How helpful is the advice from College Essay Guy for getting into Harvard?

As a Yale graduate and college admissions advisor with over 8 years of experience helping students gain admission to Harvard, Stanford, MIT, and other highly selective universities, I’ve seen firsthand what makes an application essay truly stand out.

College Essay Guy’s advice is generally strong and widely respected, especially for brainstorming, structure, and authenticity in personal essays. Many students have successfully used his frameworks to gain admission to selective schools, including Harvard—though, in my experience, getting in always comes down to a combination of factors: academics, extracurriculars, and standout storytelling.

Harvard places a lot of weight on essays that stand out in both voice and substance. College Essay Guy’s exercises (like the values list, narrative structures, and ‘Essence Objects’ exercise) can help you identify unique topics and dig deeply into personal meaning—both crucial for competitive schools. For example, plenty of admitted students use his ‘Montage Structure’ to weave together seemingly unrelated experiences into something memorable.

That said, for Harvard, you often need to go a step further. Admissions readers gravitate toward essays that not only show self-reflection but also convey a strong sense of purpose and a distinctive perspective. When I work with students applying to HYPSM and other top schools, I encourage them to push for specificity and vulnerability—tying moments of change or conflict to how they think and act now. For instance, one student I worked with started with the ‘Everything I Want Colleges to Know About Me’ list, then narrowed in on a single afternoon volunteering at a free clinic. A language barrier forced her to improvise and connect with a patient in an unexpected way, leading to a 20-minute encounter that revealed empathy, adaptability, and resilience—exactly the qualities Harvard values.

Ultimately, College Essay Guy’s advice is an excellent starting point, but you still need your essays to feel unmistakably yours and avoid common themes or clichés. Pair his strategies with honest, targeted feedback—ideally from someone who knows what works at the most selective schools—to keep your voice strong and your storytelling polished.

Over the past 8 years, I’ve guided thousands of students in crafting essays that not only capture their authentic voice but also open doors to their dream schools. If you’d like tailored, one-on-one guidance to take your essays beyond good frameworks and into unforgettable storytelling, you can connect with me here on Sundial.