Add HBS to your profile https://gmatclub.com/forum/schools/logo/Harvard_Business_School_MBA_logo.png Harvard Business School (HBS) Class of 2021 (2019 Intake) https://gmatclub.com/forum/schools/photo/harvard.jpg Dear prospective HBS MBA applicants, Welcome to the Class of 2021 discussion Use this platform to know each other, build a network, exchange ideas/information, discuss application strategies, share interview & school visit experiences, and boost one another's morale to face the tough admission process. HBS Application Deadlines Round 1 Application Deadline: September 5, 2018 Final Decision Notification: December 11, 2018 Round 2 Application Deadline: January 4, 2019 Final Decision Notification: March 26, 2019 *Note: Applications need to be submitted online by 12 noon Boston time. Attention: There are TWO rounds Only for the Class of 2021! Applications received after September 5, 2018 will be considered in Round 2. Applications received after January 4, 2019 will NOT be considered. Find the HBS MBA Class of 2019 Class Profile here and additional statistics here Feel free to post your queries, opinions, and experiences. Also, please keep updating the Decision Tracker. Let's do it together! Wish you a fruitful applications season!

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Calling all Harvard MBA Applicants: (2019 Intake) Class of 2021!

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DZAR01

Joined: 11 Apr 2018

Last visit: 03 Apr 2019

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Location: South Africa

Concentration: Finance, Entrepreneurship

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Wharton '21 (D) CBS '21 (D)

GMAT 1: 740 Q49 V41 Verified score

GMAT 2: 780 Q49 V51 Verified score

GPA: 3.73

WE:Other (Insurance)

Schools: Tuck '21 (A) Wharton '21 (D) CBS '21 (D)

GMAT 2: 780 Q49 V51 Verified score

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03 Jul 2018, 11:40

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Narenn

Your GMAT score is outstanding! Could you tell us more about your professional background?

And I would say this to everyone here. Come forward, introduce yourself to fellow applicants, share your post MBA aspirations and motivations to apply for HBS MBA. I am sure a fruitful exchange of ideas and positive dialogue with co-applicants will help everyone immensely in your own essays.

Thanks Narenn ! Good idea ! I think it will be interesting to hear more about people's backgrounds and motivations - maybe even get to meet some future classmates (lets hope!).

In terms of my background I am an actuary working at one of the leading financial services companies in South Africa. My role consists of rather technical valuations work as well as analytics.

Post MBA I am very interested in the field Private Equity and would like to break into this industry directly if possible, or alternatively a role that will help me transition to this industry further down the line (IB, other buy-side role, consulting etc.). Can anyone talk to the chances of getting into PE coming from a non-traditional background ?

I'm attracted to HBS for many reasons: networking opportunities, the strength of the brand and alumni network, the opportunity to learn from some truly impressive people and so many more.

DigitsnLetters

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03 Jul 2018, 12:21

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Avi2017

Oh wow thanks a lot!!! I'll try my best. Do you recommend an admission consultant? Who is the best one in your opinion?

Jeez, that's a tough question! Honestly, I do not know which consultant is the best. I wish I could point at one and say 'yeah, this consultant is the Best in business'. There are multiple established admissions consultants and you need to find the one who believes in you the most. Each consultant has mixed reviews, so, it's difficult to recommend a particular one. I suggest you reach out to multiple consultants and get their feedback on your profile and your chances. Accordingly, you can go ahead with the one who you think believes most in you and your chances (of course monetary consideration too).

To get an idea, you can post your profile here

kangaroo444

Joined: 27 Mar 2018

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03 Jul 2018, 17:00

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I am considering applying with scores of V164 / Q158. I spent three years at M/B/B, work at a bulge bracket PE firm in NYC , and have a 3.85 from an Ivy (economics). Do you think that my quant score will be a major roadblock for a successful HBS bid? I may retake the GRE in hopes of raising my quant score, but I seemingly can't master this section on either the GRE or the GMAT...

