Here's The Five Sentence Personal Essay That Helped JFK Get Into Harvard
However, the former POTUS was not the best applicant when he decided he wanted to take up residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts. He had poor grades from high school, and while he had spent two months at Princeton University before leaving due to an illness, even his own father called him "careless."
In anticipation of the 50th anniversary of JFK's assassination, The Washington Post has highlighted many of his school records, including a handwritten Harvard application. You can check out the digitalized originals at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum.
As part of the Harvard application - which at the time was a mere three pages - students were asked to give a "careful answer" to the question "Why do you wish to come to Harvard?" Here's what a young JFK had to say:
From the JFK library, here's the original:
