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Harvard University is a highly selective institution. Therefore, you’ll want to do everything you can to boost your chances of acceptance. If you’re thinking about writing the Harvard supplemental essays, read on for tips, examples, and more.
Writing the Harvard essays may be optional, but it’s an excellent opportunity to bolster your application. This is your chance to write about your character and demonstrate your intellectual competence and curiosity.
With a 3% acceptance rate, Harvard is notoriously selective. However, writing stellar essayswill improve your chances of admission. Read on to learn how to write the supplemental essays and read Harvard essay examples.
Like every other college, Harvard has an application package. You may submit your application through the Common Application or the Coalition Application.
However, neither application includes the additional Harvard application materials. While both applications will have required pieces of information, applicants also have the opportunity to provide the Harvard admission essays to boost their chances of getting accepted.
Harvard's application now has five required short-answer questions:
1. 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?
2. Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you.
3. Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.
4. How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?
5. Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.
Keep in mind that each question should be no longer than 200 words. There’s no need to do any additional research for Harvard, as these questions are all about your own experiences. So, use this opportunity to reflect on your experiences and use them to craft an essay that demonstrates your individuality.
First, it may be easier to consider what the purpose of the Harvard supplemental essays is not.
These Harvard essays are not for you to show off your achievements—your application provides plenty of room for that. Still, the admissions committee wants to know you are a unique individual who can bring diverse experiences and perspectives to Harvard’s community.
In its list of admissions tips relating to the supplemental essays, Harvard College says, "We encourage you to read over the prompts and respond to the one that most resonates with you."
Though this may not seem like it provides much insight into what Harvard is looking for, it shows there is no specific answer. Nothing will automatically improve your chances of getting accepted. There is no correct answer because Harvard wants to use these supplemental questions to know more about you.
Harvard wants to see what resonates with you and why to provide insight into your character and whether you will be a good fit. The Harvard essays are more than just another opportunity for you to flex your high achievements; they are an opportunity for you to demonstrate your character and passions.
Along with showing Harvard who you are as an individual, it’s also important to stick to the Harvard essay requirements. This means staying within the world limit, and responding to the provided prompts.
So, how do you write the Harvard application essays? Let's go through them, one by one.
“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?”
It can be tough to know how to start your essay. To get the creative juices flowing, keep these steps in mind when answering this prompt:
By following these steps, you can provide a thoughtful and compelling response that demonstrates how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to Harvard's commitment to diversity and enrich its academic and social environment.
“Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you.”
Like the other question, this one is meant to bring out an experience that’s personal to you. To get started, consider the following steps:
Keep your response concise and focused while effectively conveying the importance and influence of the chosen intellectual experience.
“Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.”
To answer this prompt, follow these steps to provide a thoughtful, detailed response:
By following these steps, you can provide a well-rounded response that conveys how a specific extracurricular activity, employment experience, travel, or family responsibility has shaped who you are today.
“How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?”
Your answer to this prompt will be personal to your goals. However, there is a strategic approach you can take.
Following these steps will help you write a clear and organized response that shows your excitement about using your Harvard education to reach your goals and create a significant impact in your chosen field or areas of interest.
Here are Harvard essay examples that helped students gain admission. These excerpts are from essays submitted by Harvard applicants. You can use these supplemental essay examples to get inspired and guide your writing.
Prompt: “Harvard has long recognized the importance of student body diversity of all kinds. We welcome you to write about distinctive aspects of your background, personal development, or the intellectual interests you might bring to your Harvard classmates.”
"When I was a freshman in high school, I didn't care about school or my education. I couldn't see a future where it mattered whether I knew how to say 'how are you' in Spanish or how to use the Pythagorean theorem. Because I couldn't see the point of these classes, I found myself disconnected from the high school experience as a whole, which resulted in low grades. My parents expressed their disappointment in me, but I still couldn't bring myself to care; I was feeling disconnected from my family, too.
I didn't realize it at the time, but I was depressed. I stopped spending time with my friends and stopped enjoying the things I used to enjoy. I was feeling hopeless. How could I get through three and a half more years of high school if I couldn't even get through a semester? I couldn't stand the thought of feeling this way for so long – at least it felt so long at the time.
After a few failed tests, one of my teachers approached me after class one day. She said she also noticed a difference in my demeanor in the last few weeks and asked if I was okay. At that moment, I realized that no one had asked me that in a long time. I didn't feel okay, so I told her that. She asked me what was wrong, and I told her that I was feeling disconnected from school and classes and just about everything at that point.
