My Chances at Harvard - Post All Profile Evaluation Requests Here!

Hi Toyin95,

You've provided very few details about your profile. Your GMAT score is definitely competitive, therefore, this part is pretty sorted. We would like to learn more about your profile, such as your leadership abilities, impact you have had, ECs, achievements, and so on. Harvard seeks leaders, creative minds, and good academics. You must bring all of these attributes to your application. You should be able to demonstrate your potential and make a compelling logical case for why you are a good match for a deferred MBA program. You can look at what business schools look in the candidate for deferred MBA programs. Business Schools, especially for deferred MBA programs, aspire to create future leaders, so the potential must be visible in their students already!

Overall, based on your GMAT score, you had a chance; however, more details about your profile are required to assess your chances better. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in-depth and further chances at Harvard. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com



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Dear fellows,

Hope y'all doing great.

Guys, especially admissions experts, I need your insight into my profile and how can I improve it. Given my profile, how'd you evaluate my chances of admission into HBS?

- A 28-year-old (turning 29 soon) male from Azerbaijan. Is it late to apply at this age? I'll be 30 when I start studying.
- Bachelors in Industrial Engineering and Management (courses were heavily on economics and management rather than engineering) from a Top 5 university in Azerbaijan. Graduated with a GPA of 82/100, which puts me in the top 10% of the class. But, when I convert it to U.S 4.0 scale, it's around 3.0. Doesn't look impressive:) What do you think?
- Master's in Business Analysis and Strategic Management from a TOP 10 UK business school. Will having a degree in business hurt my MBA application? Graduated with Distinction. I was awarded a prestigious international scholarship(fully funded) to study for this degree.
- GMAT 740
- IELTS 8.0
- WE:
-3 months internship at the Central Bank during undergrad,
-5 months of international experience (Central Europe) as a trading and operations consultant at a brokerage firm,
-close to 3 years at the Central Bank as a risk management specialist.
-3 months at an international automotive in the UK as a strategy consultant. It was part of my master's dissertation project, for which I also got a distinction.
-1 year and counting at the Central Bank as a leading specialist in the anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing field.
-extracurricular and leadership: I don't know whether it can be considered an extra curricular-1 year of military service. During this period I've been promoted to unit commander position, I had a couple of soldiers in my unit. I thought it could be critical considering Azerbaijan is in a harsh military situation.
- I've conducted a project single-handedly that encompassed several departments at the Central Bank.(I think it can be counted as a leadership experience as well)
- the scholarship I mentioned above is awarded for intellectual and leadership capabilities and only the top 2-3% of applicants succeed worldwide.
- Did and currently doing projects that had an impact on the country's financial system.

Post-MBA goal
-My goal is to switch to Strategy and Operations in Big Tech.

I'd appreciate any feedback on my profile. Also, how can I improve it?

Thanks:)
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Age: 25 years old, asian, USA
Undergrad: Top 20 university in the US, 3.75 GPA
GMAT: 750
Work Experience:
2 Years global investment bank
1 Year (will be 2 year by the time I matriculate) at a top 10 private equity fund (in-terms of size)
Post MBA Career:
Continue private equity career

extra curricular:
2 years teaching kids financial literacy
1 year supporting ex-convicts land jobs

essays: tbd hopefully strong
letters of rec: will be extremely strong

Hi sanghyunp2004

To guide you on the prospects, I would be interested to know more about your "leadership experience".

As you may know, HBS's mission statement is to “educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” Successful applicants at HBS are young yet accomplished, having demonstrated impressive feats in a variety of areas such as entrepreneurship, social impact, arts, sports, government organizations, advisory and so on. Therefore, your roadmap to landing into HBS should focus on highlighting your stellar growth trajectory, leadership experience and uniqueness that you could bring to the cohort. Your ECs sound interesting. Maybe expand a bit more to clearly convey the impact (in terms of $$, lives changed, creating a sustainable model etc.).

If you wish to seek professional guidance on your application strategy do reach out.

Warm Regards
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Hi sanghyunp2004,

First, I would like to say you did a great job backing a 750 in your GMAT, so congrats on that! Moreover, you do have a decent overall GPA. Additionally, I would suggest you add more about your academic statistics to back your profile.

