Calling all HBS Fall 2010 Candidates

current new york giants linebacker jonathan goff is attending a week-long "Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program" at HBS: https://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2010 ... han_1.html

Hey Sandy... If I get an ex-colleague and current Stanford GSB student to send a letter on my behalf, what exactly should it say???

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Yes, I have the same question... Many schools, like W and LBS, that are "student-run" encourage internal references. Is it worth asking current Stanford students (friends or people you've met at admissions events) to drop a quick note?

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Well, sorta like eating chicken soup when you are sick, it cannot hurt. those notes should focus on what you will contribute to the class, how'd you be great team member, add to the communtiy, and of course, note any accomplishments, eps. those NOT in app, altho accomp. in app also ok, but the spin should be from a student, class mix perspective, and how you were live wire back in the day, organizing dinners, charity walks, etc. etc. and beyond that, what you impacts were on orgs you were part of --fr. peer perspective, so adcom sorta says, "jeepers, this dope really might be able to make a diff. here, given the choice between him and others, I could see taking him." PEER IMPACT DETAILS AND HOW YOU WILL BE LIVE WIRE IN CURRENT B SCHOOL CLASS.

Hi Sandy,

If you picked a college based on scholarship/finaid, will it sound bad to HBS interviewer since they might think you might make b-school decisions based on money?

NO, that is OK to say as part of your reasoning, but also say first what attracted me to College X, viz.
Several reasons I attended X, I was interested in their programs in x and y, I wanted to stay near family to help out, I thought of going to College Y, but college X offered me a great scholarship which included money and also admit to their honors program in business, blah,blah

Do International Applicants at HBS get waitlisted in R2? Certainly the Adcom would be aware that for an International Applicant arranging funding, accommodation and visa then and also completing compulsory pre-matriculation courses would be become a very tough proposition.

some tips from an HBS alum that i found, can others please post their tips and experiences too? Thanks

HBS Interview Experience and Tips

Over the last few weeks, a number of you wrote to us asking if the HBS alum could post a blog on the HBS interview experience so here it is...

"The HBS interview is not the Wharton interview - don't go in expecting a casual conversation that you can drive. Go in expecting an interview that will be driven mostly by the interviewer. Expect them to be taking notes and assessing you during the interview. Expect a few tough questions - also, expect that you will get almost no encouragement from the interviewer while you are speaking. Of course, it could turn out that your experience is much more casual than this, but we would encourage you to go in expecting this.

The interviewer will know you, your profile, your essays and your resume before you even step in to the room. They will look to see if they hear the same person that they read about - so be sure to stay authentic and true to the voice that you reflected in your application.

There could be one or maybe more deep dives into your resume - be prepared with at least a few snippets or phrases that you want to cover when a question like this comes up for any of the experiences you have on your resume. Same with questions about your undergraduate education. Expect a few behavioral questions too.

HBS interviewers are either AdCom or a few select alumni so they are experts are doing this (vs. interviewing with students at some other schools). Walk in confident, but not arrogant, and describe your experiences with humility. Show your personal side and give the interviewer something to remember you by when they are done at the end of the day.

Don't forget to Practice, Practice, Practice - webcam, mirror, mock interview with family / friends (and us!). Stop by our blog for more - https://essaycritique.blogspot.com. Good luck!"

Internationals get WL'd, but one consideration adcom makes, esp. in June/July or so, when last WL admits are chosen, is how close you live to school. Stanford was pretty explicit about this last,keeping two kids on WL to the very end who lived in Palo Alto (not sure if they got in). It is pzzble for Int to get admitted off WL sooner than that, tho, when R3 decisions are made, in Mid May, or sooner.

YOU TUBE APP ESSAYS, THE FUTURE OF ADMISSIONS CONSULTING?? --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

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A fresh pitch on ‘U’ tubeTufts, in a first, invited applicants to submit one-minute videos. A creative flood followed.
By Tracy Jan, Globe Staff | February 21, 2010

https://www.boston.com/news/education/hi ... on_u_tube/

Amelia Downs performs a series of dorky dance moves named after math terms like the scatter plot and the bar graph. Sam Zuckert plays a song made solely from the sounds of a piece of paper ripping, crumpling, and waving in the wind. And then there’s Mike Klinker, using a remote control to fly a Styrofoam elephant - with his name on it - through a clearing in the woods.

Tufts University this year has become the first selective college in the nation to encourage applicants to submit videos about themselves. More than 1,000 high school seniors have included one-minute video essays in their bids for a spot in the Class of 2014.
. . . .
[full article at link ]
Tracy Jan can be reached at tjan@globe.com.

Sandy, you have previously mentioned that interviewing with Dee is like doubling-down your chances. What if you got WL?



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not sure of your question. If you inter. w. Dee and got WL, there was prob a chance that if you intervwd w. someone else you might have gotten dinged or accepted. In her mind you were WL, based on a deep sense of meeting you,etc. Some other interviewer might have given either worse or better account, which lacked the nuance she had when she made the WL decision. Not saying that happened, but that is what I meant. It is possible you were long shot and Dee was impressed enuf to put on WL (where other int. wld have been Ding) OR you were real solid, and Dee had doubts, based on interview, and she put you WL (as long road to Dingsville), where other interviewer might have had milder reservations which could have washed out as an accept. Not rocket science. Also cld have had zip impact, WL is your HBS DNA, you will always be WL, and interviewing w. Dee just 2x confirmed that.

HA! I love it. Perfect way to encapsulate how i feel.

ALUMS THAT WON'T BE FEATURED ON HBS WEBSITE ANYTIME SOON--


I immediately noticed Allison Pringle there, a midlevel executive whom I simply called "Harvard," because she had the annoying habit of obliquely reminding everyone in every meeting that she had gotten her MBA from Harvard Business School. Yawn.

Book Excerpts
Life Inside Countrywide
Adam Michaelson, 02.24.10, 12:01 AM ET



In July 2004 Adam Michaelson attended a high level meeting at Countrywide Financial headquarters about a new loan product that would allow borrowers to pay less than their minimum monthly payment. The "finance jocks" believed that the booming housing market would only get bigger, supporting homeowners in a cycle of borrowing against their houses and refinancing later.

They were wrong. And when the bottom dropped out, Countrywide suffered the consequences. The Foreclosure of America is the story of Michaelson's time inside Countrywide Financial. He examines the marketing of a mirage, the ethical questions that have arisen in the wake of the foreclosure crisis and finally answers the question that the whole country has been asking: "What on earth were these mortgage companies thinking?"

https://bit.ly/ciBbhJ
LINK TO ABOVE EXCERPT IN FORBES MAGAZINE

omg, just received an invite!!!! no spots left in my region, guess I'll be booking a trip to Boston! Don't lose hope!

congrats!! what was your profile like? i bet it was pretty stellar

Congratulations hankpunk!

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i know this has probably been asked before, but what are the % of admission for those interviewed? Thanks!

I've heard between 50-60%

Oh how I hope to be in that successful 50-60%...

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