An Instagram account named Ashton Herndon conducted an interesting survey around Harvard's campus, asking students about the "wildest" things they've seen their rich classmates do.

Harvard and its super-rich students

Harvard is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and getting into it is no easy feat. With an acceptance rate of less than 4%, only a small percentage of students make it through the doors. However, many believe that a large number of Harvard students come from wealthy families, whose parents’ ability to pay for top private schools and expensive extracurricular activities makes their applications stand out.

Whatever the reason, it’s no secret that Harvard has a lot of rich students. And now, stories about how they spend their money have been shared by classmates in videos that are going viral on social media, according to the Hindustan Times.

A student said that when asked which airline he usually flies, a classmate simply replied: "My dad's airline."

Another student shared that he saw his friend post a selfie on a private plane just hours before showing up to class.

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Harvard University (USA). Photo: Harvard University

Another said that students regularly fly to Europe on weekends. “The airfares are… not cheap,” they said, adding, “Some of the people I met had last names that matched the names of buildings on campus.” This was a reference to wealthy families who had donated or built structures at Harvard, which helped their children gain admissions priority.

The story of a student wearing three Cartier bracelets at the same time - each one costing around $6,000 (about 144 million VND) also made many people admire.

Although Harvard has always been considered a symbol of academic excellence, these stories have highlighted the clear gap between rich and poor students, leaving many people surprised by the differences in their lifestyles.

Suspicion that Harvard University has a "back door" for the children of the super rich?

Harvard University has long been rumored to have a “back door” for the children of the rich with unremarkable academic abilities. This door is called the Z-List - a place for students accepted by the school after completing a gap year (a period of time off during the transition from high school to university).

According to the New York Post , the real reason for requiring a deferment year is not to help students prepare better, but to prevent poor academic records from affecting the official statistics of the freshman class. This helps the school maintain a high position in prestigious rankings such as US News and World Report.

“Z-List students are often not academically qualified based on merit alone,” says Brian Taylor, director of admissions at Ivy Coach. “But they are admitted for other reasons.”

Every year, about 60 students make the Z-List. They receive letters from schools that are tactfully stated that “admission will be reviewed in a year.” Yet, the actual outcome is almost guaranteed.

According to research by economics professor Raj Chetty, 67% of Harvard students come from the richest 20%, while only 4.5% come from the lowest income group.

However, not all wealthy families have an easy time getting their children onto the Z-List. The Boston Globe reports that most students on the list often have deep ties to the school, such as being the children of alumni who have donated heavily to the school. In addition, Z-List candidates often come from families with great influence...

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