My teacher suggested I visit my guidance counselor. So the next day, during study hall, I got a pass to visit with my guidance counselor and told her I was feeling disconnected from classes and school. She asked me what my interests were and suggested that I take an elective like art or music or a vocational tech class like culinary arts or computer coding.
I told her that I wasn't sure what I was interested in at this point and she told me to take a couple of classes to see what I like. At her persistence, I signed up for art and computer coding.
It turns out art was not my thing. But it also turns out that computer coding is my thing, and I am not sure I would have realized that had I not gone to see my guidance counselor at my teacher's recommendation.
After taking computer coding and other similar classes, I had something to look forward to during school. So even when I still dreaded taking Spanish and Geometry, I knew I could look forward to an enjoyable class later in the day. Having something to look forward to really helped me raise my grades because I started caring about my future and the possibility of applying for college to study computer science.
The best thing that I took away from this experience is that I can't always control what happens to me, especially as a minor, but I can control how I handle things. In full transparency: there were still bad days and bad grades, but by taking action and adding a couple of classes into my schedule that I felt passionate about, I started feeling connected to school again. From there, my overall experience with school – and life in general – improved 100%."
Why this is a good essay: The student answers the "personal development" part of the prompt by addressing their low grades, how the experience affected them, and how they got back on track to getting better grades in this college essay example.
Harvard’s admissions committee will see the low grades from freshman year, but the student has preemptively explained them, making it a good essay.
Prompt: Unusual circumstances in your life.
"When I was ten years old, my family was homeless for a little less than a year. It was extremely challenging. My mom was a single mother of three children, working two jobs to make ends meet. We went from my grandparents' house to my aunt's house and then back to my grandparents' house again before we finally had our own space again.
At the time, I couldn't see how it would affect my life, but looking back, it was something that defined me. It was also an experience that unknowingly put me on my path towards higher education. I knew at the time that I never wanted to be back in that place, and I would do anything to make that happen.
Fast forward to the beginning of my junior year of high school. My family was no longer homeless, but we were still struggling. I decided to start applying for colleges, and I really wanted to apply to Harvard. When I told my guidance counselor that I wanted to go to Harvard, I waited for her to laugh in my face. She didn't. She looked at my grades and extracurricular activities, plus my work experience and told me that I would be a good candidate.
Having someone see me for my intellect instead of my monetary worth was a first in my life. Ever since we had been homeless, I was firmly rooted among the "poor kids," the kids who would seemingly never make it out of our small town. But I was determined."
Why this is a good essay: Again, the student has answered the prompt directly in this college essay example. Harvard will see the type of student they are, and give the admissions committee insight into their educational goals and ambitions.
Do you still have questions about how to write the Harvard supplemental essays? Read on to have your questions answered.
If you are a strong writer and you can demonstrate that you are a dynamic individual who will contribute to Harvard’s community, your essays can improve your chances of acceptance. They will give the admissions committee a better idea of your personality and passions.
The Harvard supplemental essays are not required, but if you are set on attending Harvard, they are a good opportunity for you to bolster your application and improve your chances of getting accepted.
According to Harvard, "There is no formula for gaining admission to Harvard. Academic accomplishment in high school is important, but the Admissions Committee also considers many other criteria, such as community involvement, leadership and distinction in extracurricular activities, and personal qualities and character.
We rely on teachers, counselors, and alumni to share information with us about an applicant's strength of character, his or her ability to overcome adversity, and other personal qualities."
If you’re stuck on how to get the ball rolling, consider seeking an admissions consultant’s help.
If you do not write these Harvard essays carefully, there is a chance that they could be harmful towards your chances of acceptance. However, with the support of your friends, family, and resources, your essays will be a great asset to your application.
According to Harvard alum Jay Chen, "What you want to do is write something very true to yourself. Don't be afraid to show your vulnerability. Talk about something difficult that happened and how you overcame it. You don't want to pretend to be invincible if you think that's what colleges want. They want to see that you're mature and that you're able to cope with hardships."
Ivy League acceptance rates are typically low, so you’ll want to do everything you can to boost your chances of acceptance.
Just like the rest of the Harvard application, the supplemental essays are no walk in the park. You must be authentic and demonstrate your specific strengths and positive characteristics. Whether you’re a parent prepping your child for the Ivy League or a high schooler getting ready for application season - understanding how to approach the essays is key.
It may seem overwhelming to have another piece to add to your application, but these essays offer you the opportunity to demonstrate further why you are qualified to be there. Using these tips and Harvard essay examples, you now know how to write the Harvard essays and show the admissions committee who you are and how you can benefit the community and, eventually, the world.
