jfk admissions essay harvard

JFK's Very Revealing Harvard Application Essay

At 17 years old, the future president seemed to understand that the value of an elite education is in the status it offers.

John F. Kennedy is one of the most mythologized figures in contemporary American history. At age 17, though, he was just a kid trying to get into college (a kid with a wealthy, famous father, of course).

The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has a digitized version of Kennedy's 1935 Harvard application, which includes his grades and his response to the essay prompt, "Why do you wish to come to Harvard?" Here's how the future president answered:

The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college , but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain. April 23, 1935 John F. Kennedy

Business Insider dismisses the essay for being five sentences long (I'm not sure how much more he could have written given the space) and implies that his answer wasn't carefully considered. That's probably true—Kennedy's grades show that he wasn't an especially good student in high school, and there's not much evidence that he took his education seriously at this point in his life. Plus, as Gawker points out , Kennedy wrote nearly exactly the same essay for his Princeton application.

Still, Kennedy's essay shows a profound, if implicit, understanding of the primary value of attending an elite school: status and personal connections, rather than mastery of academic skills and knowledge. Notice that he only makes one mention of the education he'd receive at Harvard—a passing reference to the school's superior "liberal education." The rest of the paragraph focuses on the the non-academic benefits: having a "better background," sharing the same alma mater with his dad, and enjoying the "enviable distinction" of being a Harvard Man.

And it is, indeed, an enviable distinction. Harvard has produced eight United States presidents, more than any other school. The school's website has a whole section devoted to all the alumni who've won Nobel prizes. Two of its dropouts are among the richest people in America. Whether these glories are due to the school's excellent education or its impressive alumni network and name recognition, who knows? But Kennedy clearly thought he knew the answer.

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John f. kennedy’s harvard entrance essay resurfaces online 87 years later.

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It’s no “Ask not… ” speech, that’s for sure.

John F. Kennedy’s college admissions letter to Harvard University has resurfaced on social media some 87 years later, and the Twitterati are hardly impressed with the iconic 35th president of the United States.

The note, penned by the young White House hopeful on April 23, 1935, is currently archived at the  John F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Library in Boston, Massachusetts.

His prompt was simple — “Why do you wish to come to Harvard?” — but his answer was even simpler.

In an indisputably underwhelming statement composed of just five sentences, the 17-year-old Bay State native answered the query that would determine his educational future.

He wrote, “The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university.” 

He continued: “I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a ‘Harvard man’ is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.”

Kennedy eventually wound up at Harvard and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 1940.

“ ’Harvard is a whole vibe. And I’m tryna catch the wave. Lemme in.’ — JFK,” one reader joked . The reaction garnered more than 59,000 likes on Twitter.

"Harvard is a whole vibe. And I'm tryna catch the wave. Lemme in." – JFK — C.E. Little, Ph.D. (@ItsDrLittle) February 1, 2022

“If you want to see peak white mediocrity, here’s JFK’s Harvard admission essay,” added another.

Even the Velveeta cheese brand chimed in : “LOL OUR PRODUCT DESCRIPTION FROM OUR WEBSITE IS 28 WORDS LONGER THAN JFK’S HARVARD COLLEGE ESSAY!”

The Democrat’s short but influential term as the nation’s youngest elected president began in 1961. JFK was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963 at the age of 46.

But his family’s academic legacy continues until this day . Jack Schlossberg, Kennedy’s grandson via daughter Caroline Kennedy, recently graduated from Harvard Law and Harvard Business School.

Schlossberg, 29, previously attended Yale University and graduated in 2015 with a degree in history with a concentration in Japanese history.

He also appeared at the 2020 Democratic National Convention where he voiced support of now-president Joe Biden and touched upon JFK’s career.

“Times have changed, but the themes of my grandfather’s speech — courage, unity and patriotism — are as important today as they were in 1960,” he said. “Once again, we need a leader who believes America’s best days are yet to come. We need Joe Biden.”

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Why Is JFK's Harvard Admissions Essay Going Viral?

Social media users are discovering President John F. Kennedy's "underwhelming" Harvard application.

In one tweet from February 7, a UCLA PhD student tweeted JFK's Harvard application essay with a simple screenshot and the text "YALL IM CRYING PLEASE LOOK AT THIS!!!" The tweet has nearly 70,000 likes and 8,000 retweets.

