"Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences" question

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>For the "Briefly elaborate on one of your extracurricular activities or work experiences" short answer question, should we just describe our extra-curricular activity (what it is/accomplishments in it) or should we describe the impact the activity it has on us?</p>

2

<p>Unless your activity is something extra ordinary, which the Admissions staff has NEVER encountered before, it would be a waste of 150 words to just describe your activity and the awards you have received doing it – that’s just boring. The better, more appropriate, essay would be to write about it’s impact on you and what you discovered about yourself by doing it.</p>

<p>As my daughter is graduating from Harvard, I’ll post her essay about an extra curricular activity to give you an idea of what worked for one student. Keep in mind, that Admissions has already seen this essay, so it wouldn’t be a good idea to steal any part of it.</p>

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3

<p>@gibby that’s what I thought… I wish I could do both but there is a word limit of 150 words. thanks for the example!! and congrats to your daughter!!!</p>

4

<p>@gibby,</p>

<p>My sons and I all went to an all-boys Catholic high school. No cheerleaders. Reading the excerpt from your daughter’s essay gave me a chuckle, as I tried to imagine cheerleaders walking down the hallway of my old high school. She’d have probably gotten even stranger looks at our school than hers. ;-)</p>