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"The stereotypical HBS student is an ultra-competitive, alpha male from a finance or consulting background. As a somewhat reserved female with a social enterprise background, I can confidently tell you that the stereotype is completely false. HBS is a bit less touchy-feely than Stanford, but there is still an emphasis on developing “leaders who make a difference in the world.” (That’s the HBS motto, by the way). We even have required courses like Lead and FIELD, which emphasize emotional intelligence. Basically, the defining characteristic of the ideal HBS applicant is someone who has demonstrated leadership potential.” - DefyingGravity, GMAT Club Moderator and Current Harvard Student
“The bottom line is that it’s Harvard. People with great GMAT scores, above average essays, and solid professional pedigrees are the norm, not the exception. Harvard does not "need" any particular person with such stats. If Harvard wanted to, it could fill a class with a GMAT average above 750. But they don't. So there is clearly a lot more to it.” - JLMBancredito, GMAT Club member and Ross MBA Graduate
“HBS has stressed over and over again that their main job is SELECTION, not EVALUATION - their priority is to build a diverse class, not to just admit the people with the highest stats. Diversity is also defined in many other ways - sure, I can claim myself to be a unique individual and I can tell a very authentic story about myself, but on paper, I probably look like a lot of other applicants.” - CelerIP, Former GMATClub Moderator and Columbia MBA Graduate
Current Student | Application Tips | Application Essays | Interview Prep | School Visit | Financial Aid
Interview with HBS Class of 2016 Student and GMAT Club Forum Moderator – Defying Gravity
DefyingGravity is currently a second-year MBA candidate at Harvard Business School. With a background in the education sector, she is passionate about leveraging strong business management practices to improve outcomes for students.
Who would be an ideal applicant to your program based on admissions, culture, and the program in general?
DefyingGravity:- The stereotypical HBS student is an ultra-competitive, alpha male from a finance or consulting background. As a somewhat reserved female with a social enterprise background, I can confidently tell you that the stereotype is completely false. HBS is a bit less touchy-feely than Stanford, but there is still an emphasis on developing “leaders who make a difference in the world.” (That’s the HBS motto, by the way). We even have required courses like Lead and FIELD, which emphasize emotional intelligence. Basically, the defining characteristic of the ideal HBS applicant is someone who has demonstrated leadership potential.
GPA, GMAT, Application Essays, Interview, Work Experience, and Extra Curricular. If you asked to arrange these parameters in the order of their importance at HBS – what would it be?
DefyingGravity:- I would rank these parameters in the following order (most to least important): Work Experience, Application Essay, GMAT, GPA, Extracurriculars
What advantage, if any, is there in applying in a specific round over another?
DefyingGravity:- I think the odds of admission in rounds 1 and 2 are roughly equal. Don’t sacrifice the quality of your application in order to apply in round 1. However, it’s emotionally/psychologically less stressful to have at least one admit sooner rather than later.
Are the on-campus and off-campus interviews treated equally or there is any preference to one over other?
DefyingGravity:- I interviewed on campus for HBS. However, I do not think that there is an admissions advantage in interviewing on or off. If you interview on-campus, a full day of activities is available to you. These activities are fun, but do not influence your odds of acceptance.
Do you recommend a school visit? Is it a must?
DefyingGravity:- Yes, definitely. Many people think visiting schools is overrated and an unneccesary expense. I am an advocate of researching as much as possible in order to present your best self in your application and interview. Visiting schools gives you additional fodder that can only strengthen your app.
Is there anything related to Financial Aid worth a mention?
DefyingGravity:- Financial aid at HBS is completely need-based. Many other schools offer merit-based aid (i.e. Tuck), or a combination of merit and need-based aid (i.e. Kellogg). HBS uses a strict formula to calculate how much money you’ll get. This is both good and bad. The positive aspect of this is that if you have a financial need, then you will definitely get money. The down side is that you will never get a full-ride. Of the schools at which I was accepted, my HBS fellowship offer fell roughly in the middle of my other offers.
Hey guys.. From the hbs application portal I can see that there is no 're-applicant essay'. Do they expect us to write how our candidacy has improved since last year - in the additional information section?
You can totally write them a note, but HBS doesn't especially care about whether or not you're a re-applicant. In fact, they don't even consider / pull up your old application until you get an interview invite. TheNightmanCometh
September 9 deadline for R1, right? Would not visiting the campus negatively impact my prospects? My consultant said it's not a big deal with HBS because they know if you get an offer you'll pretty much accept, and I'll be going to an HBS admissions event where I live. Just hoping to skip the visit as I can't afford to visit all the schools I'm applying to.
Sure, visiting a school is helpful in that it indicates interest on your part, but the main value of visiting HBS (or anywhere else) is that it gives you a first-hand observation of classroom discussions, the campus, student body, etc. so you can make a reasonable assessment of how well you'd fit and present a stronger case when the "why HBS?" question comes up in an essay or interview. - EBM
HBS Current Student | School Visit I was accepted to the HBS class of 2016 and will be matriculating this upcoming fall.
About visiting: Dee Leopold (the director of admissions) is crazy about the case method. As far as I noticed from listening to her speak at my interview day and admitted students weekend, the #1 thing she cared about was choosing students who would work well in the case method, contribute to the collaborative learning environment in the classroom that the case method fosters, and excel in such an environment. As a result, I think it's very important, if you get to the interview stage at least, that you are able to comment about the case method and why: a) you like it, b) how you'd contribute to the classroom using it, c) would do well in it.
