Harvard Applicant Profile: Athlete

A recent post discussed the legacy applicant. Today, I will discuss the next type of Harvard applicant: the athlete. The purpose of describing these profiles is not to stereotype any member of the Harvard community. Rather, the purpose is to enlighten prospective students about what types of candidates Harvard is seeking. In fact, many undergraduates fall into several of the categories that I will describe.

When most people think of Harvard, athletics is far from their first thought. However, as the nation's oldest college, Harvard has a long tradition of athletics. As the GoCrimson site notes, Harvard has a strong presence in athletics:

Harvard's legacy of consistent success in intercollegiate athletics mirrors its reputation as the world's finest institution of higher learning.

Harvard fields 41 varsity teams, the most among the nation's NCAA Division I colleges and universities. Nearly 1,500 Harvard undergraduates - or 20 percent of the student body - participate in intercollegiate athletics.

Since its participation in the nation's first college athletic event - a two-mile crew race against Yale in 1852 - Harvard has been a consistent leader in the world of college sports.

Given this history, Harvard is keen on recruiting the best and brightest scholar athletes. While Harvard is no longer necessarily competitive with some athletic powerhouses in marquee college sports, Harvard still looks for students who excel in their own sport as well as in academics.

What this means for the potential applicant is that you must be quite talented in your sport and have reasonable academic credentials. I have often witnessed applicants (or, more commonly, their parents) talking to admissions officers with a misconception of the role athletics plays in admissions. The parents will note that their child has done well academically (top 15%, let's say) and has also participated in say, tennis, for all 4 years of high school, winning at the district level. Not to belittle their accomplishments, but this will likely not be enough to secure them admission.

Harvard wants students who compete at the state and national level in their sports AND have good academic credentials. Many Olympians and future professional athletes have attended Harvard, so being "athletic" is not enough. If you consider the quote above, the fact that 20% of students participate in athletics (a much higher percentage than most other schools) should emphasize how seriously Harvard takes its sports.

Another factor to consider is the diversity of sports played at Harvard. It is better for the applicant to be a premier squash player or fencer than to be an All-State wide receiver from a small state. Many high school students will have good grades and play traditional sports like basketball, football, tennis, or soccer. Relatively few will participate in Greco-Roman wrestling or crew.

If you want to go to Harvard based on your athletic ability, keep these factors in mind. Future posts will tackle the next applicant profile, the artistic talent.

Harvard Applicant Profile: Legacy

As I mentioned previously, there are many kinds of Harvard applicants. The purpose of describing these profiles is not to stereotype any member of the Harvard community. Rather, the purpose is to enlighten prospective students about what types of candidates Harvard is seeking. In fact, many undergraduates fall into several of the categories that I will describe.

The legacy admission is the student who has strong family ties to Harvard. Usually, a direct relative is a Harvard graduate, such as a parent or sibling. Often, multiple generations have attended Harvard. For example, many generations of the Kennedy family have attended Harvard.

Legacy candidates are typically well-qualified on their own, but as one can imagine, having the connections does not hurt. As they say, it's not what you know, it's who you know, right? An applicant who knows someone who went to Harvard, especially recently, can ask them for advice regarding who to contact at the Admissions Office and how to structure their application.

There are various views on the issues of 'legacies' and what role that should play in admissions. As this article in the Harvard Crimson notes, there are several arguments for considering legacy status in admission:

Various proponents of legacy preference have offered several reasons for continuing to give legacies a boost. For example, a critical mass of legacies on campus might help to generate a larger sense of Harvard spirit and tradition on campus, through their own emotional connections to the University and their familial connections to alumni.

More importantly, proponents of legacy preference claim that the practice also helps to engage alumni with the University beyond their Harvard years; knowing that their sons and daughters stand a better chance of admission to their alma mater, alumni are more generous with their money, and possibly more significantly, their time.

The article goes on to argue against using legacy status as a criteria for admission. Still, if you are applying to Harvard and have a close relative who went there, it cannot hurt you and can only stand to help you. Even if you only know someone who went, I would suggest contacting them and asking them about their experiences. They can serve as a valuable advisor during the application process and beyond.

Future posts will discuss the other applicant profiles, such as the Harvard Athlete.

What Harvard Wants in an Applicant

Harvard University prides itself on diversity in its admissions. Most people via this diversity in terms of racial, ethnic, and religious diversity. However, the real distinction occurs in a different way. In reality, the students can be broken down into several different groups for purposes of how they are considered by the Admissions Office.

These groups are as follows:

• Legacy
• Athletic Ability
• Artistic Ability
• Leadership Potential / Underserved Minority
• Foreign Students
• Academic Ability

There is no particular order above, and there is some overlap between groups, of course. Future posts will describe each group in detail, especially the 'Academic Ability.'