THE WEIRDEST THING ABOUT HARVARD

@emmawilloughbyg

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Why it worked

The creator shares a relatable and introspective observation about the diminishing returns of external validation and the enduring value of human connection, resonating with viewers who have experienced similar feelings of comparison and self-doubt.

Summary

The creator reflects on her experience at Harvard, noting that the initial impressiveness of attending fades quickly when surrounded by equally accomplished peers. She realizes that the true value of her time there was the shared experiences and connections made with people before their future successes were known.

Structure

1Attending a wedding with Harvard classmates
2Reflecting on the initial impressiveness of Harvard
3Realizing impressiveness fades when surrounded by peers
4Observing classmates' diverse and impressive achievements
5The realization that shared history and connections are more valuable
6Appreciating the people over their accomplishments

On-screen text

THE WEIRDEST THING ABOUT HARVARD I'm at a wedding right now in Shelter Island, and I'm surrounded by all of my old Harvard classmates, and it's making me reminisce about what it felt like to go to Harvard now that I'm 32 and have a little time behind me. I think probably the weirdest part about going to Harvard is that after about 48 hours, going to Harvard actually is no longer impressive at all. It's funny, you like, work your entire life to get into a good college, and then you get in and you're so proud. And then you get there and you're like, oh, everyone else got here too, because Harvard isn't impressive when you're surrounded by other people who are literally at Harvard with you. You meet someone and they're an Olympic athlete. The other friend that you met the other day started non profit when they were 16. The person next to you in class is running for office next year. Very quickly, extraordinary becomes incredibly normal, which is actually what I think is the best and the worst thing about Harvard. You see all these people who are doing such incredible things, and you are like, understand that you can dream so much bigger, but at the same time, you always have a little bit of an inferiority complex. You could objectively be doing absolutely amazing, getting perfect grades, like having a good internship, but the next person is doing something completely insane, so you feel, still not good enough. Because I was a lot older, because I took time off to get sober, I was able to get over it faster because I had no other choice. Like, I was already behind, behind. But years later, now that I'm seeing them all here, what strikes me is that I don't care what anyone's accomplished. It doesn't matter what any of them are doing. You're just happy to see them. Because in reality, it doesn't really matter what they're doing. What matters is the shared history and the ability to, like, have these jokes about the experiences you went through all together. Because, let's be honest, Harvard was weird. And I think the part of Harvard that I appreciate so much more now that I'm years out than when I was there is you spend four years with these people who you think are so remarkable because of all the things that they do, and then you get older and you realise the remarkable part was getting to know them before you knew who they were going to become. Love you.

Original caption

The impressive thing about Harvard is not getting into Harvard, it’s meeting the remarkable people and knowing them before you knew who they were going to become.

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Transcript

I'm at a wedding right now in Shelter Island, and I'm surrounded by all of my old Harvard classmates, and it's making me reminisce about what it felt like to go to Harvard now that I'm 32 and have a little time behind me. I think probably the weirdest part about going to Harvard is that after about 48 hours, going to Harvard actually is no longer impressive at all. It's funny, you like, work your entire life to get into a good college, and then you get in and you're so proud. And then you get there and you're like, oh, everyone else got here too, because Harvard isn't impressive when you're surrounded by other people who are literally at Harvard with you. You meet someone and they're an Olympic athlete. The other friend that you met the other day started non profit when they were 16. The person next to you in class is running for office next year. Very quickly, extraordinary becomes incredibly normal, which is actually what I think is the best and the worst thing about Harvard. You see all these people who are doing such incredible things, and you are like, understand that you can dream so much bigger, but at the same time, you always have a little bit of an inferiority complex. You could objectively be doing absolutely amazing, getting perfect grades, like having a good internship, but the next person is doing something completely insane, so you feel, still not good enough. Because I was a lot older, because I took time off to get sober, I was able to get over it faster because I had no other choice. Like, I was already behind, behind. But years later, now that I'm seeing them all here, what strikes me is that I don't care what anyone's accomplished. It doesn't matter what any of them are doing. You're just happy to see them. Because in reality, it doesn't really matter what they're doing. What matters is the shared history and the ability to, like, have these jokes about the experiences you went through all together. Because, let's be honest, Harvard was weird. And I think the part of Harvard that I appreciate so much more now that I'm years out than when I was there is you spend four years with these people who you think are so remarkable because of all the things that they do, and then you get older and you realise the remarkable part was getting to know them before you knew who they were going to become. Love you.