Harvard and MIT tours

After the luncheon appointment with Al and Maritza, we literally rushed to join the last, 4.30, batch of the Harvard University tour - a walking tour lasting 1-1/2 hours. Student-volunteers conduct this and throw their hat in for tips at the end. I found the Harvard ambience charged with an insatiable quest for knowledge. A few names dropped as being associated with Harvard included Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg - both did not stay to complete their courses though. The University bestowed a doctorate on Bill Gates a couple of years ago when they invited him to address students. Let's hope a similar honour awaits Zuckerberg. He too deserves. The other names included Neil deGrasse Tyson, Astro-physicist, and Matt Damon and Tommy Lee Jones from the Hollywood fraternity.

The University was founded in 1636. The buildings are an architectural marvel, and spread out. As soon as we entered the premises, the Guide asked us, “Did you notice that I didn't bring you through the front gate. Can you guess why? There is a superstition that one could enter through the main gate only once - to commence one's studies; and exit once, on completion.”

He explained the functions and importance of a host of buildings around. Then in order not to make it monotonous, he converted it into an inter-active session. He asked us to guess which amongst them would have cost Harvard the maximum per sq. ft. Before we could answer, he also pointed out at a building nearby and said that it was rebuilt thrice. “Yes, that very one, of course,” shouted everyone. That was a deliberate ploy to mislead us. Pointing at a small replica in front of the gate, similar to what we provide to watchmen at gates of residential complexes, Shankar asked, “Could that be the one?”. Yes, it was, and the it had cost Harvard $ 57 000 – a recent one, what with permit fee and what have you.

There was a special mention about Harry Elkins Widener Library. Mr Widener graduated from Harvard in 1907 and the Library was established in his memory in 1915.

“Graduated in 1907 and a library in his memory in 1915? Something anomalous,” we thought. Yes, Elkins and his parents sailed by the unfortunate Titanic ship. Father and son drowned, while the mother managed to sail ashore. So perpetuate Elkin's memory the mother donated 3.5 million (now probably 60 m), together with all the books that

Elkins collected after graduation from all over Europe, including the Gutenberg Bible printed between 1450 and 1455. Today only 22 copies are available, and each copy could fetch $100 million. The Library boasts of a collection of 3 million books.

Background info such as this was enough to arouse you to visualize our grandchildren walking around the premises with bulky books in hand, and holding intelligent conversations with fellow collegians. So I asked the Guide for the possible financial outlay and the expected calibre of students seeking admission. “GPA score of 3.9 out of 4 , and 4.7 % of the applicants got admission,” he replied as though to set at rest any further queries. The annual fee was around $65 000 per annum, but one got financial assistance upto 50% depending upon various factors such as the income of the family, etc.

As we came out to get into our mini van, we saw a sticker on front – $25 fine for parking beyond time. We wrote it off to educational pre-investment.

A similar tour of MIT awaited us the next day. There was no dearth of free flow of similar names here too, including the one who invented internet. One hung on to his lips to hear more of what he said but, alas, in the downpour I missed many names and accomplishments that make MIT head and shoulders above many. MIT was established in 1861 – 200 years later than Harvard. Here too the Guide gave the financial figure at 65 000, and said that 8.9% of the applicants ended up getting admitted.

“A tall order? Or, nothing is unachievable?” I gave a feeler to my elder grandson sitting at the back, as we headed to hotel. No response. As for the younger boy, 10 years, his questions were still confined to the sports facilities available for American football and basket ball. “Did Lebron James (basketball), or Odell Beckham Jr (American football) study here?” I heard him ask. Mindset, Dr Watson.