Harvard Essay Guide

About Harvard

Harvard University was founded in 1636 as “New College,” but then changed its name to Harvard in 1638, making it the oldest university in the United States. Harvard’s is nestled into the city of Cambridge, Massachusetts, providing students with the luxuries of living in a big city. However, there is a very strong “campus-feel” with colonial style architecture and lots of open green spaces for students to gather.

The University is widely recognized as one of the best in the world in academics, research, and athletics. Harvard competes in the NCAA Division 1. Every year, we host the Head of the Charles Regatta in the Fall, where students gather along the Charles River to watch the Harvard Crew teams race on the water. The other big athletic event that almost every student at the school attends is the annual Harvard vs. Yale football game, also known as "The Game." Winning "The Game" is a source of pride for whichever school leaves victorious, but the camaraderie felt among the students leads to a great weekend, regardless of the score.

At Harvard, first-year students live right in the center of campus, in the historic Harvard Yard dormitories. All first-years live close to one another, and the class community is solidified in Annenberg, the massive dining hall only available to first-year students. Annenberg is classic Harvard; they even based the set for the dining hall at Hogwarts in the Harry Potter movies off of it! Mid-way through the

spring semester of your first year, you and your closest friends will create a blocking group consisting of up to 8 students, which you will then enter into the housing lottery. On Housing day, the lottery results are finalized and the blocking groups are randomly sorted into the different upperclassmen houses. Housing day is a celebration, where upperclassmen from your new house rush into your dorm room where you and your blockmates are waiting, chanting the name of the house where you will spend your next three years. Each house has unique architecture, a dining hall, a gym, and its own traditions steeped in histories.

Admissions at Harvard

Harvard had an acceptance rate of 3.19% for the class of 2026, and this number has been consistently decreasing, making the institution extremely selective and difficult to get in. The Office of Admissions prides itself on its holistic admissions process, meaning they factor in grades, standardized test scores, personal essays, recommendations, race / ethnicity, volunteer and work experience, and everything else that your application may reveal.

For the classes of 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, and 2030, Harvard has committed to making standardized test scores optional, such as the SAT and ACT. However, if you do choose to submit your scores, it is worth noting that most students accepted have extremely high scores. The 25th percentile of accepted students is 1460, the median is 1520, and the average is 1580.

You can apply to Harvard in two different ways: REA (Restrictive Early Action), and RD (Regular Decision). If you apply via REA, your application will be due on November 1st, and you will hear back sometime in mid December. The catch with REA is that if you apply to Harvard REA, you can not apply to any other schools’ early action or early decision. However, most students choose to apply to Harvard under RD, along with their other schools. The deadline for RD is January 1st, so make sure you get everything done early if you want to enjoy New Years’ Eve.

When Harvard responds to your application, there are four possible outcomes:

1. You are rejected. This is by far the most common response, as over 96% of applicants are rejected each year.
2. You are deferred. This only applies to those that apply REA. Basically, a deferral means that your application will be reevaluated during the RD cycle, and you will hear back again when they come out with the RD decisions. During this time, you are encouraged to send updates to the Admissions Office telling them about all the great things you have done since the REA deadline.
3. You are waitlisted. Being waitlisted essentially means that the Office of Admissions believes you would be a good fit for the school, but they simply do not have enough spots to accept you. However, if someone chooses not to attend, they begin to accept students off the waitlist. If you are waitlisted, make sure you continue to update the Office of Admissions with your interest in attending the school, as well as your continued academic and extra-curricular achievements.
4. You are accepted!

Essay Prompts

Below are application essay responses of a student who was admitted to Harvard.

Prompt 1: Please briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences. (150 words)

• Response 1: 

Debate team has been a constant fixture in my life since middle school. It provided me with intellectual friends, public speaking skills, and increased confidence. Unfortunately, my high school did not have a debate program so, in freshman year, I joined Model U.N. club instead. I loved Model U.N., but I also missed my debate team. Rather than give up debate altogether, I decided to create an elementary school debate club. After cutting through loads of red tape, I eventually got permission from my school district to start a program. Once a week, before school, I headed to the elementary school to teach younger children how to research, take notes, and structure their thoughts into coherent arguments. In this age of political turmoil and “fake news,” I take pride in knowing that my students can critically evaluate sources and formulate their own opinions on issues.

