Harvard University

Harvard Ivy League university
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts — Debut: "NA"

Wow! Did you, like, go to Harvard or something?

— Valencia, "Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!"

Harvard University is a prestigious American research university founded in 1636 and named after It's first benefactor John Harvard. It is located on 210 acres of land in Cambridge, Massachusetts with an academic staff of over 4000 educators and 20,000 students. The college is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States boasting a distinguished alumni including eight U.S. presidents. In real life the co-creator of "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend" Aline Brosh McKenna is also a Harvard alum. Within the storyline of the show, protagonist Rebecca Bunch attended Harvard but due to a scandal she would later transfer to Yale Law. Many recurring jokes are made about Harvard along with other Ivy League schools.

References on the show[]

Season One[]

"Josh Just Happens to Live Here!": Paula Proctor is immediately suspicious after looking over Rebecca Bunch's résumé and credentials noting that she graduated from Harvard. Darryl Whitefeather mentions this too when asking Rebecca to represent him in his divorce proceedings against his wife's attorney who is Jewish. Rebecca takes offense when Darryl says his Jew is better since she went to Harvard.
"Josh's Girlfriend is Really Cool!": Valencia Perez points out Rebecca is wearing a Harvard sweatshirt after sarcastically asking if she went to the university.
"I'm Going on a Date with Josh's Friend!": Josh gets Rebecca to write an essay portion of his application to the Aloha Tech Center. When the store manager Alex reads it he is put off by the overly pretentiousness nature of the essay and asks Josh directly if he went to Harvard.
"Josh and I Work on a Case!": Paula orchastrated a complicated scheme to get Rebecca back in Josh's good graces after they had a falling out. As part of the plan she looked for any Harvard classmates of Rebecca who lived nearby. She selected Harvard alum Trent Maddock who she would then pass off as Rebecca's boyfriend.
"Josh and I Go to Los Angeles!": Trent and Rebecca, both Harvard graduates, mock her old rival Audra Levine because she went to Cornell University which they call the community college of the Ivy League.
"Josh's Sister is Getting Married!": Greg Serrano brags to a bartender that he was accepted into Emory University which he refers to as the Harvard of the south. The bartender suggests the description fits Vanderbilt University better. Also, Lourdes Chan thanks Rebecca for her letter of recommendation for Jastinity to the Harvard admissions board. She mentions that Jastinity's application wasn't good enough but her daughter did get accepted to Cal State Northridge which she considers the Harvard of Northridge. Greg learns a grocery store clerk named Marty is a Harvard graduate after trying to help the guy with his love life.

Season Two[]

"Can Josh Take A Leap Of Faith?": It's revealed through flashbacks that Rebecca attended Harvard but did not graduate from the school. This was due to an incident involving her and a married professor she was having an affair with named Robert. When Robert ended things between them she accidentally set his house on fire and a judge sentenced her to seek psychiatric help. Rebecca was unable to return to Harvard and finished her education at Yale Law instead.

Season Three[]

”I Never Want to See Josh Again.”: Due to turmoil in her personal life Rebecca quits Whitefeather & Associates. To take over her caseload Nathaniel brings in Cornelia Wickfield from Plimpton, Plimpton & Plimpton. She reveals she is a graduate of Harvard but unlike Rebecca she does not like to brag about it.
”Oh Nathaniel, It's On!”: Rebecca contacts her fellow Harvard graduate B.J. Novak about borrowing money to buy shares on Whitefeather & Associates.

Season Four[]

"I Want To Be Here": While in prison, Rebecca brings up that she went to Harvard to her cellmate Nicky in a way that was not really organic. When Paula confronts Trent in the hospital she tricks him into stop pretending he’s in a coma by getting him to correct her when she says he went to Princeton instead of Harvard.