OK, I know of course essays will matter to some extent for Harvard just like for every other top school and that the CDS says “Considered.” What I’m really wondering is whether anyone has personal or secondhand experience of an application essay making a difference in an admissions decision (a positive difference, hopefully) or has heard from Harvard admissions about how much essays matter in general or about a specific essay.
Harvard has never given me the impression that they cared much about the essay, unlike other top schools (Stanford, UChicago, Columbia, etc.) so I’m curious about whether they value essays less than other schools or if I’m wrong about this.
As I’ve said many times, the plural of anecdote is not data. That said, shortly after my acceptance, I received a hand-written note from the AO saying how much the committee enjoyed by essays. There was no mention anywhere in the note of any test scores, grades, etc.
IMO, with 40K applications for 1660 spots, there has to be some differentiator somewhere. Maybe it’s the essays; maybe not. None of us will ever know for sure.
They clearly don’t admit people by GPA. They clearly don’t admit people by test scores. Both GPA and test scores are important in some sense, and both have to be good. But I have looked at any number of Naviance scatterplots for students at this or that school applying to Harvard, and it’s abundantly clear that above a certain level differences in GPA and test scores aren’t making a difference.
They clearly don’t admit people by counting how many AP courses they’ve taken. They clearly don’t admit people by counting the ECs they list.
Class rank is like GPA or test scores. It’s pretty clearly good to have a high class rank, but it’s not clear at all that #1 vs. #2 or #3 makes any difference.
So what’s left as a differentiator? Not very much, and essays and recommendations have to represent a big chunk of what makes a difference.
It isn’t just the big essay, it’s all the writing, which forms a self presentation, shows your thinking and understanding. And even what ECs and how you present those, too. Of course, you need the academic strengths. Kids tend to see the competition as only for an admit. But once there, the bar is high. The world’s greatest essay can’t swing you in.
I keep noting, the CDS is not policed or standardized. “Considered” doesn’t make a category less important than another. In holistic, for a most competitive college, every bit matters.
It would help you to know what an essay should show. Be the sort who tries to figure that out. But it can’t work magic on an otherwise lackluster app.
Same thing from Stanford. Most everyone who got into Stanford REA received hand written note from the admission officer. But I bet my kid’s admission officer was probably among the few who received a hand written note back from an accepted kid thanking him for his consideration.
Agree that the application in its entirety has to make some sort of strong impression. We took an approach that tried to come across as a likable and appreciative person rather than an impressive person. Also, tried to show that he tried to apply what he learned from books such as Albert Camus books with specific example. In this regard, strong hook sentences he learned to write in newspaper articles served him well.
The relative importance of the essay might vary with what else is in the application, including talents or interests that might contribute to the campus as a whole.
I think many essays are neutral in effect. Some may have a negative effect and some may have a positive one, but most will be relatively neutral and, like stats, sort of meet a benchmark but aren’t a deciding factor. Just my view and not supported by “data”
I have read that colleges know how heavily coached essays are and that has affected their relative weight in admissions but cannot cite.
