Harvard Outreach Newsletter

The ‘whole person review’ includes:

• Academic achievement: academic considerations (grades, scores, teacher comments) are the most important, but other qualities help differentiate among exceptional candidates (examples in Admission Review diagram).
• Extracurricular profile: activities and achievements outside of academic study, in any field.
• Contributions to community: family responsibilities, potential contribution to the Harvard community and to the education of those around you, interest in your academic field of choice, initiative, leadership potential, open mindedness, enthusiasm.

The goal is to obtain the fullest possible picture of the applicant – both past accomplishments and future potential.  Admission is less a reward for what a student has done in the past than a belief and an investment in what he or she will do in the future.

Other elements of the Whole Person Review

Standardized test scores.  Harvard College will require the submission of standardized test scores from applicants for admission as part of the comprehensive application process that takes a whole-student approach.  The Application Requirements page of the Harvard Admissions website states that:

“SAT and ACT tests are better predictors of Harvard grades than high school grades. However, admission officers understand that not all students attend well-resourced schools throughout their lives, and that those who come from modest economic backgrounds or first-generation college families may have had fewer opportunities to prepare for standardized tests.”

“Given the wide variation in how students prepare for Harvard – as well as the fact that most applicants and admitted students have outstanding academic records – it is difficult for high school grades to differentiate individual applications. That does not mean that high school grades are unimportant. Students who come to Harvard have done well day to day in their high school studies, providing a crucial foundation for academic success in college, including a 97% – 98% graduation rate.”

“Each application to Harvard is read with great care, keeping in mind that talent is everywhere, but opportunity and access are not.”

School reports and teacher recommendations.  As you will be submitting your application before you have taken your A Levels, Advanced Highers or IB exams, your school should provide your predicted grades in your School Transcript and submit the actual grades as soon as they are released in July or August.  School Transcript templates may be downloaded from the ‘Applying for an undergraduate degree‘ page on the Fulbright Commission website.  Scroll down the page until you reach ‘School Documents’ and then down a bit further to ‘Transcript.’  Then download the appropriate template for the type of exam you are taking.

Applicants must ask two teachers in different academic subjects who know them well to complete the Teacher Evaluation forms – these are in addition to the character reference supplied by your Head of Sixth Form or teacher in charge of university applications.  In your application confirmation email, there will be a personalised link to send to your recommenders (referees).

Supplementary materials.  At the discretion of the Admissions Committee, supplementary materials – such as music recordings, artwork, or selected samples of academic work – may be evaluated by faculty.  These materials are entirely optional.  Scholarly articles, research, creative writing or other documents of which you are the primary author should be submitted in the ‘Upload Materials’ section of the applicant portal.  You may submit optional supplementary media materials (e.g. videos, audio recordings, or images) electronically via Slideroom. 

Extracurricular activity.  The Admissions Committee takes a broad view of extracurricular activity (or ‘enrichment activities’ as they are often called in the UK). It might be that you are exceptionally good at music, sport, acting, dancing, art or writing; or it might be something different such as starting a blog about a subject that interests you, setting up a special interest group on the web, starting up a new club or society, looking after a sick relative, or helping your local community in some way.

Interviews.  Some candidates will receive an informal alumni interview in the UK.  This can be undertaken in person or remotely by Zoom, WhatsApp or phone. Your application is considered complete without an interview and will receive a full and thorough evaluation. In most cases, the Admissions Committee has sufficient information in the student’s application materials to reach an admissions decision. If the Committee would like more information about a student or has questions about any application materials, someone may reach out to schedule an interview.

Application forms.  Harvard College accepts the Common Application or the Coalition Application – it doesn’t matter which you use.  If using the Common App, note that you must submit your own sections of the application before your supporting materials (Secondary School Report, Teacher Reports etc.) will be transmitted to the Harvard Admissions Office.  Be sure to study the Application Tips on the Harvard Admissions website.