You do have a relevant work profile; however, I would like to know more about your roles & responsibilities, critical projects, and professional accolades for your work experience. Additionally, you will need to add some info about international exposure and elaborate more about the part played by you in critical projects, examples of leadership, and the relevant skills developed. The same goes for your ECA; it’s decent but brief. You need to mention the challenges faced, leadership roles played, the impact generated, and the relevant skills developed through your ECAs to bank upon them! Harvard looks for Collaborative Leaders who exhibit the highest ethical standards and respect for others and can make positive contributions to the MBA Program. So make sure you bring the same in your application.

Regarding your post-mba goals, they are relevant but very common. All in all, you do have a decent profile. What’s going to matter most is how you connect the dots and represent an amazing narrative. However, Harvard could be a stretch for anyone. I suggest adding a few more schools to your list. Applying in early rounds to help secure a spot in the top 10 US B-Schools. For your reference, you may read How to strengthen your MBA application for Round 1 MBA? you will get some beneficial insights. You are a relevant applicant with a robust profile and have a good chance at the top MBA program. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further help you with your profile-building strategy; feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com




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Age: 29 years old, Indian , USA
Undergrad: Top 20 university in India, 7.4/10 - Top 20% of class
GMAT: 760
Work Experience:
7 Years- India's Largest Financial Services Group and Bank (Public Sector/ Govt )

Post MBA Career:
Continue in my current organization

extra curricular:
Lead a NGO for 3 years
Taught underprivileged / Rural kids - 2 years
Was part of a NGO that supported low income group families during COVID-19
My job required me to work in Rural places to uplift villages - Was closely associated with the local village govts post office hours


essays: strong ( i guess)
letters of rec: will be extremely strong

vamkrispk:

There's nothing in your profile that doesn't suggest you won't be given consideration for Harvard, but at the same time, I'm not seeing a "wow" factor for an Indian candidate. That is not to say you do not have it or won't identify it, but that's just something to note.

HBS, as you may know, has one open-ended essay. What will you write about? What "calling card" will you use to describe your narrative that will help you stand out?

You should definitely apply, but it would be wise to have several backup options. HBS is never a sure thing for anyone!

-Admissionado

Hello vamkrispk
Hope you can throw some light on how have you progressed in your career in the last ~7 years. What are some of the major wins you accomplished in terms of leadership exposure, stakeholder management skills, business knowledge etc.?

Given you have a public sector banking/finance background, here are some ideas to get you thinking about your story as an HBS applicant. To begin with, put forth a strong narrative about your motivation to work in the public sector. You may have interesting insights from working on the execution of projects that concern specific TGs such as the bottom of the pyramid of the Indian economy. What problems did you identify and tried to solve? Demonstrate compassionate leadership through stories and iron will to mobilize such sectors post-MBA leveraging your prior experience in public sector banking and your increased business acumen after HBS. Be conscientious about your goals. Your post MBA objective of continuing with your current organization needs more explanation. This calls for more discussion and research but I think you can leverage your experience to get into a wide array of roles in public sector advisory, consulting, startups, impact initiative etc.

Warm regards
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Hi, vamkrispk,

Thank you for your post!

First, I would like to congratulate you on backing a 760 in your GMAT; that's quite exceptional. Additionally, I recommend adding more about your academic statistics to back your profile. Since a strong overall academic profile is a prerequisite for top B-schools like HBS, furthermore, you should understand that HBS is no short of stellar academic profiles hence, you need to bank upon your work experience, ECAs, community services & volunteering experiences to characterize you as someone who is an innovative thinker who had demonstrated leadership and analytical skills and is passionate enough to make a difference in the world. These are the most basic values HBS looks for in a successful candidate. As a result, you will need to bring all the values to your apps.

