ethanlayman wrote:
So I just found out about the Harvard 2+2 program, which sounds very appealing to me as I've just started my last semester of undergrad. My GMAT is 750 and my current GPA is 3.61 (hopefully 3.65 by the time I apply). The problem is until I took the GMAT I never imagined I would be applying for anything relatively close to Harvard, so I don't have a lot more to add to my application.
The 750 is only slightly better than the 740 median, and I'm not sure if it serves any advantage with my slightly below-average GPA. I don't have any internships/professional experience to add, but I plan to secure an internship starting early 2016 that I can at least mention. I have a year and a half's worth of work experience tutoring a variety of business courses, and the extent of my extracurricular activities is playing for the VCU ice hockey team.
Do I have any shot of getting in or should I save the $250?
Hi Ethan,
Congratulations on a great GMAT score! That's definitely the first step. Your GPA at VCU is also strong, but context matters, too. What is your major? Were most of your courses quantitative or engineering? If so, your GPA would shine even more. You talked about an internship -- in what space? Which companies are you shooting for? This matters, too, as Goldman Sachs will sparkle more than a regional bank and Bain will sparkle more than internal corporate strategy. Of course, you can make *ANY* of these paths shine with the right strategic positioning, but early name recognition does matter for HBS 2+2.
In addition to HBS, Yale SOM and UVA Darden have similar 2+2 type programs. You may also want to check out those.
You should definitely apply to HBS 2+2. What do you really have to lose? A small admissions fee and a lump of your time really aren't a very steep cost. If you are interested in Yale SOM and UVA Darden, I'd work on those applications before HBS 2+2. The reason is because HBS is a more generic application and the less differentiated applications are easier to do after you've already done a few more in-depth ones.
Like all 2+2 candidates, you'll have a lot less work experience than traditional HBS applicants. So you'll need to sell your extracurricular and academic/club leadership as persuasively as possible. Lots of people have better ECs in college than in the first few years of work (it can be hard to be leading volunteer groups when you are at the office 80+ hours a week!) but remember that you competing with 2+2 candidates here, not the HBS general pool, so you'll need to make sure you stand out even among *them.* You'll need to quantify impact of your ECs (e.g. how many people helped with volunteer effort, how much $ raised by charity drive, how many hours spent tutoring mentee, etc.) as much as possible. Helping younger applicants construct a solid application strategy to apply for the HBS 2+2 program is a specialty strength of ours. If you think that talking to one of our consultants may be helpful to you, feel free to reach out here:
https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/ Try to really sink into that form -- the more information you give us about your unique candidacy, the better we'll be at helping you position yourself.