Adrianne is a Senior Admissions Counselor and TV/film director, producer, writer, and actress currently based in LA. She uses her experience in multiple disciplines to help students achieve their personal and academic goals.
Welcome to the Harvard supplemental essay prompts for the 2025-2026 college application cycle! Here’s everything you need to know to write the best supplemental essays possible.
Harvard College, founded in 1636, is one of the most difficult institutions to gain acceptance to in the country — the acceptance rate for the class of 2029 was just 4.18%. Despite a slightly smaller applicant pool than in recent years, that still meant 47,893 applicants were competing for 2,003 spots. That’s why it’s incredibly important to pay attention to all aspects of your Harvard application to maximize your chances, including the supplemental essays.
Luckily, Harvard has dwindled its required writing supplement down to just 5 150-word questions (it used to much longer), but don’t let that brief word count fool you — you still need to put enough time and effort into each question to make sure you’re efficiently addressing everything they’re asking for. You already don’t have a ton of space to showcase yourself in your application, and with a school as competitive as Harvard, you need to take every chance you can get to stand out!
Required Short Answer Questions (150 words max)
1. Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a student body with a diversity of perspectives and experiences. How will the life experiences that shaped who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?
This is an intentionally very open-ended question, but there is a nod to the idea of diversity and how your life experiences would contribute to the diversity on campus. So, you want to think bigger than just your extracurriculars when it comes to “life experiences” — instead, go in the direction of describing your connection to your culture or your family.
Maybe you can talk about your grandma teaching you how to cook her most beloved dish, or you can discuss a camp or event you attend every summer that holds a special place in your heart. What have you learned from your community members? How has your community shaped you in a unique way? This essay also provides a great opportunity for a vivid, imagery-filled hook, so make the most of it!
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?
It’s no secret that this is a contentious time in the world, so Harvard wants to know if you’ll be the kind of student who will engage with others in a productive way. When writing this essay, start by choosing a moment of disagreement that carried real meaning. Choose something tied to your values, responsibilities, or decision-making rather than a trivial argument.
Briefly set the scene by explaining who the other person was, what the issue was, and why it mattered. Then describe the disagreement clearly: what each of you believed, why your viewpoints clashed, and how the tension showed up. The goal is to demonstrate that you can understand multiple perspectives, not just defend your own. Next, focus on how you communicated or engaged during this conflict, since that’s the heart of the prompt. Explain the specific skills you used and how you apply those skills throughout your life more generally.
Finish with a thoughtful reflection on what you learned from the experience. This could include insights about conflict resolution, empathy, advocacy, self-awareness, or how you now handle disagreements differently. End by connecting the lesson to who you are today and how you show up in your community, showing growth and maturity.
3. Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.
Get straight to the point with this one, since you need to be brief. Pick your most meaningful activities — the ones you’ve dedicated serious time and energy to and that have allowed you to demonstrate significant leadership. Go beyond the simple facts of your accomplishments and the basics that are already there on your activities list. Tell us why these endeavors were important to you and why it was personal. Remember that the idea here isn’t to exaggerate or brag; the point is to paint a picture of what has shaped you.
Also, avoid false modesty, i.e., “I have helped dozens of people, but in the end, they did more for me than I did for them.” If you achieved something, talk about it, maybe with a focus on what it taught you about working with others or about yourself. Be straightforward and matter-of-fact while still offering a unique insight into your activity of choice.
4. How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?
I don’t have much to say about this prompt, except that if you choose to answer it, you risk sounding a bit pompous i.e. “With my Harvard Diploma in hand, I will set out to change the world.” You will be talking about things you haven’t actually done, and anyone can make him or herself sound great when describing an imaginary future that includes a Harvard degree. It’s always better to discuss what you have done than what you hope to do.
On the other hand, if you will be a first-generation college student and want to use your education to open doors for others, that is a noble answer to this prompt, and likely a compelling one for Harvard admissions officers. Consider your circumstances and where your story fits best.
5. Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.
Prompts like these since they allow students to show lots of creativity and personality, but topics like this one are very difficult to pull off, especially when you’re limited to naming just three characteristics. Put your self-awareness and writing abilities to use here! Do not use this as a chance to brag, e.g., “I would want my future roommate to know that I logged over 400 community service hours last year.” Would you want to room with that person? Beyond this, you can talk about any of your quirks and eccentricities, provided that you do so in a truly brilliant way (no pressure). Think about who you would find would be a fun roommate, and pick three qualities that range from more fun to on the serious side.
If you’re unsure of what to write about or simply want to be sure your essays are the best they can be, please contact our college admission consultants.
