Harvard is probably the school most synonymous with the Ivy League, and its prestigious reputation is well-deserved. Students have access to the world's largest academic library and a roster of the most illustrious faculty members, including Nobel Prize-winning economist Alvin Roth and cognitive psychologist Steven Pinker. Harvard alumni are well-represented at the top of most professions, ranging from music (cellist Yo-Yo Ma) to science (author and astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson) to law (Chief Justice John Roberts).
If you get in, Harvard can also be surprisingly affordable. Last year, the university started offering a free ride (covering tuition, fees, housing and food) for students whose families make $100,000 or less, and students from families with annual incomes of up to $200,000 can attend tuition-free. The generous financial aid helps most students graduate debt-free.
Harvard has one of the nation's highest graduation rates, and the median salary four years after graduating tops $130,000.
The university fields 42 Division I sports teams that have won more than 150 championships in total. Between varsity and intramural sports, nearly 80% of students participate in some kind of athletics. The campus gears up for football and tailgating at the much-ballyhooed annual game against rival Yale.
Another fun aspect of Harvard life is its residential system. On Housing Day each spring, costumed upperclassmen storm the freshmen dorms with gongs and other props to tell students of their randomly assigned placements into one of the school's 12 houses — one of which features a guinea pig room.
