the concept of 'luck' in Harvard admissions

Colleges and Universities A-Z Harvard University
1

<p>My freshman year proctor was an admissions officer for Harvard and her biggest pet peeve was when people used to say that getting into Harvard was a total crapshoot for even the best of students. True, luck plays a small factor, but not in the way most people complain about it. </p>

<p>Most people say that since there are so many bright, intelligent, talented kids applying to Harvard, then it must just be luck of the draw as to who gets in. They see some kids getting rejected in favor of other kids who had lesser test scores, 'less worthwhile ECs,' etc. </p>

<p>In reality, Harvard applications (and college apps in general) are based almost entirely on how well you SELL yourself in the application. As it currently stands, the vast majority of applicants take the essay prompts at face value and respond with isolated prose that lacks relevance to Harvard (the reason you're writing the essay, after all). The Harvard admissions office, however, is not just committed to taking the best young individuals in the country into their class, they also want to make sure that they take the best people for Harvard (ie, those who will fit in the best). They want to know that your son/daughter will not only thrive at Harvard, but will contribute to the Harvard community, will continue to excel in whatever they pursue while at Harvard, and most importantly, will be HAPPY at Harvard.</p>

<p>Along those lines, the key theme in every successful application to Harvard is that they not only wrote how they were different/distinguished from their peers, but also wrote about how that was APPLICABLE to Harvard and maybe even included some of their future plans for how they were going to continue their high-school tradition of excellence in activity X while at Harvard. Getting here is not the finish line, it's not a 'phew, now I can relax and do what I enjoy,' it truly is a chance to take it to a higher level. </p>

<p>Self-important essays about how great you have been in a given activity are automatic rejects (with a few exceptions, ie curing cancer, authoring a best-selling novel, etc). Admissions officers aren't just going to assume that the activity was worthwhile. They want to know why you do it (and the correct answer always includes the phrase 'because I love it') and more importantly why it matters to Harvard. </p>

<p>They're not just taking a group of random special kids and hoping the Harvard community grows out of it, so make it easy on them. Explain
1) what you bring to the table and your motivation for doing so
2) why that matters
3) why you are more perfect for the slot than anyone else</p>

<p>If everyone approached it this way, then admissions truly would become a crapshoot (or become judged on a different set of criteria) because everyone would look like they belonged at Harvard. As it is, however, the applicants that sell themselves directly as future Harvard students get in (assuming they have the stats to back themselves up). Everyone else leaves the admissions officers guessing as to how they ould be as actual Harvard students, meaning the real aspect of luck in the process currently is whether or not these types of applicants get readers who are willing to make the imaginative leap to picture these kids at Harvard in a positive light.</p>

2

<p>A few quick notes
1) This all assumes that the applicants have the stats to back themselves up in the first place; no essay can raise the dead
2) This requires much more work than the average applicant is willing to go through because you have to sell yourself to EVERY college you apply to, meaning different iterations of the essay for every school (and not just replacing the name University X with the name University Y)
3) Sorry for the really long post, this has been bugging me for a while and all the ad-officers grips about it all the time</p>

3

<p>This is an interesting perspective that I hope will be helpful to this year's applicants to Harvard and to other colleges. I guess I supposed it was a "no-brainer" to make a case in an application that you fit well at a particular college (this is certainly commonly given advice in many sources of information about the college admission process), but, indeed, there are a lot of young people posting here on CC who seem to think that if they are highly accomplished high school students, they've made all the case that they can make that they should be admitted to their favorite college. </p>

<p>Something to think about, for sure. Good luck to this year's applicants.</p>

4

<p>I agree that every kid is accepted for some reason - it just looks like luck from the outside since none of us see what went into each individual decision. My son sent the exact same essay to every college which ended pretty much so that's why I want to go to college X. He made it clear what he brought to the table "I'm a computer geek", but not at all why that matters or that he was better than everyone else, (I'm sure he's not), but he's pretty good. I think what was clear is that he was self motivated in this area and taught himself material that was far beyond any curriculum taught in school.</p>

5

<p>This way a very helpful post, but do you think it applies to transfer students such as myself?</p>

6

<p>Great post - I fully agree. And it's also about how you frame/who you choose for your recs. The application needs to be personal and relevant, not just a random pile of stats.</p>

