About the well-known "three lies" in Harvard.

Harvard University, the oldest university in the United States, deserves to be the leader of American higher education and academic research, with numerous "firsts". The most outstanding scholars and experts in various professional fields are gathered here, many of whom are Nobel Prize winners in economics, chemistry, physics and medicine, and Pulitzer Prize winners. It is an "impossible task" to list the academic ideas that originated in Harvard and then became a grand view. Energetic students take an active part in extracurricular activities. Three famous lies, but I didn't know it before. These are the "three big lies" widely known in the local area:

First of all, this statue is not john harvard himself.

At that time, Mr. Harvard did not leave any photos. Later, when he was building a statue, he found a handsome young man as a model according to people's imagination.

Second, although Harvard University was named after Harvard, Harvard was not the earliest founder.

The predecessor of Harvard University was called "Cambridge University"-and this small town named "Newtown" was renamed "Cambridge" from then on, because at the beginning of the school, all 70 members of its founding Committee graduated from Cambridge University in England; Later, it was renamed "Harvard" because two years later, Harvard, the chief executive of Charles City, as one of the founding members, donated half of his property and a library (about 260 books) and changed the name of the school to thank and commemorate him;

Third, Harvard was founded in 1636, not 1638.

Nevertheless, the lie has not diminished the charm of the statue of Harvard, and it has still become an image display of the spirit of Harvard: enterprising, confident and broad. There are three lies that don't make people despise Harvard's motto at all: "Let the truth be your friend." The famous joke of teasing famous schools by changing light bulbs asked, "How many Harvard students do you need to change light bulbs?" The answer is: "One. He holds a light bulb and the world revolves around him. " This joke is naturally a satire on the arrogance of Harvard students. However, students who are fortunate enough to enter this oldest institution of higher learning in the United States do have proud capital.

Minimum admission rate

The most competitive Harvard University has the lowest admission rate among all universities in the United States. With the growth of baby boomers in recent years, the number of applicants in colleges and universities is increasing. The admission rate of Harvard is getting lower year by year, and the competition is fierce year by year. Every year, 15000 students compete for more than 600 places in this school/kloc-0. How many elites who have excellent high school grades and hold important positions in various organizations inside and outside the school are hot in the admissions offices of other schools, but they are turned back by a thin rejection letter from Harvard University. In recent years, the admission rate of Harvard has remained at around 10% to 12%, and 1997 was 12.4%. No wonder Harvard's admissions office is so confident. Every spring and summer, when American universities begin to send publicity materials to students of grade 1 1, Harvard University remains unchanged. It was not until the summer vacation began that I sent a short message to the students: "You are one of the best students in the country ... we will send you the materials and application forms in a few months." Ordinary universities, even Yale, ask interested students to fill out a small card and send it back to the school, indicating that they want the materials of this school, but Harvard doesn't even need this step. It's like saying: Who is not interested in Harvard? Once admitted, about 75% of the admitted students chose Harvard. This is the highest proportion of all universities in the United States. When asked why various regions chose Harvard, one student simply said, "How can you give up Harvard's acceptance letter?" This is a quite common mentality among Harvard freshmen every year.

Harvard's "first"

Imagine that three or four centuries ago, the French, the Spanish and the Dutch followed them to the New World and established one colony after another. Especially the Spanish attack, the first European city was established in Central America as early as 1493, and its colonial areas were all over Central and South America and southern North America. The French also invaded Quebec, Canada, and established a permanent colony of Acadia in 1604. But although the British came late, they paid the most attention to law and education. Perhaps it is for this reason that the British finally won the first place on the vast stage of the New World.

Harvard has many "firsts": it is the first oldest university in the United States-1620, which was established in the sixteenth year after the first British immigrants arrived in Mayflower; It has the largest library system among universities in the world, with a collection of12 million books, 3 million more than Yale University, which ranks second. If you connect all the bookshelves inside, the length is 9 1 km-in the United States, only the Library of Congress and the New York Public Library have more books than it. Harvard alumni donations have always been the highest among American universities. It is no exaggeration to say that Professor Harvard is the most famous university in America. The most outstanding scholars and experts in various professional fields are gathered here, including many Nobel Prize winners in economics, chemistry, physics and medicine and Pulitzer Prize winners. Harvard has a "star system" in hiring professors: if a professor is not "successful" in his field, he will never get tenure at Harvard. It is an "impossible task" to list the academic ideas that originated in Harvard and then became a grand view.