50 Harvard Essays

Essays are for reference only. Do NOT copy or imitate anything! 
Plagiarism is severely punished! 
after sliding headfirst through a field of cow dung. The intellectual’s ideas of higher 
education and social equality sat well with my middle-class African-American 
stomach. Du Bois represents everything I grew up admiring. Du Bois was the radical 
who attended Harvard University. His idea of a “talented tenth” to lead the 
African-American race starkly resembles the black middle class today. I had no 
choice but to agree with Du Bois. 
So enamored with Du Bois was I that I forgot about Washington’s practical ideas of 
self-help and economic power. I witnessed Washington’s ideas acted out in everyday 
life. I bought my “black” hair products from and Asian owner in the middle of the 
ghetto and the corner store owned by Iranians supplied me with chips and candy. 
These facts made me feel that maybe African-Americans had shoved Washington 
too far back into the closet. At this juncture, Washington began to give Du Bois 
competition in a formerly one-sided war. Economic prosperity means power; a race 
with economic power cannot be denied social equality, right? 
In order to resolve the dilemma presented by this tug-of-war, I looked at the 
ingredients of my life. Washington appealed to the part of me that wanted to forget 
about social equality. That part of me wanted to live as it came and focus only on 
self-advancement. Du Bois appealed to the part of me that felt no man was a man 
without social equality. Either way, both appealed to my life as an African-American. 
The fact that two early twentieth-century advocates affected a ‘90s 
African-American girl shows that their message was not lost in the passage of time. 
Neither man won the tug-of-war. Maybe this tug-of—war in my head was not meant 
to be won because their philosophies influenced me equally. Washington provided 
the practical ingredients for social advancement while Du Bois provided the 
intellectual ingredients for such advancement. African-Americans must evaluate 
both philosophies and determine how both views can facilitate the advancement of 
the race. I still stand between two men but now I embrace them equally. 
ANALYSIS 
The question of racial identity can be an enormous one for many people and often 
makes a great college essay. Writing an essay about this part of your development 
is insightful into your person and your views. Admissions officers are trying to get to 
a portrait of who you are and what you value, and little is more revealing than a 
struggle for racial identity. Freelon chose to write about two black leaders to show 
what her racial identity means to her. Her essay also shows a keen interest in how 
history can be applied to her life – an interest that would appeal to admissions 
officers trying to pick thoughtful individuals. 
Freelon’s essay is well written and well organized. She moves smoothly from her 
opening thoughts into the body of the essay and devotes equal time to each 
philosophy. She also shows clear examples of why she originally liked Du Bois and 
why she changed her mind about Washington. Her essay show important elements 

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