Many users point out how underwhelming the essay is, others suggest that the line that got him accepted was the mention of his father, Joseph P. Kennedy Sr., who graduated from Harvard in 1912.

It reads the essay full:

The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.

It's only five sentences long, and as many pointed out on Twitter, it doesn't really say much. Yet, the essay worked—he got in, started in fall of 1936, and graduated cum laude in 1940 with a Bachelor of Arts in government.

Harvard admissions has become extremely competitive in the years since JFK applied; the acceptance rate fell to 3.43 percent in 2021. Yet, according to the Harvard Crimson , "Between 2014 and 2019, the acceptance rate for legacies, 33 percent, dwarfed Harvard’s overall acceptance rate of only 6 percent."

JFK's own children and grandchildren attended Harvard: his daughter, Caroline Kennedy graduated from undergrad in 1980, and granddaughter, Rose Kennedy Schlossberg, graduated in 2010. Jack Kennedy Schlossberg didn't attend for undergrad, opting to go to Yale University instead, but he recently graduated with dual degrees from Harvard Business School and Harvard Law School.

It's not just Twitter where JFK's essay is going viral; on TikTok, law student Rashid Eldoma analyzes the essay:

Musician Jordan Kahan, who goes by Boxout, also responded to the essay on the platform joking that it "basically boils down to 'Harvard's pretty cool, also my dad went here, so let me in please."

This isn't the first time the essay has gone viral. It surfaces every few years, in part thanks to the Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum's digitized version.

Emily Burack (she/her) is the Senior News Editor for Town & Country, where she covers entertainment, culture, the royals, and a range of other subjects. Before joining T&C, she was the deputy managing editor at Hey Alma , a Jewish culture site. Follow her @emburack on Twitter and Instagram .

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Here's The 5-Sentence Personal Essay That Helped JFK Get Into Harvard

Without a doubt, John F. Kennedy is one of Harvard University's most accomplished and impressive graduates.

However, the former POTUS was not the best applicant when he decided he wanted to take up residence in Cambridge, Mass. He had poor grades from high school, and while he had spent two months at Princeton University before leaving due to an illness, even his own father called him "careless."

In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, The Washington Post has highlighted many of his school records , including a handwritten Harvard application. You can check out the digitized originals at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum. 

As part of the Harvard application — which at the time was a mere three pages — students were asked to give a "careful answer" to the question "Why do you wish to come to Harvard?" Here's what a young JFK had to say:

The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain. April 23, 1935 John F. Kennedy

From the JFK library, here's the original:

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• Main content

Analyzing JFK's Successful Harvard Essay

Kate Sliunkova

AdmitYogi, Stanford MBA & MA in Education

The Prompt: Why do you wish to come to Harvard?

JFK's response: The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a "Harvard man" is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain.

Our Thoughts on JFK's Essay

What he accomplishes.

He outlines his desire for a liberal education and identifies Harvard as the school in the best position to provide this service.

He flatters Harvard and separates it by claiming that it's not "just another college".

He expresses his long-held intention to attend Harvard.

He brings up his legacy status.

Where his essay falls short

While the writing is technically solid, this essay lacks a compelling story.

He never specifically identifies Harvard’s unique qualities, nor does he explain why those unique qualities would be a good match for him.

His family ties and desire to attend (which is really the heart of his application essay) are irrelevant; the admissions committee is uninterested in what its applicant wants. It’s far more interested in how an applicant might fit in and what that applicant might offer the college. JFK fails to consider both his fit and his potential contributions to Harvard.

Concluding thoughts

It’s quite clear that applying to college in the 1930s was quite different. JFK’s essay today likely wouldn’t slide at a less-selective state institution – and definitely wouldn’t be accepted at an enviable institution like Harvard.

This isn’t a reflection of JFK’s talents—clearly, he is a deeply intelligent man—but it does show how much applying to college has changed over the past few decades.

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JFK’s Harvard application (with essay) and other school records

The 50th anniversary of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy this Friday has prompted an avalanche of coverage about his life and death, including today’s visit to his graveside at Arlington Cemetery by President Obama  and former President Bill Clinton. Here’s a look at something that hasn’t got much attention: his education.

