On the long street known as Massachusetts Avenue the color crimson meets the famous cardinal red and grey. The small stretch that separates these two hot spots is lined with stores and office buildings. The thirty minute walk through the city of Cambridge creates the only barrier between them.

With two of the world’s most prestigious universities within its city limits, Cambridge serves as a prime destination for youth around the globe. Two miles apart, Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) share the same New England city feel.  

With almost 20% of Harvard’s population comprised of international students, the school has been able to attract the best and brightest on a global scale. Of the international scholars, a combined 65.83% come from Asia and Europe. Similar to Harvard, MIT has 27.7% of its population from outside the US. Of these students 73% are from Asia and Europe.

The brick buildings line Harvard’s freshly cut lawn, with students weaving through the concrete pathways and scattered on the lush green, enjoying the brisk April air. Each came to Cambridge for a different reason, “I thought it was a really good school and I [couldn’t] go wrong here since there are endless possibilities,” said Myngoc To, a psychology student at the Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Having spent her childhood in a small suburb outside of Atlanta, To finds Cambridge to have more options. When asked about her interactions with MIT students, the sophomore explains how she only sees them in her classes.

“Socially we might see a few at frat parties, but academically we will mostly see them in our business classes,” MIT graduate student in computer science and electrical engineering, Matthew*, said about his experiences with Harvard students. “Harvard students don’t have access to the business school so they usually rely on MIT.”

With about 49% of the MIT population in the school of engineering and about 18% in the school of sciences, the two fields dominate the academic space. Many students opt for MIT because of its strong engineering program. “I feel like MIT has one of the best engineering programs in the country” said Matthew*.

In contrast with MIT’s population of engineers and mathematicians, Harvard students are very diverse in their majors. With 35% of the students at Harvard studying social sciences, 16% studying biology and 9% studying history, the school shows patterns of an academic diversity. “I am really interested in creative writing” said Brandon an English major at Harvard. Brandon decided to study at Harvard because he felt that it was “too much of an opportunity to pass up.”

The campuses offer public and private spaces for students to study and gather. “Usually if I am outside either [on the Harvard lawn] or Dudley garden, otherwise I am usually in my room,” said Brandon. Many Harvard students also share these favorite hangout spots. On a nice day, many Harvard students can be seen scattered across Harvard’s various green spaces. Yellow dandelions peek out from between the sharp blades of grass. A crowd of young adults spread across the area.

Two miles away, at the MIT campus, kids lounge around the student center - MITs hub for student hangouts and study sessions. “I hang out in the dorms and in the dining hall. I spend some time in the students center and I hang out in the library,” said Scarlett - an aerospace engineer at MIT.

At the end of the day, students from both schools put down their books, exit their classrooms and re-enter the community of Cambridge Each with their own destination they prepare for the next day of work.   

*Some students did not want their last names used.