Initially I wasn’t going to submit an optional essay but started writing a random essay anyway. It turned out to be an okay one, and I think this 790ish-word essay is a decent reflection of my character. I wouldn’t say the topic of the essay is unusual, but I think it’d be fair to say that my approach to the topic isn’t very common. Does Harvard have a known preference for a shorter optional essay? For a casual, more lighthearted piece written on a unique topic?
Harvard WILL READ whatever you send them, but IMHO every student’s essay could use a good editor, as most essays have way too much introduction. In fact, an essay is sometimes MORE powerful when a student deletes the first (and sometimes second) paragraph of their essay and just jumps right in.