Whether or not this comes out in your essays or application or not is up to you. I think mine had a single sentence about the case method in my essay if I recall. But at the very least, if you make it to the interview stage, I strongly advise sitting in on a class before the interview so you can talk *specifically* about the case method in your interview, and it may be useful to sit in on one before your application overall. Unfortunately, this may be difficult given the ridiculously early application deadline this year, and the fact that it's now summer.
Outside of visiting the campus to sit in on a class, no, I don't think HBS really cares. It's a pretty campus in a good city, they know that, they don't think anyone will dislike it. They do care about you being a good fit in the case method though, and sitting in on a class is the best way to show you know what you're talking about in that regard. - asymmetric
HBS Current Student | Essays I personally wouldn't go too hardcore "Why HBS," but I'd throw a line or two in about the case method and why you're looking forward to it, how you'd contribute, etc. It shows you know what you're getting yourself into.
Dee Leopold has said a few times that she tries to select the best class they can, not necessarily pick the most prestigious students with the best grades. She said something along the lines of "We try to imagine the conversations students would have if they sat next to each other, how they'd work together, what they'd talk about." Demonstrating that you'd have valuable insight, skills, experience, and whatnot to contribute to the HBS community, both in class and outside of it, is probably a decent path to take, and how you'd work in the case method environment is a part of that. - asymmetric
Do we have a thread where c/o 2016 applicants reflect on what they wrote about for the HBS essay topic (given it's the same prompt this year)?
I wrote about how my childhood has influenced my personal and professional decisions. I know several people who took a similar approach, connecting personal and professional experiences. An admitted friend of mine wrote a poem, and another one chose not to write anything (the one person accepted without writing an essay).
You may also want to look into purchasing the HBS Harbus guide. Matriculating students were asked to submit their essays for publication. The guide also includes questions that were asked during the interview.
However, I honestly don't think this is the right approach. When you hear about or see things that other people have written, you'll start to feel swayed. What worked for one person won't work for another. - DefyingGravity
The single biggest fear I had going into my interview was the fact that I had not visited HBS. In fact, my parents lived ~40min away, so I had no excuse for not visiting. The topic never came up in the interview. I instead focused on why an MBA fits perfectly with my past history and future goals; this was sufficient for me.
For the record, it was not Dee Leopold who interviewed me. I am also a 2+2 candidate, but I doubt this makes much of a difference.
Awesome! Just out of curiosity, what did you use to research HBS?
Most of my information came from HBS' site (and youtube channel), forums/blogs like these, and speaking with alumni that graduated from both my undergrad and HBS.
I took a quick look through your blog. Interesting how many similarities there are between you and me. - Interned and started FT at a F50 manufacturing company - Spent one rotation in corporate finance at that mfg company - 710 GMAT - 3.79 gpa (3.76 at the time of my application)
I don't know if this applies to you, but as a fellow large corp mfg worker, I think the "X factor" that got me into HBS was my ability to express how passionate I was for my specific industry.
I am passionate about my industry Ms. HBS interviewer and here's proof: - I moved 2000 miles away from CA to follow my passion. - My degree specialty is specific to this industry. - I have spent so much time and money on my own hobbies that pertain to the industry. - I have read X, Y, and Z books by prominent business leaders in the industry .. about the industry. - I have strong opinions on what companies in the future will need to do in order to be successful.
My point is that business schools are dying for people who are over achievers with industry expertise. They get plenty of applications with high GMAT's from consulting / high finance. Leverage your industry experience as much as possible. I didn't have amazing stats, but I wasn't competing against bankers or consultants. I was competing against other people in a similar industry.
I went off on a tangent there, but it's not often I see people with manufacturing experience on forums like these. - bryk
Given the nature of the HBS app, would it be ok if your resume exceeds a page?
My resume currently sits just over a page - literally 10% over. I'm hesitant to trim it down further or sacrifice white space to make it all fit within the 1 page.
Appreciate any thoughts
In a word, no.
Unless you've got 20+ years of work experience, there's no reason you can't fit all your relevant accomplishments onto one page.
The resumes you submit to McKinsey/Goldman/Google/3M will be required to fit on a single page, so the resume you include in your business school application shouldn't be any different. - EBM
In for R1, but don't really have a clue on how to answer the essay prompt :S
I'm amazed that several of you have already completed their essays
It can vary from person to person, but seeing how the prompt explains that they can already see the "who/what" parts of your career, it makes a lot of sense to use the essay to explain the "why" part...i.e. what experiences have shaped your character and changed your perspective on your life/career, why you chose to do some of the things you did, why an MBA/HBS is the next logical step, and why you think you'll make a big impact afterwards. - EBM
You don’t need me to tell you that business school is an expensive undertaking. Beyond the actual tuition and living expenses, there are the difficult-to-truly-calculate opportunity costs. Everyone whom we admit is undoubtedly doing VERY well out there in the Real World. Embarking on a two year business school adventure is a big decision.
We want to make it affordable.
Last year we awarded about $26 million in need-based financial aid. We plan to increase the amount for the Class of 2017.
Where does this money come from? Our alumni. They look back on the HBS experience as having been transformational in both professional and personal ways and they are eager to give back. Their favorite way to do this is through financial aid.
You’ve heard this before but I want to repeat it: our admissions process is need-blind. Although we ask for your income, this is more for us to understand different industries/paths vs. anything to do with evaluation. Our financial aid is need-based.
Here are 3 bullet points which may be helpful:
• We do not award full fellowships. This means that no student will be fully funded by HBS.
• You do not apply for financial aid until AFTER you receive an offer of admission.
• We have a loan program for international students which does not require a U.S. co-signer.
