{"id":7258,"date":"2011-05-19T15:49:55","date_gmt":"2011-05-19T23:49:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/?p=7258"},"modified":"2011-06-02T10:32:25","modified_gmt":"2011-06-02T18:32:25","slug":"hbs-essays-and-deadlines-for-2011-2012","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/hbs-essays-and-deadlines-for-2011-2012\/","title":{"rendered":"HBS Essays and Deadlines for 2011-2012"},"content":{"rendered":"

HBS recently released its application essays<\/a> and deadlines<\/a> for the 2011-2012 admissions season. Please note that these are for Harvard\u2019s traditional MBA program, not HBS 2+2.<\/p>\n

Here are the new essays and deadlines, taken from Harvard\u2019s site. Our comments follow in italics:<\/p>\n

Harvard Business School Admissions Deadlines<\/strong>
\nRound 1: October 3, 2011
\nRound 2: January 10, 2012
\nRound 3: April 10, 2012<\/p>\n

These deadlines have not changed much since last year. Harvard\u2019s Round 1 deadline crept back by two days and its Round 2 deadline crept forward by a day. The Round 3 deadline moved the most: It comes ten days later than it did last year. Most importantly, note that applying in Round 1 means that you will\u00a0 hear from HBS no later than December 19, 2011. That will give you at least a couple of weeks before most other schools\u2019 Round 2 deadlines, in case you decide to wait to hear from HBS before deciding to send out a few additional applications. <\/em><\/p>\n

Harvard Business School Admissions Essays<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)<\/strong>
    \nFor years this question asked, \u201cWhat are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?\u201d but Harvard has simplified the question, just as it did on the application for the HBS 2+2 Program.\u00a0 Even though the wording is different, the meat of the question remains the same: They don\u2019t explicitly ask for your \u201cmost substantial\u201d accomplishments anymore, but of course you still need to come up with three impressive stories. Remember that we are\u00a0 talking about HBS here, so at least one (preferably at least two) of your examples should highlight leadership. However, do not overlook stories that also demonstrate other traits that admissions officers look for, including teamwork, innovation, and maturity. Regardless of the question\u2019s phrasing, remember that the \u201cwhy\u201d in your story is even more important than the \u201cwhat,\u201d so be sure to spell out why these accomplishments are so critical to describing you as an emerging business leader. Also, ideally you will be able to draw upon multiple types of experiences \u2014 not only on the job, but also from your community involvement, your hobbies, and even, in some cases, your personal life.
    \n<\/em><\/li>\n
  2. Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)<\/strong>
    \nThis question has also changed. HBS used to ask you to describe what you have learned from a mistake, but this question has evolved to complement the \u201cthree accomplishments\u201d question. Whether you call them mistakes, failures, or setbacks, these examples all share a common thread: They serve to show how you have grown in your relatively short professional career. The word \u201csetbacks,\u201d specifically, is interesting since it gives you the opportunity to talk about challenges you faced that were not\u00a0 necessarily of your own doing. For example, getting laid off when your company goes out of business represents a setback, but not a mistake. In some respects describing three setbacks in 600 words is even harder than discussing three accomplishments, since the most important part of any \u201csetback\u201d essay is showing what you learned and how you grew as a result.\u00a0 Your\u00a0 mission will be to show introspection (What did you learn?) and a motivation for self-improvement (How did you use what you learned to better yourself and avoid that mistake again?). Having one or two good work-related stories will be important, but remember to look for experiences in all aspects of your life.
    \n<\/em><\/li>\n
  3. Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)<\/strong>
    \nWow, lots of changes this year! This question is new, although some see it as a direct replacement for an old HBS application question that asked, \u201cWhat is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?\u201d The key difference now is that, while that old question was very forward-looking, this new question will best be answered with a blend of discussion about your past and your intended future career path. Both are necessary ingredients for a credible, compelling essay here. For instance, you could write, \u201cI want to get an MBA so that I can launch a global non-profit organization to wipe out illiteracy,\u201d but if philanthropy and an interest in education do not show up anywhere else in your background, this may seem like nothing more than a bunch of hot air. Also, although there is no more talk of \u201ccareer vision,\u201d it\u2019s important to show that you\u2019re realistic about what an MBA can do for you. Earning a Harvard MBA is just one piece (albeit an important one) of your career puzzle, and you want to show the admissions committee that you understand where it fits in the grand scheme of things.<\/em><\/li>\n
  4. Answer a question you wish we\u2019d asked. (400 words)<\/strong>
    \nThis question is also new this year, and we like it! Kellogg used to ask \u201cI wish the admissions committee had asked me\u2026\u201d but has since moved away from this essay prompt, which we thought was too bad. Questions like this may seem intimidating at first, but strong applicants will find them very valuable since they can serve one of two purposes: They can serve as a \u201ccatch-all\u201d where you can cover important themes that you haven\u2019t yet covered in another essay, or they can help you tell an interesting story that will stick in admissions officers\u2019 minds. An example of the former is dedicating this essay to telling a story that doesn\u2019t strictly qualify as an accomplishment but still demonstrates an important trait, such as teamwork or maturity. An example of the latter is discussing a unique hobby that you enjoy, one that would never come up in your application otherwise. Of course, they key is to tie that back to your overall story \u2014 saying, \u201cI like to play the ukulele\u201d is not effective if you can\u2019t explain why it matters to you \u2014 but you can use this essay too pique admissions officers\u2019 interest.
    \n<\/em><\/li>\n
  5. Joint degree applicants: How do you expect the joint degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and a personal level? (400 words)<\/strong>
    \nApplicants to joint degree programs often have a hard time articulating why they need multiple degrees. Harvard wants to see that you \u201cget\u201d what the joint degree (no matter what combination it is) will do for you, particularly when it comes to how it will help you reach your career goals. Interesting that HBS also includes the \u201cand a personal level\u201d part\u2026 We normally see applicants fall short on the \u201cprofessional level\u201d side of the story, since they cannot explain why a joint degree is necessary for their career goals. On the personal side, our advice is avoid going overboard with high-minded language. You really do need to nail the professional side of the story, first and foremost. Think of that as the \u201cbones\u201d of this essay, and your personal values and goals as the \u201cflesh.\u201d We\u2019ve     written about JD\/MBA programs<\/a> before; take a look at some of these posts as you articulate your joint degree story.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Every year we help many applicants get into Harvard Business School . To start putting together your own HBS application strategy, download our HBS Annual Report, one of 15\u00a0 guides to the world\u2019s top business schools.\u00a0 Click here <\/a>to download three reports for free!<\/p>\n

    \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    HBS recently released its application essays and deadlines for the 2011-2012 admissions season. Please note that these are for Harvard\u2019s traditional MBA program, not HBS 2+2. Here are the new…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":101,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7258","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7258","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\/101"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7258"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7258\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7408,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7258\/revisions\/7408"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7258"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7258"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gmatclub.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7258"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}