Do controversial students do better in admissions?

i_wanna_be_Brown
Mon, 28 Mar 2016 15:17:56 +0000

My S wrote a strong political essay that was quite harsh on the global impact of American policies. He used words like “all” and “everyone”.

@NCmom14 Just to clarify: You mean this was an essay on his application? What was the prompt? Did you actually see the essay? Did the essay speak in completely unpersonalized language or did your S tie in the global impact of American policies on his own life in any way shape or form?

Don’t forget that some have dubbed Harvard the Kremlin on the Charles. After all, the university’s long been a haven for notorious leftists - just look at George “Dubya” Bush, Mitt Romney, and Ted Cruz.

@NotVerySmart I feel like this joke packs less punch than it could have given that none of those 3 did their undergraduate degrees at Harvard.

And I agree with posters who say that unless this is tied in with extracurricular work (in which case the essays could be more about what she’s doing to “be the change she wishes to see in the world”) it’s going to be meaningless anyway, even if it weren’t controversial.