John F. Kennedy.Photo: Photofest
The short essay — written on April 23, 1935 and now housed at theJohn F. Kennedy Presidential Museum and Library— was written in response to the prompt: “Why do you wish to come to Harvard?”
In his five-sentence response, Kennedy extols the benefits of being a “Harvard man” and attending the same college as his father.
“The reasons that I have for wishing 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.”
Kennedy 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.”
Social media users recently re-shared the essay (whichperiodically makes headlines), with some reinterpreting it for 2022.
" ‘Harvard is a whole vibe. And I’m tryna catch the wave. Lemme in.’ - JFK,“wrote one Twitter userin response to the essay.
Others noted that the entrance essay Kennedy submitted to Princeton — in which he noted the “enviable distinction” of being a “Princeton man” — wasstrikingly similar.
Others noted that itwas a different time— one in which entrance essays weren’t as important a part as the overall application — and the teenager who wrote the essay did go on to achieve some notable things: “You understand that this was 85 years ago, and that he did in fact go on to fairly high office and some acclaim, right?”
Kennedy ultimately attended Harvard, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in government in 1940.
He again wrote of what it meant to attend the prestigious university in a 1956 article for the Harvard Alumni Bulletin titled “Why Harvard Men Go Into Politics.”
“But more important than its reputation, Harvard offers the potential politician an atmosphere conducive to the furtherances of such a career,” Kennedy — then serving as a Massachusetts senator — wrote. “His interest in national affairs is quickened, and his comprehension of political issues is increased.”
He would be elected president in 1960 and serve until Nov. 22, 1963, when he was assassinated in Dallas.
source: people.com