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has digitized a number of records relating to his educational experience, and here are some of those documents, including his Harvard University application — in his own handwriting — as well as his grades from The Choate School and a letter from his father, Joseph Kennedy, to the Harvard admissions dean explaining that JFK was “brilliant” but “careless” and “lacks ambition” for things that didn’t interest him.

JFK went to these schools: Through fourth grade, the Edward Devotion School, Noble and and Greenough Lower School and the Dexter School in Massachusetts; Riverdale Country Day School in New York from fifth through seventh grades;  the Canterbury School in Connecticut for eighth grade; The Choate School in Connecticut for high school. He attended Princeton University for no more than two months in 1935, and later enrolled and graduated from Harvard.

Take a look at his grades and his university application. You may be surprised.

PHOTOS:  JFK, the man behind Camelot – A selection of the best images from his life

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http://www.businessinsider.com/personal-essay-application-jfk-get-into-harvard-2013-11 Thu, 11/21/2013 - 19:00 Business Insider Here's The 5-Sentence Personal Essay That Helped JFK Get Into Harvard

JFK's Harvard Application: Would He Have Gotten In Today?

Contributor

John F. Kennedy's Harvard application shows just how far college admissions have come in the last 75 years.

The 26-page document, recently released by the John F. Kennedy Library and Museum , lacks praise for the young Choate student. The future president is described by a family friend as "reliable and dependable," and a note from his father states that young Jack tends to "lack application."

Would Kennedy have gotten into Harvard today? Well, he has some factors in his favor. For one, according to college consultant Barbara Cooper, he's a legacy, and legacy applicants have a decided edge in the admissions process.

But the piece de resistance of any college application, the why-I-want-to-go-to-this-school essay, might have hurt Kennedy's chances.

"The reasons that I have for wanting to go to Harvard are several," he wrote. "I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then to[?], I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a 'Harvard man' is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain."

To say it's a bit lacking would be an understatement. "The essay itself, from today's point of view, is missing a true understanding of the unique features of Harvard's offerings," Cooper said. "It's not even clear if he visited or attended the information session, which many schools say is essential to indicating that you have an interest."

Harvard received a record 35,000 applications for its class of 2015.

Read the application in full below.

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My Harvard Application Essay

The Atlantic has recently published JFK’s 1935 Harvard application . It is fascinating to see how the school’s application process has evolved in the past 8 decades. Though JFK’s essay revealed that social status and personal connection were primarily the keys to Harvard admission, which might still be the case in today’s world, I think it is (nearly) fair to say that our school is now valuing more about prospective students’ appetite on solving the world’s problems and their EQs.

The essay Qs I was given during my admission was the following:

” Write an essay describing a challenging situation or interaction you faced. In this essay, please tell us the background on the situation or interaction, who was involved, your role, and the end result. Please note that positive outcomes do not always make the most compelling essays.” (2 pages MAX)

I am not here to prove to you that my application essay was the model answer. Rather, I want to share with you my personal story, in which it has sharpened who I am today.

My Choice Reflects My Hopes, Not My Fears

At the age of 18, I left Hong Kong and came to a small town in Alabama. I was told that the upcoming year would be adventurous and joyful because Guin High School was ready for an exchange student like me.

I arrived at midnight to a cold and empty airport and was greeted by my host mom, Kristin. During the long and quiet ride home, Kristin’s only conversation was to tell me that she had an 8 year old daughter. To this day, Kristin’s background is still a mystery. I don’t understand why she applied to be a host family. She was never interested in my culture or education.

Little did I know my whole world would change again overnight. Kristin told me she was unemployed, broke and needed to move in with her father, who lived in Niceville, Florida. My suitcases were not yet unpacked, but I had to move again. Facing an unknown future, I was scared. No one in Alabama knew I had left and no one in Florida was expecting me. It was not the exchange program experience I had foreseen.

After a 6-hour road trip, we arrived at Kristin’s father’s home. My new host grandfather was a Vietnam War veteran with post-traumatic stress disorder. He was shocked and unprepared to ‘adopt’ me. I was no longer the exchange student on a mission to experience American life; I was now a foreigner in a mental health patient’s home. My only hope was to survive.