Thanks everyone.

Narenn

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03 Jul 2018, 21:44

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DZAR01

Post MBA I am very interested in the field Private Equity and would like to break into this industry directly if possible, or alternatively a role that will help me transition to this industry further down the line (IB, other buy-side role, consulting etc.). Can anyone talk to the chances of getting into PE coming from a non-traditional background ?

Well... I am not much familiar about PE placements but I heard that it's generally difficult to get in to that sector.

DZAR01

I'm attracted to HBS for many reasons: networking opportunities, the strength of the brand and alumni network, the opportunity to learn from some truly impressive people and so many more.

The defining characteristic of the ideal HBS applicant is someone who has demonstrated leadership potential, so make sure your leadership qualities /achievements are articulated in your essays.

Good luck!

DRB5

Joined: 13 Oct 2016

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GMAT 1: 760 Q50 V42 Verified score

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05 Jul 2018, 13:59

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Good Luck People!

berliner

Joined: 28 May 2018

Last visit: 21 Aug 2018

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Location: Germany

GPA: 3.3

WE:Sales (Computer Software)

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10 Jul 2018, 11:11

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My main concern is my low GPA and jumpy career history (circling around the sales/PR/marketing drain, and switching industries from toys to SaaS (tech), before settling in Sales/SaaS 3-4 years ago). I've accomplished a lot at the companies I've worked for, received 5 promotions and held leadership roles for the last 3 years, but it's still not very impressive IMHO. It also took me yearsssss to graduate from my ALB, simply because of so many health and financial issues -- I had to keep taking time off.

During undergrad, I was seriously ill, once homeless, and worked full-time while studying, so I'm hoping this will shine a brighter light on my dim academics and inconsistent profile. I want my themes to be 1. failing, and then picking myself back up again to show tenacity, and 2. overcoming obstacles, and now wanting to start my own company to make the world a better place. I also persisted despite all the constant obstacles, and now I've graduated with an above 3.0 GPA, a 730 GMAT, have received 5 promotions, hold a leadership role, and I'm founding my own company while living abroad.

Academics:
- 3.29 GPA, social sciences
- 730 GMAT (RETAKING aiming for a 780)
- Completing HBX CORe (Harvard business 'prep' course) soon with a goal of an A (4.0) average
- Undergrad was at Harvard Extension School

Work Experience:
- American, 3 years of international experience (Germany - working language proficiency)
- 8 years of professional experience, 4 years in people management/leadership roles
- Managed 15 people at maximum, now managing around 5 people (switched companies, and now growing the team from 0 to 5)
- 5 promotions, from intern >associate > senior associate > team lead > senior manager > head of sales
- Starting my own company, in the very early stages

Life Background:
- Aged 30
- Experienced a life-threatening illness and homeless during undergrad - hence the low GPA
- Also worked full-time during all of undergrad, taking classes at night
- Decent amount of volunteering experience
- "Theme" of my application is overcoming hardship/life threatening illness/and homelessness, and now wanting to start my own company and make the world a better place

DigitsnLetters

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GMAT 1: 770 Q50 V45 Verified score

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10 Jul 2018, 12:35

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berliner

Impressive! I must say you have some story to tell.

I see you have already posted in the profile evaluation section. Good luck getting constructive feedbacks.

SBCErikaOlson

Stacy Blackman Consulting Admissions Consultant

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10 Jul 2018, 12:47

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Two things I immediately think they will wonder about are:

1) WHY do you need an MBA now? If you're already starting your company and have so much experience under your belt, why should they give you a spot when others might need more help in starting their own business?

2) What KIND of business are you talking about? (I'm not meaning for you to tell me on this board, I mean that you must have a pretty clear idea about it in your materials. "Making the world a better place" will come off as too vague, pie-in-the-sky and naive. They want to give spots to people who a) have clear, attainable stretch goals based on their passions and past experience, and b) actually need an MBA to get to where they want to go.

