Customer Reviews

50 Successful Harvard Application Essays: What Worked for Them Can Help You Get into the College of Your Choice

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(14)

 

 

I remember when this book came out and I was in middle school! Reading it then the essays seemed intimidating, but by the time I applied to College I was really ready to digest the book and compose my own essay. The best thing to take away from it is the tone and depth of the essays, don't just copy them or use the same idea and change the diction. I had the pleasure of working on the second edition of this book which comes out in September (I got to write a critique of one of the new essays), so I might be a little biased. Yet, as a Harvard Student that has worked in the admissions office, I can now say that these essays are good examples of what is expected and that the critiques are on the level of those you would receive from any admissions officer or guidance counselor.

The famous saying "a picture is worth a thousand words" can be applied to essays as well. I can understand other reviewers' low opinions of this book, but the book's title--50 Successful Harvard Application Essays--is spot on in terms of the book's content--what did you expect?! For those students applying to the elite level colleges, this book is a rare first hand glance at essays that gained approval from the admissions offices of the most selective college in the country, and can be very useful in determining the style, substance, and introspection expected in writing these incredibly important essays.

No book can teach you how to write an essay or how to find that essence of yourself that will appeal to colleges, but this book can provide a helpful guide. My son isn't applying to Harvard, but he's been struggling with his essay for weeks. A close reading of this book gave him several ideas he had never considered because he thought colleges wouldn't be interested. He also found the comments by Crimson staffers to be intelligent and helpful. He was so complimentary about the book that I took a look at it myself and found the essays to be a wacky and captivating read, even for someone not applying for anything!

This book is just essays from beginning to end, with 4 pages of writing 'tips'. These tips are the kind of things your teachers have been telling you since 3rd grade, and they aren't any more helpful this time around. (with about a paragraph each on "show, don't tell", "proofread", and "don't be afraid to ask for help"). I'd be surprised if any one person who bought this book actually benefited from these tips.

The rest of the book is essays with a few paragraphs critique on each. These essays are so good that there is no way 99.9% of high schoolers can even come close to this kind of writing. I got an 800 on the SAT II Writing and 780 on the SAT Verbal and there's no way I could write like that. The critiques are very specific to the essay so you wouldn't learn anything from them.

The only way you'd benefit from this book is if you're applying to a Harvard-level college and want to see how good your essays should be. (Then again, it is difficult to objectively compare your essay to others). Otherwise, you're just wasting your money so you can become envious of these kids. I thought 'Essays That Will Get You into College' was better, but don't buy that one either because most of it is online.

I purchased 3 College Essay books (100 Successful College Application Essays, 50 Successful Harvard Application Essays, and Essays That Worked), and have the following comments? I believe that the Harvard book has the best suggestions on how to write an essay, along with the best commentary/critique. However, the essays are a bit too polished. I think for 90% of prospective college students, their essays would be more like those in and patterned like those in Essays That Worked. For varied ideas on essays, the 100 Successful book gives some good ideas, but I believe many of the essays to be subpar. I did each book to have some interesting general reading, especially if one likes ?short stories?? or if one is interested in 17 & 18 year olds, and what goes thru their minds.

This book of compiled essays, composed by Harvard Students, has educated me that vocabulary power isn¡¦t the key element in essay writing. Using simple language portraying complex issues/ethics is the key to good essay writing. This book has aided me greatly in my essay composition. It also has assisted my cousin to write a Top Essay. And now he has been accepted in The Harvard English Department. As a fourteen year old, I enjoyed this book infinitely and I would recommend this book to anyone, who wishes to learn how to write essays with unique style.

Dennis Huang ^^

I am a rising Harvard senior, and when I applied was not a very good writer - much more the math & science type. I had a great deal of trouble writing my essay until my parents bought me some guidebooks with samples. My brother is applying to college now and having looked at a lot of different books this one is far and away the best. I bought my brother a copy of this Crimson essay book last week and even he, who happens to be a good writer, found it immensely useful.

obviously there are people out there trying to boost the ratings of this book.
just looking at essays will do you no good, because comparing your work with others is extremely hard to be unbias. useless. if you really need a book like this, get it from the library, so once you're done you dont have to reread it.

I know when I was applying to the University of Michigan, this book really gave me a lot of help. There are pointers from the Harvard students and advice that really works!

This book is definitely worth using to help you get into your dream school.

Getting into Harvard is tough, but The Crimson lends a helping hand right where you need it most: your personal essays. By senior year the applicant can't really change his/her transcript much and teachers have already formed impressions for recommendations. The essay is the only aspect of the application that really remains in your hands. The advice provided by this book is insightful, at times inspiring, and will help any high school senior get into the school they want. My son's confidence has skyrocketed since he picked up a copy.