How to Write the Harvard Supplemental Essays
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Tackling the Harvard University supplemental essays is no joke. Why? Well, you’ve got 5 essays to write with a combined count of a whopping 1,000 words, not including the 650-word Common App essay you’ll also be submitting.
But on top of all that writing, you’re also competing against over 42,000 other seniors, applying to admission to one of the most competitive colleges in the US, and one of the most prestigious universities in the history of the world.
Not daunted by that?
Great. Keep reading and we’ll walk you through how to write great responses to Harvard’s supplemental essay questions.
But before you get too far—one more thing. You’ll want to take a look at Harvard’s Common Data Set. In it, you’ll find a treasure trove of information on the institution, ranging from enrollment and tuition statistics to student life and financial aid information. Next, read through Harvard’s mission and vision and its academic strategic plan to better understand its values, roadmap for the future, and the role diverse and inclusive communities play in its vision. Checking out both will help you better understand who Harvard is looking for and how you’ll fit in on campus.
Harvard’s Supplemental Essay Prompts
So here’s what you’re looking at:
Prompt #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? (10-200 words)
Prompt #2
Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you. (10-200 words)
Prompt #3
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (10-200 words)
Prompt #4
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (10-200 words)
Prompt #5
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (10-200 words)
Now let’s get into the fun part: how to write great essays for Harvard.
How to Write Each Supplemental Essay Prompt for Harvard
How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #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? (10-200 words)
In this essay prompt, Harvard seeks to understand how your life experiences have prepared you to contribute to their diverse student community. Let's break down the key components of the prompt to guide your approach.
Which of your life experiences have had the most impact on your personal development? This essay offers the opportunity to delve into specific experiences that have shaped your perspective on life, education, and more.
How will you contribute? Make sure your answer to this question is clear. How have these experiences positioned you to make an impact at Harvard? What do you bring to the school and community (in ways that maybe others don’t)? While it doesn’t have to be truly unique, it’s great to aim in that direction: the best response will highlight a contribution that only you (or maybe you plus a few other applicants) would think to make.
Here’s how to brainstorm possible essays:
Again, one important aspect with this prompt is its focus on your contribution to the Harvard community.
Another detail to note is Harvard’s encouragement to show where you come from—the people, places, and things that have shaped who you are today. This is your chance to connect your unique upbringing, in a very broad sense of the word, with what has helped make you unstoppable. So take it.
While there are many things outside of “community” that might fit this prompt, if you’re looking for a way to brainstorm ideas, that’s a good place to start. (Especially since “community” and “identity” tend to overlap a lot. But keep in mind that you’ll want to include some “how will you contribute” details in your essay—this isn’t just a “tell us about a community” prompt.)
For a full guide to “community” essays, head there, but here’s the short version:
STEP 1: DECIDE WHAT IDENTITY/COMMUNITY YOU WANT TO WRITE ABOUT
Create a “communities/identities” chart by listing all the communities you’re a part of. Keep in mind that communities can be defined by...
Place: groups of people who live/work/play near one another
Action: groups of people who create change in the world by building, doing, or solving something together (Examples: Black Lives Matter, Girls Who Code, March for Our Lives)
Interest: groups of people coming together based on shared interest, experience, or expertise
Circumstance: groups of people brought together either by chance or external events/situations
STEP 2: USE THE BEABIES EXERCISE TO GENERATE YOUR ESSAY CONTENT
You’ll find detail on the BEABIES Exercise + a chart you can use at that link.
STEP 3: DO SOME “HOW WILL YOU CONTRIBUTE” RESEARCH
You’ll want to offer a few specific ways that show how the experience/s you’re discussing in your essay will allow you to contribute to Harvard. The easiest way to do this is to do some “Why Us”-like research and find ways you’ll engage with and contribute to the Harvard community.
STEP 4: PICK A STRUCTURE (NARRATIVE OR MONTAGE)
STEP 5: WRITE A FIRST DRAFT!
