Harvard College, the undergraduate college of Harvard University, is one of the best schools in the world. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts — right alongside Boston — it was founded in 1636. Harvard is at the top of its field across the board, but over 60% of students arrive at Harvard intending to study subjects in the humanities, social sciences, or biological sciences. They are extremely selective, and they look for not only the best students in the world, but the best students for them in the world. As they read applications, they see a lot of perfect scores and amazing extracurriculars, so they need to look beyond that. They look for drive, determination, focus, a global perspective, clarity of purpose, and a vision for their future. The acceptance rate is 3.2%.
In response to COVID, Harvard has suspended their testing requirements for applicants, so you won’t have to submit your ACT or SAT scores. You can submit them if you’d like, but we don’t recommend submitting them unless they are within a point or two of perfect, because most of the scores that are submitted with either be perfect or just about. Having perfect scores doesn’t mean you’ll get into Harvard, though, just as not submitting your scores doesn’t mean you won’t. There is no equation for getting into the college, which is exactly how they want it to be because they don’t want perfect equation students. As we’ll show you for the supplements below, it’s all about standing out and leaving a strong (positive) impression.
If you’re hoping to get into one of the best colleges in the world, send us an email. A Harvard acceptance is an uphill battle, but it’s possible with the right support.
The Harvard supplement has five questions, and each allows for a response up to 200 words. Each of these supplements really matter, and need to be treated as mini-essays with stories, anecdotes, narrative arcs, and a lot of editing and spell-check. There is no excuse for sloppiness. You also need to be careful not to repeat anything in the supplements, or reiterate something that has already been said in the main Common App essay. New info only! Sometimes this requires creativity, because the “perfect” answer to two supplements may be the same story…but that doesn’t fly. Challenge yourself to present new information about yourself in each supp — again, no repeats!
Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? (200 words)
A lot of students read this prompt and either think:
A) Great! I am from a minority in some way! I can write about that!
B) Ugh! I am not from a minority! I have nothing to write about!
Both of those are false. Simply writing about your ethnicity or race for this prompt doesn’t actually tell the application readers at Harvard anything different about you, just as not having a minority background doesn’t mean that you have nothing to write about.
After all, “diversity” doesn’t just apply to boxes you can check. It’s complex, nuanced, and — shockingly — diverse.
So, what do you do instead? You need to zoom in on your life and write about something that is unique to you within your upbringing, culture, or background. This may mean writing about a minority experience, or it may not. Either way, it’s your experience. Telling a story about how you grew up and the life experiences you’ve had will illustrate something about who you are at your core, and Harvard wants to see that core.
Sometimes that means writing about a cultural dish, an experience that involves race, a religious or cultural tradition, or a language experience. Or maybe it’s about a relationship, and how you navigated a family or community experience or challenge. Whatever you write about, you then need to incorporate a clear mention of how this will enable you to contribute at Harvard. We encourage you to think about ways of contributing that aren’t tied to any singular activity or program, but focused on community building, friendship, and comradery.
Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you. (200 words)
We love this prompt because you are able to highlight what you care about by telling a story that is grounded outside of the classroom. Before you try to summarize a whole internship, though, “experience” is time-bounded for this prompt — so try to focus on something small, and that took place over a short period of time, ideally a moment in time. So, if you want to write about an academic program or internship, for example, focus on a particular moment in the program, like when you faced a challenge and had to find your way through it, rather than trying to write about the whole thing in 200 words. Again, be focused, be specific, tell a story, and look outside of the classroom.
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (200 words)
This prompt says “any” as if you should (or could) just list what you do that you care about and say, “this, all of this is what I care about.” That’s a completely wrong impulse, so please don’t do that. Instead, you need to pick one or two things that don’t show up anywhere else on your application except maybe in the activities section of the Common App, and focus in on those. Before you decide what to write about, though, we especially love jobs and family responsibilities for this prompt. On the other side of the spectrum, we dislike writing about travel because it can quickly become elitist, exclusionary, and who likes to read essays about trips they can’t afford to take? (And it’s very likely that at least one person reading your application can’t afford whatever vacation it is that you write about, and they won’t love you for it.) So, jobs or family responsibilities are our preferred bets.
Most importantly, you need to remember to tell a story. What did you cook your siblings for dinner when your mom was taking night classes to get her Masters? How did you make sure each cone was perfectly coated in sprinkles when you had that job at a soft-serve spot one summer?
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (200 words)
This can be a daunting question — you’re a teenager! Harvard wants students who can see their future and who are aiming for it. They know that you may change your mind, but they want to hear from you as if you are certain because they really want you to graduate in four years without too many hiccups. The clearer you are about what you want to do after Harvard, the easier it will be to get to that finish line. So, paint a picture and put yourself in your future. Maybe describe your office at your dream job as if you’re already in it. Or, if you want to become a doctor, you could write a scene of yourself at a patient’s bedside, and describe how you got there. Show your future like looking into a crystal ball.
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (200 words)
We love this prompt — and you should have fun with it! Be playful. This is where they want to see you be a (responsible) fun teenager who will be a positive influence on the community, including your roommate. What night will be pasta night? What are you really good at making in a microwave? Is there a show you watch religiously? Or a hobby you’d love to share? Knitting stuffed animals, anyone? This prompt should be joyful, and possibly even silly — but don’t try to tell a joke. It’s hard to make humor land in a college application, so earnestness is always a better bet.
Getting into Harvard is hard, like really hard. So, you need to put in work, start early, edit well, and ask for feedback and help along the way.
If Harvard is your dream school, send us an email. We have a proven track record of helping students get into the best schools in the country.