Moreover, Applying in early rounds could definitely help secure a spot at HBS. hence, for your reference, I suggest you read How to strengthen your MBA application for Round 1 MBA? you will get some beneficial insights. At this point, I would like to know more about your profile, work experience, promotions, impact certifications, etc., as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program. Also, HBS can be a stretch for anyone; I suggest adding a few more reach schools to your School list. Hence, if you'd like to get a detailed analysis of your profile regarding the MBA program at HBS, feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com


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I have had a multitude of experiences. Working in rural villages- transforming the villages through financial inclusion, working with district officials and local governments etc to uplift society. Worked in semi-urban centers, againing working with various state holders, on improving industry and local businesses. Worked with major corporations for the production of covid-19 vaccines ( since a bank i was on the team to fund the project) etc.
As a team leader, we have been awarded multiple times by senior management, etc. Was posted to new york in the investment banking division . A lot of different experiences ( rare and given only to very few)

Hi! I'm planning to apply for fall next year or the year after, hoping mainly to build my profile - would appreciate it if anyone can give me any advice:

Background and nationality: 26 years old, Chinese male, one of the Southeast Asian countries
Undergrad Information: University College London, Engineering (second class upper)
GMAT: Second take 710 (V36 Q50), IR 5 (just took today, might cancel and retake); Cancelled first take 690 (V37 Q48), IR 5
Work experience and leadership: 1 year in my country's sovereign fund (PE and equity research analyst roles), before working in a non-MBB (non-big4 either) as a junior strategy consultant. Also, I was my ex-Prime Minister's intern for 2 months in university days not sure how much will this info help.
Community and others: None at the moment. Used to represent my uni for archery in a competition or two. Was a national Scrabble player up to 18 years old. Also was a volunteer tutor + helped a rural community build a house (literally) when I was 18. Was an assistant Karate coach for young children for a while during weekends.
Entrepreneurship experience: Not really like a business per se, but I started the first student-run consulting group in my country, started Jujitsu club during college, was class representative in university)
Post MBA goals: Either entrepreneurship or work in VC, with a focus on fintech perhaps. Still not entirely sure about motivation for a MBA at the moment - for now it's mainly the prestige.
Anything else? First-gen, secured full scholarship for my entire undergrad, interned at multiple consulting firms and a renowned local PE firm. I also travelled to 20 countries in university not sure if that helps.
Schools I am planning to apply to: HWS, MIT, Columbia

Personal thoughts on my strengths and weaknesses in profile:
Pros:
- First-gen student, strong extracurriculars when I was 18 (lol) so I guess I can spin the story of me coming from a poor background (e.g. became a national scrabble player at 16 at a Chinese school) and very self-made
- Full scholarship record
- Generally interesting I feel? (worked for my Prime Minister, did martial arts, played Scrabble, archery etc)

Cons:
- Career is not exceptional (sovereign fund for a year, then strategy at Tier 2 not Tier 1)
- Very average academics (2:1, below average GMAT of 710)
- Feels like my extracurriculars weren't too impressive after 18 years old

Was hoping to obtain advice on: 1. should I cancel my GMAT scores in the next 72 hours (noting that my IR was 5), 2. anything that stands out, and what can I possibly do in the meantime to boost my profile) 3. Grades - not sure if that would be a little bit of a disadvantage as a Southeast Asian male consultant.

Thanks in advance!

Hi,

I am planning to apply in this session. Although I have not yet taken GMAT. But my overall profile breakdown is as follows:

Background and Nationality: 29, Indian, Entrepreneur/singer-songwriter
Undergrad information: 3.7/4, Electronics and Telecommunication Engineering.
Work Experience: (graduated in 2014) (5-6 years, considering a Study gap of 1 year and pandemic year, 1.5 years) worked in family business for 1 year, (took a gap for music studies), worked for 2 years in Bollywood as a singer/songwriter and sound engineer, featured on MTV India for singing talent reality show, 2 years as part-time sound engineering faculty in a studio (presently); worked for a Language company as project manager for 6 months before corona pandemic; started a language Translation start-up during corona lockdown virtually, and I have been running it for 2.5 years with 5 languages and 12 employees across nation working from home(presently). Started working for Government Electrical installation projects under own licensed agency with 20 employees for 1 year now(presently). Also took over family business after pandemic (presently).

Pros/Cons:
- Strong extra-curricular.
-Diploma in fine arts at the age of 15
-Trained in Hindustani Classical vocals and Tabla (Indian Instrument) at 18
-Diploma in Sound Engineering at the age of 24
- Exotic tropical plants collector, Specialized in Aroids and Begonia.
- A bit more than average academic extra-curricular activities.
- state government scholarship for excellence in academics at age of 13
-'Amul' excellence award at the age of 16
-Top 10 participants in 2nd phase of US energy department's H2 student design contest, 2 years
consecutively. (at the age 20-22)
- Have a Family business running
- Entrepreneurial experiences
- Not sure how to present this amount of various data, may seem unrealistic.
- have not achieved much in the age range 16-22.
- Did not have a proper job as like an employee for a company.


I am taking GMAT shortly. Please kindly advice on anything that I need to make prominent in order to strengthen my profile.

Thank you very much in advance.

vamkrispk looks like you have a plethora of experiences in the govt/impact sector to choose from for the open ended HBS essay. If you bring focus to the most meaningful set of projects/stories, you could be dressing up for success!

Feel free to reach out should you need professional help on the applications

Warm regards
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Hello HustlingPoo hope you are doing well

Your trajectory has been interesting and diverse albeit also a bit all over the place. The thing that you must get clarity on is what do you intend to do with an MBA. You have a long list of achievements and I see multiple parallel career tracks here (Language company, Govt electrical installation projects, and family business ), but I cannot infer what is your vision for your future and that makes it difficult to give any suggestions..

Best wishes
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Hi HustlingPoo,

Thanks for sharing your profile. Your profile looks interesting and diverse. Starting with the stats, your undergrad GPA is good. As you haven’t taken your GMAT yet, I suggest aiming for 720+ to maximize your chances. On the professional front, you have done or, say, are doing so many things. You work part-time in a studio while also managing a family business and working on a startup. So, it’s good, but you'll need to position it properly in your apps. You will also need to make a solid argument for "Why MBA." Your accomplishments are impressive, and a profile like yours will help AdComs to diversify the incoming cohort.

Overall, you have a good profile, but I need to understand it more in-depth to find your USPs. The best thing that you can do is while answering any of the essay questions, you need to dig very deeper to get the best things out of you. You need to learn more about yourself, about the things that set you apart from the rest of the world (maybe your goals, personal experiences, or values). Bring a good mix of your professional and personal self. If you’d like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances to the schools. Feel free to book a free session with us as per your convenience.

How to craft an Admit winning M7 profile

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com



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Background and nationality: 26, Asian(Chinese) looking for 2023 August matriculation
Undergrad Information: Bachelor in Engineering from top 2 universities in Singapore with a GPA of 4.7/5.0 (equivalent to 3.76/4.00)
GMAT: 750
Work experience and leadership:
1. 2 year boutique investment banking in Singapore;
2. 2.5 years in infrastructure investment in Asia Pacific for a Canadian state-owned investment firm (investment into solar/wind farms, roads, and etc. in India/Australia/Indonesia)
Community and others:
1. President of a top 5 school club in my bachelors study and organized multiple events benefiting school students and surrounding residents;
2. More than 5 years community committee members experience to organize/volunteer in events.
Target School: Harvard, Stanford, Columbia,
Post MBA goals:
1. Private equity in infrastructure/ Asia
Personal brand:
1. Leverage my Asia knowledge & experience to contribute into the Asia growth and exchange ideas with folks from other backgrounds to grow the global economy in a united manner.


Thanks much in advance for your analysis and suggestions. Would appreciate it much if you can provide any suggestions that you think I should work hard on.

Posted from my mobile device

Hi,

Adding my profile summary asking for any feedback. Also adding questions below - thanks in advance for your help!

I'm 29 years old, European, speaking 6 languages fluently (mostly romantic languages as well as japanese). I have a BsC in Quant finance from a top 10 European business school (did very poorly just being an irresponsible kid - 3.2 GPA). I also have an MS in analytics from a large US school (stats, Python SQL, R coding exoerience - 3.8 GPA).
4 years work experience: 1 year internship at a Fortune50 medical company. 1 year working as a data science analyst for a Big4 consulting firm supporting strategy teams. 2 years at a boutique specialist (healthcare) strategy firm working directly with large firm C-suitez, currently a manager of their data team overseeing 3-4 consultants.
I have 2 years of full-time church volunteering experience for my church in Japan (teaching English, teaching about Christianity, translating for local Brazilian congregations etc). I also volunteer doing pro-bono consulting for smaller start ups internationally.

