What it Takes to Get Into Harvard: The Story of Mark Zuckerberg

Jason

February 25, 2019

What it Takes to Get Into Harvard: The Story of Mark Zuckerberg

It’s an age-old question: What does it take to get into Harvard? The university’s admissions process has been analyzed by many. And every year, thousands of students wonder if they have what Harvard seeks.

While there’s no one thing that will make you a shoo-in for Harvard, you will want to build your profile strategically if you’ve set your sights on the top schools. To understand what it takes to get into Harvard, I’m going to walk you through the story of Mark Zuckerberg. While his time at Harvard was short-lived, his background can help you grasp the kind of “it” factor that you’ll need.

Passion and Initiative

Mark Zuckerberg didn’t get into Harvard because he was a prodigy. He got into Harvard because he mastered a serious interest in which he showed exceptional ability.

Now an inescapable influence on our media-scape, Zuckerberg did not apply to Harvard with the legendary title “Creator of Facebook and One of the Globe’s Youngest CEO’s” stamped below his name. But his long-term interest software programs was already impressive.

Tinkering with computers starting in middle school, Zuckerberg built devices for both practical and entertainment purposes. At age 12, he adapted his Atari game-player to create a messaging program—“Zucknet”—that his dad, a dentist, could use for inter-office communication.

Zuckerberg also invited people around him to share inspirations for new projects. Counting a number of artists as his friends, he would ask them to draw their ideas so that he could build computer games from them. Zuckerberg’s parents recognized that their son was looking for every opportunity to see what he could make with computers, so they hired a private tutor, David Newman, to hone his progress. Soon he was also taking classes at nearby Mercy College (a private university in Dobbs Ferry, NY).

Notice that Zuckerberg was not just exhibiting passion. He was doing things to deepen his interest, challenge himself, and extend his talent while creating tangible products. And that’s exactly what you need to do: explore an interest and go deep with it. If you’re wondering what it takes to get into Harvard, take a passion and make it your own. Initiative and creativity will give you a shot at standing out in the Harvard applicant pool.

Undeniable Impressiveness

If you want to know what it takes to get into Harvard, know that sheer impressiveness goes a long way. The next step that Zuckerberg took was the most ambitious yet.

While he was still in high school (Ardsley High School for his freshman and sophomore years, then transferring to Phillips Exeter Academy), Zuckerberg and his friend Adam D’Angelo started a company called Intelligent Media Group and created “Synapse,” an MP3 player that selected songs for users by keeping track of their listening habits.

Released in September 2002, Synapse was reviewed in PC Magazine and the technology newsgroup slashdot.org. Zuckerberg made national news when Microsoft, seeking to outbid other major technology companies, offered to purchase the technology and hire the creators—an offer that Zuckerberg turned down! Making national headlines creates an instant “wow” factor.

You may be thinking that because Microsoft hasn’t approached you yet, you don’t have what it takes to get into Harvard. That is not the case. Many students start their own companies in high school, some gaining entrepreneurial skills first through internships. The companies they create may not make it onto the pages of national magazines, but local newspapers, blogs, and online newsgroups often cover them. Most importantly, founding and running companies gives students the opportunity to show their interest, a level of mastery within it, and gain experiences that will convert to intriguing, credible applications.

Imagine being in the enviable position of writing application essays with Zuckerberg’s experience. You don’t have to emphasize or exaggerate your passion because it shows. You’re able to write about hands-on leadership situations and show new results for which you have genuine stories to tell. What you love should shine through in a clear, genuine, and compelling way. That’s what it takes to get into Harvard.

Curiosity

Zuckerberg’s achievements in Computer Science were clear, but he also had depth and academic prowess in non-STEM fields, particularly classical languages.

Excelling in classics at Ardsley, he carried his studies with him to Phillips Exeter, where he would earn a diploma in the subject. On his college application, he was able to state that he could read and write in three classical languages: Hebrew, Latin, and ancient Greek. It would be a fascinating question to ask whether his facility with alphabetical languages sparked his interest in programming languages!

It’s striking that Zuckerberg applied to Harvard with impressive accomplishments in both STEM and humanities fields. Though he was accepted as a prospective CS major, he could not be put in a “CS only” box. He had a lively mind, capable of balancing and excelling in subjects that many observers would not stereotypically associate with the same student. If you want Harvard to take notice, showcase your intellectual curiosity at the forefront. While you must be focused, you also want to be a dynamic candidate with stories about different pursuits.

**So, What Does It Take to Get Into Harvard?**

How did Mark Zuckerberg get into Harvard? Beyond passion, talent, and curiosity, Zuckerberg was a compelling candidate for the most selective schools in the country because he had accomplishments that reflected long-term and focused interests as well as exceptional levels of mastery in each. This gave his work credibility and his stories depth.

You do not need to make Microsoft knock at your door before you’re eighteen, but you can take measures to develop the kinds of qualities that Mark Zuckerberg exemplified as a candidate for college admissions. Taking those steps won’t guarantee admission to Harvard, but they can make Harvard want to know more about you.

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