Are you a college senior with MBA dreams in your future? Why not jump-start your B-school journey right now? The HBS 2+2 deferred MBA program at Harvard Business School is accepting applications until April 25, 2024, for entry in Fall 2026. In this program, admitted candidates work for two years and then start their MBA studies.
The ideal applicant for the HBS 2+2 program adds diversity of background and thought to the school. Harvard is looking for highly accomplished students with unusual paths. For example, candidates from lower socioeconomic backgrounds, first to graduate college, or those with non-traditional career goals like manufacturing or engineering.
There is some flexibility around the two-year work deferral, but most applicants work for two years before beginning their on-campus MBA experience.
In the past, the HBS 2+2 essay prompt has been the same as the question asked within the regular full-time MBA application. However, the admissions committee decided to make a change this year. According to Harvard Business School, that’s because:
“The HBS classroom and community thrive when we bring together people who can share a variety of perspectives. We are looking for people who will be good community members, and this new essay format is designed to get to know you better and learn how you will engage at HBS and beyond.”
And, as with the traditional program application essay, the HBS AdCom shares similar advice: “We think you know what guidance we’re going to give here: don’t overthink, overcraft, or overwrite. Please answer the questions in clear and concise language.”
The Stacy Blackman Consulting team includes several experts in the deferred admissions process. Reach out today to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.
HBS 2+2 MBA Essay Tips
Part 1: Personal Essays (choose two – up to 300 words per prompt)
The HBS classroom and community thrive when we bring together people who can share a variety of perspectives. To get to know you better and how you will engage at HBS, please choose two of the three prompts below to tell us more about yourself:
Option 1: How have your experiences shaped who you are, how you lead, and how you will contribute at HBS?
The essays are your opportunity to reveal yourself. Think about your background, skills, motivations, and the aspects that make you unique. Harvard is interested in who you are as a person.
Choose stories that show your management potential. HBS has always focused on leadership and loves candidates with a track record of leadership impact and future potential. Your goal is to demonstrate a success trajectory to indicate upper management potential.
The stories you choose for this essay can be from almost any part of your life. How have you learned and developed in college? What early influences may have been part of forming who you are? Think deeply about yourself and show that introspection in this essay.
Option 2: What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA?
Because you are a college senior, academics have been your primary focus for the past several years. When you think about your college experience, what first sparked your interest in business and pursuing a graduate business degree at Harvard 2+2? What drives your academic focus, and how do you hope to continue to learn?
Perhaps you took a class in economics or finance, and the topic fascinated you. The intellectual experience could have also been outside the classroom, either in a summer internship or through an extracurricular activity. Ultimately, this question is seeking to understand your interests and motivations.
Did you know? SBC’s stellar team includes two former HBS Admissions Officers who helped launch the 2+2 Program.
Option 3: What communities have you been engaged with that have defined how you invest in others?
Harvard is explicitly looking for non-traditional applicants for the 2+2 program. When you think about communities, this could be part of your cultural or familial background. Or, a community could be chosen, like one focused on a hobby or interest.
Because you are a college senior and have less formal work experience, describing how you engage and invest in communities is a great way to show leadership skills. Consider how you have positively influenced these communities.
For example, leaders take formal leadership roles in school clubs, develop community within a sports team, or volunteer to serve their cultural community. Think about how you might use your experience to demonstrate these skills.
Part 2: Career Essay (up to 300 words)
How do the career plans you shared in the Career Plans section of the application fit into your current long-term career vision? What skills and/or professional experiences do you hope to obtain in the deferral period that will help build the foundation for your post-MBA career?
As a college senior planning your life five years into the future, you should have a strong vision. Most MBA applicants can rely on past experiences to tell their MBA admissions story, while you have limited work experience to draw upon. Therefore, being specific about your Harvard 2+2 goals and plans will add credibility to your application.
“I wanted to ensure that I spent time at a company that would allow me to gain new skills, grow, and create an impact before starting my studies at HBS.” – Carol Wright, 2+2 MBA
First, think about what you aspire to accomplish in your career. Perhaps you want to run your own business or be a senior manager in an industry you admire. Explain why you are drawn to that role and industry. And, how you think your educational background and Harvard 2+2 MBA will help build your skills.
Then, add your plans for the two years between college and the MBA program. How will you choose an industry to position yourself well to benefit from an MBA? What specific roles are most appealing?
With a focused career plan, you could emphasize leadership opportunities or high-visibility roles that give you access to senior leaders. For example, some 2+2 applicants worked in management consulting or as an assistant to a small company CEO. Both positions would provide a wide range of work experience in a short time.
Be as specific as possible about the skills and experience you hope to acquire before you join the MBA program. Think both about hard skills like accounting, finance, or marketing planning and soft skills like working with a diverse team and leading without authority.
When you pull your story together, your educational background, post-college work experience, and HBS MBA should position you for your future long-term career goals.
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We hope our HBS 2+2 MBA essay tips have further awakened your interest in this exceptional deferred MBA program. If you are considering HBS 2+2 and need input from an expert sounding board, we’re here to help! Reach out to set up a complimentary assessment of your candidacy today.
Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team.
Ashley
Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure. Ashley holds an MBA from HBS.
During her HBS years, Ashley was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...
Kerry
Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).
During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions.
Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and ...
Pauline
A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.
Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM. For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...
Geri
Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).
In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students. In additio ...
Laura
Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.
Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...
Andrea
Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years. In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee.
In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School. Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...
Jennifer
Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...
Erin K.
Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB).
Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...
Susie
Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications. She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics.
Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...
Dione
Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.
Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...
Anthony
Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise.
During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year. Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...
Meghan
Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies.
In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...
Amy
Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.
During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students. She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...
Ally
Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).
During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...
Erin B.
Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business.
At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...
Emma
Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.
Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.</sp ...
The post Tuesday Tips: HBS 2+2 MBA Essay Tips for 2024 appeared first on Stacy Blackman Consulting - MBA Admissions Consulting.
