Harvard Restrictive Early Action

Harvard's Early choice is called the Restrictive Early Action. This is binding and restrictive  because it blocks you from applying ED or even EA to any other US university

 Harvard also uses the common application and the only supplementary essay is open ended.
 Use this to show qualities  that  the admissions committe may be interested in.
 On the Harvard admissions page, the list the following as "things we  look for":

Growth and potential

• Have you reached your maximum academic and personal potential?
• Have you been stretching yourself?
• Have you been working to capacity in your academic pursuits, your full-time or part-time employment, or other areas?
• Do you have reserve power to do more?
• How have you used your time?
• Do you have initiative? Are you a self-starter? What motivates you?
• Do you have a direction yet? What is it? If not, are you exploring many things? 
• Where will you be in one, five, or 25 years? Will you contribute something to those around you?
• What sort of human being are you now? What sort of human being will you be in the future?

Interests and activities

• Do you care deeply about anything—intellectual? Extracurricular? Personal?
• What have you learned from your interests? What have you done with your interests? How have you achieved results? With what success or failure? What have you learned as a result?
• In terms of extracurricular, athletic, community, or family commitments, have you taken full advantage of opportunities?
• What is the quality of your activities? Do you appear to have a genuine commitment or leadership role?
• If you have not had much time in high school for extracurricular pursuits due to familial, work, or other obligations, what do you hope to explore at Harvard with your additional free time?

Character and personality

• What choices have you made for yourself? Why?
• Are you a late bloomer?
• How open are you to new ideas and people?
• What about your maturity, character, leadership, self-confidence, warmth of personality, sense of humor, energy, concern for others, and grace under pressure?

Contribution to the Harvard community

• Will you be able to stand up to the pressures and freedoms of College life?
• Will you contribute something to Harvard and to your classmates? Will you benefit from your Harvard experience?
• Would other students want to room with you, share a meal, be in a seminar together, be teammates, or collaborate in a closely knit extracurricular group?