(Bloomberg) -- Harvard University added a new essay topic for high school seniors who apply for admission: how they handle disagreements.
The change comes after a school year when US college campuses were roiled by protests over the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.
The prompt, one of five required writing samples of about 100 words each, took the place of one asking students to describe an intellectual experience important to them.
College admissions have been in flux since last year’s Supreme Court decision that prohibited considering race as a factor, a case in which Harvard was named as a defendant. Several selective colleges, including Harvard, Dartmouth and Yale, have returned to requiring standardized exams after pauses during the pandemic.
Harvard last year changed its essay requirements, adding five required questions instead of a previous single essay. In last year’s admission season, early applications to Harvard College dropped 17% while students seeking regular admissions fell 5%.
This year’s word count was lowered from 200. One question still asks about a student’s life experiences. The new query gives applicants the chance to describe how they handle dissent.
“Describe a time when you strongly disagreed with someone about an idea or issue. How did you communicate or engage with this person? What did you learn from this experience?”
Harvard reviews its applications on an annual basis and makes adjustments to ensure the school is providing candidates with the best opportunity to represent themselves through the materials, said Jonathan Palumbo, a spokesman.
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