First off, I’m posting this here rather than in the essays subforum because this essay, I’ll be putting for my Harvard writing supplement.
My question is, does the essay have to be a story? I’ve read only story essays from accepted students until now. I want to write about satisfaction and what it means to me, but I don’t have a story I can use to corroborate my experience to.
You don’t need a story in your essay. Not sure what you are looking at as a resource but many if not most essays do not have a story. However, there should be a personal element to it.
“Satisfaction” is pretty vague but assuming your meaning will be clearer in the essay.
I was going to write about what satisfaction means to me, how I thought it would affect me but how I’ve found it to actually be
Your essay should make Harvard think you’d be someone you’d like to have in the classroom and in your dorm. Ideally you convey both intellectual vitality and being an interesting fun person to be around. Your topic sounds on the surface very boring, but of course it’s all in how you handle it. Personal examples (story) are usually the easiest, but not the only approach. The Rolling Stones did a great song on the subject. 