I would address the low GPA/sickness in the "Additional Info" field but wouldn't necessarily belabor the point in your essay. They'll be more interested in what the rest of the class can learn from you after your GMAT score and other work experience makes them feel better that you can actually handle the academic rigor of the program.

Hope that helps! Best of luck -- you certainly have an intriguing story to tell. Let your personality come through and don't write what you THINK they want to hear.

berliner

SBCErikaOlson

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11 Jul 2018, 08:17

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Top programs care tremendously about their post-graduation career placement stats. If you are trying to break into PE, my advice would be to NOT list that as your immediate post-graduation role because they will view you as someone who could lower their stats. Come up with an interim goal that HBS can help you achieve to break into the industry a few years later. PE is definitely one of the most competitive buckets.

Narenn

DZAR01

Well... I am not much familiar about PE placements but I heard that it's generally difficult to get in to that sector.

I agree with Narenn here -- HBS knows why everyone wants to go to HBS, so you will be boring them if you list that stuff out in your essay. Focus on conveying what others will be able to learn from YOU and how you will add to your classmates' knowledge through both your personal and professional experiences.

Best of luck!

DZAR01

I'm attracted to HBS for many reasons: networking opportunities, the strength of the brand and alumni network, the opportunity to learn from some truly impressive people and so many more.

SBCErikaOlson

Stacy Blackman Consulting Admissions Consultant

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11 Jul 2018, 08:19

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What does your score convert to as a GMAT score? And what is your percentile breakdown? They usually like to see 70% for Quant for the GMAT... they may be a little more lenient for the GRE, and I also think that your high GPA from a respected school (did you get A's in quants/analytical classes?) and your analytical job will also help outweigh the GRE score.

kangaroo444

SBCErikaOlson

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11 Jul 2018, 08:26

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As an admissions consultant for the past 9 years who's already full for Round 1 and therefore am not trying to promote myself ; ) , I would push back on the notion that you should go with someone who believes in you and your chances. First off, if anyone is actually giving you odds or chances, you should be very wary. The reason why is that your odds/chances are COMPLETELY dependent on who else is applying directly against you for that same school in that same round, and that is unknowable for anyone except the adcom. You are not competing against all 10,000 people applying to HBS. You are competing against a drastically smaller subset that's like you in sex, ethnicity, country, role, function, industry, etc. And you don't know what else those people have going for them.

The admissions consultant's job therefore should not be to make you feel like your odds are good or that you have a great story (if you actually don't) because that is not helpful at all. Their job is to help you put together a SIGNIFICANTLY better package than you would've been able to on your own. And if that consultant isn't able to push back on you, tell you you're taking the wrong approach, or give you some tough love about your weaknesses, they are doing you a disservice.

I think the biggest thing people should look for in a consultant -- besides the obvious stuff like they're credible and have experience doing this -- is personality and work-style fit. It's intense to apply to b-school. So you better find someone you get along with and who can make the process less miserable and dare I say even a little fun, or at the very least less stressful because they are guiding you on what you should do in what order, what your most compelling differentiators on, what does/doesn't matter, etc.

Hope that helps and best of luck to all!

DigitsnLetters

Avi2017

Oh wow thanks a lot!!! I'll try my best. Do you recommend an admission consultant? Who is the best one in your opinion?

mrinal0308

Joined: 12 Feb 2015

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Location: India

Concentration: Technology, Operations

GMAT 1: 680 Q50 V31 Verified score

GPA: 3.9

WE:Information Technology (Computer Software)

GMAT 1: 680 Q50 V31 Verified score

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11 Jul 2018, 11:00

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Hi Everyone, my GPA is 3.9. However, my GMAT is 680 and I have a strong career path in addition to strong extra EC. Do you know of anyone who had a similar stat and was able to get into HBS ?