After you have completed a financial aid application, you will receive an award package from HBS. In making our awards, we rely on a formula which takes into account whether you are single or married and can be adjusted for documented exceptional circumstances. Parental income and assets are not considered in the calculation.
Let me repeat what I said earlier: we want to make HBS affordable. We want you to make post-MBA career decisions based on your dreams and aspirations, not a burdensome debt repayment obligation. We believe in the value proposition of our MBA - a place where leadership talent becomes a force to make a positive difference in the world. And we are confident that our students will become the alumni who are enthusiastic about enabling the next generation of HBS-aspirants to do the same.
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-BB
HBS Current Student | Resume | Interview Prep I just wanted to add my 0.02 on resumes:
Do not overlook this piece of your application; in fact, I actually think it may be more important than most people give credit for (and the essay less so). More than half of my HBS interview was spent on two hobbies listed on the very bottom line of my resume. It blew me away how detail-oriented the admissions team was (and I wrote about that in my 24 hour follow-up). Every single line on your resume should be 100% solid; do NOT embellish and do NOT flippantly put things on there. HBS will read it and hold you to it. Know it inside and out like a job interview. And put serious pursuits on there (even hobbies) and be prepared to talk about them with real passion.
If your resume is longer than a page, I would assume you just reduced your chances. HBS applications are about the art of brevity. 1 page max, and don't cheat with itty-bitty margins. Just cut out the air!
Also, while I applied in Fall 2012 (am currently HBS Class of 2015), there were 2 required essay prompts - describe something you did well, and something you didn't do so well at. I think I wrote a much more introspective and better essay for the latter. I'd encourage anyone trying to think of what to write to honestly own up to a failure or weakness in the workplace (or in another context), and how you turned it around.
DO NOT OVERWRITE! Every prior essay was 400 words each. I would shoot for your personal essay to be this length or shorter. - snowedinboston
We promised that we’d be a bit more transparent about the GMAT/GRE issue. We’ve said for a while now that not only do we accept both tests, but we are agnostic about our preference. So here are some numbers. Please don’t over-crunch.
It’s important to note that candidates this year will NOT have an option to submit both tests. We need to officially verify scores and prefer to do it for only one test per candidate.
Total Matriculating Admits Total Applicants during 2013-2014 GMAT 844 8288 GRE 81 1115 Both 10 140 Total 935 9543
Those are the numbers, but the reasoning behind how we look at the scores is probably important for you to understand. We care less about the overall score than we do about the components. And we look at the subscores in the context of the candidate’s profile.
For example, an engineer with top grades who’s been doing highly quantitative work doesn’t need a high GMAT/GRE-Q to convince us he/she is capable of doing the quantitative work at HBS. But an English major whose transcript shows no quantitative coursework and has not done anything quantitative professionally or in post-college academics would be helped by a strong GMAT/GRE quant score. The corollary is true too: candidates who don’t have a background that demonstrates extensive practice in reading and writing may be helped by strong verbal subscores.
Another important reminder: every candidate needs to submit EITHER the GMAT or GRE at the time of application. We don’t accept LSATs, MCATs, SATs or the fact that you had exceptional undergraduate grades. On our application, you input the unofficial score - the official score report can reach us after the deadline.
Hope this is helpful . . . .
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-BB
DO NOT OVERWRITE! Every prior essay was 400 words each. I would shoot for your personal essay to be this length or shorter.
Hmmm I appreciate your thoughts. I have heard some people recommend keeping the essay to 800 words, but not 400. Mine is currently 867 words and I am basically ready to hit submit. You've made me question it!
Don't over-think; just answer the question and move on. For some people, this will be well in excess of 800 words, but for many it will not. I think what snowedinboston /others point out is that most people add fluff when they write, and your content will be stronger without said fluff. (This is the same thing every English teacher has pointed out.) - TheNightmanCometh
Keen to get some thoughts on this..would the below count as an extracurricular activity:
I was on the Graduate Committee at my workplace for about 18 months. The role was voluntary and had no bearing on my performance reviews -infact my manager didn't even know something like this existed within the company!
There's a ton of things in life - and business school - that are voluntary and have no bearing on your evaluation but that make life a better place for you/your family/your company/your school/your community. So HBS will likely well of it! If anything, the fact that you did it entirely to help out and because you thought it's fun counts for more and is more representative of you than most ECs you could put. - TheNightmanCometh
We are definitely in full swing here. Check out the Student Life section of our website for glimpses of our students in their first few days of school.
And here's some off-the-grid info about the class:
Worked for a startup
236 (25%)
Founded a business
152 (16%)
Know a programming language
283 (30%)
Have a blog or Twitter feed
234 (25%)
Graduated from medical school
11 (1%)
Served in the armed forces of any country
74 (8%)
First generation of family to graduate from college
103 (11%)
Worked outside of home country
371 (40%)
Played a varsity sport in college
162 (17%)
Completed a triathlon
74 (8%)
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-BB
I forgot to send in my official GMAT score report and just ordered it to be sent. Do the schools require the official score at the time of application? Or is it acceptable if they receive it a few weeks after the application is submitted?
It is OK. Schools usually require that you take the GMAT before deadline (even a day before is usually OK). They use your self-reported score for evaluation and then match it up with whatever you got on your GMAT. P.S. It is electronic so HBS most likely already has access to your score (AWA is up to 20 days after taking).
Submitted in R1. Made a small mistake. The dates of graduation mentioned on the transcript are a bit different from what I mentioned on the online form.
The transcript says undergrad dates as July 2006 to May 2009 (on the basis on classes taken).