I've taken the GMAT (got 710) but planning to take again soon, aiming for 730+.
I have decent hopes but working in a niche healthcare space and not coming from a large feeder firm.
My interests after graduation are the cross section of AI and healthcare, medical devices and entrepreneurship.

Questions (aside from any profile feedback!)
- I don't have classical volunteering experience but have only a little recent volunteering. Will that affect me?
- how bad is that I did so poorly in my undergrad?
- I'm torn by applying in round 1 or round 2. I've read that those with less extraordinary profiles (i.e coming from a more classical route), should look to apply round 1. Thoughts?

Thanks all!

Posted from my mobile device

Hi,tgubbay1,

Thank you for your post!

First, I would like to say you do have a decent GMAT score, and your GPA is somewhat ok. Moreover, if you could back a score of 730+ in your retake and back your profile with some substantial examples of leadership, decision-making, and analytical skills in your work tenure, your GPA is something that could be fixed easily in your case.

Coming to your work experience, you did well mentioning your job roles. However, what's more important is that you elaborate on responsibilities, working environment, and critical projects and top them with great examples of leadership. Moreover, you have made quite a few switches, and it's important to showcase that it's not due to a lack of endurance but steps taken towards a progressive career. Regarding your ECAs, they are quite relevant; however, I suggest you mention all about your contribution, the challenges faced, leadership roles played, the impact generated, and the relevant skills developed through your ECAs to bank upon them! Also, add any hobbies, certifications, and additional certified courses to gain additional points on your profile.

All in all, you do have a decent profile. However, your GMAT score can be a game-changer; hence prepare well for it. Moreover, try to link your work experience, ECAs, and post-MBA goals by connecting dots between them in your school essays to mesmerize the adcom! Currently, I would require more information about your profile as I feel it's still brief at certain points.

Answering your questions:

ECs are where adcoms want to learn about different aspects of your personality. As a result, you may share your experience and how it has changed your life (however minor). As a result, your ECs will have a major effect if you can demonstrate them effectively while showing various aspects of your personality.

Your undergrad GPA is low, but you can explain it to AdComs if you have a plausible reason. Furthermore, as previously said, a strong GMAT will assist you in compensating for your GPA. So there's no reason to be concerned.

Applying in R1 increases your chances by 2x. Moreover, applying in R1 gives an advantage as B-schools are open to people from any background (naturally, as all the seats are open). Hence, we strongly advise applying by Round 1 to have the maximum chances of selection!

I suggest you read How to strengthen your MBA application for Round 1 MBA? you will get some beneficial insights. Overall you have a good profile, and try to craft your essays aligned with Harvard values. However, you should also add some other schools to your list to be on the safer side. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further help you with your strategy for essays and interviews regarding MBA programs; feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience.



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Hi, TonyNailGmat,

Thank you for your post!

First, I would like to congratulate you on backing a 750 in your GMAT; that's quite exceptional. Moreover, you have a good overall GPA and a relevant amount of work experience. Coming to your profile, you did well mentioning your roles; however, what's more important is that you elaborate on responsibilities, career progression, working environment, and critical projects and top them with great examples of leadership.

About your ECAs, I see a few relevant ones; however, it's still brief. In order to bank upon your ECAs, you would need to mention all about your contribution, the challenges faced, leadership roles played, the impact generated, and the relevant skills developed through them. Moreover, it would add additional points if you could just add more info about any relevant hobbies, certifications, and additional courses.

Lastly, I want you to understand that a strong overall academic profile is a prerequisite for top B-schools like HBS, Stanford, and CBS. Furthermore, it would be best if you take a look at Harvard school page on our website. It contains all the information relevant information about Harvard. You will need to bank upon your work experience, ECAs, community services & volunteering experiences to characterize you as someone who is an innovative thinker who had demonstrated leadership and analytical skills and is passionate enough to make a difference in the world. These are the most basic values that top Schools look for in a successful candidate.