There were days when the house was empty and so was the kitchen pantry. Even though I had a mailing address, the life I was experiencing was that of a homeless person. Starvation became a daily routine. The only access to basic necessities was through school. I grabbed extra food from the school lunch program and signed up for culinary class because making meals was  part of the curriculum. To fight hunger, I even ate my classmate’s leftovers. Just when I thought I could be self-sufficient, my experience took a dangerous turn.

One night, when the grandfather returned home from work, we were alone in the house. He came to the kitchen where I was doing homework and stood extremely close to me. His nose was less than an inch from my neck and I could feel his breath. He kept shouting, “I hate you woman! I have guns in this house!” I tried to escape the kitchen but he blocked me. I asked myself, “Do I have to fight for my life?” I burst into tears. When the grandfather spit in my face, I turned around and threatened him with a kitchen knife screaming, “Stay away from me!” I do not recall how long I held the knife, but he eventually stepped back and left the kitchen. I knew if I did not leave that house, I would not survive.

My plan to escape without alarming the grandfather was to use the school bus. My bus driver never disappointed me. He picked me up every morning at 6 a.m., rain or shine. The night was long and lonely. I put my arms around my suitcase, sat in my room and prayed. The bus arrived and my driver made a joking comment about my suitcase. I choked out, “Get me out of here, please!” The moment the doors of the bus closed, I knew I would be safe. I had overcome fear by taking a leap of faith.

In the end, my year did turn out to be adventurous and joyful. I found a family and friends with whom I have stayed connected to this day. I had empowering experiences traveling and competing with the high school forensics team. I was able to sleep, study and assuage my literal as well as emotional hunger. At the end of the year I received a scholarship to study at the University of Nebraska. Through this experience I learned that I could overcome powerful negative situations, a formative lesson that continues to shape the person I am.

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JFK’s Harvard essay resurfaces, to mockery, after Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action

John F. Kennedy endeavored to be a “Harvard Man,” just like his father.

He wrote as much as a 17-year-old in 1935 in his rather succinct essay to Harvard College, a copy of which resurfaced on social media and quickly became a target of derision after the Supreme Court struck down race-based affirmative action in college admissions on Thursday.

In Kennedy’s response to the essay prompt — fewer than 100 words — some saw hypocrisy in the court’s decision to overrule nearly half a century of legal precedent. While the Supreme Court ruled that race can no longer be a factor in college admissions, many on social media noted that at some elite universities, the children of graduates, known as “legacies,” are given preference in admissions.

“A casual reminder of JFK’s college essay,” Rebecca Brenner Graham , who teaches history at the Madeira School in Washington, D.C., tweeted after the ruling.

“The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several,” Kennedy wrote in the essay. “I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer.”

“To be a ‘Harvard man’ is an enviable distinction,” he added.

With the Supreme Court’s ruling, the nation’s most prestigious schools are likely to see a significant decline in the number of Black, Hispanic, and Indigenous students admitted, according to research and analyses presented to the court last year.

The Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum has a digitized version of Kennedy’s application materials to Harvard, which includes his transcript from The Choate School — his grades were less than spectacular — along with a letter his father, Joseph Kennedy, wrote to the freshman dean explaining that while his son “has a very brilliant mind for the things in which he is interested,” he is “careless and lacks application in those in which he is not interested.”

While the admissions process was far less rigorous when Kennedy was applying, many online noted the surefire advantage the future president had as the son of a well-known and wealthy businessman who had graduated from Harvard himself.

“He’d still get in today. Because donor and legacy,” one person tweeted .

Kennedy graduated from Harvard in 1940 and was elected president in 1960.

The bar for admission to Harvard is now incredibly high — just 3.2 percent of undergraduate applicants were accepted to the class of 2026 — and whether Kennedy would be admitted now, even with his wealthy, privileged background, is debatable.

But many said that it’s historically underrepresented students who will be affected by the court’s ruling, while the legacy system — a century-old practice that overwhelmingly benefits white and wealthy students — will remain intact for now.

In the remarks about the decision Thursday, President Biden said the legacy system expands “privilege instead of opportunity.”

On campus, students at Harvard reacted to the decision with shock and disappointment, calling it a “step in the wrong direction.” In a video that incoming president Claudine Gay posted on Thursday, she acknowledged the school lacks “all of the answers about what’s next,” but would “continue opening doors.”