This prompt is new, so we don’t have an example essay written for Harvard just yet. But here’s a nice example essay written for a similar prompt from Colgate University.
Example:
Aside from my inherent love for bagels, my Jewish background has led me to become more embedded in my community, joining Jewish activists and building a website on Holocaust education.
In the 1930s, 36 members of my family were lost to the Holocaust, and that fact has led me to carry on the memory of my ancestors through tradition—with my Bar Mitzvah—as well as with an educational lens—teaching others about the Holocaust and about specific stories of survivors.
Feeling disconnected from Jewish activism, I decided to become an educator on the Student Leadership Board of the Seattle-based Holocaust Center for Humanity last year. Each week, we met to discuss present-day instances of oppression and discrimination across the world, and finished the year by building a website to share the story of a Holocaust survivor.
Being on the board connected me to a network of other passionate Jewish activists, and helped me to channel the pride for my culture and ancestors into visual media that reaches many viewers. At Colgate, I hope to find myself surrounded not only by like-minded Jewish students, but by a diverse group of people with whom I can learn and make connections. (196 words)
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Tips + Analysis
Highlight a core identity. In the example essay, the applicant highlights their Jewish heritage and the profound impact it has had on their life choices and commitments. This is a great way to approach this prompt—think of communities/identities that you claim, pick one that Harvard isn’t seeing elsewhere, and show how that aspect of you + your experiences will allow you to contribute to the Harvard community. Similarly, for the Harvard prompt, ensure you shed light on the aspects of your background that have shaped your identity. This could be cultural, familial, or personal attributes that have molded you into the individual you are today.
Provide concrete examples of impact. Just as the sample essay vividly narrates the applicant's journey in Jewish activism, so you’ll want to offer specific instances that exemplify the impact your background has had on your decisions and pursuits. Whether through personal experiences, engagements, or projects, share specific moments where your background has led you to initiate meaningful actions. In short, show us.
Connect to Harvard's community. The sample essay could be stronger if the writer reflected even more on how they might continue to nurture their identity at Harvard. How can you do that? Address how your background, values, and commitments align with Harvard's vision and how you intend to extend these connections on campus to foster learning and shared growth. For example, perhaps you plan on joining (or creating?) relevant student clubs, volunteering at a local museum, or finding innovative ways to connect with students who share a similar background.
Another example essay:
You wouldn’t think an American Asian Affinity Space would be diverse, after all its whole premise is centered around one specific identity. However, members of the affinity space at my high school come from several different grades, genders and ethnicities. The group included a sophomore from China, a junior from Pakistan, and members from Korea, Japan, and even Israel. We each had unique stories of living as an Asian-American, yet, we had all chosen to come to this affinity group. As we spent time together, we were able to find shared experiences, like our parents preparing packed lunches for us from our country and being too embarrassed to bring them to school. Whether eating humbow or biryani, we all knew what it was like to feel out of place.
My work with the AAAS got me thinking about what diversity can look like, and what it means to embrace diversity. On the one hand, you can find diversity even when people appear to be alike. By exploring our differences, we can continue learning from each other even when it seems we have shared backgrounds and values. At the same time, people who seem really different may have shared human experiences, feeling like the "other" or being embarrassed by their parents, that can bring them together. Moving forward, I want to learn about people’s differences, hearing their stories and learning about their backgrounds while also creating spaces for people to have shared experiences that bring people together.
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How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #2
Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you. (10-200 words)
For this short essay prompt, you’ll aim to share a brief story that highlights your intellectual curiosity, growth, and maybe even a profound realization.
Pro tip: don’t feel like you have to have all the answers here. Very often, complex, maybe unanswerable questions that you feel driven to explore can demonstrate your intellect, curiosity, and values better than statements.
Essentially, you want to give Harvard admissions officers insight into how you engage with ideas and concepts. Help them see you sitting in a classroom, engaging with other students on complex ideas.
