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How The Letter ‘S’ College Essay Got an 18-year-old Into Harvard
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How The Letter ‘S’ College Essay Got an 18-year-old Into Harvard

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Meet Abigail Mack, an 18-year-old high school senior from Massachusetts whose heartfelt essay has tugged at the heartstrings of many. Not only has it touched many people online, but it also got Abigail a place in the 2025 class at Harvard University. The odds looked impossible at first since the prestigious university just announced its lowest-ever acceptance rate, 1,968 out of 57,435 first-year applicants, which made it less than 4%.

Abigail has shared her Harvard entry-winning letter ‘S’ college essay on TikTok, which immediately went viral, amassing 1.7M views just for part 1. The common app essay that got me into Harvard was about the letter ‘S,’” she said, referring to the word “parents” in a plural and the subtle spelling difference Grammarly made when adding “S” to its singular form.

“I used to have two parents, but now I have one, and the ‘S’ in ‘parents’ isn’t going anywhere,” Abigail said about losing her mom to cancer. See her powerful letter in full right below that tells the story of a teen navigating through the greatest loss of her life and accomplishing the seemingly impossible on the way.

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    I Hate the Letter ‘S’ Essay Earned Abigail a Place at Harvard

    Abigail Mack, a then high school senior and now a student of Harvard University’s class of 2025, has captivated the hearts of many on social media and multiple university admission teams. She also got invitations from schools like Northwestern and Notre Dame. It’s one of the rare essays that worked in the academic and social media worlds.

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    Image credits: a_vmack

    The Letter ‘S’ College Essay Garnered a Lot of Attention

    “I received a Likely Letter, which informs an applicant that they’ve been admitted prior to the official decision release date in the hopes that the applicant will make the school their first choice,” Abigail told BuzzFeed.

    “Likely Letters are really rare, and I’m so fortunate to have received one! My reaction was… interesting. There was a lot of screaming—I didn’t have a voice for about a week afterwards—and I was on the verge of tears.” We can see her excitement through the series of ‘I hate the letter S’ college essay videos on her TikTok.

    @a_vmackMy Harvard Common App Essay introduction ##harvard ##grammarly ##IFeelWeightless ##ChipsGotTalent ##fyp ##college ##commonapp ##xyzbca ##loss ##s♬ original sound – Abigail Mack

    @a_vmack♬ original sound – Abigail Mack

    @a_vmack♬ original sound – Abigail Mack

    @a_vmack♬ original sound – Abigail Mack

    Abigail Was Offered a Place in the Most Competitive Year at Harvard

    For the 2025 class, Harvard was picky. Really picky. The admission rate was 3.43%. However, the letter ‘S’ college essay allowed Abigail to stand out among the highly competitive pool of applicants. So, when that letter arrived to Abigail, she was more than happy.

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    Image credits: abigail_vmack

    Image credits: a_vmack

    @a_vmackI didn’t have a voice for a week after this 🥰 #harvard #college #accepted #fyp #foryou #xyzbca #MakeMomEpic♬ original sound – Abigail Mack

    What Inspires Abigail?

    Abigail said to Buzzfeed that she grew up in a very artistic family. “My mother opened a dance studio that my father still runs, and my father is a piano teacher, so theater has always been part of my life,” she said. Unsurprisingly, it became one of her passions. “There [is] something cathartic in escaping to a new world and being someone else for even just a few hours on stage.”

    But the woman’s hobbies don’t end there. “Politics is a newer passion,” the 18-year-old continued. “When the Black Lives Matter demonstrations were occurring this past summer, I realized how passionately I felt about politics. I knew that I could no longer stand idly by and watch as the world made leaps forward without me. I became a fellow on Senator Ed Markey’s re-election campaign and also taught volunteers how to phone bank for Joe Biden’s campaign. It was extremely gratifying to feel like my voice was being heard.”

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    Image credits: abigail_vmack

    Many Praised Abigail for Her Inspirational Harvard Essay

    Upon the news breaking on the internet, people rushed to congratulate Abigail on her achievement. Today, the multi-talented teen is now on the path of choosing what she will do next. But right now, her career paths are all open as long as he chases her double ‘S,’ her motivating paSSion.

