, and get into its various schools
>through their their own talents.
>
>Still, one question I get asked a lot is
>about the application essays. How do you
>write them? And what are they (i.e.
>admissions committe) looking for in my
>applications?
>
>Well, I am NOT an expert on how to write
>appplication essays, and nor do I have
>special connections to any office at Harvard.
> But over the years, based on assisting
>friends, acquaintances and even strangers
>apply to colleges and universities in the US,
> here are some guidelines I have prepared
>for myself.
>
>Some of you with children or friends
>aspiring to go to Harvard may or may not
>find this useful . . . and that's fine. It's
>always a pleasure to share this kind of
>stuff.
>
>So, let me begin:
>
>a) Be HONEST on every part of your
>application essays.
>
>b) Whatever you have written on the essays,
>make sure that it is verified and commented
>upon positively by at least one of your
>recommenders. For instance,
>if you wrote that you love writing, then,
>have your English teacher back you up with
>solid one or two examples in her
>recommendation.
>
>c) Give reasons for them to admit you as a
>student, and NOT you as a Nepali. So, don't
>start writing something like "if you admit
>me, you'll be helping Nepal ko bikas" type
>of essays. Read the catalog, and give them
>your reasons as to where in Harvard --
>academically, ethnically, socially and
>intellectually -- you see yourself fitting
>in and/or making solid contributions as a
>thirsty student.
>
>d) Harvard is big on admitting people who
>show leadership -- and leadership is defined
>broadly, I think. It could mean showing
>intellectual or thought leadership, or
>social leadership or even political
>leadership. Make sure that you applications
>addresse the issue of your own growing
>leadership skills.
>
>e) Write the essays as though you were
>writing long emails to a close friend, and
>then later edit them for correct grammar,
>diction and so on later. Reveal yourself
>in your essays -- and read some model essays
>to get you in that mindset. Show your
>essays to people you trust, and seek
>comments. Normally, good application essays
>emerge after sixth or seventh drafts.
>
>f) Enjoy the process.
>
>g) If Harvard does not admit you for
>whatever reason, well, there are always
>many other great schools of all sizes and
>shapes to go to. In the long run, where you
>go to school matters little than what you do
>with your education to change the world
>around you. And that's the bottom line.
>
>
>oohi
>ashu
>ktm,nepal
|
| observer's observer |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 05:59 PM
well lets face it. majority of the students who end up in ivy leagues are kids whose parents were rich enough to send them to a prep school here. As a feel good gesture (since these schools have so much money) these schools toss few seats here and there for foreign students and kids from low income
And only those foreign student with the right information source end up applying for these seats.
For majority of the people here good school is nothing but a networking ground and a spring board to get a jump in one's career. Even if you do a half assed job after that you can still sail by.
That's my two cents on good schools of America.
Now having said that if Harvard (read that as any rich school in America) is willing to give out more seats to underrepresented and hapless folks I'm all for Nepali students exploiting it.
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 29-Nov-01 11:32 PM
Hi Debendra,
I enjoyed reading your views.
Thank you.
Let us work together in ways we can to assist more younger Nepalis and Nepali professionals apply to Harvard.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
|
| Trailokya Aryal |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 12:01 AM
Greetings,
FDirst of all, thanks toi ashu dai for encoragings nepali studednts to apply to harvard. That was a very nicec gesture on his part, and I do appreaciate it. BUt, let me ask him this: IS Harvard the only school in the US? The answer is NO. harvard is a good school, I admit, but I won't go to Harvard for my Master's on International Relations because Harvard does not have a good IR faculty. I would certainly encorage otehr studednts who want to do their Master's in History/Economics to apply to Harvard, but if someone asks me where he/she should apply for Med School, then my answer would be, apply to JHU (Johns Hopkins University). IF someone asks me where to apply for IR, I'll Say (SAIS of JHU and Georgetown).. for law school, none can beat the Yale Law School. For undergrads who want to become engioneers, scientists, apply to Harvey Mudd, MIT and Caltech. For Asian Studies, apply to University of Wisconsin. For Anthropology, apply to UC Berkley... the list goes on. harvard is good, but therea re many other equally good schools in the US and elsewhere. I always tell my friends who did UG in the US, to apply to Grad Schools elsewhere--in Europe and Asia. Apply to Tokyo University, Beijing University (if you already know the language), apply to AIT (bangkok), apply to ANU (Canberra).. apply to HEI of Ubniversity of Geneva (no FRench needed), apply to JHU in Bologna, Italy.. The list goes on..There are many good schools in other parts of the world, and some of those afore-mentioned schools are better than Harvard and Yale.
Plus, to students who already have their BA from american universities/colleges, its always an enriching experiencec to do their master's in otehr countries. It shows that you have a significant international exposure.. It makes you interculturally sensetive.. helps you learn yet another language and allows you to see/experience the world. And it looks good in your resume too. MOre and more american companies want employees who have a significant international experience under their belt.. so, if you have already experienced the american education system, then go elsewhere.
