Calling all Harvard Applicants: (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!

Everything I heard and read about HBS is that interview experiences differ quite a lot. My interview was very conversational with detailed/specific questions about my background and resume.

interesting. did you feel you did well or so-so?

I felt like I did extremely well but that might have been due to the very nice conversational atmosphere. In the end, potentially a lot of people have that good feeling and still get dinged/waitlisted...I guess we all have to wait to find you.

Are you R2 applicant?

I felt like some of what I prepared helped me in the interview but definitely could not have prepared for all of it. Aside from one small blip that I hope won't be an issue, I think it went ok. Definitely don't think it was a homerun though.

I definitely felt like mine was so-so. The interviewer smiled so much it was hard to get a read. Now all that's left to do is wait and hope

GMAT Club friends - I wanted your opinions on something. I've accepted a new job abroad in Southeast Asia (1st job abroad) in Jan 16, shortly after R2 apps are due. Do you think it would be helpful to my candidacy to add this new role to my resume? I know Harvard likes international experience, but not sure how much this would boost my application since it would only be a couple months of experience. I also don't know if adding this experience would in any way be perceived negatively by adcom. Welcome your thoughts.

I started my new job in end of Feb before submitting beginning of September (~6 months). Got an interview so didn't hurt me too much and think it really helped given the new role was for a more prestigious company. Think the key is that it shows growth in some way. Assume you are taking the role for those reasons so I'd put it on there!

Agreed. Why did you think it was so-so and not good?

For me, I thought mine was so-so because I didn't answer all of the questions directly. I also sometimes gave really wordy answers.

I wouldn't recommend putting a job on your application resume if you haven't actually begun doing it...not sure what you mean by "it would only be a coupon months of experience" given that you said you won't start abroad until after the R2 deadline.

You can bring it up during the "walk me through your resume" question should you get an interview, but I'd say it's kinda untruthful to claim a position/location that you haven't actually worked in.

Yea to clarify - I wouldn't have started the new role until after R2 apps were in. What I meant was that if I were to attend HBS in the Fall, I would only have 6 months of international experience, not sure if those few months would be of any value in the adcom's eyes.

What I had planned to do was add the job to my resume and then say "Anticipated start date: Jan 2016". To your point though, I would obviously have pretty much no bullet points detailing my job functions aside from a high level description of the job itself. To include or not to include?

If I were an adcom-- I would ask why take this job with plans to apply to MBA and leave the job within 6 months etc.. Does your employer know? what are there thoughts on hiring someone who only wanted to be there a couple of months.

I personally would not add. Think it looks kind of bad

MBAAlex120 - very fair point, thanks for the input! My response to your comment/the adcom would be that admission to any top 10 MBA program is not guaranteed and while I was interviewing for this new role, I had not yet submitted my application to bschool and I wanted to continue to grow personally and professionally regardless of my application outcome.

Well, depending on how the adcom reads your application you may not get a chance to explain. And even you explanation warrants some tough questions. Does your new employer know you are applying to bschool etc.

I could be wrong and certainly not an adcom or consultant but I would either wait a year to apply(if the job really is good and develops you) or leave off. My two cents. But again, just a dude with an opinion here.

Kinda jealous - mine definitely was not smiling much lol. It was one of the most intense interviews I have ever had - felt more like a psych session!

Where did you interview? What is your background?

I had an interview last year R2. I had a very pleasant and nice conversation. I thought I did well but I got dinged in the end. Don't get disappointed if you didn't feel amazing and don't get high hopes if you felt fantastic. In my eyes, interview is not the most important part of the application process. It is a supplemental verification of the image you have already given through your application.
But again, just a dude with an opinion here. (I liked that).

i'd like to solicit opinions:

for the Harvard "introduce yourself" essay, what would you say to a poetic, lyrical, or musical composition that tells your story? This wouldn't come out of left field, the application already mentions alot of other musical and artistic extracurriculars.

would it be well received with adcom? or dismissed for being gimmicky?

It doesn't really matter that there are musical/artistic extracurriculars at HBS... what matters is whether or not writing your response as a poem or lyrics makes sense for YOU to do. If you are an artist, a musician, or have some major part of your life that would naturally lead you to introduce yourself in such a manner, then it could definitely work because somewhere in your response you would mention that connection. But if not, then it would probably come off as gimmicky because you have nothing about your personal or professional life to tie it back to. So the adcom would be like, "Um... why is this i-banker who volunteers at a homeless shelter and likes to run marathons writing us a song?"

Also remember that you're going to have to read it out loud to your sectionmates, who are all going to be brilliant. If you think you can pull something off that you'd be comfortable sharing with 90 other impressive people, then more power to you. But I feel like it would be a pretty rare situation in which something like this would make sense.

If it makes anyone out there feel any better, my R1 clients who were invited to interview all answered the question in a really straightforward manner. They wrote as if they were talking to their classmates and introduced themselves in a pretty logical/chronological flow -- nothing crazy or fancy.

Hope this has helped!


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I couldn't agree more with this post -- the interview (at any school) truly is just one piece of the overall picture, even though people build it up to be this make-or-break thing. It's not. In the end you could have the strongest interview of them all and still get dinged because someone else's application was stronger as a whole or you were in a more competitive demographic/industry/role set.


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