Harvard is the most famous university in the United States, and one of the most prestigious in the world, for a reason. The university has turned out more global leaders than any other institution in the US, and is known as where great minds gather. Like fellow members of the Ivy League, Harvard offers an exceptional and tight-knit undergraduate experience within a big university. Unlike nearly anywhere else, the resources available to students are nearly boundless. The Harvard endowment is larger than the economy of over 100 small countries. The number of academic paths for undergrads is significantly smaller, at about 50, but that’s still more than enough. That acceptance rate is 0%. Just kidding! While our students regularly gain admission to Harvard, the acceptance rate is so low that they delay reporting it, apparently to try to keep from discouraging people. The acceptance rate for the Class of 2028 was only 3.59%.
Harvard offers two routes to admission: Restrictive Early Action and Regular Decision. Restrictive Early Action (REA) is the most annoying of paths, and an increasing number of elite schools are choosing to eschew ED for REA. We dislike how it offers neither the acceptance rate boost of most ED programs nor the optionality of EA. That said, if you want to get into Harvard your best chance is REA, whether you have never met anyone who has gone to Harvard, or your parents met there. Remember, though, that under REA you cannot apply to any other school ED or EA except public universities (state schools), military academy’s (like West Point), or international schools.
The baseline for getting into Harvard is nearly perfect grades and nearly perfect scores (the SAT or ACT is required), but that isn’t enough. This is where the writing comes in. The college essay and Harvard supplement are exceptionally important. In a sea of tens of thousands of qualified applicants, the writing is where you can stand out. In this post, we’ll be breaking down the Harvard writing supplement to help you do your strongest work.
For the best chances of Harvard admission, get in touch.
Harvard takes authentic representation of self very seriously. So, before we get into how to answer their prompts let’s get one thing straight. We understand that students who want to go to Harvard are often willing to go to the ends of the earth to make it happen. This can lead to turning to technology. That is the absolute wrong impulse. Just because you think some AI generated answer sounds like original work does not mean that admissions officers can’t see through it. Similarly, something written by someone else who you feel is a stronger writer than you also inevitably falls flat. The application readers are not dumb. They know their business, and they know how to spot inauthenticity. Ultimately, they are looking for reasons to say no to applications. With so many to reject, an application simply feeling “off” is a reason to say no. We work with our students to develop strong, authentic, and acceptance-earning essays that develop their writing skills for a stronger future, not simply an acceptance.
The Harvard supplement has 5 questions, each with a max response length of 150 words. This reflects a stark efficiency to the Harvard supplement this year. They want as much useful information about you as they can get in a compact package. This doesn’t mean that you can meet them with the same cut-and-dry approach, though. Story has never been more important.
Now let’s get into the supplement.
Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? (up to 150 words)
You have only 150 words, or about one medium-length paragraph, so let’s get one thing straight: you will be writing about one thing in this supplement. It’s not going to be a bunch of life experiences, but rather one specific thing about your life so far that you absolutely must highlight. The way you will execute this is via story. You need to pick one story from your life, then, that spotlights a key aspect of who and how you are. This story should only be about one fact in your life, but should serve to highlight 1-3 personality characteristics, like resilience, creativity, a problem-solving mindset.
There is one more thing about this supplement that is super important, by the way. This is not a hardship test. Do not take the most difficult thing you have ever faced in life and stuff it into this supplement unless it truly is important that you write about it. Telling a strong and compelling story that communicates key characteristics is much more important than a sob-story.
Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience? (up to 150 words)
This is the “it-girl” supplement of the moment. Dozens of colleges have incorporated this type of question, all about whether you can have a disagreement and not go into Hulk-mode, into their supplements. It isn’t random that they are all asking this at this particular moment. Colleges are very concerned about maintaining peace on campus, while still being home to a dynamic and diverse community. This prompt is designed to see if you can fit into this mix.
That means that the most important thing that you can convey in this supplement is basically that you are nice. You should not be focused, then, on telling a story where you come off as the ‘winner.’ Being ‘right,’ whatever that means, does not a strong supplement make. Tell a story, then, that is more complex then right or wrong. Maybe it’s a conversation with a classmate or a friend, a point of contention with a family member, or a “Wait what?” moment with a fellow volunteer on the same political campaign. Whatever conversation it is, focus on where you found common ground and how you moved forward towards a stronger relationship or community.
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (up to 150 words)
Again, this is a broad prompt for only giving you 150 words. We recommend that our students focus on one or two things, at most three if the third is related to one of the other activities. These don’t have to be directly related to your prospective area of study, but they should have impacted who you are as a scholar in some way. And remember, you are applying to college — not for a vacation club. They don’t need to hear about that trip to Mexico that made you rethink capitalist values. They do, however, want to hear about working in your community (volunteering or paid), caring for family members, or an extracurricular activity that you’ve made a long-term commitment to.
Whatever you pick, you must convey it as a story. This isn’t a “tell us” moment. Show them. Use strong descriptive language, emotion, imagery, and even dialog to bring a small piece within the bigger experience to life.
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (up to 150 words)
This question is interesting, because it’s Harvard trying to tell if you truly value what they can offer, or if you’re only applying because your parents and grandparents went, and you’ve been planning on this forever and aren’t sure why. So, what is your real why? Put this through the filter of helping others. “Helping” doesn’t need to mean service, though. They don’t expect most graduates to go into the nonprofit or philanthropic world, but they do want students who are working towards the greater common good. This could be through medical discovery, creating new services or consumer goods, building community, or changing lives through political engagement. There are so many ways to see your future, so help them see it.
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (up to 150 words)
They aren’t asking this question because they are going to show this to your future roommate, or even necessarily use it in the housing process if you are accepted. Rather, it’s a ‘are you an enjoyable human’ test. There isn’t one recipe for being a fun person to be around, so don’t feel like you need to present a particular type of person here. Instead, be yourself. We love for our students to share things like mastering microwave cooking for late-night study snacks, enjoying a low Sunday, loving 80s hair bands (but also having great noise canceling headphones), or liking a “shoes off” rule for the door to decrease dirt and increase relaxation.
SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIALS
Harvard also invites applicants to submit a creative or academic supplement that spotlights your accomplishments in video, audio, or image form. There are two ways that supplements can be uploaded: Slideroom for audio or video, or through the applicant portal for documents like PDFs. Harvard provides more information on this process, but it’s important to remember that submitting a supplement only helps your application if it is objectively impressive. Your parents loving your dance routine to a 2000s pop song does not mean that it fits the bill. We suggest that students use the filter of outside affirmation. If you’ve won awards or recognitions, the thing may be impressive. If every film festival rejected your short-form remake of CATS starring your cat as James Corden, that should be a helpful signal that it is not application material. Does this mean that you should stop making videos? No. We all start somewhere. But Harvard does not need, nor want, to see it.
Remember, too, that more is not more. Submitting more material does not guarantee your application more review time. Instead, you risk diluting the readers’ attention by pulling them to too many places.
Getting into Harvard does not happen by mistake. It takes months of work, years of preparation, and a single-minded determination to strive for excellence. We help students get there.
We help strong students get into nearly impossible schools. Learn more.