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How to Write Harvard's Top 3 Things for Your Roommates

Three things your roommates might like to know about you: a chance to sound like yourself.

150 wordsRequiredList2026-27
Harvard University's wording, checked October 26, 2026
“Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.”

How to approach it

  1. 1Pick three things that are specific, a little surprising and true.
  2. 2Mix a habit, a quirk and something that shows how you treat people.
  3. 3Use the voice you would use with a roommate.
  4. 4Read the three aloud: they should sound like one person talking, not three application bullet points.

A structure that works

One way to shape this answer. It describes moves, not sentences: the words have to be yours.

  1. 1Three items, each a sentence or two: a list is the form the question asks for.
  2. 2Open each with the concrete thing, then the small story or reason behind it.
  3. 3Order them so the three together show range: how you live, what you love, how you treat people.
  4. 4End on the item with the most warmth.

Where the 150 words go

PartWords
The moment or exampleabout 60
What it shows or changedabout 50
Why it matters, or what you bringabout 40
One item, shown (invented student)
I label leftovers with the date and a rating out of ten. My brother says it is passive-aggressive. I say a four is a warning, not an insult.

Mistakes to avoid

  • Three résumé items.
  • Three jokes with nothing underneath.
  • Using all 150 words on one item when the question asks for three.

The checklist our grader uses for this question

When you check your Harvard answers, this answer is read against these 4 areas. Each comes back Met, Partly or Missing with a quote from your draft as evidence, and together with the 150 words limit they set its readiness verdict.

AreaWhat a reader looks for
Follows the formatIt is the list the college asked for, in the format it set (items only, the right number, no explanations unless invited).
Specific itemsItems are specific titles, names or things, not categories ("podcasts about science").
The list says somethingRead as a whole, the list reveals range, depth or a pattern that tells the reader about the applicant.
Harvard's askExactly three things, specific and in the applicant's own voice; light is fine, as roommates would see them.

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Questions

How long is Harvard's "Top 3 things your roommates might like to know" essay?

Up to 150 words.

Is it required?

Required. Harvard's full set of questions is on the Harvard supplemental essays page.

Can I reuse an essay from another college for this prompt?

You can start from material you have, but rewrite it for Harvard's exact wording: answer every part of this question, and cut what it does not ask for.

Can Statementory write or improve my answer?

We never write or rewrite it: colleges ask you to affirm your essays are your own work. Our checker reviews it against the checklist on this page, quotes your own words, and asks the questions only you can answer.

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