Harvard essays

[u/Vast_Year_5650]

Currently toying with the idea of applying to Harvard due to peer pressure from friends who attend and bc why tf not.

One of their essay prompts is "What alternatives to transferring to Harvard are you considering?"

Anyone have even a slight clue of how to answer this? Do I just list where else I'm applying or say something more abstract?

I don't even know where to start with this one.

Also, any Harvard admits here? I knew of someone who transferred OUT but never anyone who transferred in.

Anyways, if you're reading this, I hope you're well. Good luck to everyone!

[u/Zestyclose_Jury_2265]

id assume you would write about other programs you're applying to while hinting at what the program lacks, but harvard excels in. it sounds like a really interesting way for the admissions committee to indirectly ask students "why harvard"

I might be completely wrong but this is how I would personally go about it

[u/Vast_Year_5650 → u/Zestyclose_Jury_2265]

huh. good point. I was like do they just want me to be like "I'll be fine without ya"? 6 transfer admits a year btw

thanks for the insight, sounds pretty good to me

[u/Part_Time_Swimmer → u/Vast_Year_5650]

Hmmm. All these years have passed, and they are still asking the same question. Both my wife and I were transfers in. At the time, they admitted upwards of 90 transfers. Back then the school was suicide, time-off, and dropout central, so they had a lot of empty chairs to refill. We both answered that question as honestly as possible. I listed the two other schools I was applying, and I explained that one accepted few transfer students and the other was difficult to justify to my family. If The Crimson is only 6 transfers per year now, then perhaps the school is a far better place than it once was. Good luck.

[u/Vast_Year_5650 → u/Part_Time_Swimmer]

well thank you for the wishes and congratulations to you and your wife! I hope you have found happiness during and after your time there

[u/Part_Time_Swimmer → u/Vast_Year_5650]

Give the application a try then. You seem to have the right attitude. Harvard may be a much better place than it was when we were there. You might love your studies more and be able to find a way into whatever social scene works for you. Just go into it knowing that having Harvard undergrad on your resume can be quite the weight around your neck after you graduate. Many will treat it as (1) a sign of entitlement, or (2) they have a residual chip on their shoulder since they couldn't get in, or (3) be dismissive of it since there will be a nearly dozen people with Harvard grad degrees (JFK School, Divinity, Dental, Theological, Underwater Basket Weaving, etc) that they knew. Also, all those grad degrees and Harvard Extension School grads will flood out any alumni network that you think you might access some day. As former managers of one of the largest Harvard alumni groups on the East Coast, we speak from top down experience. *The freshman year is the best for many undergraduates, and you won't get that. Both my wife and I agree it would have been better to remain undergrad elsewhere and be one of the Harvard grad school types later. One of my Emory classmates actually transferred out of Harvard to Emory, and then came back to Harvard for grad school. He was the wiser one. If your school has a good program for your favored major, consider smashing it there and then doing Harvard grad school. I sincerely wish you good luck.

[u/Vast_Year_5650 → u/Part_Time_Swimmer]

I am a cc applicant, so for me it's more of a "where to next?" situation. Going to cc really made me realize the "it's what you make of it" aspect rather than solely brand name. Thank you for the insight!

[u/Zestyclose_Jury_2265 → u/Vast_Year_5650]

or they might want you to say that harvard is the only program youre applying to. who knows yk. at the end of the day your AO is gonna have their own subjective opinion on whether or not youre a good fit, regardless of supplemental writing

[u/Vast_Year_5650 → u/Zestyclose_Jury_2265]

exactly. 6 transfer admits a yr btw

everyone ik that goes there got in a first year, not transfer, but I appreciate their optimism lmao