Calling all HBS Fall 2010 Candidates

I am on the waitlist

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thanks for your help!

I did the same as suker but without the subtitles. Essays should be sufficently clear so that they figure out you list your 3 accomplishments I know people who have done like me and people who have done like Suker. The "one embedded" essay will be very difficult to achieve. You loose some words with transitions which is not a good thing when struggling with word limit

Thank you Magellan! But without transitions, wouldn't the essay be a little choppy? Is that okay?
Also, I was wondering if generally it's okay to go over the word limit? 625 - 650 words on the 600 word essay?

Thanks for your help!

I didn't number the accomplishments to save on words... I think you can make either way work. Also, mine were pretty choppy and that's fine... it is not meant to be a cohesive essay. A great source for the many ways this essay is done is "65 successful harvard business school essays". This book was extremely helpful in thinking through how to successfully structure my HBS essays.

The general rule is you can go 5% over the word limit. However, I did go ~40 words over on some of those 400 word essays... and still got in.

Thank you! Kudos to you, and congrats on being accepted to HBS!

[quote="mba2012lfh"]I didn't number the accomplishments to save on words... I think you can make either way work. Also, mine were pretty choppy and that's fine... it is not meant to be a cohesive essay. A great source for the many ways this essay is done is "65 successful harvard business school essays". This book was extremely helpful in thinking through how to successfully structure my HBS essays.

The general rule is you can go 5% over the word limit. However, I did go ~40 words over on some of those 400 word essays... and still got in.

[quote="stuckatfailure"][quote="Magellan"][quote="stuckatfailure"]Hi Everyone,
I would really appreciate it if Sandy the HBS guru or any HBS veteran applicants could give me some advice with regards to structure of the 3 accomplishment essay.
Should I number the accomplishments?
1) accomplishment 1
sub-essay
2) accomplishment 2
sub-essay
3) accomplishment 3
sub-essay
Or should they be embedded? So I will start the first sentence of each sub-essay with: "My proudest accomplishment is XXXX"
Would it be okay to do neither of above and just separate the sub essays into 3 paragraphs? The adcom could easily assume that they are 3 different accomplishments? Reason I ask is because the word limit is extremely restricting. Right now, I'm at 650 words after cutting it down from 1200. And every word counts..

Anyone out there get accepted 3rd round? If so, when are your deposit deadlines?

Deposit was due May 27th at 5pm.

That deposit deadline was helpful. Has anyone been accepted off of the Round 3 / Summer waitlist or know someone who has been following this recent deposit date? Thanks.

may be a silly Q:

does no interview = absolutely no admit?

I'm also on the summer waitlist for fall 2010. does anyone know how many people HBS normally take from the summer waitlist? I think there are 23 of us going into June, right?


[quote="jdk61710"]may be a silly Q:

does no interview = absolutely no admit?

ANSWER: I think HBS interviews everyone it admits....

I don't know if there is a solid average of people taken each year but I do know of people that have found out in July that they were in so it does happen. I thought there would be some movement after the deposit date but I haven't heard of any yet (although that doesn't mean it is impossible). In summation, I don't think there is any real way to gauge how many poeple will get in - especially for this year which had such an unexpectedly high volume of qualified applicants.

jdk61710: In terms of the interview to admit question, HBS does interview everyone it admits. You can be on the waitlist without an interview but you will be interviewed while on the waitlist if there is a chance you are going to get in.

Thanks, ２０１０Ahead.
It's comforting to know that people from summer waitlist does make it in. I was also hoping that there would be some movements, but I guess we would never know for sure. I'm already thinking about re-application for next fall. Do you know if we need to ask 3 different people for the recos? It would suck to find 3 more people who know me as well as the ones I asked for this round of application....

Glad to help bring a little hope...

In terms of your application for next fall, I think you can definitely ask the same recommenders and even very likely use very similar essays for questions that have not changed. For most schools including HBS, I believe when you reapply, the new application is reviewed independently. Granted, it makes sense to believe that the ad comm references the old application to make sure that if any specific areas of weakness were noted they have been improved.

I am not 100% sure on this so may make sense to call and verify, but I can't see why they would make you use new recommendations.

FYI fellow waitlisters. On the HBS website they have posted that they let in 53 people off the waitlist this year so far. I believe at least 50 were let in in the weeks leading up to and day of R3 notification, so it could be possible no one from the R3 / Summer waitlist has gotten in yet.

Waitie, 2010Ahead -

Any waitlisters hear anything?

Still nothing here. I was actually in Boston for the NBA Finals last week - walked around the campus, but didn't make any stop at the admissions office...not sure if that was the right call, but oh well....

I feel like the chances are getting slimmer day by day... Started to make alternate plans for this coming year now.

Any waitlisters hear anything? It's getting crazy late in the game.

congratulations to all those who got in