How to Write the Harvard University Supplemental Essays
Ready to crush your Harvard University essays? This guide breaks down each Harvard supplemental prompt, gives you fun exercises to spark ideas, and shows you real essay examples so you’re never staring at a blank page.
About Harvard University
It’s important to know as much about the school before beginning your application, since it’ll give you an idea of the type of student Harvard is looking for.
Harvard University, founded in 1636, is the oldest college in the United States and a giant name in the world of education. But despite the grandeur (hello, Ivy League clout), Harvard is all about producing leaders who aren’t just brilliant, but also imaginative, deeply thoughtful, and socially engaged.
The school is famous for its liberal arts core, which pushes students to think across disciplines; some students combine physics with philosophy, others economics with environmental studies—the possibilities are endless. Harvard students are known for their intellectual curiosity, drive for excellence, and their desire to make an impact.
But here’s the thing: Harvard isn’t just looking for perfect grades and test scores. They want real people with passions, quirks, depth, and resilience. Their supplemental essays are your chance to show them exactly who you are beyond the transcript. Let’s dive into how to make your Harvard application unforgettable.
Here are the prompts for Harvard University’s supplemental application essays:
Prompt #1 – Diversity
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? (150 words)
Prompt #2 – Conversations
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? (150 words)
Prompt #3 – Describe an Activity
Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (150 words)
Prompt #4 – Harvard Education
How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (150 words)
Prompt #5 – Roommate
Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (150 words)
1. Diversity Essay
Prompt: 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? (150 words)
What They’re Actually Asking:
Harvard wants to know what unique perspectives you’ll bring to campus. They’re not only talking about ethnic, racial, or cultural diversity (although those are super important). They’re also interested in different types of experiences, mindsets, and passions. They're asking: How will your background shape the conversations, clubs, research projects, and late-night debates at Harvard?
How to Approach It:
Think about an experience that shaped your worldview—big or small.
Show how this experience gave you insight, resilience, empathy, creativity, etc.
Then connect it to Harvard: How will this influence your contributions on campus?
Don't just describe where you come from—show how it’s made you who you are. For more advice on tackling the Diversity essay (and more examples!), check out our previous blog post.
Diversity Essay Example
As a short person, I’m armed with an arsenal of comebacks. I’m not too short; I’m down-to-earth. Or my personal favorite: concentrated-awesomeness.
More than rhetorical flourishes, my height (or lack thereof) has made me who I am. It forced me to accept from a young age that D1 basketball was out of reach (haha). But more importantly, it’s influenced my approach to the law as an instrument of equality—a way to champion the rights of minorities, who also can’t change who they are. Of course, height, race, and ability status aren’t the same—they each trigger different implications—but I know the feeling of being discounted based on appearance.
From being reduced to a single trait, I’ve come to crave context. At Harvard, I’ll search for that nuance. Because on campus (or even in the courtroom), unlike the basketball court, it’s empathy and dedication, not the inches, that will win the day. (150)
Why This Essay Worked:
It’s quirky, personal, and meaningful. The writer uses their height as a metaphor for understanding marginalized experiences. They connect their personal identity to their future goals (law and equality) and tie it back to Harvard’s values of empathy, nuance, and intellectual engagement. Plus, it’s funny and real, which makes it memorable.
2. Conversations Essay
Prompt: 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? (150 words)
What They’re Actually Asking:
They want to see how you handle conflict. Are you respectful? Open-minded? Able to grow from disagreement? Harvard is full of intense debates, and they’re looking for students who can disagree without being disrespectful—and who use those moments to build deeper understanding, not walls.
How to Approach It:
Pick a disagreement that mattered to you. (It doesn’t have to be political—it could be about anything from activism to group projects.)
Show how you stayed open to learning, even if you were passionate.
Reflect. What did you learn about the other side? About yourself? Be honest.
Growth matters way more than being "right."
Conversations Essay Example
I’m standing opposite a student protester on my school’s front lawn, shouting back at them.
When passions collide, communication and civility are often the first to go. This student walkout was no different. I objected to the walkout as pure performative activism, a distraction from the honest-to-God issues at my school—curriculum changes, institutional racism, racial slurs, and student absenteeism.
Looking back, I now see the merit of that other student’s approach. Showing solidarity is important—it helps build support. So much intramural division works in favor of the oppressors themselves. Instead of coming to blows with that student, I could have worked with them to find a solution.
And I did. Just one apology later, we began advocating for a retake policy meant to combat institutional racism and help struggling students thrive. It’s now mandated at every school in the county, benefitting almost 180,000 students. Don’t fear disagreement—fear lost opportunities. (150)
Why This Essay Worked:
This essay works because it shows emotional maturity. The writer doesn’t just rant about how they were right—they reflect on what they learned and show how they turned disagreement into real, systemic change. It shows leadership, empathy, and action—all things Harvard loves.
3. Describe an Activity Essay
Prompt: Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are. (150 words)
What They’re Actually Asking:
Admissions officers want to see what you care about outside of academics. They’re asking: What’s shaped you? What have you dedicated time to? What’s a side of you we wouldn't see on your transcript?
How to Approach It:
Pick ONE activity that really matters to you. (It’s better to go deep than wide.)
Tell a quick story or moment from that experience.
Reflect on how it shaped your character, skills, or dreams.
This is your chance to give context beyond "titles" and "roles." For more advice on tackling the Describe an Activity essay (and more examples!), check out our previous blog post.