Here’s a great example essay:
During quarantine, I enrolled in IBM's AI For Everyone and Harvard's CS50 on edX and traveled down a TED rabbit hole. While intriguing to learn each emoji we send so effortlessly is made up of patterns like this: 11111011000000010, after further investigating AI, Cloud Computing, and the emerging field of Computational Sustainability, I became fascinated and humbled by the human applications offered by AI. With AI’s pending impacts worldwide, I feel driven to optimize technology for society’s benefit. CS50 Professor Malan teaches that there is a right way, a wrong way, and a more efficient way to code. I believe a school in the cloud that utilizes AI to help young students discover classes they enjoy, increasing retention rates and making education equitable, would be a more efficient way to educate. What if students worldwide had access to choosing Ethnic Studies and Education instead of simply History? (147 words)
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Tips + Analysis:
The why of the what. Show the reader who you are, what you value, how you think, and why a particular intellectual activity are interesting and/or meaningful to you. The example above does so by discussing both the ethical implementation of AI and the potential for cloud education as a means of leveling the playing field.
Craft a cohesive narrative. Pay attention to the word ‘describe’ in the prompt. Then, don’t just state your intellectual experience—help us to see it. Similar to the sample essay, consider integrating anecdotes or key moments that illustrate the evolution of your interests. In doing so, you not only provide context but also reveal your capacity to think critically and strategically about your education.
Option for some “Why Harvard?” Harvard doesn’t have a “Why Us?” prompt (though the “how will you contribute” part of prompt 1 offers a chance to show how you fit together) and again, don’t feel like you have to do this (because you can also write a strong essay that doesn’t do this), but we’ve seen a bunch of nice sample essays (like the one above) that link some of the students’ more important and engaging intellectual activities to things at Harvard that will allow them to continue to explore and level up, showing why they and Harvard will make great partners. Note that you can also do this with the other Harvard prompts (but probably just do it with one of them, or at least don’t do it in all of them, as that could get repetitive).
Here are two additional sample essays written for similar essay prompts:
Bonus example:
My love for Spanish came by accident. Trying to avoid an eighth-grade computer class, I enrolled in Spanish 1, simply because it fit my schedule. I ended up staying because I fell in love with how the language came together. I felt as if the words came naturally, whether it was differentiating between the verbs saber and conocer, or how different letter combinations produce different sounds, like how two l's make a y sound. The more I learned Spanish, the more I realized why it was fun: It was much like Arabic, taking what I knew and putting a new spin on it. Like how camisa means shirt but is pronounced differently in both languages. Soon, I was listening to some of my favorite Spanish songs, “Tusa” and “Taki Taki,” without needing a translation.
In addition to Spanish and Arabic, I also speak Turkish, the language of my father’s family, and English, which I learned in school. It wasn’t enough to just learn. My love of linguistics prompted me to inspire that same love in others, so I volunteered to teach English to Arabic-speaking elementary students. I started recognizing a familiar spark in the eyes of my students, and I found joy even in little things, like when Maram learned to conjugate know to knew or run to ran. My journey in Spanish started unintentionally, but it has given my life new purpose.
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Another bonus example:
Throughout high school, I have taken great interest in science-based subjects, especially the biological sciences. I took IB Biology at my high school to further my interest, and was particularly inspired by our study of human biological systems and heredity.
As I began researching the topic in my free time, I stumbled across an AP Biology course offered by UCScout. Excitedly, I enrolled in the course and began learning about topics including gene expression and the nervous system’s role in communication, exploring things like the connection between the nervous system and hormones through the work of neurosecretory cells. I developed my understanding of neurohormones and their relations to other organ systems, like the influence of norepinephrine on heart rate.
Furthering my interest in neuroscience through course learning has been a way for me to deepen my understanding of the relationship between the numerous biological systems and neurological function.
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How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #3
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (10-200 words)
This is your classic 150-word extracurricular essay. You’ll find an in-depth step-by-step guide at this link, with specific advice for the 150-word format (plus some really great examples) towards the end. We recommend using that post to guide you as you’re writing.
