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With a name and legacy recognized around the world, Harvard University is known as one of the most prestigious universities in the United States. A spot in Harvard’s student body is as sought-after as it is competitive, with an admissions rate of just 3.6% for the 2024 admissions cycle. Only the most memorable, compelling applicants are considered for admission. So, to have the best chance of getting accepted, students must make an impression on every section of their application, including their essays. To help students maximize their results, here is InGenius Prep’s guide on how to handle the 2024-2025 Harvard supplemental essays.

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Harvard Supplemental Essays 2024-2025: Required Short Answers

1. Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard? (Min: 10 / Max: 200)

This is one of the most open-ended prompts among the Harvard supplemental essays. There can be many different parts of your identity to choose from—your cultural background, your gender identity or sexual orientation, your socioeconomic class, or even an unusual activity that you participate in. Whether it’s learning languages or playing a little-known instrument, your essay should focus on one or two things that make you different so that you can dedicate more words to each of these qualities. 

Remember, don’t repeat anything you’ve already mentioned in your personal statement. Each component of your application is meant to add an extra layer to your profile. Tell Admissions Officers about an aspect(s) of your identity that you find valuable and can add to the diversity of the Harvard campus. Do you feel like you’re a part of a bigger community? How has your perspective been shaped by these components of yourself? Have you faced any challenges because of them?

2. Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience? (Min: 10 / Max: 200)

This is a new question for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle about critical thinking, communication, and a student’s intellectual curiosity. The objective here is not for students to describe a time when they won or lost an argument, but it’s about how students can expand their worldview and grow by connecting with others. 

Bruno, an InGenius Prep Former Admissions Officer from Harvard, shared this about Harvard’s new question, “The most important thing about an essay like this is that the student is capable of both thinking through and supporting an argument, through anecdotes/evidence, but more importantly, that a student is willing to change their mind and rethink previous notions. Students should show humility, the ability to rethink how they see the world, and actively look for spaces where they will be challenged. At the same time, they should not be afraid to express how they feel they may have had a positive effect/change on the other person they disagreed with. The point is not so much to figure out who is right and wrong, but how two people can help each other grow and view the world/ themselves differently.”

For this question, think about the skills Admissions Officers look for in students: leadership, industriousness, and community. Answer with an experience that demonstrates your ability to teach and your willingness to be taught by others. 

3. Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (Min: 10 / Max: 200)

This prompt is the perfect opportunity for you to explore how you’ve chosen to interact with different communities around you. Carefully think about whether you want to write about the “travel,” “living,” or “working” aspect. Or, you could have done all three during a study abroad experience that fits right into the theme as well. 

However, be very careful if you want to write about a community service experience or service trip abroad. This is an activity many students participate in, and will not reflect very uniquely on your part. In fact, it could actually end up seeming more like a display of your privilege if your essay solely talks about how you might have helped people in a third-world country. Instead, focus either on your own community or a work experience that might have been more humbling. If you had an experience that helped solidify your interest in a culture or selecting your college major, this could be a powerful angle to showcase.

Regardless of your topic, make sure you connect the experience back to yourself. How did the activity shape you? How has the event influenced your perspective? Are there lessons or values it taught you that you’ll carry with you throughout college?

Additionally, Harvard admissions want to know whether you’ve fully taken advantage of your extracurricular opportunities. They want to gauge how you might contribute to the Harvard community, so it would also be wise to choose an activity that you’re genuinely passionate about and can see yourself continuing after high school. Write about an activity that you haven’t mentioned in your personal statement, preferably one where you’ve demonstrated leadership and can highlight tangible achievements and quantitative progress. Express why the activity appeals to you, what it has taught you, or if it has inspired growth in you in some way. Since you don’t have a lot of space, make sure to use your words carefully and elaborate on how your commitments have shaped who you are today.

4. How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (Min: 10 / Max: 200)

This is another prompt where you can insert your knowledge of Harvard. Connect your answer to a certain major or course that can prepare you to take on greater challenges. Think about your academic passions, where you ideally see yourself in ten years, and how specific Harvard concentrations such as “Folklore and Mythology” or “Developmental and Regenerative Biology” can help you reach those levels. 

