<p>I plan to apply to Harvard EA this fall and I was looking over the Harvard supplement this morning. Apparently you can submit an additional, optional essay using any topic.</p>
<p>For this additional essay, would it be okay to submit a "Why Harvard?" essay? I feel like I can write a compelling essay that shows why I really want to attend Harvard.</p>
<p>I appreciate any advice :)</p>
<p>Harvard doesn’t ask “Why Harvard” because they really do not care why you want to attend their school – your desire, however compelling, will have absolutely no bearings whatsoever on their decision. They assume all 35,000 applicants want to attend, so I would not recommend writing an essay on that topic. Many students every year are accepted without an additional essay, but if you feel the need to submit one, you would probably be better off following Harvard’s advice: <a href=“http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/forms/supplement_1112.pdf[/url]”>http://www.admissions.college.harvard.edu/apply/forms/supplement_1112.pdf</a></p>
<p>Occasionally, students feel that college application forms do not provide sufficient opportunity to convey important information about themselves or their accomplishments. If you wish to include an additional essay, you may do so.
Possible Topics:
• Unusual circumstances in your life
• Travel or living experiences in other countries
• Books that have most affected you
• An academic experience (course, project, paper or research topic) that has meant the most to you
• A list of books you have read during the past twelve months</p>
<p>I thought you were joking about the last bullet point.</p>
<p>Interesting.</p>
<p>^^ No, I wasn’t joking; that last bullet point is directly from Harvard’s supplement. You’d be surprised how much you can learn about someone just from reading a list of books they have read!</p>
<p>When you submit a supplement like this do they want you to an essay on all of the possible topics, a few of them or just submit one like the “an” implies? Also- how long are you thinking of making it?</p>
<p>I’m not an admissions officer for Harvard, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Why write an optional essay on “Why Harvard?” Everyone applying to Harvard (hopefully) is applying because they want to attend for one reason or another. I wouldn’t want to write about a suggested prompt, especially if they gave me the liberty of choosing what to write about.</p>
<p>Try finding something enjoyable to write about. Something that’s uniquely you, because out of a pool of thousands and thousands of applicants, that is what will stand out.</p>
<p>As everyone else stated, DON’T write a “Why Harvard” essay. This supplemental (and optional) essay is your last chance to add personality to your application. You should write about something that reveals something about yourself that may not be mentioned somewhere else in your application. Take this essay as an opportunity to make yourself stand out amongst the other applicants.</p>
<p>Good Luck!</p>
<p>If you really have a deep passion for Folk and Myth, a major that I think is offered only at Harvard, it might be okay to write a “why Harvard” on that. Almost any other list of reasons could probably be sent to Yale with the names subbed out, so otherwise, don’t.</p>
<p>And, really, if you wrote a great common app essay, you should think long and hard about writing a supplemental essay, because unless you match what you did on the common app or highlight a truly unique aspect of your personality you’re just going to detract from your overall case. The takeaway from Harvard’s own advice about the optional essay is that more is only occasionally better and you should take that advice seriously.</p>
<p>Does Harvard really rejects applicants with a score of 2400 on their SAT? I wonder why would they reject such applicants?</p>
<p>^^ Because it’s not a meritocracy. You need to do some research on selective college admissions: [selective</a> college admissions - Google Search](<a href=“selective college admissions - Google Search”>selective college admissions - Google Search)</p>
<p>^^ Again with taking over someone else’s thread. Not cool!</p>
<p>^^ I have reported you to the College Confidential moderators for continually trying to take over other people’s threads. PLEASE STOP IT!</p>
<p>Gibby, you need to relax. These threads are for the students, not the parents, and the poster raised a legitimate question.</p>
<p>@claude: I was not objecting to the OP’s comments or any comments on this thread that you see. I was objecting to a newbie poster that had posted their chance thread on 20 different threads, including this one. The moderator removed the posting of the person I was objecting to (not the OP), but left my comments in place to the newbie. Make sense?</p>
<p>So basically, write on the topic that will expose something unique about you. If ‘Why Harvard?’ does it for you then go for it.</p>
<p>Yes, students should write on a topic that will expose something unique about themselves – something that admissions directors could not glean from reading the rest of their application.</p>
<p>But . . .no, students should NOT write a “Why Harvard” essay! You must have missed post #8 from exultationsy:</p>
<p>“If you really have a deep passion for Folk and Myth, a major that I think is offered only at Harvard, it might be okay to write a “why Harvard” on that. Almost any other list of reasons could probably be sent to Yale with the names subbed out, so otherwise, don’t.”</p>
<p>Not really. I’m still bemused by the fact that a parent would feel the need to be a content-enforcer on a student website. If the students find the newbie’s post inappropriate I’m confident they’re capable of dealing with it.</p>
<p>Bemuse away – but all the of College Confidential moderators and super moderators that I’m aware of are adults. In other words, the site is run for the benefit of students by not actually by students!</p>
<p>^^ You may also wish to read: [College</a> Confidential Background - College Confidential](<a href=“http://www.collegeconfidential.com/about.htm]College”>http://www.collegeconfidential.com/about.htm)</p>
<p>"College Confidential was founded to demystify many aspects of the college admissions process, and to help even first-timer students and parents understand the process like old pros. At College Confidential, we have assembled an editorial team to bring our visitors the best college admissions content on the Web. These contributors include Dave Berry, an experienced independent college admissions counselor; Sally Rubenstone, a former Smith College admissions counselor, admissions writer, and teacher; and, for “from the trenches” perspective, Roger Dooley, a parent who has participated in his own children’s admissions process and is active in high school academics. Dave coauthored America’s Elite Colleges: The Smart Buyer’s Guide to the Ivy League and Other Top Schools, published by Random House-Princeton Review in August 2001. Sally is the coauthor of The Panicked Parents Guide to College Admissions; The Transfer Student’s Guide to Changing Colleges; and The International Student’s Guide to Going to College in America.</p>
<p>In 2008, College Confidential became part of Hobsons, a leading firm in the higher education area. Roger Dooley now serves as Vice President of Online Community Development, and both Dave Berry and Sally Rubenstone serve as senior advisors."</p>