Application FAQs: Essays

Essays are a critical component of your application. They allow you to tell the Admissions Committee more about your personal history and experiences, professional aspirations, and commitment to public service. We want to know who you are and why you are interested in pursuing a master’s degree at Harvard Kennedy School—and essays are the best way for us to gather this information.

Below, you’ll find answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about essays.

What essays are required as part of the application for admission?

If you are applying to a joint or concurrent degree program, you will need to submit essays for the HKS degree program you are applying to, as well as the joint or concurrent degree program essay .

How strict are the word limits?

Our application will not prevent you from submitting essays that surpass the stated word limits, but we strongly recommend that you stay as close to the word limits as possible. Being concise is important in policy writing, and this is an opportunity to demonstrate that ability to the Admissions Committee.  

Is there a particular format I should follow?

Essays should be typed, uploaded, and labeled with the appropriate topic. We advise that you upload all documents as PDFs. We don’t have a font preference, but your essays should be easy to read.

Are there any sample essays I can review as I prepare to write my essays?

We want to ensure that the essays you are submitting are wholly your own and authentic to your experiences. For that reason, we do not have sample essays to provide you. We encourage you to:

• Be authentic and use your own voice.
• Don’t wait until the last minute to start working on your essays—allow plenty of time for thorough editing and proofreading.
• Answer the question that is being asked.

Can I use an AI tool to assist in writing my essays?

All essays must be truthful and based on authentic, firsthand experiences, without the use of generative AI.

Can an admissions representative from HKS proofread my essay for me?

No, we are unable to review essays before the formal application review process.

Should I submit an optional essay?

On the Essay section of the application, you will see an opportunity to upload an optional essay. If there is anything you would like the Admissions Committee to know about your academic, professional, or personal background that is not otherwise addressed in your application, you can use the optional essay to provide this context.

The optional essay is helpful to address:

• Gaps in your résumé or professional background
• Major changes in your career trajectory
• Inconsistent academic performance
• Perceived weaknesses in your application

If you are submitting an optional essay, be careful not to make excuses but instead provide context and focus on growth and learning.

Most applicants do not submit an optional essay, so do not feel obligated to submit an optional essay if there is nothing you feel needs to be addressed.

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JFK's Harvard application essay goes viral on Twitter as his grandson earns dual degrees from the university

Kennedy's grandson, jack schlossberg, recently celebrated degrees from both harvard business school and harvard law school.

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John F. Kennedy's college application essay for Harvard University is attracting attention on Twitter nearly 90 years after it was written.

Words from the essay were shared on Feb. 1 by a Twitter user who describes herself in her bio as a UCLA PhD student. 

Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States, wrote the short essay in 1935, according to the JFK Library’s website, where the document is preserved.

The application’s 10th question asks, "Why do you wish to come to Harvard?"

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"The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several," Kennedy responded. "I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university."

He continued, "I have always wanted to go there, as I have felt that it is not just another college, but is a university with something definite to offer. Then too, I would like to go to the same college as my father. To be a 'Harvard man' is an enviable distinction, and one that I sincerely hope I shall attain."

The tweet garnered more than 68,000 likes and thousands of retweets. 

One user commented how back then, the college essay was handwritten and had a low word count, as seen on the JFK Library’s website. Others brought up how JFK's Harvard essay has made headlines in the past as it was written similarly to his application essay for Princeton.

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John F. Kennedy wrote that he wanted to attend Harvard for a variety of reasons, including wanting to go to the same college his father attended. (iStock)

The Kennedy family still have a connection to Harvard to this very day. Kennedy's grandson, Jack Schlossberg, recently celebrated graduating from the university, Fox News previously reported . Schlossberg has earned his degrees from both Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School. 

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Jack Schlossberg, JFK's grandson, graduated from Harvard with two degrees, keeping the family tradition alive. ( Nathan Congleton/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images))

Schlossberg is the youngest child of Caroline Kennedy. He received his undergraduate degree from Yale. Caroline Kennedy also graduated from Harvard, along with Schlossberg’s great-grandfather, Joseph Kennedy, Sr. 

Fox News' Andrew Mark Millar contributed to this report .

Michael Hollan is an associate lifestyle editor for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent on Twitter: @M_Hollan

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