Since childhood I have had a burning passion for technology. Your prestigious university is the best place to fulfil my dreams.
Build your statement outline.
Six focused steps to organise your own experiences, programme fit and goals. Start with the university’s actual prompt.
Your work: stays in this tab. Download a draft to keep it and reopen it later.
What is the university asking for?
Read the application page and write the question here in your own notes, or copy the exact prompt. Check length, file format and whether separate answers are needed.
See a natural example
For example: Explain why you want to study this subject, how your previous study has prepared you, and what you hope to do afterwards. Maximum 500 words.
Fictional illustration. Replace this with your own facts and your university’s actual instructions.0 words in this section. The prompt does not count towards your outline.
Your working outline
This is your evidence arranged by topic. Shape it into your own final statement and follow the university’s instructions.
Why this subject?
Add your own evidence in the steps above.
What has prepared you?
Add your own evidence in the steps above.
Why this programme?
Add your own evidence in the steps above.
What will you bring?
Add your own evidence in the steps above.
What comes next?
Add your own evidence in the steps above.
What makes an example stronger?
These are fictional examples written by Via Glowbal for learning. Use the approach, then write about your own experience. They are not accepted-application samples or text to submit as your own.
Motivation grounded in an experience
While building a timetable for our student society, I found that the simplest scheduling rule regularly excluded the same members. Testing different constraints made me curious about how optimisation can distribute opportunities more fairly.
Why it works: A specific situation leads to an intellectual question. The example shows how an interest developed instead of relying on praise or a childhood cliché.
Connecting preparation to the next step
I studied many subjects and completed an excellent final-year project. I will be an asset to your institution.
In my final-year transport project, I compared two forecasting methods using the same held-out data. Their performance changed across neighbourhoods, which taught me to examine where a model fails rather than report only an overall score.
Why it works: Explain your work and the learning it produced. You do not need a dramatic result or a publication to describe meaningful preparation.
Programme fit with a reason
I want to study here because the ranking, campus and international reputation are excellent.
After reading the published module outline, I am interested in its focus on optimisation under uncertainty. My project used fixed assumptions; learning to test uncertain inputs would help me understand whether the conclusions hold in less predictable settings.
Why it works: Connect a verified course feature to something you want to learn. Replace the illustrative module detail with an actual feature of your chosen programme.
How we use the Harvard guidance
The Harvard Extension School Resumes and Cover Letters guide (2022), also reflected in its current career-service guidance, emphasises relevant facts, active wording, readable organisation and tailoring to the reader. We adapt those principles here; the examples and templates are our own.
A job cover letter and a university statement are different documents. Harvard Griffin GSAS distinguishes academic purpose and preparation from the personal experiences and contribution discussed in a personal statement. Your chosen programme’s question determines what belongs in yours; its format and word limit take priority.
Harvard GSAS: statement types and requirements ↗Read Harvard’s resume and cover-letter guidance ↗
Sources reviewed 22 September 2026. Via Glowbal is not affiliated with or endorsed by Harvard University. These principles do not guarantee admission.