I’ve been watching alot of videos and reading articles of Harvard alumni and how they got accepted. Alot of them are saying that you have to be unique and different from other applicants and I understand that. But what do you do to be different? Does starting a charity make you different? But I mean so many applicants are doing that now isn’t it pretty common? I also don’t want to just start a charity to just get into Harvard, I think that’s wrong.
These days, being different might simply be to recognize your passion, develop/show it through leadership in some ECs (and success in related competitions), and clearly convey to Harvard how your passion can benefit the university.
Know thy self; be thy self. Do not long suffer activities that do not hold your true interest – trying things is fine, but if it’s not something you really enjoy, don’t keep doing it just to add another EC. Rather, focus on your true loves.
I don’t think you have to discover a new kind of quark, unearth a lost tribe or start a six-figure non-profit. What you can do is try to bring what you love to others.
Learn/master, involve others, teach and enable.
I think the secret is to just get over it. Just be yourself as well as you can, pursue your passions, work hard, and then apply to a range of schools and see what happens. The vast, vast, vast majority of people who fantasize and obsess over Harvard are rejected. And the thing is, it’s not even the best possible education for everyone. For some it’s great. Many who go would have been better off at an elite liberal arts college. Others still would be better at a “lower ranked” peer or other Ivy. Others still would be better off going to a state school that happens to have a better program in their field of interest than Harvard does.
Harvard is a brand name, and for good reason. Its alumni go on to do extraordinary things. But those alumni would have gone on to do those same things with or without Harvard in 99% of cases. Don’t search for brand names. Search for fit. Search for location. Search for program strength. Search for student satisfaction. Search for financial viability. There is no secret to college admissions any more. 10 years ago, maybe, but now the secrets only apply to URMs and amazing athletes, and maybe donors who have their family name on buildings on campus. Get over the Ivies. They are excellent schools, but far from the only excellent schools, and far from the most excellent schools for everyone on earth.
If you have to ask, then you don’t have it.
Schools with crazy achieving applicant pools like H have bundles of top tier applicants – who were already on a trajectory for amazing accomplishments, with or without Harvard. They’re not watching videos or looking for tips on being excellent – they’re simply out there being excellent.
This is not a characteristic one can just adopt like slipping on a jacket, in my 25+ years of recruiting for a Havard peer college.
You already understand T26E4’s point since you don’t want to “start a charity to just get into Harvard” and think it’s wrong. It is not worth it to twist yourself like a pretzel to try to be a person who can get into Harvard. Those who do that, and do get in, often suffer depression. Because once in, you have to actually go there! The point of college admissions really isn’t about getting in, it’s about being there and what that will be like. So choose wisely.
Go ahead and apply but don’t do anything “just to get into Harvard.” Check out other schools. I like the Colleges that Change Lives schools (see website and book by Loren Pope who also wrote “Looking Beyond the Ivy League.” And others like those. And, as stated above, sometimes a state u. or college is a good choice for many reasons.
Often those who are looking at Harvard just need to know more about other options.
Good luck!