There’s a pretty well-known book called “50 Successful Harvard Application Essays” that’s made the rounds over the years. Given the title, I can only assume that sales are doing just fine. I’ve always had mixed feelings about the book. On the one hand, I actually had a student featured in the third edition (for the record, I take no credit for his inclusion in the book or his admission/matriculation to Harvard). But on the other hand, the idea of sample essays has never sat well with me, even with a wide variety of examples. To the credit of the arrangers, they also explained why each essay was compelling in its own way. In all my years of college admissions and college counseling, there are only a handful of essays that I still remember to this day. And in the spirit of essay writing season, I’d like to share my impressions of one essay from a former student and why it worked so well.