Dating at Harvard, brought to you by a FlyBy female and Porter's Five

EDITORS NOTE: This post was intended as an adaptation of an article originally published in the Harbus, the student newspaper of Harvard Business School. However, the initial post did not make the source of the idea clear or cite the Harbus prominently enough. FlyBy regrets the error. Please check out the original Harbus article here.

Although the Harvard dating scene pretty much ranges from minimum to awkward to nonexistent, it's no secret that many still view Harvard as a breeding ground for legacy babies. Many female prospectives get starry-eyed just thinking about Harvard. And no, they aren’t dreaming of 4-years of HUDS eating, Orgo midterms, or beautiful New England weather. Instead, they're contemplating that ravishingly handsome Harvard boy who will whisk them away into a lifetime of I-Banking (insert financial crisis joke here), supported vacations in Monaco, stylish lofts on the Upper East side, a golden retriever, and 2.4 progeny, Harvard class of 2029. Because, really, where else will there ever be a gathering of so many future millionaires, politicians, lawyers and doctors eager to shed lifetimes of awkward social behavior and just get laid?

In order to help out our female readers on the prowl, FlyBy has broken down Harvard’s dating scene using Porter’s Five Forces. (For you uninitiated humanities concentrators out there, this is a rubric for industry analysis. Very popular among MBAs and budding business people.) Find out more on how to land a life long partner after the jump.

The Firms

From the bubbly freshman to the cultured senior, Harvard girls (er...firms) are intelligent, attractive, and successful. They have many things to offer to the consumer, including companionship to date events, help on Ec-10 problem sets, and a lifetime of love and happy times--or at least as many times as a future medical student/CEO/general savior of the world can offer to a partner.

Threat of Substitutes

EXTREMELY HIGH. The pool of non-Harvard females looking for Mr. Right in the form of a handsome, intelligent Harvard boy is extremely large, especially given the number of colleges in the Boston area. Cosmopolitan BU girls are right across the river, driven Babson females are a short shuttle ride away, and then there’s always Wellesley girls…enough said.

Threat of New Entrants

LOW. Because of the fluidity of the market, it is fairly easy for a non-active female firm to suddenly become very active and participate in the market. But declining acceptance rates into Harvard hinder entry for the vast majority of outside female firms.

Bargaining Power of Customers

HIGH. The undergraduate class is pretty evenly divided into males and females. However, because the female firms have less markets in the Boston-area where they can feasibly hope to hawk their wares, and because of the high threat of substitutes, the Harvard male retains high bargaining power.

Bargaining Power of Suppliers

LOW. To the average customer who is more interested in Miss. Right Now than Miss. Right, the supplier has minimum power in distinguishing her product. The high availability of competing female firms with similar products also undermines the bargaining power of suppliers.

Competitive Rivalry Within the Industry:

LOW. Competing female firms often lack the necessary resources (namely, time) to sufficiently compete and enhance their marketing strategies. Although disputes between competing female firms over the loyalties of particular customers do arise, the competition to initially land a costumer is low and often unnecessary.

Conclusion: Although Harvard may not be the best market for these female firms, it is often the only viable market in terms of convenience. And because of the undesirable brand of the Harvard name when latched onto a female. That said, Harvard girls can still do well by distinguishing themselves from their competitors and fostering more loyalty. If all else fails, female firms can still expand into other similar markets. Hey, the Business School and Medical School aren’t too far away!

(Porter's Five Forces graphic courtesy of www.bized.co.uk)