I reported it from June 2006-June 2009 (on the basis on admission date and receipt of marksheet date).
Is it a problem or am I overeating?
I read somewhere that Adcom won't pay much attention to minor differences in your application - such as a few days shift of your graduation dates. Cannot recall the source but it was from either Harvard, Stanford or Duke Adcom.
Anyway, you have submitted the application; nothing can change except cheering for 1 app down and focusing on other apps. :) - sky65536
Forgive me if this has been discussed before on this thread. I am a candidate from India who has done all his education through schools and colleges where medium of instruction has been English. But people have been telling me that i still need to take TOEFL whereas it is clearly mentioned in the website of schools that one need not take TOEFL where medium of instruction has been English.
At 12:00 noon ET, we will send interview invitations via email to roughly 800 Round 1 applicants. The email will contain detailed instructions on the scheduling process.
On October 15, we will extend about 150 additional invitations. On that date we will also notify another group of applicants that we wish to further consider their applications in Round 2. Again, the email will provide information about the timetable and communication plan for this group. We anticipate that there will be ~200 applicants in this group.
Please don't speculate about the difference between receiving the interview invitation on October 8 vs. the 15th. It's not about you. It's about us and how we set internal deadlines for applications to be read.
Important: 2+2 candidates will be invited to interview in the October 15 wave. There will be no news for 2+2ers on October 8.
October 15 is also the date on which we will release candidates who are not moving forward in our process. We hope that by doing this early, we are enabling this group to pursue other options sooner vs. later.
And now, a request: Please don't send any additional materials or letters of support. We've designed an evaluation process that we believe is as thorough and fair as we can make it. It's not perfect, but it certainly is a process to which we dedicate a tremendous amount of care and concern.
Finally, I don’t think I've said this yet: Thank you to all Round 1 applicants. You met quite an early deadline! The buzz around Dillon House these past few weeks has been: Wow, this is a strong group - really strong. We're impressed and pleased and proud that HBS is the place you'd like to be. The vast majority of you are very well-qualified to be students and these decisions are tough. We're doing it the old-fashioned way - one application at a time - and wish we could say yes to so many more.
Back to work.
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Hi all, is it better to do campus interview? showing that you value them more?
Same question. I am aware admissions has said that their is no difference on interviewing on or off campus, but that's the official declaration. Is there any plus on going on campus? So far I can think of two, and please tell me if my reasoning is wrong:
1. Flying from a distant country to visit campus and interview there would show motivations and could be considered proof of HBS being your top choice. (Although I've heard some people say that admissions couldn't care less if you travel to meet them haha) 2. If you think that the sample of people that would interview on the same day as you in your country might be similar to you (i.e: consultants with similar experience), you could somehow differentiate yourself on the interviewers top of mind by going to interview on campus and therefore be compared with another batch.
What do you guys think?
I don't know - they repeatedly emphasize that the location does not matter, and I am inclined to believe them. Because it's not just about commitment - a person can value HBS as their first choice and yet lack the resources to fly to Boston, or might have other commitments that prevents them from doing so. If you can afford it, and it's convenient, a campus visit would be great to also tour the school and sit in on a class etc. But I think that's as far as it goes - I genuinely cannot imagine admissions giving weight to this though. - whiplash2411
Current HBS RC here who was in your shoes just a year ago
Regarding the "is it better to interview on campus" question: if you have not had the opportunity to sit in on a class yet, yes interview on campus if you can, and sit in on a class *before* your interview.
Dee Leopold repeatedly says all the time in in-person admission presentations that she's trying to find people who will be a good fit here at HBS, and specifically who will work well in the case method environment. The case method is her practically her cause. Having the opportunity to sit in on a class here at HBS, observe it, and then talk about it in your interview and how you're a fit in that classroom environment I definitely would consider beneficial to your admission chances.
If you've already sat in on a class, then I'd say it truly doesn't matter on campus versus off. The admissions department is pretty honest about their wishes so if they say they don't care then I believe they don't care. - asymmetric
Just to "push back" a little (to use a commonly-heard expression at HBS, ha ha) on the importance of on-campus vs. off-campus for interviewing, I was living in Asia at the time of applying and was unable to visit the campus before the day I moved into the dorms, so I didn't have any on-campus insight to bring to my interview.
If making it to campus would pose a significant financial / logistical burden for you (as it did for me), then I wouldn't agonize over it.Almost all HBS interviews are run by trained professionals (I'm guessing last year's "observers" described in interview reports might have been in training for this year), many of whom have been doing this for years. This helps ensure a level of relative consistency & professionalism in the interview experience, on-campus vs. off.
NOW: it IS vital that YOU understand the case method, and it's also VITAL that you have done a lot of homework on HBS and have 1 good and 1 "bad" opinion on it, ready to discuss. Let's unpack each of these:
1)Why do I need to understand the case method for my interview?
Ok, if you haven't already, watch a video of the case method in action online -- one of my faves can be found by skipping to 7 minutes and 55 seconds into the video called "Inside the HBS Case Method 2007" on YouTube, or about 7:40 into the YouTube video "Inside the Case Method: The Entrepreneurial Manager". Just a few minutes of either of these videos gives you the general idea. (as good as watching a whole class? No. But...good enough? I think so.)
In particular, pay close attention to the back-and-forth, and how disagreement happens (e.g. 1-minute example starting at 10:00 in the Entrepreneurial Manager video).
They are trying to learn a LOT about you during the interview, but the "case specific" stuff they are trying to learn from the interview is how will YOU be, as a case method participant?.
