When future President John F. Kennedy applied to Harvard College in 1935, he faced the following essay question, which he answered in the following way:

Why do you wish to come to Harvard?



The reasons that I have for wishing to go to Harvard are several. I feel that Harvard can give me a better background and a better liberal education than any other university. 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.



April 23, 1935

John F. Kennedy