harvard admission essay

harvard admission essay

The Importance of Extracurricular Activities in Harvard Admission Essays

1. Highlighting Academic Achievements

Mei Lu and Stephen C. Steely stated that a national survey by the Art and Science Group indicated that participation in the arts for high school students results in enhanced ability and success in areas other than the arts. Approximately 50% of the general population indicated that participation in the arts had “some influence” on their academic achievement and personal growth. Usually, the influence mentioned is more specifically related to the influence of individual artistic activities (music, reading, writing, drawing) rather than participation in arts classes at school. The figure rises from 10% to 81% when examining the top 25% in academic achievements of students. This indicates that students with higher academic achievements are inclined to participate in individual artistic activities.

Academic achievement is one of the most important factors in extracurricular activities for Harvard admission. Regardless of what you do in extracurricular activities, your academics should be the first priority. For example, if you’re a great sportsman but your academics are below standard, you will be considered an under-average person. The best way to describe academics in extracurricular activities is to be a smart participant. Being smart will make it easier for you to solve problems, create new innovations, etc. Progress in academics can be reflected in the difficulty of your course load and grade improvement. Intellectually curious students pursue opportunities to push themselves further, including Advanced Placement courses and the International Baccalaureate. These students are able to demonstrate their abilities in all academic areas of study, including mathematics, sciences, liberal arts, and foreign languages. They might also illustrate their creative talents by pursuing individual educational projects outside of the classroom. Therefore, upholding academic dedication and excellence is an important component that admission personnel look for in a candidate.

Importance of academics in extracurricular activities

2. Showcasing Leadership Skills

Four ways to reveal your leadership in your admission essay. Bearing in mind that Harvard received 39,044 applications last year and only admitted 1,950, it is utmost important for you to reveal your leadership in your admission essay. Specifically, today we will look at 4 out of the 8 free response essay questions and they all have a similarity. “Did you lead others in a team-oriented activity?” “What is your usual role in a team?” “What did you learn about yourself from a situation in which you did not perform as well as you wanted?” “What was the outcome?” The reason these questions are grouped together is it’s quite likely you could offer the same situation as an example for all four. If you are able to answer yes to the first question and then offer a vivid example of the situation, it can be an excellent way to reveal your leadership. All four questions are quite similar to a behavioral type question that often features on a job application form. The idea is that the employer is trying to match your past behavior to the competencies and potential behaviors that are required for effective performance in the job. So what this means is your example is critical because it needs to be a sound example of leadership to demonstrate that you have the potential to be a successful leader during and after your time at Harvard. This can only be a good thing since Harvard says that its principal desire in its students is the desire to assume responsibility. A free response essay question will tend daunting to the majority of applicants but remember the situation is a past event and you are simply just telling a story. So any great story needs a great introduction to set the context and to capture the audience’s attention. Another benefit of answering yes to the first question is the likelihood that your story is based around a past Harvard graduate’s case and will impress your admissions officer even more. During my research, I had no problem at all in offering a situation where I was captain of my sport team and leading my team to victory. It was quite easy to identify a situation because you have led by example, led by influence, acted as a role model and a respected authority, and made directions and decisions. This means it ties a situation is not limited to a certain type of leader and can cater to all. A good leader effectively delegates a goal to be achieved and does it with the participation of members and more often than not; this goal is a SMART goal. The most compelling question offers the situation to either of the two results; yourself or your team was unable to meet an expected goal and another situation is that you faced a significant challenge with an uncertain outcome. This situation ideally involves the use of all true leadership behaviors as it is a leader’s responsibility to fix mistakes and make improvements for a better future or to take direct action to resolving the challenge. So the more complex the situation, the more you will have the opportunity to demonstrate a wide array of leadership. As Oliver Sacks once quoted “A leader must be effective, but preciously in those her aims set him to initial”.

3. Demonstrating Commitment and Passion

To illustrate commitment and passion for a certain activity/cause, a student should seek to take a leadership position in said activity, through which the student can underline his/her devotion to that activity and show that it has made a positive impact. Being a leader in an activity can mean a variety of things; it could entail being captain of a sports team, section leader in a band, or president of a club or organization. However, being a leader also encompasses more than just holding a titled position. True leaders are those who go above and beyond the call of duty or those who bring creativity and innovation to the table. It is those who stand out from the rest and go that extra mile that are the ones making the most impact. Leaders are also generally the most passionate members of the group, thus it is often the leaders that are the most committed. The longer the duration of time in which a student is active in a club, cause, or activity, the easier the student can exemplify commitment. This could be shown by playing a certain sport throughout high school, participation in an orchestra for multiple years, or being an active member in an organization. Finally, a student attempting to demonstrate commitment and passion to an extracurricular activity could seek to combine his/her interests or career goals with the activity. An example of this could be a student with an interest in medicine or healthcare volunteering as an EMT at a local ambulance squad. The student would be going beyond the call of an ordinary volunteer and would be getting a head start on future career. This particular student could even be said to be passionate about helping people and serving his community; EMT work achieving these goals, with the activity in turn reflecting his interests and career goals.

4. Emphasizing Diversity and Cultural Awareness

Students who have helped their communities, particularly low-income areas or international ones, will be at an advantage no matter what their background, if they can show that they have made a difference. Community service of 10-15 hours a week of consistent service to one cause or area will give students a high chance of admission, if they can show what they have gained from their experience. The students’ experiences can range from starting a club at the local high school, to working with disabled children in a Balinese village. Whatever the case, students that have shown true commitment, and possibly leadership, to their cause will be looked at very favorably. Please note that there are many students that gain admission to Harvard every year, by only doing community service during their time in high school. The key is the personal and intellectual growth that the student gained, and how they are able to articulate this in their application. Another way that Harvard aims to increase diversity is by admitting students that have made significant achievements, and have strong influence within their local community. Such students would come from a variety of socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, and would bring elements of diversity to campus. To bolster diversity and cultural awareness, we are seeking scholars, leaders, and citizens active world citizens, whose knowledge and abilities will contribute to a better national and global understanding. Considerable attention is also devoted to admitting students from various cultural, socio-economic, and geographic backgrounds, whether to lessen the effects of racial, ethnic, and socio-economic isolation, or to bring a global perspective to HCU’s campus. In line with these aims, Harvard is concerned to recruit students who will be citizens of the world, and is eager to provide adequate financial aid to make this possible. High achieving international students, and domestic students who have displayed strong knowledge and commitment to international issues, may be assured that they will have a fair opportunity during the admission process.

5. Conveying Personal Growth and Overcoming Challenges

Introduction Working diligently at a part-time job for 8 hours while attending high school full-time has taught me perseverance, diligence, and maturity. Part of my paycheck now goes directly to help support my family, but even that I plan to change. This job was a challenge, but I am proud of the person it has shaped me to be, and I am grateful for the insights I have gained. Throughout my three years working as a receptionist at the hospital, I have been able to watch firsthand medical care in action. This has fueled in me a desire to help others and make a difference in other people’s lives. This experience made me realize I enjoy pushing myself for things that I know have a long-term personal goal. Recently, I applied and was selected for a spot on the local hospital’s charity marathon team. As a member of this team, I am required to raise a minimum of $2000 and run a marathon (26.2 miles). This is no small feat, and I was hesitant to commit to such a large fundraiser. I have never raised that much money through contributions, with many being donations straight out of my pocket. But realizing that it is benefiting my community and that it would be an accomplishment that I would never forget, I am willing to do it. It is a challenge, but I will come out of it taking pride in what I have accomplished and knowing that I have made a difference in the name of charity.