1500 word essay

I agree with LittleMoW, less so with speedilly. If you're the type of person who would fit at Harvard, you're going to be able to make an executive decision about what's the right length to tell your story effectively. Conforming to some "standard" isn't ultimately going to help you succeed.

That said, having a fresh set of eyes read your essay, preferably someone you trust to give you honest feedback, would be helpful. It seems like if you're asking for advice, you're somewhat unsure about the length and possibly about the content. I can tell you that my finished essay is around 1100-1200 words, and I am more than confident that it tells my story effectively (but I can't say I felt that way several drafts ago). If I don't get in, I know it won't be because of my essay. You should feel the same way when you hit that submit button.

I think you may be able to cut that a little. One thing that could help is to have a counselor do one edit review for you. We at Stratus Prep have counselors who are HBS alums and very familiar with the formats for HBS essays. Even an hour of consultation could be a big help. To find out how we can help on a quick review, please go to this link: https://stratusprep.com/free-consult/

Be concise! HBS has no word limit but really values the ability to communicate and share your thoughts in a concise, direct fashion. So explore opportunities to streamline your message and points accordingly

My essay was 1300-1400 (on the longer side) but as I have a fairly non traditional background, there was a lot of things to explain which made it necessary. Otherwise I would've kept it to 1000 as a more traditional candidate.


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I would take another look at your essay if possible and really be discerning to make sure you needed all of those words. Make sure you are telling a cohesive story and not simply dumping out your entire life story. Good luck!