{"id":23997,"date":"2014-05-22T19:59:22","date_gmt":"2014-05-23T02:59:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=23997"},"modified":"2021-12-05T05:23:02","modified_gmt":"2021-12-05T12:23:02","slug":"my-thoughts-on-the-hbs-essay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/my-thoughts-on-the-hbs-essay\/","title":{"rendered":"My Thoughts on the HBS Essay"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Adam Hoff<\/a> of the Amerasia Consulting Group<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unlike Columbia and Stanford, HBS did not make any changes to its essay from last year. \u00a0As explained by Dee Leopold in her blog, they were quite simply happy with the content that this prompted generated. \u00a0Those handful of people who have spoken to me on consult calls this year know that I predicted HBS would keep this essay and that it would be for this reason - I had a feeling this experiment worked well. \u00a0This is because I watched the MASSIVE (all caps are necessary here) gulf between good and bad use of this space, among candidates. \u00a0More important than even the size of the gulf is the nature of the divide - you could almost amass all of the applicants into two groups on each side of it: the self-assured, clear-speaking confident types and the hot messes. \u00a0I'm being rather cruel to the latter group and probably overstating it a bit, but it's still true.<\/p>\n

Backing up just a bit, it's been clear for years now that HBS has been introducing ambiguity into the process. \u00a0Is that intentional? \u00a0I believe it is (I won't go into why in this post), but even if not, it's still a fact. \u00a0Consider just these three clues:<\/p>\n

1. The post-interview response assignment.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0This is a Type A person's worst nightmare. \u00a0A 24-hour window to get it done (basically restricting you from getting the type of feedback and reviews you are probably accustomed to), vague instructions, hints suggesting it should be a little scruffy rather than polished. \u00a0I mean ... that's not a comfortable assignment for the typical person who has made it as far as an HBS interview. \u00a0It's almost like a dare. \u00a0How comfortable can you be in your own skin? \u00a0Can you shrug, and just knock it out or are you going to melt down? \u00a0I would wager that what they are looking for when they review those is evidence of stress. \u00a0When they see something free and easy, confident and cool, they are impressed. \u00a0When they see something that came out of a stress ball implosion, they are like \"next.\" \u00a0That's my interpretation at least.<\/p>\n

(Note: when I work with clients on this I approach it in the way HBS wants me to ... but not because they are bullying me, but rather because it's the correct approach. \u00a0There are times when I need to be like a golf swing coach. \u00a0I need to break down my client's swing, work out some kinks, help them discover their best self, etc. \u00a0But when it comes to the post-interview response, my role becomes caddie on the 18th green of the Masters. \u00a0My job is to say, \"You are a good golfer. \u00a0Your swing is grooved. \u00a0Stop tinkering. \u00a0Stop thinking. \u00a0Hit the damn ball.\" \u00a0This is what HBS wants, guys. \u00a0They want you to just step up and take your hack, confident and true.)<\/p>\n

2. The unusual waitlist scenario.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0HBS will WL you, defer you to a later round, and basically ask you to hang around for sometimes months and months to get a result. \u00a0That's not terribly unusual - all schools have to use some sort of WL mechanism to control enrollment numbers. \u00a0What is unique about HBS is that they don't let you respond in any way. \u00a0More specifically: they say of you want to stay on the WL, do nothing. \u00a0Only respond if you *don't* want to stay on. \u00a0And then - don't do anything. \u00a0Don't move a muscle. \u00a0In my opinion, it's another dare. \u00a0Who can hold their powder? \u00a0Who can stay cool and just ride it out. \u00a0I'm reminded of a thriller movie I saw once (can't remember what it was) when the hero and the villain were in a standoff on opposite sides of a wall. \u00a0Neither knew for sure if the other was on the opposite side, though they both had their suspicions. \u00a0They waited in complete silence. \u00a0For hours. \u00a0Waiting each other out, not moving a muscle, not making a sound. \u00a0Finally, the villain determined that no one could wait that long and came around the corner. \u00a0The hero blew him away. \u00a0That's who you have to be - the one willing to wait it out longer than anyone else. \u00a0When you flinch, when you panic, when you just can't resist sending an email or having your boss\/uncle\/friend\/[insert whoever you think has sway at HBS] lob a call in ... your dead.<\/p>\n

