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“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?”

This is the most recently updated supplemental essay for applicants to Harvard College. With Harvard’s Restrictive Early Action deadline less than a month away, applicants may find themselves wondering whether or not to make Harvard their top choice.

For those applying: don’t let Harvard’s perceived political makeup or what you think Harvard “wants to hear” prevent you from applying. But if you don’t intend on committing to the work of discourse with your classmates, go elsewhere.

It’s no secret that open discourse at Harvard has struggled over the past few years. Conflicts in the wake of October 7th led to both Jewish and Muslim students feeling unsafe, and Harvard came in dead last in the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression’s free speech rankings in 2023 and 2024.

But recently, the status of campus speech has finally begun to improve. The College recommitted itself to open discourse by introducing the Intellectual Vitality Initiative, hosting debates at Visitas — Harvard’s admitted students weekend — and implementing orientation trainings about respectful dialogue for incoming first-year students. Harvard even improved their free speech score from zero to nearly 50 in FIRE’s 2024 to 2025 rankings.

Beyond these initiatives, there are also many avenues for students to express themselves: politically-affiliated organizations for students on both sides of the spectrum, a multitude of faith-based organizations, and various publications dedicated to consistent, respectful debate.

But within these opportunities, many incoming students may be worried about how to partake in these activities within an academically rigorous environment. These fears would be justified. Within the College, there’s been increased debate about whether or not students are prioritizing their courses. As a result, Harvard administration has proposed eliminating pass-fail for General Education courses, limiting cell phone usage in class, and curbing grade inflation.

These efforts attempt to refocus students on the hallmark of the College’s mission: a transformational liberal arts education that begins in the classroom through exposure to a diverse set of ideas and perspectives. But truly accomplishing this goal won’t come through penalizing students for checking their text messages — it will be achieved only when students themselves come to the table ready and eager to discuss.

Other schools have begun attempting to evaluate students’ ability to engage in a culture of open discourse as part of the application process. Columbia, Northwestern, and Vanderbilt, to name a few, now accept “dialogues” portfolios, which attempt to measure students’ curiosity and empathy through online discussions with their peers about difficult topics.

While trying to ensure students are ready for campus discourse is an admirable cause, Harvard has the right idea in separating themselves from the crowd. Online meetings with peers well-aware they’re competing for spots at elite colleges are unlikely to produce an authentic portrayal of students’ speech practices. As the Editorial Board already pointed out, the burden of improving campus speech culture is up to students. And while admissions can try to buck the trend, things won’t change until students do.

Soon the weight of respectful disagreement will be the Class of 2030’s to bear, too.

Intellectual transformation requires a willingness to engage with ideas different from our own and a readiness to admit wrongdoing. But this type of change isn’t only possible through sitting in a debate or reading Marxist literature. It must include speaking up in section, indulging in late-night conversations with our ideological opposites, and exploring our own logical fallacies in rigorous writing classes.

So, to any prospective applicants: don’t hesitate to apply because you think your voice will be silenced. Rather, apply knowing your voice is the key to sustaining Harvard’s free speech culture. Come prepared.

Victoria Dolan ’28, a Crimson Editorial Editor, is a History & Literature Concentrator in Kirkland House.