Culture of Success/Insecurity at Harvard

Harvard students are very lucky to attend a school where structural advantages (such as a powerful alumni network, economic and academic resources, and status) allow students to positively adjust their aspirations to fit higher expectations upon entering Harvard. We do not lower our aspirations as a reaction to perceived lack of opportunity, as Bourdieu suggests disadvantaged communities do. As a result, most Harvard students students exhibit behaviors that propel them to success as a strategic response to perceived abundance of opportunities. In general, there is a culture of success at Harvard that comes from perceived structural advantages. We see classmates receiving internships at top firms like Goldman Sachs, McKinsey, and Blackstone which makes getting jobs at such firms seem attainable and even expected if you know the right people. Students are also surrounded by those with high financial and cultural capital, which allow them to raise their own social capital as well. Opportunities to interact with guests like the the former Prime Minister of Greece and key Washington strategists everyday gives students social connections most people never even imagine. 

For example, given my admittance to Harvard my senior year, I could have ostensibly been a competitive candidate for a summer internship at Google the summer before my freshman year. However, I never even considered Google a possibility because I had never heard of anyone from my school doing such a thing. Similarly, Bourdieu's explanation of actions as strategic adjustments of aspirations vs. expectations could explain why so few women have an interest in science and technology fields and even fewer are found in managerial positions at science and technology firms. Perhaps fewer women shoot for managerial positions they don't think they can break the "glass ceiling" which leads to women avoiding the field altogether because they don't see many women in those fields. The implication then is for women interested in science and technology to recognize their self-defeating behaviors and pursue their field of interest regardless of what they believe is possible for them.

At the same time, there is also a culture of insecurity at Harvard which students need to recognize as well. I see people around me becoming much more successful than myself, and it makes me doubt my own ability. This insecurity strikes many students while they are at Harvard and especially during their freshman fall. You compare you test scores or resume to your peers and think, "I guess I'm not as hard working as my peers" or "I'm not as talented as my peers". This language suggests that your lack of relative success stems from some flaw in your character (talent, work ethic, etc.). For some people, this belief leads to self-defeating behavior such as turning in mediocre work or not applying to a  certain firm because you doubt your merit. Students should learn to recognize this kind of thinking so that they may overcome it when it occurs.