I agree that it is easier with the common app, it is also harder because everyone got the notes, unless you live in a cave. There are lectures on udemy on how to write your essay, to plan your extracurriculars. What have you done for your community? bullet point. Your essay must be anecdotal, about your growth. Don’t go dark. You can find so much out there. Who needs to pay the $100K for a consultant when they give so much away for free. Unless you want them to place your kid with one of their professors to get your kid’s name on a research paper. And a dozen years ago, people were putting their kids in fencing, that was a good hook, then rowing, now sailing. I would think so many of these applicants look the same. How does the president of the student council with a 4.0 compete if they don’t have everything else? A woman, class of 2019, who did a lecture series I attended, said that she wrote over 100 emails to professors, while in high school, before she got one response where the person would let her work on their research team. How many kids in that 10,000 application pool did that? That stands out.
It’s unclear to me if the following would be an unpopular sentiment on this board or in this thread, and I apologize in advance if any of what I am about to say seems invalidating (particularly since it is never clear who is a parent and who is a student, and who is American and who is foreign and has alternative experiences with educational systems that are very hierarchical) American higher education has a lot of problems, but one of its glories is relatively widespread accessibility. Only a small fraction of schools are highly selective. Over half of our colleges and universities admit the majority of their applicants.
Orienting one’s high school years to attempt gaming selective college admissions seems like a great way to be miserable, and potentially misguided. To choose a sport, play an instrument, engage in an extracurricular, all for their perceived value in admissions rather than enjoyment and fulfillment seems like an approach that is has a significant chance of misfiring.
A high school student who emails 100 professors for a research mentorship might signify grit and determination. But, it could also easily signify an uninteresting research focus and an annoying degree of compulsiveness and resume bullet mining. As for a president of a student council with a 4.0, he/she/they will be admitted to an excellent institution where if they continue applying themselves they will have a great college experience. That institution might not be Harvard, Yale or Princeton…but, so what?
Before the big ramp up in financial aid generosity among the selective schools, there was a study comparing outcomes for Harvard cross-admits who declined Harvard and chose their state flagship schools (the incentive to do this for those requiring financial aid is much less these days, so perhaps fewer today decline Harvard.) The post-graduation outcomes for these cross-admits who declined Harvard were indistinguishable from those who ended up attending Harvard.
Certainly, there are unique experiences to be had at Harvard. And if you care about it, attending Harvard gives you a degree of a certain type of social capital, for good or ill is hard to say. Overall, however, if you are a plausible candidate for Harvard but are not admitted, you will do fine elsewhere. Try not to pin your sense of well being around that specific admissions decision.
And good luck to anyone in this thread who is awaiting the results of this year’s REA round.
I think that is why if you choose the “Why Harvard” writing supplement, and explain why you want Harvard in a compelling case, you have a high degree of acceptance, all else being somewhat equal. I have no idea how one makes a case for pre med or pre law or even comp sci.
There intentionally is no “Why Harvard” supplement and applicants should avoid turning a prompt of choice into “why Harvard.”
I think there was. Why do you want to go to Harvard or something.
It was a choice of several topics.
I know there is not. Harvard is great for many things. Modesty is not one of those traits. Their attitude is “Of course you want to go to Harvard, and we have no interest in why you do.”
Excellent post and very well-put. I found the reference to hierarchical education systems elsewhere in the world interesting, since the hyperfocus on Ivies and a few other “top schools” would seem to indicate a hierarchical perception in the US as well. I think that as more and more people go to college, the degree itself becomes less meaningful and people focus on where it was acquired.
I hope everyone reads this posted above by @tamenund :
Orienting one’s high school years to attempt gaming selective college admissions seems like a great way to be miserable, and potentially misguided. To choose a sport, play an instrument, engage in an extracurricular, all for their perceived value in admissions rather than enjoyment and fulfillment seems like an approach that is has a significant chance of misfiring.
But most parents start out with children doing all. Playing violin or piano, playing soccer, gymnastics, ballet, hockey etc. Learning French or Chinese or Spanish. I figure you do all kinds of things before high school and then you narrow it down to what you like and learn discipline, commitment, finding opportunities to excel. We were told to give my kid piano lessons at 3. We lived in NYC. We resisted, then we were pushed again when we had her in a group piano class for preschoolers. At 4 we relented, bought a piano. Because we figured she had this talent. And she did, and perfect pitch. But at 8 it was clear she did not love it. Though she would compose sometimes and she would get into it. And I let it drift from the rigorous training they wanted her to have and then two years later, totally let it drop. My kid was great, really great at debate but did have the interest in worldly topics to go the track of national team level and quit. Same with DECA. Did not have the interest in economics. But found her way and knows 7 programming languages, teaches online. Runs a tech program, builds apps. I never would have figured that out from my background. And she applies it to her passion, which is unique. Helping a child on that kind of path is helpful for college applications. I don’t think it would have helped in any regard to push her in DECA so she could use it for college. Despite her great verbal skills. It doesn’t work that way. But the strategy of applying your interests in a way that packages you for your college app, is a totally different thing.
Not sure why you responded to me and why you responded with a “but.”