SBCErikaOlson

Stacy Blackman Consulting Admissions Consultant

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11 Jul 2018, 11:09

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There's sooooooo much more that goes into a decision than those things. I have several clients with those "stats" that have gotten into HBS, but their personal and professional stories were absolutely extraordinary. So it's about what you can offer the class in terms of your experiences that others can learn from. You have to really stand out in some way in order to overcome any fear they might have about your ability to handle the program. Especially if you don't currently have a job that is quantitatively or analytically focused.

Also, if you have only taken the GMAT once, I would recommend mixing up your studying routine (take a class, hire a tutor, use different materials) and trying again because even if you don't do better, that shows you realized a weakness and tried to do something about it. "One and done" with a lower score might give them pause and make them wonder why you didn't try again, I think.

Hope that helps!

mrinal0308

Hi Everyone, my GPA is 3.9. However, my GMAT is 680 and I have a strong career path in addition to strong extra EC. Do you know of anyone who had a similar stat and was able to get into HBS ?

whatamidoinghere

Joined: 13 Dec 2017

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Location: India

Schools: Kellogg '21 Wharton '21 Yale '21 Ivey '20 Rotman '21 Johnson '21 HBS '21 Tuck '21 Booth '21

GMAT 1: 720 Q41 V48 Verified score

GPA: 3.7

Schools: Kellogg '21 Wharton '21 Yale '21 Ivey '20 Rotman '21 Johnson '21 HBS '21 Tuck '21 Booth '21

GMAT 1: 720 Q41 V48 Verified score

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13 Jul 2018, 07:36

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Could someone please elaborate on the recommendations process? As I understand they need to be filled before Sept 5th, so do I have to provide my recommenders a link or will they have to email the letters directly?

SBCErikaOlson

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13 Jul 2018, 12:31

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You need to go into the application and enter in information about your 2 recommenders, as well as their professional email addresses, and then the school will send them a link to the questions they need to answer. You should do this as soon as possible and then remind them about the deadline as it gets closer. It IS a hard deadline and you will be rolled to Round 2 if your recommenders don't have their letters in on time. They should not wait until the deadline as the system ALWAYS crashes.

Hope this helps!

whatamidoinghere

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20 Jul 2018, 08:31

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Applying to HBS! Excited

DigitsnLetters

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20 Jul 2018, 16:35

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Kiosk

Applying to HBS! Excited

Yuhuu! Welcome on board the applicants' boat

I can feel your excitement and completely correlate to it

BTW I see you have listed admissions from Wharton and Ross. Did you get through those schools? If yes, may I ask why didn't you join them? Also, what is your rationale/motivation behind applying to HBS?

SamuelWitwicky

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Location: Singapore

Schools: LBS '21 (M)

GMAT 1: 730 Q50 V39 Verified score

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Schools: LBS '21 (M)

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21 Jul 2018, 03:23

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A quick question for any Harvard alumni or anyone that has an answer to this: The MBA intake is about 1000+. Your section is ~90 people and labelled alphabetically (based on what was shared in the last info session I went). I'm under the impression that you would only interact with those in your section. Under what circumstances would you mix with students from other sections?

EBM

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24 Jul 2018, 15:33

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You'll have core classes with only your sectionmates, but you'll run into classmates from other sections at club events, FIELD, intramural sports, during the recruiting process, and at a million formal and informal social get-togethers all over Cambridge and Boston.

You'll probably have people from outside your section living next door to you whether you live in on-campus dorms or apartments or somewhere off-campus.

DigitsnLetters

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26 Jul 2018, 07:02

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EBM

To be honest, the large batch size makes me feel hysterical. Nonetheless, I love the school and desire to attend it. But, some times I wonder if I will get to know at least half of the class if I attend Harvard?

That brings me to the question: what is the general conses in the school about the large number of MBA candidates and how do candidates perceive the large number of people swarming the school day-in day-out? It would be funny right if you meet some stranger from Harvard and after talking for sometime you get to know that that person was your batch mate!? Has it happened with you?