Re: writing graduate school application essay:
here's how to write it (as a student who is writing his graduate school application essay, here's my suggestion to other studeents.. please feel free to give constructive criticism so that i can make my essay look even better)..
1. First Para: Write in 100-150 words aboout the subject area you want to explore.
2. Second Paragraph- what madee you choose that subject area
3. Your academic achievements, strengths and weaknesses (be honest)
4. How you can contribute to the learning of other students.
and...
5) write about financial aid so that you can pursue your grad . degree (applies to those who can not pay the $20,000 + tuition fee).
This is how I am going about it, if anyone here has constructive criticism, comments suggestions for me, please feel free to post it. And don't foerget to wish me luck.
Thank you in Advancee.
Trailokya Aryal
|
| ashu |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 12:39 AM
Trailokya wrote:
>First of all, thanks toi ashu dai for
>encoragings nepali studednts to apply to
>harvard. That was a very nicec gesture on
>his part, and I do appreaciate it.
Thank you, Trailokya.
I am all for SHARING ideas, information and contacts with one another here and
elsewhere so that OTHER Nepalis too can go on to be a success they are proud of, however one defines that success.
We Nepalis have to help one another to succeed . . . and the size of that
pie, so to speak, is getting larger for all of us to share and have more of for one another.
One of the small pleasures I derive in my life is is assisting/seeing other
Nepalis succeed in whatever they want to do, whether starting a successful business, managing a neighborhood conflict or entering Harvard Business
School. Being a catalyst to help someone achieve their dreams is the kind of
stuff that really juices me up, and that posting was in that spirit.
>BUt, let
>me ask him this: IS Harvard the only school
>in the US? The answer is NO.
Oh, no.
That was NOT my point at all.
The reason I posted that was to urge/encourage otherwise
many qualified Nepali students to ALSO think of looking into
Harvard as their potential undergraduate or graduate school.
That is all.
I wish you all the best.
BTW, I have responded to you "To Trailokya" in another posting yesterday.
oohi
ashu
ktm,nepal
|
| _BP |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 01:43 AM
Hi Debendra Karki-ji:
Nice to make your cyberspace acquaintance. You would be THE man to comment on human embryo cloning.
I have served on some admission committees, and there is something to be said about quotas ... well, they exist! It would behoove Nepali students to take advantage of this as much as possible. In any big school.
|
| Debendra Karki |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 11:13 AM
_BPji:
I am not sure that I am THE person to comment on the cloning stuff though we at Harvard have a lot of interest in that whole topic/area. Along with my other colleagues here at Harvard School of Public Health, Harvard School of Medicine and Kennedy School of Government we are following the developments very closely. Since Harvard receives most of of its research granst for cell research from NIH I believe that "cloning" is not on its priority list. However, as these for-profit firms are into the rat race so as to protect patents so that they can monopolise them in the distant future - as the pharnaceuticals have done with AZT and other "essential life-saving drugs" - it is in our interest to be on the look out so that the health care and medical needs of the poor from underdevloped settings are once again not placed on the back burner.
Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Accord (TRIPS) does not necessarily work for the benefits of the poorest of the poor and often times it works against them - as in the case of AIDS treatment. So there are major ethical issues related to cloning and its eventual commercial exploitation.
|
| dude |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 03:01 PM
no i dind't write it....but it's interesting
Does Harvard suck? A philosophical inquiry
Jame Donath One For the Road
Sing in me, muse, of a college that sucks.
A thorough grounding in intellectual thought is central to the pursuit of a liberal arts education. Any stimulating intellectual environment will emphasize modes of argumentation to provoke the mind in the search of answers to life's deeper questions. An undergraduate institution like Yale, with its expansive collection of learned faculty and resources, is unquestionably a superb place to engage in such higher learning.
We begin in ancient times, with the teachings of Socrates, who declared, "Know thyself in all things, but not knowing oneself is simply no excuse for sucking." While his student Plato is famous for his pattern of justice laid up in the heavens, it is less known that he warned of a pattern of sucking laid down in Cambridge. Finally, Plato's student Aristotle summarized the position of his predecessors with the dictum, "Moderation in all things, except Harvard, which can't suck enough."
Abstraction and theorizing are necessary components of a liberal arts education. Ideas, it must be emphasized, are more important and fundamental to modern society than most would like to believe. Ideas drive man's perception of the world around him; without an intimate knowledge of these ideas and theory, students are ill-equipped to face the challenges they confront after graduation.
Our journey through the ages takes us to Anselm, whose ontological proof of God's existence can curiously be applied to the Crimson. Conceive of a university such that sucking more cannot be conceived. Since existence is necessarily greater than non-existence, such a university much exist, and that university is Harvard.
Indeed, a solid foundation in theoretical constructs may prove a more valuable tool in regular problem-solving than a course of study characterized by practical application. For this reason, courses which emphasize the intellectual should be pursued without hesitation. Students should challenge themselves with thoughts from a wide variety of ages and a wide array of disciplines.
