How to Write Regular Decision Admissions Essays for Harvard and Columbia

By Sarah O’Neill Chester County Supreme Editing Now that the Early Decision round is in full swing and closing soon, try not to be deterred if you were deferred. Do what you can to ensure you are gearing up for the Regular Decision round. In fact, some of the best offers come during this round and most schools stop accepting applications by January. According to Google’s AI Overview: “Regular Decision (RD) applications are often considered better than Early Decision (ED) because they give applicants more time to prepare a stronger application, compare financial aid offers from multiple schools, and aren’t binding, allowing students to choose the best fit even if they receive multiple acceptance letters, whereas ED requires a commitment to the school if accepted, even if a better offer comes later Check websites for specific RD deadlines.” The point is this: YOU HAVE TIME to show your best self subjectively through the essays. Let’s revisit what you wrote for ED, analyze what could be better, add specifics about what you have done since applying to ED, and put our best foot forward. Let’s stay away from CHATGPT, let’s be genuine, and let’s take authority over our writing and our stories. If you are still applying to Ivy League schools this round, below are articles about how to write the Harvard and Columbia pieces. Be sure to read the past samples of admitted applicants. Harvard University Excerpt Harvard is looking for confident self-starters who think critically, care deeply, and stand up to pressures. They value commitment to leadership and character. 12 Strategies to Writing the Perfect College Essay An article in the Harvard student newspaper highlights admitted students essay process According to Harvard admissions (via the website) Harvard looks for students who embrace growth, have potential and impeccable character. Are you willing to stretch academic and personal potential? Are you innovative (self-starter) and willing to explore many things? What do you care deeply about? Can you show that you have learned something from your pursuit and that you have taken full advantage of opportunities for involvement and leadership? Are you open to new ideas and people? How can you show your maturity, sense of humor, energy, concern for others, grace under pressure? Can you handle academic rigors and freedom of college life? In history, the types of students admitted consisted of: people who write with engaging language, effective flow, and a well-rounded personal story. They SHOW, instead of TELL to create visualization. They utilize clear transitions to create a clear timeline of events. The stories are well-developed, and they come full circle. The stories include a forceful and compelling message; all ideas connect to reflective learning. But emphasize positivity of character. Often, the personal qualities of the candidate are not directly stated, but are revealed through the story. They showed a strong dedication to amplifying diverse voices and stories. Supplemental Essay Example: 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? (200) Every Tuesday, I sit around a Harkness table with the section editors and pose the same question: “How can we write about Hotchkiss from a unique angle?” Serving as editor-in-chief of my school’s newspaper has given me the invaluable trait of being attentive to often overlooked details in the world around me. After reporting on the exemplary response of our golf team’s coach when we got into a car accident and interacting with the dining hall staff for a photojournalism project, I understand the true value of my position: to recognize and highlight the often silent contributions of the other souls in my community. Since then, I’ve established a permanent column, “Staff of the Issue,” to celebrate the behind-the-scenes work of non-student-facing faculty. The magical feeling I get upon seeing words of gratitude printed on 600 newspaper copies distributed across campus has become a defining feature of my high school experience. Through influential publications like The Harvard Crimson, which once served as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, I yearn to continue my endeavor of bringing every corner of my community, full of beautiful yet untold stories, under the spotlight it deserves. The Guard awaits a dedicated member. Columbia Excerpt According to COLUMBIA admissions (via the website): Columbia is quite direct about what kind of candidates they are looking for that they want to join in their scholarly explorations. Even more particularly, what kind of essays should be written that move them? Columbia’s undergraduate admissions officers have offered keen insight into what they look for, as it is synopsized on their website. Do you know what kind of student Columbia wants? This kind: “If you’re interested in being cloistered away someplace where you can isolate yourself in a study carrel and focus only on academics for several years, Columbia is a real good choice for you. Columbia is a place where students get involved — in campus affairs, in politics, in service projects, in research activities, in the arts, in clubs and organizations, in athletics and in the life of the city.” From an alumnus This means showing what it takes to be strongly intellectually focused and doing so at a level that will become a concrete success for the university itself, which likes to turn out people with provable achievements, accolades, and publications. WATCH: The Writing Supplement-Columbia Undergraduate Admissions Personal essay: These questions provide insight into your intellectual curiosity, habits of mind, love of learning, and sense of self. They also allow the Admissions Committee to learn more about you in your current community and why you feel Columbia’s distinctive experiences in and out of the classroom would be a good fit for your undergraduate education. Our admissions officer will consider your responses carefully, looking for the intellect, curiosity, and dynamism that are the hallmarks of the Columbia student body and seeking the resilience and diversity of voice and background. In history, with Columbia candidates, the types of students admitted consisted of those who value scholarship above all else. In the supp essays, candidates show real deep diversity of thought, how they synthesize and direct correlations between their very elite courses and your ability to thrive in them. First and foremost, what successful representation through the essays and beyond looks like involves scholarly attitude, special abilities, maturity, high motivation to synthesize, and, of course, diversity of cultural experiences, openness to the world, and high curiosity as it leaks into all you do — in the classroom and otherwise. The successful essay below showcases their dedication to using art and scholarship as tools for social change and community empowerment. The mention of Columbia’s core curriculum and emphasis on civic engagement demonstrates thoughtful consideration of how the university aligns with its goals. It’s a compelling statement that effectively conveys their unique perspective and potential contributions. Supplemental Essay Example: Prompt: Why are you interested in attending Columbia University? We encourage you to consider the aspect(s) that you find unique and compelling about Columbia. As a Chinese comedienne, thespian, and scholar-activist, I’ve worked to expand access to opportunities for marginalized groups via documentary filmmaking, participatory theater, and community-engaged research. Columbia’s core curriculum and creative environment that foregrounds civic engagement would allow me to continue fusing scholarship, arts, and service. As the first in my family to attend college, I’m thrilled about Columbia’s core curriculum in its breadth that would allow me to perceive the world with encompassing humanistic lenses and bond intellectually with peers across disciplines in small discussion-based classes. Triangulating Heyman Center’s support for student research with insights from my funeral wailer study, and Professor Abreu’s knowledge of performativity in rites of passage, I aim to make original discovery at the intersection of Religious and Performance Studies. Columbia’s unique Theater program transcends craft as a prism to understand society and an avenue for social interventions. Teaching in the Morningside Heights through the Artistic Reaching Out program and collaborating with Harlem’s public schools via Columbia Youth Adventures, I’ll bolster what I learned from hosting theater workshops for autistic children and kids in rural areas and expand my Youth Theatre project to New York City. Columbia — where I’ll be illuminated, and where I’ll empower others. Sarah O’Neill Chester County Teacher Supreme Editing