Hey, I'm starting my college essays and I wanted to know how many essays does Harvard require for their application? Thanks!
Hey there! For the Harvard application, you'll need to submit the Common App Personal Statement, which is your main essay and likely will be required by several of your other colleges.
In addition to that, Harvard has a few supplemental essay prompts that are designed to gauge your fit for Harvard specifically. You can view the current prompts, as well as breakdowns of how to tackle each one, on CollegeVine’s blog: https://blog.collegevine.com/how-to-write-the-harvard-university-essays/.
Do be aware that the prompts can change year to year, so while you can use this post to get a general sense of what will be asked of you, you don’t want to actually start writing your own responses until August 1st before your senior year. That’s when the prompts for the coming applications cycle are officially released, and you don’t want your hard work to go to waste if you craft strong responses before then only for the prompts to change.
Good luck with your essays! Remember to be genuine, focus on your unique qualities, and proofread your work—do those things, and you’ll be in great shape to put your best foot forward at Harvard.
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