7

<p>Thanks H-Bomber. Very insightful post. It's nice to have your credibility speaking on the issue.</p>

8

<p>A brilliant post, H-bomber! It has debunked a lot of myths around getting admitted to Harvard. Certainly there is an element of luck in everything. I've seen many ppl applying to Harvard with a life-or-death attitude. On the other hand, many other applicants would be like "hey, it's Harvard, I'm not gonna get in anw. But just give it a go..." If you don't truly believe that you deserve it, you don't deserve it!</p>

<p>Thank you, H-bomber!</p>

9

<p>I very much agree with that. You really don't deserve it if you don't want it. That would just be taking up the spot of someone else who worked harder for it and didnt get in...and that's probably the worst fate in life....aside from like....death.</p>

10

<p>Terrific post. I favorited this thread =]</p>

11

<p>thanks for the feedback guys!</p>

12

<p>Good point about tailoring the essay to Harvard's attributes, but here's a problem. On the Common App, after you submit the app once to one university, the Common App locks up so that you can't change anything, including the 500-word essay. I realize there is a Harvard supplement, but that can't compare to the meat of the application (the essay). And obviously, a student can't mention Harvard in his/her essay if he/she plans on sending it to other schools using the Common App.</p>

13

<p>I've heard tell that the Common Application people are about to change that, so that students will be able to adapt their Common Application essays for each college. But h-bomber's main point is well taken even if you only write one set of college application essays for all colleges to which you apply: you still have to mention, not what a great high school student you were, but what a great member of a college community you will be. There is a difference.</p>

14

<p>I don't understand how you're suppose to aim it at Harvard.</p>

<p>Am I suppose to name drop/make reference to the Harvard culture or buildings or professors in my essay?</p>

15

<p>You don't have to aim it at Harvard. Really. Your application should get crafted to give as good a picture of yourself as you can. Then it's up to Harvard to decide if you are a good fit or not. Harvard is looking for a mix of kids, so there is no one right picture. They want some leaders, they want some top notch academics, they want some computer geeks, they want some legacies, they want some development cases, and they may even want some "happy C's" (though I think the latter is less true than it used to be.)</p>

16

<p>I think it's misleading to claim that "the applicants that sell themselves directly as future Harvard students get in." Sure, an application that makes a clear match between the student and school is vital. That doesn't mean there aren't factors beyond applicants' control. Mini put it best, I think. </p>

<p>


</p>

<p>Harvard may need several astronomy majors and oboe players one year but none the next. It's not the applicants' fault they perceive admissions as being random! They can write the best essays in the world, but that isn't always enough.</p>

17

<p>Okay, HBomber has got me thinking...</p>

<p>Hypothetically speaking, suppose an applicant is a fifth generation legacy at Harvard (but nobody's ever endowed a chair or anything). And suppose the first generation guy was a rather admirable officer in the Civil War who left behind an as-yet-unpublished journal of his experiences and subsequently made a notable contribution in his field. And suppose the second through fourth generation guys also made notable contributions in their respective fields--not famous, but highly respected. And suppose the living alum is very active in the alumni association. Now, if the applicant applies indicating a desire to major in history and publish the journal and is otherwise barely (?) qualified (Let's say 3.2 GPA, 2200 SATs and strong ECs), do you think he has a chance?</p>

18

<p>What are some unique Harvard traits that officers want to see? I can think of,</p>

<ul>
<li>Resilience</li>
<li>Passion&Dedication</li>
<li>Creativity</li>
</ul>

<p>But aren't those ubiquitous to most prestigious colleges?</p>

19

<p>Ambition and toughness.</p>

20

<p>For whatever it may be worth (and as the parent of a current Harvard student), I tend to agree with mathmom. Harvard students - like students at most other places - come in all types. And anyone who goes into the admissions process thinking (a) there is some particular "Harvard type," and (b) my overriding aim in the application is to convince the reader how perfectly I fit that type is likely to wind up with an application that just comes off sounding contrived and inauthentic. Do you really want to sound like a salesman?</p>

<p>And you know what? At the risk of sounding like some sort of heretic, the truth of the matter is this: At the end of the day, it doesn't really matter whether or not you're admitted to Harvard. It really doesn't.</p>