But if you want to see the short version, here’s what to do:
Go to your Common App activities list and pick 2-3 of your most impressive or important (to you) activities.
Then, go through the Best Extracurricular Activity Brainstorm I’ve Ever Seen (AKA BEABIES exercise), either mentally or by filling out the chart. This will help you decide which topic might yield the most content for your essay. If you’re unsure, maybe do a simple outline for two different topics.
Write a draft! To guide you, each of those columns could provide a sentence or two of your first draft that you can later tweak and add some style to.
Pro-tip: Be careful about writing about an activity that you’ve already shared a lot about elsewhere on your application. If you’ve already written about your most important extracurricular activity in your main Common App personal statement or any of the other Harvard supplements, write about your 2nd or 3rd most important activity. This essay is your chance to say “Hey, here’s this other cool thing I’ve spent some time doing that I haven’t told you about yet!”
Here’s a nice example essay.
Example:
“The word is YES, say it a million times … it always leads to something good.” - Jim Carrey, Yes Man
But there are dangers to being a Yes Man. Accepting opportunities and information without questioning can lead to sticky situations and embarrassing moments.
Fortunately, my participation in policy debate has taught me to be anything but a yes man. Sifting through databases of information to research both sides of a resolution has instilled in me a healthy skepticism of overly simple solutions to complex societal problems. Just as my speeches are typically filled with indicts of my opponents’ cases, I find myself instinctively detecting the fallacies in billboards and commercials.
So, for most questions, it’s a maybe from me—until I consider several other possibilities and perspectives. As Jim Carrey comes to realize,
“Maybe’s fine. I like maybe!” (135 words)
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Another example essay:
I listen to the echoes of my panting as I sprint up and down the flights of stairs. An outsider would likely assume my peers and I are members of a soccer team. They would be baffled to learn that in my ballet school’s curriculum is a Progressing Ballet Technique (PBT) class, where agile dancers train muscle memory through cardio, goblet squats, and every exercise ball activity imaginable. Brushing off my sweat, I understand that dancers are athletes, not just artists. Here we gather the strength to balance on a three-inch long satin pointe shoe box executing sixteen fouettes, or a saut de basque, achieving height and a perfect split as we spring into the air. I remember how difficult it was to even balance on the ball during my first PBT class, and now I execute jete leaps, sissones, and triple pirouettes with ease. (145 words)
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Want to read a few more? Here are a few other 150-word extracurricular essay examples we love.
How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #4
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (10-200 words)
This short essay prompt asks you to consider the practical application of your Harvard education. This is actually a big thing for Harvard—they’ve said before, directly and indirectly, that it’s important/helpful for them to see a student’s hoped-for impact. So this prompt provides an opportunity to showcase your forward-thinking, goals, and aspirations, while also demonstrating your understanding of how a Harvard education aligns with your plans.
Here are a few tips to get your creative juices flowing before you start writing:
Reflect on your curiosities and passions. We’re actually wary of the word “passion,” since it’s so over-used in college essays, but if you have one, great; if not, you’re fine (not having a “passion” is pretty standard), but explore your curiosities, interests, and aspirations. Consider what drives you, what you find intellectually stimulating, what questions and problems push you forward, and what areas you hope to make a meaningful impact in.
Consider your field of study. Think about your intended field of study or major at Harvard. How does your intended major relate to your broader goals? What are specific problems within the field that you are intrigued by.
Look at Harvard's offerings. You’ve got the option for some “Why Us” detail here. Research specific programs, courses, professors, and opportunities at Harvard that resonate with your goals. How can you leverage these offerings to work toward your plans?
Think beyond academics. Harvard's education extends beyond the classroom. Consider how your involvement in extracurricular activities, research, internships, or community service might contribute to your future endeavors.
