Boston's Most Powerful People: Colleges


Shocker: Harvard alums run this town. (Photo © iStockphoto.com)

After we had assembled our 50 Most Powerful People in Boston list, we had our star interns Hannah Lauterback and Madeleine Coleman dig through the power players’ bios to find out where they went to college. Little surprise, a lot of them went to some of America’s best universities. Forty-nine of the people on the list went to private colleges, with an impressive 15 graduating from Ivies. Only three, however, went to public colleges. (The total numbers add up to more than 50 because several slots were shared by multiple people).

Harvard fared particularly well: eight of our powerbrokers attended the university for undergraduate education, eight earned their MBA there, and two more scored law degrees. Harvard alums, apparently, run this town. (And, frankly, the world: Barack Obama attended Harvard Law, and Mitt Romney earned joint MBA/JD degrees at the university).

Wondering how your kid can be part of the future power set? We assembled step-by-step instructions to ensure your newborn is part of Harvard’s class of 2024. Good luck.

Undergrad
Type of School

  • Public college: 3
  • Non-Ivy private college: 34
  • Ivy League college: 15

Popular Massachusetts Schools

  • Harvard: 8
  • Amherst: 2
  • Boston College: 2
  • Williams: 2

Grad School
Type of School

  • Public university: 2
  • Non-Ivy private university: 27
  • Ivy League university: 17

Popular Massachusetts Schools

  • Harvard Business School: 8
  • Harvard Law: 2
  • Boston College Law: 2

— Research by Madeleine Coleman and Hannah Lauterback