We move on to the Renaissance, where Descartes' "Cogito ergo sum" can be interpreted epistomologically as, "I think I'm a Cantab, therefore I suck." This kind of philosophy obviously strongly affected Leibniz, who claimed that although we are living in the best of all possible worlds, something still has to suck, namely Harvard.
Yale offers innumerable opportunities for the venturesome student to take full advantage of the liberal arts environment in which he is immersed. A world-class faculty, a wide assortment of course offerings, an extensive library system, and the legacy and reputation that only a school like Yale can provide make the University a rather singular center of learning.
Enter the age of enlightenment. Kant's notion of the synthetic a priori leads one to judgments not based upon experience, but upon necessity; ergo, Harvard must suck. Hume, on the other hand, chooses to focus on a form of psychological induction based on habit, in that all knowledge is indeed derived from past experience. Thus, since Harvard has sucked for over 300 years, it is bound to suck for time immemorial.
Students should not hesitate to wield the tools at their disposal. The construction of intellectual arguments need not be reserved solely for the classroom. They can be formulated among friend and foe alike for the greater benefit of all. In this way, the use of the intellect brightens everyday campus life.
We arrive at the modern age, where there is ample evidence to support the findings of old. Einstein noted that time and space were relative in Cambridge, while sucking was absolute. The well-known corollary to Heisenberg's uncertainty principle is that it cannot be applied to Harvard, as the University sucks unequivocally. Ask professor emeritus Jonathan Rawls, who once wrote that sucking contractually permeates the "veil of ignorance" that hangs over Harvard students.
The chance to acquire a substantial education based upon well-proven modes of liberal-arts methodology is rare. Make use of it. A firm grasp of things intellectual will provide lasting benefits as students, professionals and citizens. Learn ideas well, and their future application will be made all the more fruitful by one's labor. Such is the lesson that today's student can derive from the scholars of yesteryear.
Harvard has at this point clearly infected our beloved campus, to the point where nothing is sacred. Everything sucks: JE, minerva, Tom Snyder, Ernie at Wawa's, the elevators in Sterling Memorial Library, GESO, chalkings on Cross Campus, deadlines, the philosophy department, skateboarders on Beineke, Abba, Ken Moon's ex-girlfriend, my economics T.A., they all suck.
|
| just my judgement |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 07:40 PM
Not always, but a lot of times it's better to have a Harvard degree even in a lesser known fields as opposed to stronger-than-Harvard programs in a lesser name (no-brand-name institution). All that is true because "Harvard" is a solid brand name. To keep your foot in door (entering a career) a good brand name tends be important sometimes, no matter what program you pursue more or less(e.g. MBA at HBS vs Engineering). That being said, an Ivy League degree tends to be less important as one advances in her/his career. Ivy league education could only be an indiacation of somebody's intelectual capability. But again, not necessarily true coz I have seen some dumb Harvard graduate. It's your overall personality that matters more than where you attended school in the long run.
|
| GP |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 08:11 PM
Life is like Marathoon, and to win marathoon you
need to have stamina and power plus energy. Stamina
comes from hard traing to some extent, but,
more important part comes from your faith on yourself
and determination. We had seen from peoples like
Euthopia, Kenya also won the Marathoon competitions,
but, they are very few, and really extra ordinary peoples.
Similarly, the ivy league peoples get to first 5km or 10km
position without running with less known graduate schools,
and those who can exploit or get benefit of the 5KM or
10km early benefit, and have stamina will surely be
running better, but, if you ask a dumb to be positioned
at 30km in 42km marathoon, he might still give up
his run within next 5km or the better guys who started
from 0 will still be able to win. So, ivy league schools
have advantage to those who have something on themselves
to move ahead from the elevated starting position.
You can not sell the same certificate always, once you
are in market, you have to bring results, and if you
can not bring results, you will fired from job in a few
months.
GP
|
| o's o |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 08:39 PM
Good point GP.
I've seen quite a few of my average colleagues paying >$100,000 to go to HBS just for connections and brand name. While Bill Gates drops out of Harvard to become the most succesful person on earth today.
You know where a degree from Harvard will be very valuable? Organizations like UN, World bank where all the elites of the developing countries take up sinecure positions. Try getting into those organization without a name brand degree and you'll know what I mean.
While I was consulting for a major invetment bank, their star broker was a guy with no degree behind him but just plain street smartness.
But again hey if these schools with billions in endowment is willing to give few seats for foreign students I'm all for out Nepali brothers and sisters taking advantage of it.
Also, when the time comes and if I've saved $500,000 worth of college funds, heck I would want to send my kid there too.
|
| good point |
Posted
on 30-Nov-01 08:53 PM
good point gp and o s o.
it is true that ivy league schools are likely to produce more successful people "IN AVERAGE." or at least it's perceived or presumed that way. no doubt that an ivey league graduate "IN GENERAL" are smarter than average schools' product.
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