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      Harvard University

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      Harvard University reviews

      4.2

      83% would recommend to a friend

      (4,072 total reviews)

      Alan Garber

      80% approve of CEO

      69% positive business outlook

      Ratings by demographic groups

      Harvard University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 4,072 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Harvard University employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

      Reviews by job title

      4K reviews
      4.0
      Oct 21, 2009

      Great place to further your education, figure out the next step; not a great place to build a career

      Coordinator
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      - Great tuition assistance - Generous paid time off - Superior health insurance, especially for part-time employees - 35-hour workweek - In sum, great benefits and work/life balance

      Cons

      - Very few opportunities for career advancement - Tendency to "get stuck" in the same position and grade level for many years - University attracts odd, out-of-touch faculty and staff who are not "grounded" in reality - Salaries are average to below average for similar positions in other industries - Little or no centralization; duplication of effort occurs repeatedly across different offices and units - If you are young, the University has a very grey workforce; the majority of employees are 40+ and many are within 1-10 years of retirement. As a result, the place often lacks youthful energy and fun, despite the students - Way too many meetings. This place has a meeting over everything. 4-6 hours in the 8-hour day are often spent at pointless meetings.

      2.0
      Oct 9, 2009

      Very political

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Amazingly beautiful location and facility, excellent benefits, good job security. If you have an interest in the humanities, you have access to a great deal of resources.

      Cons

      Leadership is not transparent and place is plagued by politics. Toxic people are allowed to remain in place with no accountability. A lot of back-stabbing.

      4.0
      Aug 27, 2009

      An exciting ivory tower, but an ivory tower nonetheless...

      Anonymous employee
      Recommend
      CEO approval
      Business Outlook

      Pros

      Some of the brightest and best students and faculty on a global basis, so the inspirational value is high and there's a great sense of being at the leading edge of thought in many domains. The world outside shows great respect for a Harvard background. There is great freedom to structure your own time, but great pressure to perform without much detailed support re: how to get better. Harvard expects you to take the initiative.

      Cons

      The professional schools at Harvard focus less on contributing to the profession through the subsequent work of students, and more on published ideas of faculty as reviewed by other faculty around the globe. So, ultimately, this is faculty talking to faculty rather than staying closely connected to and influential with the world of practitioners. Too much faculty politics, too little real-world engagement, education, and career support.

      Viewing 4030 - 4032 of 4,072 Reviews
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      ReviewsHarvard University reviews

      Glassdoor has 4,621 Harvard University reviews submitted anonymously by Harvard University employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Harvard University is right for you.