This is another new prompt for Harvard, so we don’t have any sample essays that directly discuss how students hope to use their Harvard education. However, here’s an essay that a student wrote for UT-Austin, addressing a similar prompt, that demonstrates the approach here:
European politics and the limits of multiparty democracies, the future of the European Union, refugee policies, and the power of community engagement and social media... my interest in these issues led me to seek UT’s International Relations and Global Studies program with a regional concentration in European Studies. As the granddaughter of Italian immigrants, and an active member of community and school groups, I am interested in studying the factors that weaken or strengthen public engagement in national and local politics, and opportunities for a global agreement on issues relating to the environment and human rights.
My favorite classes in high school have been Human Geography and Comparative Government/Politics. When I started learning about the UK, I was intrigued by the UK's parliamentary system and its ramifications for economic and social issues, all of which play out differently in the US. Outside of class, I continued doing my own research on the Unitary System and the way it impacts the Irish question, Brexit and European monetary policy. This is why I plan on following the footsteps of Dr. Michael W. Mosser and his work on the European Union and security. Even if there was no mandatory study abroad requirement, I would still have jumped at the opportunity to study at the University College London.
Also, majoring in IRG will prepare me to address different issues affecting my community. We can gain valuable insights on immigration or climate change, by studying how other countries address social problems. When I joined V3ssel, I realized the importance of engaging with local officials on issues such as education, immigration, public health, and environmental policy. As an IRG major, I can continue becoming a world citizen and build a career focused on global issues and community engagement. (293 words)
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Tips + Analysis:
Showcase personal relevance. Just as the writer's background as the granddaughter of Italian immigrants influenced their choice to study International Relations and Global Studies, share personal experiences or influences that have shaped your interest. These details will help readers better understand the personal connection you have with your chosen field of study and your motivations for pursuing it at Harvard.
Emphasize real-world application. Much like the writer in the example essay, emphasize, through specific detail + “so whats,” how your education at Harvard will equip you with the knowledge and skills to tackle real-world challenges related to your field. Whether it's addressing issues in European politics, engaging with local communities through art, or finding the next breakthrough in computer engineering, convey your conviction to make a tangible impact.
Tie Harvard resources to your goals. Just like in a typical "Why Us?" essay, you can directly mention how Harvard's resources align with your goals. Talk about potential research opportunities, classes, professors, or student activities that match your ambitions.
Here’s another sample essay:
Imagine all the stars in the universe. The brain has a thousand times the number of synapses, making neurological errors a near certainty. I learned this fact firsthand as a 14 year-old, when I suffered from sleepless nights because of an uncomfortable, indescribable feeling in my leg. It took months of appointments and tests to be told it was a condition called cortical dysplasia. Even after the diagnosis, there is no cure.
I am lucky. My condition does not severely affect my quality of life. However, I know this is not the case for everyone. After this experience, I took AP Biology and attended a neuroscience program, which reinforced the subject as my future calling. One of the most impactful lectures discussed the plight of healthcare in developing nations. Newborns with extreme neurological deficits are common, but finding treatments is not. Without prenatal care, this is becoming a growing epidemic, leaving millions of children helpless.
With a degree in neuroscience, I will gain a strong understanding of neural tube development and neuronal migration in infants. I will then become a neurologist, specializing in pediatric care. I hope to work for humanitarian organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders, in Africa, where HIV and polio are rampant, as are numerous other diseases.
Imagine the stars once more. From across the world, I will look at the same stars in the future, as I help children secure the ability to not only look at the stars, but do much more. (247 words)
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How to Write Harvard Supplemental Essay #5
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (10-200 words)
This is pretty similar to Stanford’s fairly famous “roommate” prompt. And we actually have an entire separate blog post on that Stanford prompt we’d recommend reading.
The super short version?
Do this exercise.
Pick three that Harvard isn’t seeing elsewhere + that show your interests and (especially) personality.
Write. Then probably rewrite a bunch.
