Harvard Application Essay Your Success Story

Outstanding students write outstanding essays

Modern colleges value students who exhibit leadership qualities, have their own opinion, and easily adopt to changing environment. They also want their students to have excellent writing skills, and what’s better way to check the ability of a student write than having the future scholar present an admission essay or a personal statement? Your chances of enrolling in top universities like Harvard largely depend on whether you will be able to appear as more capable than other candidates. The admission essay is a useful tool that allows you to make a good impression.

In case you are one of those students, who intend to apply to Harvard, and you are stuck with the question what to write about, you should read success stories and example essays. Below we will discuss some of the major requirements that admission officers have for those who want to study at Harvard. We will also share several recommendations on essay writing given by individual members of the Harvard Admissions Committee.

Harvard Application Essay: The Basics

The main problem most students face, when it comes to writing an admission essay, is the pressure of the work’s critical importance. The students understand that merely 300 words separate them from the future success, which is usually associated with attending top schools like Harvard. In order to overcome this fear, you need to realize that your admission essay will be successful only if it comes from your heart.

1. Highlight Your Uniqueness

The best way to write an admission essay is to make it about you and your unique experience as a student and future professional. It is an opportunity for you to show how you differ from other students. And this is exactly what Harvard professors and faculty are looking for. Additionally, if you want to write about internship or volunteer programs yin which you participated, do not focus on what you did there; rather, highlight the way this experience changed you. Do not simply list your character qualities, but provide information on how you developed them.

Yes, the Harvard entry requirements are exceptionally high. You must do everything possible to make your admission essay flawless. You will not have a second chance to make a strong impression. 

2. Stand Out from the Crowd

Admission officers read hundreds of admission essays. That is why your paper has to be about you, your unique experience, and your unique aspirations. You also need to convince the board that you are the perfect student for Harvard; write about what benefits you can bring to the school’s community.

On the other hand, an admission officer needs to understand why you have chosen this educational institute; why it is Harvard and not any other university you want to attend. It has to be something more than a story about visiting campus and how much you liked it. Why? Because anyone can write about simple things, while only you can create and craft your unique experience.

3. Use these Practical Recommendations

1. Read the instructions carefully;
2. If your task is to answer the question, you don’t need to report any irrelevant information;
3. Make sure that you have thoroughly considered the question, but at the same time try to express your thoughts concisely.
4. Highlight your ability to learn and illustrate your leadership qualities;
5. Elaborate on your talents and the languages you speak.

Remember the limitation on the number of words. If you exceed the limit by at least 100 words, it can have a negative impact on your assessment. Your writing should be as precise as possible, and you need to avoid generalizations.

What to write about in your Admission Essay

Choose the issue you care about; it has to come from your hear. Pick out the topic that will allow you to share a positive experience. For example, tell how the Harvard Summer School helped you achieve your goals. Try avoiding the unnecessary and lengthy details. If you decide to write about failure, tell about it briefly, and then describe how you solved the problem and how the failure helped you gain in invaluable experience. 

4. DO NOT Copy Others

Do not try to copy or steal someone else’s thoughts and ideas. Admission officers read hundreds of essays and they can almost certainly tell if the text contains a unique story. And if they have doubts, they will use plagiarism detection software to check your essay for originality. To avoid any misunderstandings, you should check your essay for plagiarism before submission. 

Avoid acronyms and don’t write long sentences. Write competently and try to create your own style. Don’t use slang, jargon, or conversational style. Admission team pays attention mainly to the content, but this doesn’t mean that grammar rules can be ignored. Re-read the essay several times, cut lengthy sentences, and remove unnecessary words. If you want to see the example of precise and clear writing read the essays presented at our website.

5. Do not Overkill

Finally, editing and proofreading are crucial elements of writing a good paper, but they have to be applied in reasonable manner. And Yes, too many revisions may be harmful to your essay because they harm your personal writing style.