Over the summer, I went on a road trip to New England. Not only is New England home to many beautiful views, but it is also home to some of the world’s most prestigious colleges. Although I’m not considering any of the Ivies myself, I visited two of them to get a feel for what those types of schools are like. One of my first stops was in New Haven, Connecticut, the home of Yale University. As a majority of Yale’s campus was built nearly two to three hundred years ago, many of its buildings feature Gothic architecture. Walking around Yale’s campus made me feel as if I were at Hogwarts–if Hogwarts had been uprooted and moved to the middle of a busy Connecticut city. It’s definitely a surreal experience, even if you have no intention of going to a college like Yale. Even a school as beautiful and high ranked as Yale has its downsides. Personally, I felt as though it didn’t have the “feel” of a college. Yale and downtown New Haven are intermingled, so there is lots of traffic and chaos on Yale’s campus. 

My next stop was Cambridge, Massachusetts, home to Harvard. Although Cambridge is part of Boston, it is its own little world. Even during the summer, students were everywhere. Harvard’s courtyard was filled with students lounging under trees, meeting for lunch, studying. Students were rushing to the library, grabbing a bite to eat in Harvard Square, or even engaging in heated rounds of ping pong. Even though Harvard is comprised of some of the world’s most elite students, it has the most stereotypical college atmosphere one could imagine. All of the students I encountered were extremely laid back and nowhere near

as snobbish as Harvard students are portrayed to be either. Harvard life is not for everyone, especially if you’re not fond of tourists. I visited during the summer, so only international summer school students and students studying year-round were there, but there were large masses of tourists everywhere. Tourist season dies down after the summer, but nevertheless, Harvard is always one of Boston’s most popular places to visit. If you ever have an opportunity to visit, you’ll understand why.

If you’re longing for culture, history, and a unique college experience, these are two colleges worth visiting whether or not you have intentions of applying to them.