This essay prompt is new for Harvard, but here’s an example essay written for Stanford:
Hey, roomie :)
I’m excited to finally meet you! I figured I’d go ahead and introduce myself so we can dive right in when we see each other.
The first thing you should know is that I have a maaajor sweet tooth, especially for ice cream. Teo’s gelato and Amy’s ice cream are weekly staples. Unfortunately, neither company operates in California, so we should definitely check out Salt & Straw or Tin Pot Creamery in Palo Alto together. In the meantime, I highly recommend trying any vanilla ice cream with peanut butter and Oreos—it’s a game changer.
Although I like cold desserts, I don’t enjoy being cold. Since I was born and raised in the Texas sun, I am often freezing unless the weather is above 90ºF; therefore, I’ll bring at least five of the blankets that I’ve knitted over the years. I actually have a new cashmere yarn I’ve been wanting to try out—I can totally knit you one!
I also love a wide variety of music, from Debussy to Daft Punk to Destiny’s Child. I’m really fond of mariachi music since I used to dance ballet folklórico as a kid. My favorite classic is Adelita. I've been playing the piano for fourteen years and have been experimenting with the drums for a couple of months now. Living in the Live Music Capital of the World, you can’t help but pick up a few instruments. I’m happy to play any and all song requests!
See you soon! Claudia (247 words)
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Tips + Analysis:
Be authentic. The sample essay showcases the applicant's love for ice cream, their preference for warm weather, and their passion for music and instruments. This authenticity is key to standing out. When crafting your response, aim to share details that genuinely reflect your personality. They are actually trying to get a sense of who you are and what kind of roommate you’ll be. By revealing your true interests and characteristics, you create a more relatable and engaging narrative.
Be specific. The essay doesn't simply list hobbies. It dives deeper by offering personal anecdotes. The applicant mentions their favorite ice cream combinations, the number of blankets they've knitted, and their experience with mariachi music. These specific details create a vivid image of the applicant and their interests, making the response more memorable.
Be well-rounded. Notice how the sample essay covers a range of interests—food, weather, knitting, and music. Similarly, when choosing your top three things to share, aim for diversity. This allows you to present a well-rounded and multi-faceted image of yourself, demonstrating your ability to connect with others on various levels.
Here’s another example essay written for Stanford:
Hello!
My name is Pradyoth. You might be struggling to pronounce my name, but don’t worry. I’ve had quite a bit of experience with this. In fact, I even wanted to change my name because people would often butcher it even when I corrected them. However, after learning it’s meaning in my native language, Telugu, and its significance to my parents, my perception of my name changed. Instead of thinking of it as an impediment to getting along with others, I now use it as a reminder to keep a positive mindset.
I also enjoy solving complex problems. Currently, I am in a multivariable calculus class where I get to do what I feel I do best. I love setting up problems so I can identify patterns and determine the best method for solving them. Even if I don’t get the correct answer, I always learn a new approach to a problem, which is my favorite part.
Finally, I’m a big fan of Bay Area sports. Over the past decade, I have seen the highest of highs (like the Warriors’ NBA title in 2015) and the lowest of lows (like the 2016 49ers season). You’ll definitely see plenty of sadness from me when one of my teams loses. When you see me whip out my traditional Indian snacks, you’ll know my team suffered a loss and I’m eating my feelings. Feel free to try murukkus, which are my favorite!
Those are some things about me. So, what are you like? (250 words)
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Special thanks to Ameer for writing this blog post.
Ameer is a freelance writer who specializes in writing about college admissions and career development. Prior to freelancing, Ameer worked for three years as a college admissions consultant at a Hong Kong-based education center, helping local high school students prepare and apply for top colleges and universities in the US. He has a B.A. in Latin American Studies from the University of Chicago and an M.A. in Spanish Linguistics from UCLA. When he’s not working, Ameer loves traveling, weight lifting, writing, reading, and learning foreign languages. He currently lives in Bangkok, Thailand.
Top values: Growth / Diversity / Empathy