In practical terms, this means:
- How articulate are you (in general) - How SUCCINCT can you be. You don't get 5 minutes during a case discussion to drone on and on about your opinion. You get a few seconds. Can you summarize your key points ASAP? - How quickly can you think on your feet if the conversation suddenly changes direction? (as it does a zillion times a day in an actual HBS classroom) -- some people complain that the interview doesn't seem to "flow" the way it does for other schools, but IMHO this is deliberate. - How do you respond to criticism / someone whose views are opposed to yours? Do you get defensive / petulant? Do you crumble from the pressure? (neither of these is the correct response, ha ha)
In sum, are you going to be someone who can go with the ever-changing flow of a case discussion, come up with insightful things to say on the fly, and firmly defend a position while still being likeable / gracious / mature about it? (or modify your opinion when presented with compelling counter-evidence). Note this is not "all" the interview is trying to find out, but rather answers "what's the benefit of attending a class & understanding the case method beforehand?"
2) "Homework" on HBS?
Sure, attending a class > not attending one, but not fatally so. The one potential question you'll need to do homework for could be: "How did you form your opinion about Harvard? What is it?" and/or "What is one good thing you think about HBS / one thing you're looking forward to" and "What is one negative opinion / criticism / concern you have re: HBS?"
The advice to tackle this question for HBS is the same as for every school out there: hit your network, HARD, for anyone who goes there, try to hop on the phone with them and ask them questions about what it's like -- what's good, what's bad, etc.? Hustle, hustle, hustle. (I've been considering asking recent grads their thoughts on this and compiling into a post - let me know if that's of interest?)
That way, if you're interviewing hub/skype, and are asked if you've visited, you can say with confidence, "While it hasn't been feasible for me to visit HBS yet, I've spent a lot of time talking to current students and alums / on the website / etc., and my impression of HBS is...." so you can show a good-faith effort to learn about the school. And hey, you need to do this for every school anyway. - ApplicantLab
Longtime lurker and first poster here. Invited to interview last week -- international exposure in manufacturing (corporate finance) with essay focused around a significant professional experience with details of my personal and professional "story" sprinkled in, decent GMAT, unremarkable GPA, no extracurriculars. The essay was my determining factor.
[ Tip for international applicants: family and friends from the USA (where I was born and grew up) read my essay and commented that some of my English was askew - phrasings and various bits have worked their way into my vocabulary over my nearly 3 years abroad in a developing country working for a British firm. This can stand out and potentially be a positive when the Adcoms read it, but can also sometimes be confusing if they are not aware of the differences in the first place. I definitely recommend having others read your essay for this very reason, among others. FYI, an example was "take a decision" (England and foreign countries) versus "make a decision" (America).
Overall strategy: I am only applying to two schools so that I don't spread myself too thin and I focused on making sure the completed applications as a whole projected my story and the perspective I could add to the schools. I took the GMAT early and only once (in January 2014) to get it out of the way. I read the essay prompts when they came out in early June and let them sink in for a month or more before writing anything. Liaised closely with my recommenders making sure they understood the "why?" and crossed my fingers.
Best of luck to all who gave it their best. - 01010100
Quick question - Anything I can do to improve my chances for an acceptance from now till Mid-Feb. Everything from retaking GMAT to taking up special projects comes to mind.
On a practical note, I run a non-profit which is planning a TV and Radio outreach program which may reach >1 million people each month. Is there a way to update this in my app?
My stats are: Region: India / Asia GMAT: 710 (Q 50, V 37, IR 7) GPA: N.A. (First Division) Work-Ex: Megafund (PE) + Investment Banking [Both US based global names] Non-Profit: Pro-Bono leadership role at a social VC
Personally I wouldn't worry about the GMAT unless you're confident you could blow from 710 to 750+. Even then they may wonder why you are retaking with a good score after you've applied. With how tight HBS runs their ship they may not even accept a better score, you could waste a lot of time and money for nothing.
I have also been placed in FC for round 2. One interesting downside to being placed in FC, it looks like the other R2 applicants have months more to prepare against us while we are stuck with outdated applications. However, it is better than a ding so I will take it! I'm thrilled to be in the running and am confident that if called to interview I will have a good shot, we shall see.
From the perspective of someone who is certainly not an expert I'd think that interesting project experience is the way to go. My plan WAS to take on another impact project in the office - until a colleague went out on long term leave. Now I'm on double duty for a few months, potentially preparing for R1 interviews and beginning prep for CFA level III...kind of takes away the extra time. The biggest upside to seeking out project experience is even if it ultimately doesn't help your application, you have squeezed in one more great learning opportunity that will only benefit you in business school and beyond. - bostonbp
Don't mean to be a jerk but Sandy mentioned you have a 10-15% chance from the waitlist and then its a 50/50 game again to get in so its tough/ It also depends on your job function and locaion and how it fares with the incoming R2 applicants, so you would have an edge if you have a very particular background and they're trying to shape the class with what they have. Well, anyways, wish you the best of luck but don't lose focus on the other schools!
Cheers J
Based on the wording of the notifications I would think that the waitlist Sandy is referring to is the one that interviewed R1/R2 candidates get placed on (the people that are legitimately on a wait list with their hope of getting in based primarily on accepted applicants matriculating elsewhere or failing the fact check). Seems like that actual waitlist will be started in December for round 1. Those on further consideration are probably just chucked back into the round two pool towards the end of the process, once they weed out the weak apps. I highly doubt that HBS would make us hang in so long if they didn't plan on taking us into at least semi-serious consideration (by interviewing a fair number), they seem to make an effort to free people up to pursue other opportunities if they will not be accepted. Of course I'd love to see the post you refer to if you think it implies different, and I could be wrong, but I have a feeling more than 10-15% of the FC folks will get at least an interview. - bostonbp
I scheduled my interview for the 31st of October on Campus! Who else is interviewing on that day?
