<p>I'm currently trying to apply to Harvard and I want to write a story about my past. </p>
<p>My situation:
- I'm an Asian male.
- I was arrested and suspended in middle school and freshman year. My grades were disastrous and I was an addict (weed, cocaine, alcohol, etc.) mainly because I was bored and my parents didn't care.
- I meet my current girlfriend (also my reason for applying to Harvard) who changed me; studying, I found out, wasn't so bad after all.
- I shaped up and abstained from drugs and liquor.
- I can hold my own credential-wise compared to applicants from the decision threads.
- My GPA is currently a 3.2, but my freshman GPA is a 0.8.</p>
<p>I read that it isn't a good idea to write about illegal activities, but I feel that its a part of me, so my questions are: </p>
<p>1) Is it a good idea to write an essay about my arrest, suspensions, and past addiction?
2) If so, should I include the part about my girlfriend?
3) If not, how should I explain my 3.2 GPA?
4) Will my history exclude me from even being considered by the admissions office?</p>
<p>Yes/no answers are fine but if someone could elaborate, that would be even better!</p>
<p>You don’t <em>have</em> to write this to explain your grades. It sounds like freshman year was the bad one, and any silly excuse can explain bad grades in 9th grade.</p>
<p>But you could pull this off. It seems like a big part of you, and it takes a lot of determination to succeed as you did. That’s the heart of your essay, by the way. You were in a bad place, but you recognized the problem and pulled yourself out of it.</p>
<p>Suggestions.</p>
<p>Do not say your girlfriend is why you want to go to Harvard.</p>
<p>Your girlfriend might have inspired you, but not as much as life itself. The essay has to be about you making the right choice for the right reasons.</p>
<p>The real problem was substance abuse and how it affected your education. Put your emphasis there. Arrests and suspensions were much smaller consequences. Mention them (or not) but don’t make them the big thing.</p>
<p>However I was never convicted for substance abuse or had any treatment for it either. On the other hand, the suspensions and arrest were both recorded. </p>
<p>I was thinking about focusing on my general lifestyle before and after my change. Do you think that would have the same impact as and essay about my addiction? I’m not too eager to focus on my addiction, as I was never actually arrested for drug possession. I feel that writing solely about it would be too self-incriminating. </p>
<p>Thanks again for your time and I really do value your opinions, its just that I would like to hear your thoughts on mine.</p>
<p>If you can write about how you overcame them, then it would be a very strong essay. Don’t just focus on your general lifestyle before and after. That’s like a before and after picture without a background story. Make sure that your focus is how your past changed you. That’s the true heart of it. If you would allow me, could I read it and critique it for you when you’re done? I understand what it’s like to come out of a dark place, not from drugs, arrests, or alcohol though. </p>
<p>I can’t say if your past will exclude you from admission. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see! Good luck! :)</p>
<p>goto about little past halfway. They do an example of a too much information prompt with illegal drug usage. The persons story about drug usage was far worse than yours and they said it was too much information.</p>
<p>Basically like SushiCat said, you have to really focus on how you overcame that stuff and how you are a different person now. </p>
<p>With that said I don’t think you have a chance for Harvard. They usually want people that have accomplished important stuff or helped the world. Your drug usage is basically a self-inflicted wound. So unless you founded an organization that helps other people overcome drug-usage I don’t think you have much of a shot.</p>
<p>“mainly because I was bored and my parents didn’t care.”</p>
<p>Please, no. Just no.
You seem to lack the maturity required to write an essay about how you overcame your addiction. Moreover, as one poster already said, what you did is a self-inflicted wound. Don’t hold anyone else responsible for your problems. </p>
<p>Also, never mention boredom as an excuse for destroying yourself. This only shows that at one point in your life, you had no weapons to fight boredom i.e. you had no passions. Furthermore, your post says nothing about your current passions, you only talk about how your girlfriend inspired you. This makes me ask a question: If your relationships ever breaks up, will you return to drugs? Keep in mind that you don’t go there for your romantic potential, but for your academic potential. What is your academic potential?</p>
<p>As is stands now, this essay idea will not only make you get rejected, but it’ll also get the admission people utterly disgusted. My advice is: If there is really a hidden, deeper reason why you became a drug addict(like your family died or a hurricane destroyed your home and you ended in abysmal poverty), you can write about it. But if you think you were an addict only because your parents didn’t care, well, Harvard doesn’t care and you have absolutely no chance with such an essay.</p>
<p>I’m not trying to defend myself in the following paragraphs, but just wonder if the following clarifications would make a difference on what you guys would think:</p>
<p>(1) “mainly because I was bored and my parents didn’t care.”
Wow! I do sound really snobbish in this sentence. I was thinking more along the lines of because they did not care, I can become the person I am today – someone who is self-motivated without the need for tiger parents. I’m thankful that they did not care, and in no way am I blaming them for doing so. I recognize that all I did was because I wanted to and no one made me do so.</p>
<p>(2) “If your relationships ever breaks up, will you return to drugs?”
Although my girlfriend introduced me to ways to take my mind of drugs, I picked studying on my own accord. Of course it was her doing that gave me the initial push, but afterwards (with encouragement, of course), it was mainly my will. I can say for sure that if that were to happen, I would not retract to my old ways.</p>
<p>(3) “Keep in mind that you don’t go there for your romantic potential, but for your academic potential”
Thanks! I guess I really do have to think about that. In all honesty, I’m not sure about the academic potential part. My reason for applying to Harvard is about 80% romantic, as I feel that I could get an equivalent education at UofM for cheaper.</p>
<p>(4) “If there is really a hidden, deeper reason why you became a drug addict”
No. It was purely a selfish decision on my part. Mainly it was because of peer pressure and my own bad judgement.</p>
<p>(5) “So unless you founded an organization that helps other people overcome drug-usage I don’t think you have much of a shot.”
Noted. I haven’t done anything like that but I have sponsored math programs before, if that makes a difference.</p>
<p>(6) " If you would allow me, could I read it and critique it for you when you’re done?"
Of course! It would be really helpful, thanks.</p>