In my environment we don’t really push kids to do anything much when that young, but I realize some people do. The point made by @tamenund (just went back to edit to make really clear that quote came from that poster) was that it is better that kids try things because they want to, not because it helps with admissions.
It is normal for kids to try different interests out, but many kids don’t have anyone pushing them and some have too many or too much pushing. One just hopes that after whatever exposure happens, they end up doing activities “for the right reasons.”
It seems like we agree. I was just thanking @tamenund for a great post.
Editing to add that our kids did not “do it all,” because that costs a lot of money and takes a lot of time. I am a big believer in down time and play time for kids. When they did have an interest, we did everything we could, within our budget, to support that interest, but we had to see the interest first!
Unlike my child, I am not verbally strong. Hence, I started with a “but” for no good reason. I agree that kids need downtime. Sad that they cannot go run out and be with others and just show up for dinner time like when I was a child.
I wish the best of luck to everyone.
Changing topics slightly but I hope still of interest to actual or potential Harvard parents:
Harvard (and I think Yale but not Princeton?) decided to admit a full class on the last round, which meant a smaller class of '24 and a larger class of '25, creating a bit of a freshman housing shuffle this year.
This will not affect the class of '26 in their freshman year in and around the Yard. It will not affect them in their first year in a house as sophomores. In their junior year, however, when the class of '24 is graduated, the House system will have to accommodate a large class of '25 and (we hope!) normal classes of '26 and '27.
Whether parent or applicant, is this concerning or not?
I think no concern at all, because most if not all applicants want to get in Harvard so bad that such a small inconvenience three years down the road would not have registered on their radar. Plus, the College would not have admitted a normal size class if they thought housing 350 more kids among twelve residential houses would be a problem.
Wouldn’t it be the class of 2027 be the ones affected? Since they would be shifting into upperclass housing when 2024 leaves?
Overflow housing has been a way of life for several years as various houses were being renovated. I highly doubt any kid has ever not submitted an application to Harvard as a result. It’s generally the parents that complain about it. 
I think this did work for my kid. They wrote a supplemental essay in which they explained their intended major and intended career path, and what had drawn them to it. There was almost nothing in their high school experience that demonstrated exceptional interest and involvement in this field, although Harvard does have a leading department for this, and a specific major for this (but the reality is that virtually every school in the country also has these classes, just not assembled into this specific major). I think that it was in the “Do you have anything else we should know” section, but it was specific for Harvard. Produced the desired outcome.
This is helpful information and only comes up occasionally on CC. The common app has the additional info section, and some schools have yet another section that asks if there is anything else you want to tell us about yourself. These are great areas to write additional detail about one’s ECs and/or goals.
That is what my kid did also, why I was confused about “why Harvard” essay. She linked her desired area of study and why it was so beneficial to study at Harvard. And made the similar case in her interview.
Housing. Definitely an issue for the freshmen right now, as some have been put into overflow housing that consists of The Inn (which is fantastic - has A/C, common areas, nice big rooms, and long hallways that are conducive to socializing), or nearby 100 year old but renovated apartment complexes (socially awful, very isolating, but also offering kitchens and bathrooms in the apartments and more space than most rooms in The Yard). I would say that for those who are in the apartment buildings, it has most definitely adversely affected their development of social connections, and that is a very big deal. On the other hand, they are not dealing with rats and roaches, which many in The Yard are.
Frankly, the food at Harvard is awful, much of the housing is absurdly below-standard and horribly overcrowded, such that it would absolutely fail a city/state housing inspection for overcrowding and vermin. The advising/registration process has been last-minute, leading to being shut out of second year level classes for those whose high school classes or testing led to them needing access to such. My kid’s only choice was to register for a class usually taken by third years, in order to get a class in their major their first semester, because by the time that the sluggishly slow advising process was over, the second year options were full. In terms of housing, food, and the advising/registration process, Harvard is most definitely resting on its laurels.
However, things happen there that don’t happen as much elsewhere. Pretty much anything the kid might take, leading academicians/researchers in that field are there. We’ve only gotten one semester’s view of how much that matters, so far, but obviously, there are more advantages to being at Harvard than just the name.
Current AY (freshman space is over-subscribed, total 3yr House space is under-subscribed except for those in renovation swing space)
- Class of '25 - Large class - In and around the Yard, and in overflow space
- Class of '24 - Small class - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '23 - Normal class - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '22 - Normal class - In their House (or renovation swing space)
Next AY: freshman space is normal, total 3yr House space is normal except for those in renovation swing space)
- Class of '26 - Normal - In and around the Yard
- Class of '25 - Large - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '24 - Small - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '23 - Normal - In their House (or renovation swing space)
Two academic years from now: freshman space is normal, total 3yr House space is normal except for those in renovation swing space)
- Class of '27 - Normal - In and around the Yard
- Class of '26 - Normal - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '25 - Large - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '24 - Small - In their House (or renovation swing space)
Three academic years from now, when the Class of '26 are juniors: freshman space is normal, total 3yr House space is oversubscribed because the small Class of '24 no longer offsets the large Class of '25; sophomores, juniors and seniors are overcrowded as a group)
- Class of '28 - Normal - In and around the Yard
- Class of '27 - Normal - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '26 - Normal - In their House (or renovation swing space)
- Class of '25 - Large - In their House (or renovation swing space)