JOHN F KENNEDY’S FUTURE WAS NOT CLEAR AT SEVENTEEN
It’s comforting to know that John F Kennedy was a very ordinary guy at the age of seventeen. The Atlantic dug up Kennedy’s application to Harvard in 1936 and one section asked the applicant “Why do you wish to come to Harvard?” His response isn’t particularly brilliant – like many teens, he didn’t seem to know WHAT he wanted to major in. He was, however, aware of the prestige associated with the University and the importance of connections he would make there. His application included his grades from Choate school – maybe you can figure them out. The essay was far from special, but like they did for several others, Harvard managed to turn him in Presidential material.