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

I just have an query, how does the professional experience is calculated if i apply for round 1? is it the application time of R1 or 1 month before or any specific month before commencement of the program ?
I may not be able to go for Round 1 as i have to give GMAT by november. Is that the chance of acceptance reduces if we go for R2 compared to R1 ?

Please provide details for the above queries .

Last year's application asked for number of months of employment as of projected enrollment date, not application submission date.

Acceptance rate for R1 vs. R2 is basically a wash. Apply in the round for which you'll be able to submit the best application, which in your case sounds like R2.

Actually, applying to Harvard second round reduces your chance of being admitted by almost 50%. I ran a logistic regression using GMAT Club data and application round is very important, even after accounting for GMAT and GPA. If you can get your application ready in time, apply round 1.

I see two issues with your data which are probably impossible to account for given that HBS doesn't release the info you'd need--undergrad institution and professional experience.

My observation has been that R1 tends to see a stronger applicant pool in general--which makes sense if you figure that the fast-tracker applicants coming from Apple/Google/Goldman/MBB-tier firms have probably been prepping to apply for quite awhile already and are able to submit early. So in addition to having their GMAT nailed down in advance (and likely holding a degree from an Ivy/Stanford/Duke-type undergrad), they've probably got a solid handle on career goals and have good recommendations lined up--plus they've already been "anointed" and groomed by their blue-chip firm to attend a top MBA program. A stronger pool should clearly have an admit rate higher than the overall admit rate of ~10% or whatever it is in a given year.

I agree that (all things being equal) it makes sense to apply in R1 if possible. But all things are rarely equal, so if this person is debating between R1 with a low GMAT score (or without a GMAT, from what it sounds like) vs. R2 with a better GMAT score then R2 is clearly the way to go. Applying in R2 with a 730 GMAT and well-written essays is better than applying in R1 with a 680 GMAT and rushed essays.

I'm in for R1.

In for R1! Can't wait.

Hi! How long does it take usually to write essay?

I'm in for R1 as well. HBS is a longshot for me but why not try. Best of luck everyone!

I want a realistic estimate of "long shot" versus "no shot" for HBS. It looks like 30% of the class had an Ivy League undergrad, and another 20% had other top tier non-Ivies (Stanford/Duke/MIT/Virginia). If you come from an undergrad ranked below the top 20 and don't work for MBB, is there any point in applying? I assume they save only a few spots for people with a less than premium pedigree (and then you might need a 4.0 with a 780 GMAT).

I could be wrong but that's the impression I get.

DOMESTIC UNDERGRADUATE INSTITUTIONS REPRESENTED - 139

That means there are at least 100 domestic students getting in that didn't attend ivy/top 20, no? I'm not sure how accurate it would be to say these 100 all work in MBB, so obviously some of the "long-shots" will get in. And you know what they say, if you don't try, you'll never know. Even if someone is a "no-shot" at a school there has to be some amount of comfort in applying / getting rejected.

Easily my undergraduate school is not top 100 but my graduate school is very well known on the east coast, so I'm willing to take a "long-shot" given 750+ on GMAT.

I wouldn't want to dissuade you from apply to HBS, and these decisions are very personal, but I want a realistic estimate of chances. Part of this is me thinking through my own decision process. There are other institutions represented, but I'm guessing that they only take 1 or 2 students each year from schools like SUNY or Arizona state. My undergrad GPA is "okay", 3.3 in math, but I wonder if HBS admissions would throw any applications with similar profiles in the reject pile if that GPA isn't 3.8+ (regardless of GMAT). I do have an MS in statistics from Virginia, which is one of the top feeder schools to MBA programs, but I don't know how much that weighs in.

Why freight over it? Because I'm considering apply early action to Tuck - stating to love that program - and it wouldn't make sense to reach for HBS if admissions systematically discards applications that read "white male, 3.3 GPA, non-Tier 1 state school."

Of course it is best to be realistic and I have yet to mull over completely my own decision for applying to Harvard (and other schools). My current opinion is that if I don't get into a top 10 (maybe 15) school that it may not be worthwhile for me to invest the time and money for the MBA. I agree it would be nice to know if there are any hard cut offs: "Hey let's not look at this guys application because we have never heard of his undergrad!" I realize due to time restraints they can't fully evaluate every candidate (although at $250 a piece I'd like to believe someone could be hired to do so) but it would be nice to know at least the first line of your essay would be read.

Every application gets read by at least two adcom members from what I've heard--there's no arbitrary "you must have this GMAT/GPA/undergrad school to get on this ride" cutoff line.

With a 3.3 GPA from any school you're going to be fighting an uphill battle for admission to HBS but it's not impossible by any means. The MS from a well-regarded school will help, but the main determining factor for you to get an interview will be whether you can wow them with your personal story and/or career goals.

