Harvard asks for one supplemental essay at the end of their application, and it seems for the most part required. They ask that students write an essay focusing on something either of their own choice, or from a list of prompts. There is one prompt that stands out to me that I would like to write on:
“What you would want your future college roommate to know about you.”
However, here are some of the other essay topics:
“How you hope to use your
college education”
“Travel, living, or working experiences in your own or other communities”
The Harvard College Honor code declares that we “hold honesty as the foundation of our community.” As you consider entering this community that is committed to honesty, please reflect on a time when you or someone you observed had to make a choice about whether to act with integrity and honesty. “
I think it goes without question that to roommate prompt is much more naturally a ‘show us you are creative’ prompt while the other essay topics encourage a much more serious attitude. I want to ask: what would be the benefit of choosing the roommate prompt? Surely, it is a chance to have some fun and show colleges a bit about you; but the other prompts also allow you to do that albeit in a very different way, while also allowing you to address other questions/things about you that wouldn’t naturally fit in to the roommate essay.
Are there any Harvard students who wrote the roommate essay and got in? Did you take a more playful/creative approach or something more analytic?
What would you guys say are the reasons to pursue the roommate essay over others? I really want to write that one, but that’s just because I want to have a little fun in my application—so far, my whole application has talked about me investing myself in my special interest, the things I’ve learned from my activities/ECs, and how I’ve learned from people/matured in how I see people. I have a roommate at my high school and think this prompt resonates with me because I know what it’s like to have a roommate—but does that really matter? Would it be worth choosing this prompt to add a little creativity and fun in my essay, while I could be sacrificing some more introspection/deeper look at parts of me?