Hi LexLuthor, so how did it go?
It was quite an enjoyable experience! Both the interviewer and the person taking notes were really nice, and throughout the whole 30 minutes it felt like a confortable conversation. No surprising questions (the classic "tell me about your decision to attend your undergrad university, some regarding career changes, some related to what i expected from the HBS experience and what I hoped to contribute). In the end they even allowed me to ask them something!!!! Attending the in-campus activities was also really valuable, as it allowed me to relate my answers to what I had seen both in class and interacting with students and faculty. Overall, it was a rapid-fire experience (around 14 questions in 30 minutes) but I came out of it in peace, and now hope for the best. Just be yourselves guys and go into the interview hoping to allow them to know you better. If you are authentic, it should be alright! - LexLuthor
I second LexLuthor (we probably saw each other IRL btw - I was hanging out on campus all day Friday haha).
The interview was very conversational, and yet pointed. Several questions around key transitions as expected - why undergrad? why move to the US? give me an example of a leadership trait you admire in x (manager I talked about), example of how you emulated that trait, more questions around differences between when I started my first job and how I feel around my current job, questions about whether there were non-profits in the US that I admired in my field etc. Very rapid fire, but very friendly. No time for questions at the end but that was okay.
Though the "wow I hate to say this but the 30 mins is up. I have ten more questions to ask you" was equal parts reassuring and scary.
Good luck to everyone interviewing soon! - whiplash2411
Hm...I noticed that a few applicants didn't seem to have an observer along with their interviewer--do we think anything of that? HBS seems hyperfocused on making sure the process is fair and equitable, so it's somewhat surprising that they would have some people with an observer and some without (?) o.O
I guess the off-site interviewees mostly don't have observers though, right? (so maybe that throws a wrench in any type of idea that there's a pattern?)
As usual--unnecessary overthinking on my part
Observers tend to be interviewers-in-training....they're new to adcom so they want to let them observe a bunch of interviews before they start doing them on their own. - EBM
Yikes, I don't think my interview went very well. I just never felt like I got settled in. That said, I thought my Harvard mock went really poorly and the interviewer said it was great, so maybe there is hope.
I was caught off guard by a few questions:
- How is Canada different economically than the U.S.? - Tell us something about Canada that we wouldn't know? - What else would you like to tell us about? Which is common, but I suggested two things, both of which were vetoed and then drew a blank lol.
Overall I don't really feel like I put my best foot forward, but we'll see what happens December 10th.
We meant to do this earlier, but got distracted by Round 1 applications.
Like many other elements of the Class Profile, please keep in mind that we are “reporting” vs. trying to signal a “template” for the design of a class.
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-BB
Does anyone who has interviewed (or had yet to I suppose) have thoughts on the post interview reflection? What was your experience?
I am posting on here way too much, can you tell I'm obsessed?
I sat in on a chat with Dee where she spoke about the reflection. She basically said to treat it as having the last word in the interview. She said some write it as a letter to her, or to their interviewer (which I did) and just truly try to reflect on how well they got to know you. She also said to avoid stressing about it and that "no one has ever had a great application where they were going to get in until they blew the post-interview reflection".
This is exactly what she said to us as well. In fact, I think she said something like: "Oh yeah, we've never had a case where we were like: wow we would have given this person a spot if it weren't for that post-interview reflection"
She also explicitly mentioned that if you're on campus for the interview, she advises you not to spend your time post-interview trying to jot down thoughts or write this reflection. She would much rather prefer you really "get to know" the campus by participating in the activities. My post-interview reflection was a very similar note, with three bullet points (oops) addressing three topics that I thought we touched upon in the interview, but didn't really get to talk about thoroughly. It was just an extension to some of the answers I had provided during the interview. - whiplash2411
When it comes to not thinking too much about the interview that we just had, it is easier said than done. I came out thinking I did well, though I neither crushed it nor screwed up. As each week passes I go through the interview questions in my head and my answers to them including the post interview reflection and think, "oh, I could've answered this one better."
Hoping, praying, waiting. I know others maybe in the same boat and so I wish you all the best! Good luck everyone!
I'm guessing that if you think you did well you probably did well. Changing one or two answers to slightly better versions likely wouldn't make a difference anyways. Personally when I've interviewed people for various activities there's no one question that turns a yes to a no, but rather the overall feel of the person and collective image. If you fit then you'll get in. If you don't or had some bad luck you're still a fantastic human that will do great things with your life with or without HBS.
I think my interview went well too. It seems that HBS has eased up a lot on the interviews and it's not that rapid-fire ball of stress that it use to be (from my own and people I talked to). Thankfully I have the memory of a goldfish so barely remember the questions much less what I said. I highly encourage everyone to forget about the interviews (unless you've got more & need to learn from mistakes) we've already had and focus on decorating for the holidays and drinking peppermint mochas I have one right now - muahahahaha. But good luck to all! - engineer1234
1. Practice your interview skills in general so you are calm and have a good presence. 2. Know your applications and prepare to discuss anything that sticks out. 3. Read the news so you can say something intelligent about the business world. 4. Have an answer for your strengths, weaknesses, and others' perceptions of you. Standard interview stuff that you can use for a lot of questions.
I interviewed last week and have been meaning to post my thoughts on here. I enjoy lurking on the site so I try to be helpful every now and then. . .
