The question that I’ve been asked most frequently in my 16 years as an educator is, “How do you get into Harvard?”
My answer is that you should, at the very least, have the one quality that nearly all Harvard students share: an unwavering desire for achievement.
Getting good grades and excelling in extracurriculars doesn’t even scratch the surface of what Harvard people are willing to do for achievement. For Harvard alum Julie, this desire to achieve drives every decision she makes in her daily life. This is the kind of person who gets into Harvard.
Do something only to prove you’re better than someone else.
When I first met Julie though a college friend, I thought that she was the most achievement-oriented person I’d ever met. Julie, who grew up in the Bay Area, had graduated at the top of her class at Harvard College. Her resume was legendary. She worked at Goldman Sachs right out of college and then joined Facebook before its IPO.
Not only was she successful on paper, but she also had spunk and style. When we’d go out to dinner, she’d wear canary yellow skirts and sweaters with long metal spikes. She’d talk endlessly about politics, philosophy, travel, or any topic you could think of. Her eyes glimmered when she spoke, as if she were always on the verge of an intellectual breakthrough. I was enthralled by this Harvard goddess.
Once while we were discussing her education, Julia told me the story of how she ended up at Andover for a year. At her public middle school in the Bay Area, she found herself frequently competing with her classmate and frenemy, Molly. When Molly got into a top boarding school, Deerfield, Molly’s mom said to Julie, “You know, not everyone can get into a school like that.”
Never one to back down from a challenge, Julie applied to Andover the following year and got in. She even went there. Problem was she didn’t like it and after a year returned home to her public high school. In short, Julia was willing to move across the country to attend a school she didn’t like just to prove that she was better than Molly. That’s excessive, right? Not for a Harvard person.
Harvard is not for everyone.
Is everyone at Harvard like this? No, but a lot of people are. If you go to Harvard or other similarly competitive schools, these are the kinds of people you’ll befriend and compete with. If you can’t imagine spending your Friday evenings working instead of hanging out with your friends, you’ll have a hard time surviving in a place where people are driven to achieve at all costs. Harvard really isn’t for everyone. But you can find a place where you do fit in. And ultimately, you’re always better off going to a place where you can thrive.
Dr. Kao is the Principal Adviser at Motivont, specializing in college admissions counseling and research for seniors G12. She has worked with 1000+ students in her 16-year career in education. In addition, she has evaluated applications for the Stanford Undergraduate Admissions Office. Dr. Kao holds a Stanford BA, Columbia MA, and Harvard PhD. For more info, visit motivont.com.
Next: Read more about how to get into your top college in What Great Colleges Want in a Student: Academic Potential.