According to Harvard College admissions statistics, about 11 percent of admitted students are from outside the United States. Though getting into Harvard as an international applicant is very competitive, experience abroad can successfully set international students apart.

Importantly, growing up in a differ ent part of the world gives the applicant distinct life experiences that can be conveyed through the college essay better than it can be described in any other part of the application.

In this section, read about a student from Kazakhstan discussing the stigma against women in her society and how she’s tried to defy stereotypes of women, and learn about how a student from Russia juxtaposes his parents’ struggle through the Vietnam Communist upheaval against his love of information technology and the sense of freedom it brings.

These international stories showcase the students’ cultural customs and experiences that are vastly differ ent from American norms to make the essay truly unique in the eyes of admissions officers. Despite its international focus, all applicants can learn from the key takeaways in this section: Students use evocative details of their home life—sights, sounds, smells—to draw a full picture of their pre- college life and how that up-bringing shaped who they are today.