Overall you have a good profile. However, I would like to know more about your profile, personal accolades, promotions, professional certifications, etc., as we consider your candidacy for your target school programs. Also, I suggest you add a few more reach schools to your list as schools like Stanford &HBS can be a stretch for anyone. If you'd like, we are happy to hop on a call with you sometime this week to discuss your profile in length and further chances to the business school, Feel free to book a free session with us at your convenience.

Cheers!
Neha Hadke
Profile Analyst & Channel Manager, MBA and Beyond
Testimonials
Email: neha@mbaandbeyond.com




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Thanks for providing this helpful context. To answer your specific questions:

On balance, schools want to accept candidates that are civically engaged. They want alums that want to make their communities better and the world better. Especially with HBS, where applicants with 10/10 academics and GMATs and work experience are a dime a dozen, civic engagement is often what makes-or-breaks an application. Volunteering is one way to signal civic engagement, but it’s not the only way. You can demonstrate leadership in your community by being a part of a local board - even selfishly by taking on a leadership role in your apartment building or homeowners’ association board. You can also organize events for your community at work that aren’t “volunteering” per se – volleyball tournaments or chess matches as a way to mingle and bond socially. You can join an international relations club to discuss geopolitical events or you can take part in model UN as an adult hobby – these all show that you are thinking about the world and your role in it and that you aren’t just obsessed with performing at your own individual role at your job. There is a stereotypical type of volunteerism - 1:1 individual contributor type stuff – mentoring at-risk youth, literacy tutoring, indigent tax preparation – that is worth doing because it’s great work to do and it makes the world a better place, but it’s also ubiquitous in applications and probably won’t improve your candidacy THAT much unless you truly don’t have any other recent ECs. AdComs would rather see leadership and scalable impact that is unique to your passions and interests. You still have time to demonstrate that, and I think the translation work that you talk about above could a great EC to talk about, frankly, and more interesting and differentiated than the typical individual contributor volunteer work I alluded to before. You just have to position it the right way to demonstrate impact (e.g., “translated X words of Y text into Z different languages for XX [maximal impact]”).

Frankly, I don’t think your undergrad performance is *that bad.* Sure, it will be on the lower end for HBS, but it’s not a deal killer all by itself. And you majored in something that will be considered STEM-y to the AdCom (sure, quant finance isn’t EE but it’s still mathematically rigorous). The MS in analytics (with associated 3.8 GPA), is probably going to be considered a closer proxy to your true intellectual/academic potential, and a 3.8 is just fine for HBS. What I’d worry about more is convincing HBS *why* you need and MBA and why you need it *now.* You already have a masters in analytics and an undergraduate degree in quant finance – shouldn’t that be enough formal education for you to achieve your goals in AI related fields in healthcare and medical devices? What’s holding you back from doing that now? You don’t want to seem like you are chasing an MBA merely because you want to signal prestige (those applicants turn out to be less engaged students and more selfish alums).

Adcoms (including HBS’) generally don’t publish acceptance rates for Round 1 vs. Round 2. Anecdotally, though, we’ve achieved higher success rates with Round 1, in part because it offers candidates two bites at the apple if they get waitlisted (this matters more for other schools where there is lower yield, less so for Harvard because their yield is so high and hardly anybody comes off their waitlist). I’d recommend that you do as many applications as possible for R1. You still have plenty of time for that, even if you are planning on taking the GMAT again.

Now for the unsolicited advice: what is going to matter a lot, especially if you are right at the average or below average for the GMAT, is your strategic positioning. By strategic positioning I mean what you want to do post-MBA and why that makes sense given your past work experience and passions. You need to noodle on that to make your career path (both historical and espoused future career) seem as linear and intentional as possible. Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily have to do what you say you want to do in your application. The point is to talk about something you are genuinely passionate about and something that sounds simultaneously impressive and imminently achievable based on your background. You’ll get points for your international interests and linguistic curiosity, but more so if you can tie that into your career goals in your application. Harvard’s prompt is uniquely well-suited for your profile, since so much of the traveling and language learning is easier to incorporate into that sort of open-ended question that the more direct and structured prompts associated with schools like Wharton, Booth, MIT, etc. that may also be on your list.

Best of luck to you! Think deeply about your strategic positioning. Nobody is a shoo-in to HBS, but I wholeheartedly think you should apply: you miss every shot you don’t take. Your candidacy has great potential.
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