Hi,
What does the Harvard “What We Look For” section mean by asking the question “are you a late bloomer?” in the character and personality section? Do they mean “did your idiosyncrasies mature slower than those of your classmates?” If so, what motive could they possibly have for this being a question in their minds as they read an application?
Thanks.
I’d imagine they want to allow the student who didn’t possess the perfect resume/transcript since 3rd grade – but truly later blooms to become a unique scholar and possesses profound inquisitive mind to tell her story rather than be discouraged they had a few more Bs as a freshman than some of her peer applicants.
I woudn’t infer anything about “idiosyncrasies” into that question.
“what motive could they possibly have”
Understanding you in the context of your life and your experiences. That’s the point of the entire application process.
yes, but most of the other questions seem pretty clear-cut. they want to know if you can keep up with the academic rigor. they want to know if you are involved in real extracurriculars. I’m just not sure how being a late bloomer factors into that. the other poster seems to imply that they mean if you are a late bloomer academically, but it was in the character and personality section.
Looking over [the questions](What We Look For | Harvard) I’d guess, as other have suggested here, that Harvard wants to put your extracurricular time into the context of your life.
If a student’s social and/or extracurricular profile looks a bit thin in ninth grade, but grows as she gets older, that doesn’t have to mean an automatic rejection. Some students start slow because they are playing Xbox 24/7. So maybe they don’t get a pass on that. Other students start slow because they are unusually shy and take a year or two to work their way past that.
Harvard wants to distinguish between these two kinds of applicants. Or so I assume.