3. The open-ended essay question.<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0Ah, finally, we come to the part of the post you clicked on this to get to. \u00a0The HBS question that was introduced last year and that remains in place this year is, to me, the latest (and greatest) example of this trend. \u00a0It's another dare. \u00a0Can you\u00a0follow their instructions? \u00a0<\/strong>Can you resist repeating your resume? \u00a0Can you resist telling them your entire life story? \u00a0In short, can you step up with confidence and state something that they don't already know, that is worth sharing? \u00a0It's not an easy thing to do, but it's absolutely essential. \u00a0I have seen dozens of failed HBS essays from last years and while the formats differ, the length is never the same, and the content is all over the map, they all have the same exact scent - of desperation. \u00a0There's no confidence, control, or assertive elegance. \u00a0Contrast that with what I signed off on as it went out the door - different formats, length, and content on this end as well, but all defined by a strong (and often simple) thesis and a self-possession that came through on the page. \u00a0I firmly believe that even more than what those essays said, it was HOW they said it that generated such good results.<\/p>\n

Last personal note, aka \"Why I love Harvard, but Harvard probably doesn't love me<\/strong>.\" \u00a0There is a prevailing theory out there that HBS is trying to drive admissions consultants out of the process. \u00a0I'd like to respond to that - as much to Harvard as to potential clients. It's self-serving to say this, of course, but in all my years in admissions, I never felt more valuable to my clients than I did for my HBS folks last year. \u00a0And not because I told them what to write or gave them some secret formula, but because I helped them find what made them special to begin with and then I gave them the permission and confidence to believe in that and to articulate it clearly and with assurance. \u00a0I stood behind them so they could stand strong and confident. \u00a0And when they did that, they thrived. \u00a0Now, HBS may still wish I didn't exist, but I firmly believe that they have 10 amazing new Harvard students coming to their campus this fall because I was involved in their candidacy. \u00a0Everyone comes to a point in life when a coach helps them not just train or boost their skills, but to gain clarity. \u00a0I've hired trainers and life coaches and each time, they've helped me get out of my own way and put my best self forward. \u00a0HBS' application process helped me serve the same role for my clients last year. \u00a0So if Harvard really is trying to drive me out of the process, it kind of backfired. \u00a0I've never been more valuable or fulfilled in my work.<\/p>\n

If you are looking for help with the HBS app - or any other - email us at mba@amerasiaconsulting.com. \u00a0Quite frankly, we do this better than anyone out there and it's increasingly not close, so come have an initial consult and find out why for yourself.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\"My<\/a>
My Thoughts on the HBS Essay<\/figcaption><\/figure> \u0437\u0430\u0439\u043c \u0431\u0435\u0437 \u0441\u043d\u0438\u043b\u0441 \u0441 18 \u043b\u0435\u0442<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Adam Hoff of the Amerasia Consulting Group Unlike Columbia and Stanford, HBS did not make any changes to its essay from last year. \u00a0As explained by Dee Leopold in…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11,3,795,775,113,243,766],"tags":[20,812,1907,1660,269,1673,73,72,1672,22,1665,100,119,1896,121],"class_list":["post-23997","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mba","category-b-school-life","category-amerasia","category-admission-consultants","category-applications","category-blog","category-top-stories","tag-admissions","tag-advice","tag-amerasia","tag-analysis","tag-application","tag-banking","tag-business-school","tag-consulting","tag-essay-examples","tag-finance","tag-guide","tag-harvard","tag-hbs","tag-mba","tag-tips","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23997","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23997"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23997\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":53703,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23997\/revisions\/53703"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23997"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23997"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23997"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}