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BubbaWon
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 12:14
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shels
For extra-curriculars since college, the application data form asks for a contact person for each activity.

Does HBS actually follow up on these? Is it the exception rather than the rule? Is it better to give email or phone?

Nothing to hide, just feel like I should give people a heads up if so.
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I listed 3 - 2 phone #s, 1 email - and none have been contacted. Believe it's used by HBS to keep people honest.
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 12:15
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Thanks bubba!
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shels
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 12:23
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BubbaWon
shels
For extra-curriculars since college, the application data form asks for a contact person for each activity.

Does HBS actually follow up on these? Is it the exception rather than the rule? Is it better to give email or phone?

Nothing to hide, just feel like I should give people a heads up if so.

I listed 3 - 2 phone #s, 1 email - and none have been contacted. Believe it's used by HBS to keep people honest.
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Yep, makes sense given sheer volume. Thanks for the data point!
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 12:39
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BubbaWon
shels
For extra-curriculars since college, the application data form asks for a contact person for each activity.

Does HBS actually follow up on these? Is it the exception rather than the rule? Is it better to give email or phone?

Nothing to hide, just feel like I should give people a heads up if so.

I listed 3 - 2 phone #s, 1 email - and none have been contacted. Believe it's used by HBS to keep people honest.
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Thats helpful BWon.. Mine have been a while, not sure what to input, maybe atleast an email...
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 12:41
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Is there a way for recommender to add an additional generic letter besides answering three 250 word limit questions?
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BubbaWon
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BubbaWon
shels
For extra-curriculars since college, the application data form asks for a contact person for each activity.

Does HBS actually follow up on these? Is it the exception rather than the rule? Is it better to give email or phone?

Nothing to hide, just feel like I should give people a heads up if so.

I listed 3 - 2 phone #s, 1 email - and none have been contacted. Believe it's used by HBS to keep people honest.

Thats helpful BWon.. Mine have been a while, not sure what to input, maybe atleast an email...
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Emails will suffice, I'm sure. If they really need more info I'm sure they'll contact you. This process isn't a total vacuum
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PadawanOfTheGMAT
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 13:30
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For the essay:

What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?

Does it necessarily have to deal with academic or can it be about extra curricular activities and community? I am not totally sure how to interpret the question.

Thanks for your help
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 14:11
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One of my "substantial accomplishments" repeats itself in the "mistakes" essay - is that a big no-no?

My reasoning is that since I consider it a big accomplishment, it's also something I learned a lot from. Considering that my accomplishment is overcoming a failure and persevering through it, I wrote about it in detail in my "mistakes" essay.
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PadawanOfTheGMAT
For the essay:

What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?

Does it necessarily have to deal with academic or can it be about extra curricular activities and community? I am not totally sure how to interpret the question.

Thanks for your help
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From what I've read so far, you can talk about the whole experience - not just academics. But I'd like to hear other opinions about it as well.
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jk12
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 15:53
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jk12
Is there a way for recommender to add an additional generic letter besides answering three 250 word limit questions?
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Can someone comment on recommendation length question...

I saw previous posts from Bubbawon that says that they do not truncate the recommendation and more than one page is fine (from adcoms blog).. I am assuming Bubbawon is an HBS admit (Blue highlighting of school), correct?

If they do not truncate the rec then it should be fine to answer longer than 250 words, esp for the last question about any additional ifnormation. My recommender's additional ifnormation answer is running in more than 700 words!
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 16:54
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I personally feel 700 words is too much, but if you have that then just submit it.. No one is truncating it..

Posted from my mobile device
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jk12
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mainhoon
I personally feel 700 words is too much, but if you have that then just submit it.. No one is truncating it..

Posted from my mobile device
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thanks mainhoon. It seems to me that no school, even HBS, would see a long recommendation as a negative if the content can not be trimmed.

Seems to me that HBS should know that even though applicant can follow directions to the letter, his recommenders may not. Right?
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alienfluid
PadawanOfTheGMAT
For the essay:

What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?

Does it necessarily have to deal with academic or can it be about extra curricular activities and community? I am not totally sure how to interpret the question.

Thanks for your help

From what I've read so far, you can talk about the whole experience - not just academics. But I'd like to hear other opinions about it as well.
Show more

I wrote about my undergrad experience and none of it dealt with classes - all about my extracurricular acitvities (on and off campus).
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BubbaWon
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 17:05
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jk12
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Is there a way for recommender to add an additional generic letter besides answering three 250 word limit questions?

Can someone comment on recommendation length question...