I would reiterate everything that has been said above by everyone else. My interviewer asked some pointed follow-ups, but overall it was very friendly, conversational and pleasant. I think it went well for me.
Thinking back on what we focused on content-wise for my interview, I think Gavin's list is spot on for what I would focus on for prep. The only two things I would add, which have been stated above at various points, are:
-Be able to discuss in detail any aspect of your resume (We spent way more time on my present and past than my future goals, etc.) -Be familiar with the macro issues at your company/within your industry. I was asked several questions relating to this and get a feeling that it's very common for us candidates coming from less-represented backgrounds.
Good luck to everyone still waiting to interview. I enjoyed the day on campus, particularly meeting the other prospective students. Probably met some of you other gmatclubbers. . . . - Webster
Had my interview on Monday. 30 mins, about 15 questions. One interviewer who led the discussion, and one observer who was mostly silent taking notes, but asked me some probing questions. Both very friendly and kind, but very formal at the same time.
Their last question was "is there anything you wish we'd asked", so I assume that we managed to go through all the questions they had prepared. It was a very intellectually stimulating conversation, and I think it went well. I enjoyed it.
The whole application process is now finished and regardless of the outcome it has been a fantastic experience.
Good luck to all applicants who are still to do their interview!
EDIT - having read the latest posts, I completely agree with Webster and GavinE. They asked me lots of probing questions to test my mental agility and, I assume, my capacity to contribute to case discussions. A few questions related to my industry, and obviously I knew the topic very well. Some other questions related to other industries, and I had to remain calm, quickly put thoughts together, and go ahead with a crispy and concise answer that I definitely had not rehearsed. I agree that it was exhilarating and not relaxing at all - but definitely a terrific experience! - NandoParrado
I interviewed last week in New York. Similar to what others have said the interviewer was friendly, but he definitely came at me from the beginning. We did not touch my resume, or any of the traditional leadership questions that I had anticipated, instead he asked mainly curve ball questions really from every direction. I feel like I did well, I made a point to be articulate and conversational in my responses. To echo what others have said though, it was very apparent that his purpose was to get me off of my script and then push me around to see how I reacted. I think I reacted well, and he definitely had me off of my script from the first to the last question.
My interview was 44 minutes long though, not sure if that is a good or bad sign! In the beginning he said there wouldn't be time for questions, and as we were wrapping up I knew we were already past time so I was very surprised when he said, "Do you have any questions?", and then after I asked one and he responded, he asked me, "What is another question?"!
Whether I get in or not I know I did my best and there is no way I could have been more prepared for the interview. I am grateful that I did plenty of mock interviews and personal preparation beforehand though, had I not there is no way I would not have been a deer in the headlights 5 minutes into the conversation. - Run4Fun
Interview was a blur! Here are a few thinks I remember:
1. Know your resume well. You will be asked specific to your experience. 2. Know about how the recession affected your industry and your life. I know 2 other peeps who had the same exact question asked. 3. 1 other person and myself were asked about entrepreneurship and how often I thought about "getting rich quick" and what business ideas would allow that to happen. Keep in mind I am NOT an entrepreneur! 4. Would you still attend HBS if you won the lottery? 5. Where do you see yourself 30 years from now? 6. What do you think about the M&A market right now? I blanked out on this. 7. Is your job logical? Why or why not? I know of 2 other people who got this same question.
Overall a very intense but friendly process. No time for questions at the end. Good luck to everybody! I know I will remember some questions here and there, so I will post more when I have a long enough list but they were fairly farfetched and unrelated to my profession! - harvardmbaapplicant
I just gave my GMAT and got a 710 (q49 [79%]and v38[85%]), combined percentile 92. I also have a GRE score of 326 with 84 percentile in verbal and 93 percentile in math. I am now planning to apply to HBS in round 2, but I am confused which score to use?
My understanding is that they don't favor/prefer one test over the other. Looking at the percentiles you quoted, it seems you did better on the GRE. Your math score in particularly is quite a bit higher on the GRE, which will be important if you come from a non-quant background.
I don't disagree with the logic above, but I'll add another perspective-
What's the overall percentile rank for your GRE score? It seems like it would be higher given the higher splits, but I am not familiar with that test and don't know how it typically shakes out. If the percentile rank is significantly higher than your GMAT, I'd strongly consider using it. But on the other side, I do think there's some value that by using your GMAT score you instantly check that important box of having a 7 as the first number of your score. Depending on the rest of your application, that could be an important factor in how you're considered.
I'm not sure where those respective demarcation lines are on GRE scoring scale, or if they even exist, so take my response with a grain of salt. . . I literally know nothing about the GRE, and am no application expert either. Just my .02 to add a different viewpoint. Sounds like you've got two good options, so try not to sweat it too much. - Webster
I'm in a similar boat as you with Core: not required but intrigued. I don't have business training so I decided that I'm going to do the 2nd core session. I don't want to spend case-study prep time next fall on learning theory and concepts I could have learned from core.
It's a hand-signed acceptance letter from Dee, and a leather resume/notepad holder thing.
Anyone thinking about doing CORe? I don't have it as a mandatory requirement, but when I did the diagnostic, I only averaged 10/15 across the 3 topics... Either I'm dumb, or it's my lack of formal business education showing through...
Posted from my mobile device
For anyone who's on the fence, I'm a fan of Core (or Analytics from back in my day) for a few reasons...
