Dear HTLC Applicants,
Thank you so very much for your interest in the Harvard Taiwan Leadership Conference 2016. It was a great honor and pleasure for our team to read about so many of your wonderful stories, passions, aspirations, and ideas. However, this year, we received a record-breaking number of students, meaning we were not able to take all qualified applicants.
While evaluating applications, our team looked for the following: Basic English ability, signs of leadership and initiative, international and cultural appreciation, creativity, and diversity of interests in the format of well written, thoughtful essays that demonstrated the maturity of the applicant.
Some comments:
1. Extracurriculars and Interests
We were looking for a diversity of interests, as well as proven dedication, passion, and success in these areas. When we have hundreds of applicants, “watching movies”, “idle reading,” “chatting with friends,” and “listening to music” are not competitive interests. Does your application hint at your capacity to be a leader?
2. One Major Problem You See in the World and Blank Check
There are many issues to choose from. No matter which issue you chose, we were looking for those who provided nuanced, complicated, mature, thoughtful, creative, and thorough evaluations of these problems and potential solutions.
3. Who Would You Take to Dinner and Why?
We were looking for responses that would elucidate people’s personal passions and values. The most important part of this question was why. You have the choice to take anybody, from any point in the timeline of the universe and from anywhere in the world, regardless of feasibility, to dinner. Why do you want to take your person out to dinner and what does that say about you and your values and interests? What is your explanation and justification?
4. Your Life Movie
We saw three major types of life movies arise from this question -- a fictional account, a non fictional account, and a combination of the two. While we accepted all takes on the question, we were paying close attention to the following: (A) Creativity -- How did you convert your story into words? What sets your story apart from the others? Some people used this response to demonstrate their strong command of the English language. (B) Aspirations and Maturity -- How do you see yourself fitting into the world around you in the future? What are your goals and aspirations? How do you see yourself becoming a leader to benefit those around you? Some of the best essays were able to include both aspects.
5. Formality
Although we absolutely encourage applications that are humorous and creatively fun, we also expect that applications be appropriate and formal. Responses that use slang such as “haha” and “LOL” are too informal. Additionally, responses that include love interests, offensive jokes, or offensive statements are inappropriate.
In general, we were looking for visionary applicants who demonstrated a sincere concern and curiosity for the world and the communities around them. We are looking to give an opportunity to the next creative global leaders who are prepared to look beyond themselves, push boundaries, and take the time to learn from the opinions and perspectives of students around them. We also considered which applicants could benefit the most from this experience in terms of opportunities available to them.
We understand that the application process is difficult and stressful for some, especially with such a competitive applicant pool. However, personal emails asking or demanding about the specifics about why an application was not accepted demonstrate a lack of maturity. The Taiwan team has been working very hard with logistics, and they have our utmost appreciation for their hard work.
Hopefully this guide was a hint at the rigor, specificity, and level of complicated thinking that we come to expect out of all attendees of the Harvard Taiwan Leadership Conference.
Lastly, we would like to remind you that as we received our greatest number of applicants in HTLC history, we were unable to accept and even waitlist all qualified highly-applicants. We hope you all will continue your great work within the local and global community and strive to reach the great potential you all have as leaders. If your application did not get accepted this round, you are welcome to apply again if you are eligible.
Good luck with your summer!
Sincerely,
Melissa Joseph, Co-Director 2016
Michelle Ko, Co-Director 2016
Shannon Lytle, Former Director 2015
Thank you so very much for your interest in the Harvard Taiwan Leadership Conference 2016. It was a great honor and pleasure for our team to read about so many of your wonderful stories, passions, aspirations, and ideas. However, this year, we received a record-breaking number of students, meaning we were not able to take all qualified applicants.
While evaluating applications, our team looked for the following: Basic English ability, signs of leadership and initiative, international and cultural appreciation, creativity, and diversity of interests in the format of well written, thoughtful essays that demonstrated the maturity of the applicant.
Some comments:
1. Extracurriculars and Interests
We were looking for a diversity of interests, as well as proven dedication, passion, and success in these areas. When we have hundreds of applicants, “watching movies”, “idle reading,” “chatting with friends,” and “listening to music” are not competitive interests. Does your application hint at your capacity to be a leader?
2. One Major Problem You See in the World and Blank Check
There are many issues to choose from. No matter which issue you chose, we were looking for those who provided nuanced, complicated, mature, thoughtful, creative, and thorough evaluations of these problems and potential solutions.
3. Who Would You Take to Dinner and Why?
We were looking for responses that would elucidate people’s personal passions and values. The most important part of this question was why. You have the choice to take anybody, from any point in the timeline of the universe and from anywhere in the world, regardless of feasibility, to dinner. Why do you want to take your person out to dinner and what does that say about you and your values and interests? What is your explanation and justification?
4. Your Life Movie
We saw three major types of life movies arise from this question -- a fictional account, a non fictional account, and a combination of the two. While we accepted all takes on the question, we were paying close attention to the following: (A) Creativity -- How did you convert your story into words? What sets your story apart from the others? Some people used this response to demonstrate their strong command of the English language. (B) Aspirations and Maturity -- How do you see yourself fitting into the world around you in the future? What are your goals and aspirations? How do you see yourself becoming a leader to benefit those around you? Some of the best essays were able to include both aspects.
5. Formality
Although we absolutely encourage applications that are humorous and creatively fun, we also expect that applications be appropriate and formal. Responses that use slang such as “haha” and “LOL” are too informal. Additionally, responses that include love interests, offensive jokes, or offensive statements are inappropriate.
In general, we were looking for visionary applicants who demonstrated a sincere concern and curiosity for the world and the communities around them. We are looking to give an opportunity to the next creative global leaders who are prepared to look beyond themselves, push boundaries, and take the time to learn from the opinions and perspectives of students around them. We also considered which applicants could benefit the most from this experience in terms of opportunities available to them.
We understand that the application process is difficult and stressful for some, especially with such a competitive applicant pool. However, personal emails asking or demanding about the specifics about why an application was not accepted demonstrate a lack of maturity. The Taiwan team has been working very hard with logistics, and they have our utmost appreciation for their hard work.
Hopefully this guide was a hint at the rigor, specificity, and level of complicated thinking that we come to expect out of all attendees of the Harvard Taiwan Leadership Conference.
Lastly, we would like to remind you that as we received our greatest number of applicants in HTLC history, we were unable to accept and even waitlist all qualified highly-applicants. We hope you all will continue your great work within the local and global community and strive to reach the great potential you all have as leaders. If your application did not get accepted this round, you are welcome to apply again if you are eligible.
Good luck with your summer!
Sincerely,
Melissa Joseph, Co-Director 2016
Michelle Ko, Co-Director 2016
Shannon Lytle, Former Director 2015
