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

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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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