Cheng apparently disagrees with Valdes'contention that Harvard summer school professorsare patronizing.

Despite being enrolled in a calculus course inwhich he has more than 40 classmates, Cheng sayshe has received excellent instruction.

And Cheng, who recently attended Commencementexercises for brother Aaron Cheng '94, says heespecially enjoys the many different people he'sencountered at Harvard.

"I've been getting to learn about otherpeople," he says. "It's great."

Diversity

Of course, there is also Harvard'smuch-heralded diversity. It's promoted in theguidebooks, it's promoted in the guidebooks, it'shailed on all the tours and it's supposed to be ahallmark of the Harvard experience.

Many high school summer of students say they'vemet peers of all different colors and creeds.

"In one day, I can hear 10 differentlanguages," New York City's Valdes says,describing Harvard's diversity as being on parwith that of his hometown.

But other say Harvard's diversity is overrated.

Kim from St. Louis says her friends from homeare more diverse than those she has made here.

Kim, who is Asian-American, says she has spentthe summer almost exclusively with young women andmen of her own ethnic group.

"I started hanging out with just Asian people."she says. "That's just the way it happened."

Indeed, Kim hasn't forged the lifelongfriendships with people of all races and creedsthat are promised by Harvard's guidebooks andCrimson Key tour leaders.

Instead, she says she has the type ofexperience one wouldn't normally read about in theguidebooks.

"It's just new," Kim says. "It's good, though,because I'm learning to interact with people of myown race."