So I read this somewhere, but I can't find it at the moment, it's loosely paraphrased as well. Dee from HBS said that there is no GMAT/GPA minimum, etc.. It is "coincidental"/causal that the folks that are admitted have high GPA's and high GMAT scores. Most of these data points are related right?

So with that being said, I don't think you're wasting your time, go for it, and don't discount yourself...

Hi everyone

I just finished my very early first draft of the essay. I am wondering whether anyone is interested to team up? I am looking for a team of max 5 people, who are going to apply in R1.

I guess 5 people are smarter than one, and everyone has different sources of information and a different background. Together we can craft great essays. I think the great thing about this approach is, that we really don't know each other yet, and looking at the HBS essay question, if 4 random people feel that they really got to know me and my story well through my essay, then that should apply to the adcom as well.

I am looking for people who take the R1 application seriously. If you are one of them and are interested, then feel free to send me a PM. I was thinking that each of us shares his or her essay as a google document and the other can comment on the document.

The goal is that we all get accepted and meet each other in Aldrich Hall on our first day and introduce ourselves to each other

So HBS wants “analytical aptitude and appetite.” What is there to add? I mean, it’s pretty obvious. We didn’t really need HBS to say it. Yet they did say it.

Maybe it’s not as obvious as it sounds. Let’s take a look.

Analytical: This concept encompasses a range of things – quantitative methods, various tools and processes such as decision trees and FMEA, mental objectivity, an exacting attitude. Parsing the relationship between a whole and its parts. Pursuing root causes.

Aptitude: Ability, innate and/or learned.

Appetite: This is the really interesting word, because it’s open to interpretation. We can read it as meaning to enjoy, to savor, to be open to, to relish, to hunger for, to have capacity for. Here are some of its practical implications and nuances (in question form):
• Do you use objective analysis in understanding past events, planning future actions and strategies, and making decisions?
• Do you respect results and outcomes determined by analysis when they don’t jive with your preconceptions, ideologies, or preferences?
• Does your analytic mindset allow you to be comfortable with – even relish – ambiguity and uncertainty?
• Do you help your teammates understand and use analytic approaches and thinking?
• Perhaps most important, do you use language effectively as an analytic tool, e.g., when the team is facing a muddle, are you the one who can verbally separate the threads, clarify them, and guide the team to understand their relative weight and importance?

As the HBS website indicates, for HBS, analytical aptitude is not a solitary feast (regardless of how hearty the analytic appetite). You’ve got to bring your analytical chops to the table, i.e., to classroom debates and case studies, projects, etc. Therefore, you must be able not only to read and play the analytic score – but also to improvise, on the spot and with other virtuosos.

The adcom will grasp your analytic aptitude from your transcript(s), test score, and resume. But if you feel these elements don’t properly show this dimension, use other parts of the application (essay, short answers, additional info, recommendations) to amplify it.

As for showing analytical appetite:
• Your resume may reflect this quality, depending on your work.
• Invite your recommenders to discuss this quality and to provide examples.
• In your essay(s) use a story or two that demonstrates analytical appetite.

And be assured, it won’t hurt to let other programs you apply to appreciate your analytic aptitude and appetite!




By Cindy Tokumitsu, author and co-author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports, including Why MBAand Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her fifteen years with Accepted.com, including many successful applicants to HBS.

Related Resources:
• What Does Harvard Business School Want?
• Harvard Business School: The Habit of Leadership
• Harvard Business School 2016 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines

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This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com, the official blog of Accepted.com.
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Harvard Business School held its 105th Commencement exercises last Thursday, and we wanted to share a video of the event so that it may motivate many of you only just beginning your journey toward business school over these next few months.

In his remarks to graduates (seen in the video below), Dean Nitin Nohria spoke about the three Ps—purpose, perseverance, and perspective—and how these characteristics will play a vital role in the 2015 MBA graduates’ careers and lives after HBS.

It’s easy to sustain energy and enthusiasm for your work, says Nohria, when you have a powerful belief in the good that you’re doing, and the knowledge that your work has a greater purpose. Business can be a powerful force for good in society, and you’ll always learn something by standing in another place with another view.

“We encourage you to continue to pursue work with a purpose, to draw on perseverance in the face of challenges, and to seek perspective when making and reflecting on the decisions that lie ahead,” Nohria said in closing his address. “Be assured that the faculty will be rooting for you to become leaders who will make a difference in the world and in the lives of all you touch.”

Harvard Business School’s 2015 graduates say their MBA experience has taught them to think bigger, lead through their values, and have a better sense of self. We hope this brief glimpse has inspired our readers to strive for those same life lessons, wherever your MBA plans lead you.

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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.