Essay advice from Senior Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Rosemary Hilliard

Tell a story

The best Harvard Kennedy School admissions essays will tell a cohesive story. That does not mean that every essay needs to be about the same topic, but there should be a theme or a thread that connects them. I always advise applicants to work backwards when deciding what to write about.

For example, you should start with your career goals, then consider how HKS will get you there, and then think about what you are doing now and what you have accomplished previously that has led you to apply to the Kennedy School. Having a clear picture of where you’ve come from and where you are going can really help craft a compelling and cohesive set of essays. 

Ways to help you prepare

One great tool for preparing to write admissions essays is generative AI! This may be surprising for me to recommend, but I know there is some value in utilizing this resource.

We do not permit the use of generative AI in writing the essays, and everything presented in an application must be truthful and based on your authentic, first-hand experiences. However, that doesn’t mean AI tools cannot be useful, especially as you are preparing to write your essays.

I recently had a current student tell me that they plugged the MPP essay prompts into ChatGPT and asked it to interview them based on the prompts. They shared that the exercise helped them narrow down what they wanted to write about. This is such a creative way to use an emerging technology!

Who should proofread?

Another tip is to have someone who is not in your field or policy area review your essays. This is especially helpful if you work or studied in a field that is highly technical and/or specialized. Doing this can help make sure that your application is accessible to the Admissions Committee and that you haven’t included any acronyms or references that your application readers will not immediately understand. 

Make sure your essay is comprehensive

Finally, I always advise reading essays out loud! Not only can this help to identify any awkward “flow,” but it can also help to craft more impactful language that is in your own voice. I use this strategy all the time when writing important documents and it’s saved me on several occasions!