Clichéd answers to avoid would be issues that are widely talked about, such as finding the cure to cancer or ridding the world of poverty. While these are definitely worth the concern, you must think about issues on a more attainable scale that you hope to address in the near future. How can you use your Harvard education to make a significant impact? Your answer can be used to depict your dedication to your community, how you operate as a leader, and how you can take advantage of the resources and facilities of the prestigious Cambridge institution.

Remember, this question strictly asks about how you plan on using your Harvard education, so keep your focus narrowed. In order to impress the Admissions Officers, your strategy should lie in outlining a strong connection between your intended academic and extracurricular endeavors in college with the role they can play in your goals in the future.

5. Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (Min: 10 / Max: 200)

Even though you could take a more straightforward “I would like my roommate to know XYZ” approach with this essay, it might be better if you frame your response in the form of a letter to your future roommate. Even though they actually won’t be reading it, this could be a more creative way of letting Harvard Admissions Officers know facts about yourself that don’t come up anywhere else in your application. 

Think about the impression you want to make on the reader. You might want to come across as someone who would be an accommodating roommate. Or you might want them to learn more about your goals or how you spend your free time. Use your essay accordingly to share your hobbies, living habits, and plans for both your freshman year of college and life in general. Since there is no direct “Why Harvard” essay, you could also include what you’re most excited about the opportunity to attend the university. You could talk about a course you can’t wait to take or a club you’re planning to join to show that you’re aware of the unique opportunities Harvard offers. 

This prompt is a chance for you to show Admissions Officers how you function in your everyday life, so it could be one of the safer options to pick if you’re afraid that writing about bigger issues could put you in more of a controversial spot.

Further Tips for Writing the Harvard Supplemental Essays 2024-2025

• Be as specific as possible - Not only are the Harvard supplemental essays 2024-2025 quite open-ended, but there’s no strict word limit enforced either. It can be very easy for you to want to fit in as much information as you can in order to maximize your chances of admission. However, Admissions Officers don’t want to know every single thing about you. They’ve only got a limited amount of time to look through your essays, so make sure your responses cover only what is necessary and focus on yourself and how you would benefit from a Harvard education. This is not a place where you want to go off on tangents. Avoid general statements and stick to characteristics and experiences that make you unique.
• Demonstrate the characteristics that Harvard is looking for - Harvard looks for students who demonstrate “maturity, character, leadership, self-confidence, sense of humor, energy, concern for others, and grace under pressure.” When choosing a topic, think about how you can bring these qualities forward in your essays. During your brainstorming process, ask yourself whether your topic depicts you as a mature individual, whether you’ve shown that you work well under pressure, and if there are any places you can sprinkle your sense of humor in without it sounding forced. Since a lot of students who apply to Harvard have strong numbers and extracurriculars, you need to further establish yourself as the perfect fit for the school when writing your supplemental essays.
• Your choice of topic could make a difference - Let’s face it—you have no shortage of options when it comes to picking your topic for the Harvard supplemental essays 2024-2025. If you have a vague idea about what to answer for how you would use your gap year but feel much more comfortable talking about the books you’ve read in the past year, you should obviously choose the latter topic. If you feel like the essay you’ve written fits a prompt differently than the one you initially tackled, go ahead and select that prompt on the Common App. Don’t forget to adjust accordingly to specific requirements asked by the new question!

With tens of thousands of applicants all competing for the limited spots in Harvard’s student body, standing out through an application alone can seem like a daunting task. Remember, your application is only a representative. The real challenge is becoming the ideal student that Harvard would accept. 

Supplemental essays are another chance to do just that—set yourself apart by understanding what Harvard Admissions Officers are looking for. Align your student profile with the school’s values, and avoid the common answers to these essay questions that other applicants will default to. 

If you'd like an expert’s opinion on your college essays, schedule a free consultation call with an admissions expert today!