1. If you don't have a business background it'll help get you up to speed beyond what you get out of the prematric online tutorials. 2. It gets you used to the case method--prepping for class, participating, justifying your points, etc. 3. It allows you to get set up in Boston/Cambridge a week before the majority of your class rushes in. 4. You'll meet a bunch of people from interesting (i.e. non-business) backgrounds, a majority of whom won't be in your RC year section...during RC year a large chunk of your academic and social events will be section-centric so it's always good to meet people you otherwise wouldn't. - EBM
I know it's a really hard week. I about lost my mind the few days before the invite and final decision.
Here's how it went for Round 1:
Nobody found out anything early. Of course, I checked my email and app status all the time for no reason.
Interview invites "went live" at 1200 Boston time on Wednesday. Don't freak out if you don't get one right away. They take sometime to all go out and fly through the giant tubes of the internet. Do NOT freak about if you are Barry Berstein and Cassandra Callaway gets an invite. It's not alphabetical, sorted by height, or national status. Somebody with a higher Quant score than me can figure it out, I gave up.
I got my invite at 1204. It was a long 4 minutes. Some folks got theirs at 1220 or later. I don't know when the last one went out. Don't give up right away. There were a lot of people saying "it's over" right before they got an invite.
I did not see my application status page update before I got the email. That happens for the decision, but the invite for an interview is all email.
Aside from the 2+2 folks, I don't know many people who got good news on the second round of invites. I'm not saying it doesn't happen, but I wouldn't get my hopes up.
Happy Superbowl Sunday all. Question I'm hoping someone might be able to give some advice on. I was an original Round 1 applicant, and in the time since applying last fall I received a significant promotion, as well as relocating cities as part of it to lead a new opportunity. Obviously this is information I'll want to make them aware of. My understanding is Harvard interviews are very resume-based, walk through your experience. Since they have my previous resume before the promotion, any advice on how to approach this? Obviously it can be verbalized in the interview, as well as details on projects that have occurred since, but should I try and provide them with an updated resume?
I assume many will have updated resumes with new info, so curious to the thoughts of those here on how to approach. Thanks in advance.
Hi Stang523,
If I were you, I would definitely provide them an updated resume. I had a similar experience with applying to MBB internship last year. (I know, not HBS) I filled out an application in September of my junior year and interviewed only in January. My interviewers had my old resume; however, I have improved my GPA since then and had a cool internship during my fall semester. I gave each of my interviewers an updated resume during our interview, and talked about what I have improved since my application.
Later, when I started my internship in the summer, I met one of my interviewers. He said that when they were evaluating candidates, my updated resume was the reason to give the spot to me.
I've been staring at this for days. Nagged by my team: Can you please get something up on the blog about Round 3?!!!.
Not trying to be lazy, but I can't improve upon this. It's a classic.
I hope that the message is clear.
---------------------
You want to go to business school. You really do. But the fall season kind of got away from you. You were busy. Work was demanding. You simply didn't have time to hunker down and focus on b-school applications.
Now you've got it together. Ready. But there's all this noise about Round 3. Discouraging and worrisome noise. Let's try to address some of the myths.
Myth #1: There are no spots available.
Not true. We manage the selection process to ensure that there are always spots open for the candidates we want. Are there as many spots open as in Rounds 1 and 2? No. Are there as many applicants? No. Do I think a strong candidate has a fair shot? Yes.
Myth #2: We've run out of financial aid.
Not true. The very last person admitted to the class has access to the same need-based financial aid that the very first person received.
Myth #3: If I get dinged in Round 3, I can't/shouldn't apply the next season in Round 1.
Not true. There's absolutely no stigma in re-applying 5 months later. Happens a lot. Many people in our classroom today were successful re-applicants.
Myth #4: It's too late for 2+2 applicants.
Not true. Not even close to true. Round 3 is a great choice for 2+2 applicants. Why? We can be more flexible about the number of 2+2 admits given that we are not worried about a seat being occupied for this September. College seniors have another semester of grades to show us. And another semester of activities. I also see a 2+2 application as a good dress rehearsal for future applications - and possibly interviews - to lots of other selective scenarios. If you aren't admitted to 2+2, we like to say (over and over): It doesn't mean not ever, it means not now. Besides, it's a great deal. $100 application fee. A chance to get the standardized tests over with when you're in test-taking mode. And, best of all, two or three years to explore and then come to HBS.
Myth #5: There's no Welcome Weekend for Round 3 admits.
True. But all the interviews will be held on campus so you'll get to see us in real time. And here's some advice about visiting classes and the campus:
If you want to see the case method in action, there are many spots available to visit a HBS class this spring. Also, there will be limited availability for visiting a class before the Round 1 application deadline next fall, so this is a great time to visit. Register for a class visit through our online scheduling system. We will also be hosting several other events on campus in the next few months.
You can always meet us online, too. We will be hosting Admissions QA webinars to answer your questions before the Round 3 deadline. To learn more, please see the Admissions Events page of our website.
Here's a reminder: The Round 3 deadline is April 6. We'll do our usual posts right after the deadline about timing of interview invitations. As always, hope this helps.
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-BB
I had my interview on campus this week! It was a good conversation lasting exactly 30 minutes. The first 15-20 minutes was spent about my current role, my employer and my industry. Later it moved to my post MBA goal (I want to start my company) and details about my business model, challenges, plans etc. We also spoke about my leadership style (what will be team mates say is my biggest leadership trait?). Overall it was a fun 30 minutes and passed by very quickly. I had prepared a lot and though it came handy, wasn't all that necessary.
I am glad I did the interview on campus as I was able to participate in the full day of activities (campus tour, chat with faculty, chat with current students, "What's next" with Dee, etc.) and also sat in a class the next day. This has completely changed my impression of HBS and the value it provides. I had a great time!
Fingers crossed and anxiously waiting for the 25th. - sandman25