50 Successful Harvard Application Essays

J
OSHUAH
C
AMPBELL
My Something
Jeremiah and I have a lot in common; the one from the Bible, I mean, that comes before Lamentations
and after Isaiah. God sent Jeremiah on a mission at a young age; He gave him an assignment that he
could not turn down. I’m young, seventeen years old, and, like Jeremiah, I was at first unsure about
my assignment. However, on August 28, I stood before my congregation and announced my intent to
preach a sermon on trial. Never since had I felt the strange combination of relief and nausea that I felt
at that moment. It was then that I was finally sure, sure that the inner pull that I had been feeling for the
past four years was not due to stress-induced indigestion. The strangest sensation I have ever felt is
knowing that I am supposed to be doing something, and not know what that something is. Now, I’ve
found my something, the something God had in store for me.
Words cannot describe what it’s like to be a child who does not fit in, not because of some
disability, or because of some undesirable trait, but because he has a calling on his life. Little did I
know that, even in my earliest years, God was shaping me into the something He wanted my life to be.
It is at the same time humbling and terrifying to think that God chose me before he “formed [me] in
the womb.” To be honest, I find it hard to believe that He found me that important. My parents are not
super-Christians; my father definitely isn’t a priest like Jeremiah’s father. Still, He chose me, and it’s
even more frightening to realize that “Why me?” is a question I may never be able to answer. But, like
Jeremiah, I didn’t have much of a choice. God wanted Jeremiah just as He wants me, and I can either
choose obedience or a life lacking fulfillment.
As it happened, I couldn’t use the “too young” excuse, either. Jeremiah tried that one, and God’s
response was: “Do not say, ‘I am only a youth,’ for you will go to everyone I send you to and speak
whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of anyone, for I will be with you to deliver you.” To be honest
again, when I stand behind the pulpit next year, I am going to be scared, shaken to my core because of
the gravity of the task I must carry out. I know that already. Jeremiah knew it, too. The good news is
so does God, which is why He filled Jeremiah’s mouth with His words. I hope He’ll do the same for
me.
In the end, all the people who knew I’d be a preacher one day were right. Yes, I still plan to have
fun in college, and, no, I really don’t want to pastor a congregation. I just want to be like Jeremiah, to
be the something God wants me to be.
REVIEW
Joshuah’s essay is striking in its description of his dedication to God—though, as he describes, his

---

parents are not “super-Christians,” Joshuah feels a very strong connection to his religion. This is a
foreign feeling to many readers, but Joshuah recognizes this possibility and is careful to describe not
just a dedication to God that may not make sense to some, but the way that dedication makes him feel
—emotions that anyone can relate to.
Joshuah also avoids the common trap of centering an essay on something other than oneself.
Often, essays about important figures in one’s life—parents, grandparents, good friends—convince
an admissions officer that the person described is a wonderful human being, but do little for the
applicant’s case. In this instance, Joshuah describes his feelings toward God, but still keeps the story
about himself.
This well-crafted essay does everything a personal statement should do: It gives the reader a sense
of the applicant as a person and it demonstrates Joshuah’s ability to write coherently and cohesively,
while also maintaining the originality the best essays need to stand out.
—Indrani G. Das

---