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    Denis Tymulis

    Denis Tymulis

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    Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

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    Denis Tymulis

    Denis Tymulis

    Author, Community member

    Denis is a photo editor at Bored Panda. After getting his bachelor's degree in Multimedia and Computer Design, he tried to succeed in digital design, advertising, and branding. Also, Denis really enjoys sports and loves everything related to board sports and water.

    Liucija Adomaite

    Liucija Adomaite

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    Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

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    Liucija Adomaite

    Liucija Adomaite

    Author, Community member

    Liucija Adomaite is a creative mind with years of experience in copywriting. She has a dynamic set of experiences from advertising, academia, and journalism. This time, she has set out on a journey to investigate the ways in which we communicate ideas on a large scale. Her current mission is to find a magic formula for how to make ideas, news, and other such things spread like a virus.

    Džiugas Ožekauskas

    Džiugas Ožekauskas

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    Heyo. I’m Džiugas, a writer for Bored Panda’s Home & Design section. You can guess from my name that I’m a happy person. At least, I try to be happy and full of joy. I’m always down to analyze old and new movies and suggest decor ideas to add some pizazz to your home.

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    Džiugas Ožekauskas

    Džiugas Ožekauskas

    Author, Community member

    Heyo. I’m Džiugas, a writer for Bored Panda’s Home & Design section. You can guess from my name that I’m a happy person. At least, I try to be happy and full of joy. I’m always down to analyze old and new movies and suggest decor ideas to add some pizazz to your home.

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    Tracey Hirt
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This resonates with me so much. The default is to assume you have two parents, both of whom are still in your life. Correcting people usually results in you both being uncomfortable. For example (This last Sunday was Mother’s Day in the US): Grocery store clerk: “What pretty flowers! Are they for your mom?” Me: “Um...yeah.” Grocery Store Clerk: “Oh, she’ll love them! Are you taking her out for her special day?” Me: “Um...no. Just taking these to the cemetery.” Grocery Store Clerk: *awkward silence* Me: (Thinking, “You asked. I just wanted to buy the flowers and leave.”)

    Truth Monster
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ***Disclaimer: dark joke. I don't want to harm anyone's grieving process, so please stop reading now if you are** If you're ready to joke: tell her the cemetery won't let you take her out for Mother's Day. She's grounded. Or tell them you're dropping by the hardware store after this to buy a shovel to take her out. Or say you would take her out, but you forgot where you buried her, and the flowers are to feed the gnomes (or unicorns).

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    Leo Domitrix
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "How are your parents?"..... "Mom's okay. Dad's in an urn.".... *awkward* "How's your sister?" .... "Dead."..... And that's why I don't attend school reunions.

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    Tracey Hirt
    Community Member
    3 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    This resonates with me so much. The default is to assume you have two parents, both of whom are still in your life. Correcting people usually results in you both being uncomfortable. For example (This last Sunday was Mother’s Day in the US): Grocery store clerk: “What pretty flowers! Are they for your mom?” Me: “Um...yeah.” Grocery Store Clerk: “Oh, she’ll love them! Are you taking her out for her special day?” Me: “Um...no. Just taking these to the cemetery.” Grocery Store Clerk: *awkward silence* Me: (Thinking, “You asked. I just wanted to buy the flowers and leave.”)

    Truth Monster
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    ***Disclaimer: dark joke. I don't want to harm anyone's grieving process, so please stop reading now if you are** If you're ready to joke: tell her the cemetery won't let you take her out for Mother's Day. She's grounded. Or tell them you're dropping by the hardware store after this to buy a shovel to take her out. Or say you would take her out, but you forgot where you buried her, and the flowers are to feed the gnomes (or unicorns).

    Load More Replies...
    Leo Domitrix
    Community Member
    3 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

    "How are your parents?"..... "Mom's okay. Dad's in an urn.".... *awkward* "How's your sister?" .... "Dead."..... And that's why I don't attend school reunions.

    Load More Comments
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