I saw previous posts from Bubbawon that says that they do not truncate the recommendation and more than one page is fine (from adcoms blog).. I am assuming Bubbawon is an HBS admit (Blue highlighting of school), correct?

If they do not truncate the rec then it should be fine to answer longer than 250 words, esp for the last question about any additional ifnormation. My recommender's additional ifnormation answer is running in more than 700 words!
Show more

700 does seem a bit much, dont know, bigger risk is adcom rolls eyes and says "oh come on, I'm not going to read 1.5 pages of single spaced 'additional information' when I have 200 other applications to read today"
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jk12
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BubbaWon
jk12
jk12
Is there a way for recommender to add an additional generic letter besides answering three 250 word limit questions?

Can someone comment on recommendation length question...

I saw previous posts from Bubbawon that says that they do not truncate the recommendation and more than one page is fine (from adcoms blog).. I am assuming Bubbawon is an HBS admit (Blue highlighting of school), correct?

If they do not truncate the rec then it should be fine to answer longer than 250 words, esp for the last question about any additional ifnormation. My recommender's additional ifnormation answer is running in more than 700 words!

700 does seem a bit much, dont know, bigger risk is adcom rolls eyes and says "oh come on, I'm not going to read 1.5 pages of single spaced 'additional information' when I have 200 other applications to read today"
Show more

thanks bubbawon

will somewhere around 400 words for each question (totalling ~1200) ok in your opinion.

Seems to me that recommenders are wild cards in terms of following directions, and schools like HBS should have some standards of reasonableness in grasping this fact


In MIT_sloan info session their staff told me that they'd read much longer recommendations than their word limit
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 17:36
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Well it comes back to the point as to why did HBS even specify a wordlimit? I would say just like essays even recs can be truncated, unless there are just so many genuine accomplishments..

If the Recommender is enthusiastic enough to write that much so be it..


G
jk12
mainhoon
I personally feel 700 words is too much, but if you have that then just submit it.. No one is truncating it..

Posted from my mobile device

thanks mainhoon. It seems to me that no school, even HBS, would see a long recommendation as a negative if the content can not be trimmed.

Seems to me that HBS should know that even though applicant can follow directions to the letter, his recommenders may not. Right?
Show more

Posted from my mobile device
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LaVerdad07
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 18:15
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alienfluid
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For the essay:

What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience?

Does it necessarily have to deal with academic or can it be about extra curricular activities and community? I am not totally sure how to interpret the question.

Thanks for your help

From what I've read so far, you can talk about the whole experience - not just academics. But I'd like to hear other opinions about it as well.
Show more

I stuck with academic related issues since it says academic and not \just UG experience. I would imagine the content of the essay is far more important though since the distinction seems to be mostly semantics.
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jk12
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 19:03
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mainhoon
Well it comes back to the point as to why did HBS even specify a wordlimit? I would say just like essays even recs can be truncated, unless there are just so many genuine accomplishments..

If the Recommender is enthusiastic enough to write that much so be it..


G
jk12
mainhoon
I personally feel 700 words is too much, but if you have that then just submit it.. No one is truncating it..

Posted from my mobile device

thanks mainhoon. It seems to me that no school, even HBS, would see a long recommendation as a negative if the content can not be trimmed.

Seems to me that HBS should know that even though applicant can follow directions to the letter, his recommenders may not. Right?

Posted from my mobile device
Show more

What is the norm for spacing/font (rec questions on the web-site dont say anything) : single-space, 12pt, times roman normal, right?
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BubbaWon
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 19:37
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jk12
What is the norm for spacing/font (rec questions on the web-site dont say anything) : single-space, 12pt, times roman normal, right?
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Yup
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jk12
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Calling all HBS 2011 Applicants!! (Including 2+2) 09 Jan 2011, 22:12
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mainhoon
Well it comes back to the point as to why did HBS even specify a wordlimit? I would say just like essays even recs can be truncated, unless there are just so many genuine accomplishments..

If the Recommender is enthusiastic enough to write that much so be it..


G
jk12
mainhoon
I personally feel 700 words is too much, but if you have that then just submit it.. No one is truncating it..

Posted from my mobile device

thanks mainhoon. It seems to me that no school, even HBS, would see a long recommendation as a negative if the content can not be trimmed.

Seems to me that HBS should know that even though applicant can follow directions to the letter, his recommenders may not. Right?

Posted from my mobile device
Show more

mainhoon, are you sure they do not truncate (i am hearing conflicting info on this - a blog mentioned in this forum says they do not; on some webpages i heard they do)
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