Describe an Activity Example
Hogging the spotlight, the conductor of the orchestra is a visionary, a flamboyant leader, a king among mortals. Standing center stage, elevated, I feel powerful. The music swells or ebbs with the smallest gesture of my hands.
But the conductor is also a metaphor—something I’ve realized in my years working with the school band and orchestra. I can make cool, sweeping gestures, but if the orchestra chooses not to follow me, I am nothing—just a sweaty, flailing madman. Really, the conductor has no power: on the podium, I don’t even make a sound. Every performance is a game of trust between maestro and musicians.
The conductor’s power depends entirely on his or her ability to empower others. It’s a combination of mutual love and understanding—to make something greater than any one person. In every context—from tutoring with the writing center, to student government advocacy, to, yes, conducting—we are stronger together. (150)
Why This Essay Worked:
It’s vivid, funny, and thoughtful. It uses an extended metaphor (conducting) to explore leadership in a fresh way. Instead of just saying "I learned leadership skills," the writer shows it through story, humor, and reflection. Plus, they clearly connect it to their future contributions at Harvard.
4. Harvard Education Essay
Prompt: How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future? (150 words)
What They’re Actually Asking:
Harvard wants students who will go out into the world and make a difference. They’re asking: What’s your dream? How will Harvard help you get there?
How to Approach It:
Connect your future goals to Harvard's resources. (Research specific programs, professors, centers, or clubs.)
Be specific about how you’ll grow and why Harvard is the right place for you.
Dream big, but stay grounded: Show passion and direction, not vague ambition.
Harvard Education Essay Example
I'll be the first Asian-American Supreme Court Justice. Bold? Yes. Likely? No. But my vision of law and justice begins at Harvard.
Today, the Court faces unprecedented challenges. Public trust is at an all-time low; legal pundits question the separation of church and state. Yet Harvard offers a unique angle to explore that complex intersection through classes at its Divinity School. At Harvard, I’ll refine my “empowerment approach” to law through opportunities with the Harvard Undergraduate Legal Committee.
Like Chief Justice Roberts, I aim to preserve the Court's integrity—by seeking unanimity, writing narrow decisions, and restraining ideological crusaders. But I desire to go further. The Constitution is not an interpretive end, but a means to pursue transformative social justice. By restoring faith in the justice system, instead of dividing people, the Supreme Court can be a place where equal justice under law is a guarantee, not just a marble promise. (150)
Why This Essay Worked:
This essay stands out because it’s bold, personal, and sharply focused. In just 150 words, the student sets a big, memorable goal ("first Asian-American Supreme Court Justice") and connects directly to Harvard’s resources in a way that feels thoughtful, not name-droppy. The student also demonstrates intellectual engagement with complex issues (trust in the Court, separation of church and state) rather than offering vague goals. They also balance ambition with realism. Saying "likely? No" shows humility and self-awareness, making the bold dream more relatable.
5. Roommate Essay
Prompt: Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you. (150 words)
What They’re Actually Asking:
Admissions officers aren’t just trying to figure out if you’ll keep your side of the room clean (though bonus points if you do). They want to know: Are you self-aware? Can you live with other people? Do you bring something positive, interesting, or thoughtful to a community? Admissions officers want to see your quirks, habits, passions—basically, the real you beyond grades and awards.
How to Approach It:
Think about the stuff your best friends would say if someone asked them what makes you you. Are you the kind of person who insists on starting every road trip with a specific playlist? Do you have a secret obsession with historical documentaries? Good. Write like you’re introducing yourself at 1:00 AM when everyone’s still wired on pizza and excitement. Show warmth, curiosity, and a bit of humor.
Roommate Essay Example
Life needs slowing down. It’s okay to spend an afternoon writing 40 different endings to A Farewell to Arms (as Hemingway did) or an entire morning finding the optimal milk-to-cereal breakfast ratio—it’s more cereal than you think. When you can, walk, don’t drive—find a part of yourself you didn’t know existed, like the Transcendentalists did!
Before I was born, my mom wished for a son like Calvin from the Calvin and Hobbes comics. She got her wish—think rule bending and spontaneous adventures, not John Calvin and predestination. My biggest Calvin moment? Creating a lamp business monopoly at sleepaway camp, capitalizing on dark dorms and a supply shortage.
Finally, I’m an old soul. I’ve seen Casablanca more than 50 times. My vinyl record collection numbers a thousand. They’re quirks I don’t fully understand, but I’m still figuring myself out. My roommate can expect lots of soul-searching—that, and plenty of “good trouble.” (150)
Why This Essay Worked:
This essay feels like a late-night dorm room conversation: easygoing, smart, and a little bit unpredictable. The student balances humor (the cereal ratio, the camp lamp empire) with genuine depth (the love for old movies and soul-searching). It also signals emotional maturity: they know they’re still growing, and they’re excited about it. Harvard isn’t just looking for “perfect” students—they want people who will make their campus more interesting, more thoughtful, and more human. This essay proves that the student would be a fun, reflective, and dynamic person to have around.
Final Thoughts
Successful Harvard supplemental essays radiate authenticity, thoughtfulness, and a strong sense of self. Each prompt is an invitation to be real—not to show off, but to connect. They already have your activities list and honors on hand, so your best responses will feel less like a list of accomplishments and more like glimpses into your mind and heart. Take a breath, be honest, and don’t be afraid to be a little quirky or vulnerable.
Remember: Harvard is looking for students who think deeply, value growth, and are excited to engage with the world (and the people) around them. If you can show them the real you—curious, independent, and still learning—you’re already speaking their language.