• Highlights: It is important to use this essay as an opportunity to demonstrate your passions and your drive. In this essay, I tried to relay that I was passionate about debate. Despite not having the option to continue debate in high school, I had the drive to continue being involved, and wanted to give back to my school community by teaching the skills of debate to elementary school students. I demonstrate my desire to help others, as well as engage in intellectual discourse.

Prompt 2: Your intellectual life may extend beyond the academic requirements of your particular school. Please use the space below to list additional intellectual activities that you have not mentioned or detailed elsewhere in your application. These could include, but are not limited to, supervised or self-directed projects not done as school work, training experiences, online courses not run by your school, or summer academic or research programs not described elsewhere. (150 words)

• Response 2:

Academic League: Compete in county-wide academic trivia contests

Building Leadership Team: Serve as student representative (selected by principal) to a multi-disciplinary leadership committee; projects include high-school curriculum development, creation of memorial garden, and establishment of orientation program for incoming students

Coding Workshops: Designed and offered a free workshop series on “coding basics” to local elementary school students at my public library

National Honor Society: Member (honor society, community service)

Robotics Team: Compete in county-wide robotics meetsCo-chair of fundraising committee

Science Honor Society: Member (honor society, community service)

Tutoring: Tutor high-school students in math, science, and history

• Highlights: Often applicants don’t have enough space in the Common App to list all of their different activities that they did in high school. I certainly didn’t. This essay question provides you with the opportunity to give the Office of Admissions a full accounting of the academic activities and achievements that you have participated in during your last four years.

Prompt 3: You may wish to include an additional essay if you feel that the college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about yourself or your accomplishments.

● Response 3:

For the first time, I am walking down the halls of my new high school. I unfold my schedule, and realize that I am supposed to go to the gym. Where is the gym? It’s probably straight. I keep walking forward until I see a bearded kid, probably a senior. He would know. “Where’s the gym?” I ask. The response: “Freshman Fridayyyyy!” I run away.

I get to the gym, 13 minutes late. The coach asks “Why?” to which I say, “I got lost.” In all honesty, how can one be expected to navigate the intricate corridors of a high school without being given an orientation, or even a map? Whatever! I am in high school, the land of endless possibilities, where I will make my friends for life. I look up to the bleachers, hoping to spot a familiar face. Nope. All I see are beards, AKA upperclassman. I, on the other hand, am a tiny freshman with no facial hair, no adam's apple, and no clue.

I choose to follow the advice given by every single bullying prevention assembly I have ever endured. I sit down next to the only other kid who looks lost. During our brief conversation, comprised of broken Spanish and broken English, I soon realize that my friend is a new immigrant to this country, having just fled his home in fear for his life. If I feel lost in this pressure cooker of hormones, how alone must he feel.

Tweet. The coach’s whistle blows, encouraging us to use the scattered array of balls and hula hoops and cones. Naturally, we gravitate towards the best ball of all: the fútbol. We begin to pass back and forth as we play the world’s beautiful game.

The bell rings and it’s time for second period. I ask the coach where my next class is. He explains and I am on my way. I see my friend ask the coach where his next class is. He just stands there confused. Oh my goodness. How can he find his way if the instructions are literally incomprehensible? I get the instructions from the coach and bring him to his class.

The year went by and I found my way around the school. I made some new friends and reconnected with my old ones. I was no longer lost. Neither was my friend. His English had improved. But each time our gym class soccer team gained a new member, the school gained another lost kid—actually, each time the year starts, the school gains 300 lost kids.

That constant influx is why our school now has an app. Now, new students can easily pull up a map of the school, contact their teachers, and even read the daily announcements in both Spanish and English. I wonder who created that app... :)

● Highlights: This essay is optional, but you should do it. Don’t think of it as optional. Think of it as mandatory. You can even use another one of your supplemental essays from a different college’s application; just make sure you submit something. This prompt is really an opportunity to showcase a different side of you. In this essay, I wanted to showcase a different form of writing, one more casual and full of jokes. I also wanted to demonstrate my ability to make friends and desire to help my community. And at the end, there is a short reference to the app my friends and I built, highlighting my academic interests.

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Applying to Harvard is certainly a big endeavor, and you must ensure your essays are up to par. Consult with a PathIvy counselor today to receive guidance in putting your best writing forward.

Written by PathIvy Harvard University Ambassador