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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 19 Jan 2014, 08:33
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braminc, Timbob thanks a lot for your input.

I do agree that this probably isn't a sign of any news good or bad, but it might be good to know that we should keep these profiles updated. I've heard it said a lot by consultants etc... but hadn't seen proof of it.

Good luck to everyone!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 19 Jan 2014, 09:05
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Hey Guys,

We have updated the first post with Admission events to be conducted in Jan & Feb 2014, Employment statistics for class of 2013, and Internship statistics for class of 2014.
You can also download the complete employment report from there.

Good luck to everyone applying!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 19 Jan 2014, 11:25
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I'm also a R2 applicant from India. Can't lie - the wait is nerve-wracking! Good luck to everybody!

Will be on the edge of my seat on Jan 29th @ 10:30 PM IST :-)
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 21 Jan 2014, 02:29
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missnomex
Any successful reapplicants in R1 who can share what they think made the difference for them?
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I was a reapplicant (rejected, no interview last year) and was admitted this year. I think there were a number of things that impacted that, not least of all that I was just infinitely more confident and familiar with the process. The HBS app was due so early it was my first one last year and I was definitely still learning about how to approach the questions.

In addition to that, I had really spent the last year focusing on activities I thought would enhance my profile - a promotion at work, entering (and winning) a number of industry awards, taking on projects at work that showed my skills. I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies.

It's worth noting that I didn't actually do this specifically for HBS. I got into some great schools last year and decided not to go because of the successes of my start up. I was trying to prove to the schools I turned down (they wouldn't let me defer) that I had made the right choice waiting a year. Getting into HBS was just the icing on the cake :)
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 21 Jan 2014, 06:44
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8 days to go...

How is everyone holding up?

Do you feel someone is reading your application right now and making a decision on you? Let it all out, break a bottle (on the floor of course, not on someone's head), go to the top of a mountain and scream your head off (I did it last night). You will feel better.

I don't think I feel the pressure as much as many since I have been busy arranging my interviews with INSEAD.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 21 Jan 2014, 06:58
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Hi guys,

Given the HBS "essay prompt" is new this year, I was wondering whether some of you guys who were admitted in R1 might share how you approached your essays? I get the sense that a lot of people who got in made it really personal a la Stanford's "What matters most to you..."

Did anyone write something more in line with a traditional "career goals" essay? Thanks and congrats to everyone who got in!!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 21 Jan 2014, 13:18
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I wrote a more traditional "highest career aspiration" essay where I delved into my thoughts on the industry I work in (energy) and how there is a dire need for a new class of leaders that can combine all things technical, commercial, and financial.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 21 Jan 2014, 15:10
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I wrote about a personal moment that shaped my leadership style and set me on a path to HBS...

note: I'm a r2 applicant
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 08:31
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phypsie
I get the sense that a lot of people who got in made it really personal a la Stanford's "What matters most to you..."
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Not in our experience. As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 08:47
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essaysnark
phypsie
I get the sense that a lot of people who got in made it really personal a la Stanford's "What matters most to you..."

Not in our experience. As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps.
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What exactly do you mean by "overly personal content"?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 08:48
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Ladies and gentlemen...

...the countdown continues. 1 week and 10 minutes to go...
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 08:52
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phypsie
I get the sense that a lot of people who got in made it really personal a la Stanford's "What matters most to you..."

Not in our experience. As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps.

What exactly do you mean by "overly personal content"?
Show more

The type of content that Stanford is inviting with essay 1 is typically not what HBS responds best to. Basically, if you wouldn't talk about it in a job interview, then in most cases we'd say that it doesn't belong in a Harvard essay. Instead, HBS likes to hear about the stuff such as what Londoncalling1 talked about here - professional accomplishments, wins, overachiever stuff.

That being said, there's totally no rules for how to handle the open-ended question that they've got this year.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 09:15
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essaysnark

The type of content that Stanford is inviting with essay 1 is typically not what HBS responds best to. Basically, if you wouldn't talk about it in a job interview, then in most cases we'd say that it doesn't belong in a Harvard essay. Instead, HBS likes to hear about the stuff such as what Londoncalling1 talked about here - professional accomplishments, wins, overachiever stuff.

That being said, there's totally no rules for how to handle the open-ended question that they've got this year.
Show more

Now this is where it gets very interesting.

Here is the Harvard prompt: "You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?"

All the stuff you are going to talk about in a job interview have all been noted by Harvard. "We have seen.... everything". Now they say "tell us something we don't already know". The only thing they don't already know is something really personal. It could be the personal motivating factor that made you achieve all those things in the first place. Now, that is really personal.

To quote Londoncalling1. He said: "I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies."

Obviously he was not that personal in his previous attempt but he went "for something more personal" in his essays and he got into HBS.

So, no I disagree with when you say "As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps".
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 09:28
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essaysnark

The type of content that Stanford is inviting with essay 1 is typically not what HBS responds best to. Basically, if you wouldn't talk about it in a job interview, then in most cases we'd say that it doesn't belong in a Harvard essay. Instead, HBS likes to hear about the stuff such as what Londoncalling1 talked about here - professional accomplishments, wins, overachiever stuff.

That being said, there's totally no rules for how to handle the open-ended question that they've got this year.

Now this is where it gets very interesting.

Here is the Harvard prompt: "You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?"

All the stuff you are going to talk about in a job interview have all been noted by Harvard. "We have seen.... everything". Now they say "tell us something we don't already know". The only thing they don't already know is something really personal. It could be the personal motivating factor that made you achieve all those things in the first place. Now, that is really personal.

To quote Londoncalling1. He said: "I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies."

Obviously he was not that personal in his previous attempt but he went "for something more personal" in his essays and he got into HBS.

So, no I disagree with when you say "As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps".
Show more

We're just reporting on what we have heard Dee Leopold specifically say, combined with our experiences over many many years of helping Harvard applicants.

There's plenty that can be discussed in an essay that still fits the guidelines we're talking about and goes above/beyond what's in the rest of the application assets. And there's always exceptions.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 10:28
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essaysnark

The type of content that Stanford is inviting with essay 1 is typically not what HBS responds best to. Basically, if you wouldn't talk about it in a job interview, then in most cases we'd say that it doesn't belong in a Harvard essay. Instead, HBS likes to hear about the stuff such as what Londoncalling1 talked about here - professional accomplishments, wins, overachiever stuff.

That being said, there's totally no rules for how to handle the open-ended question that they've got this year.

Now this is where it gets very interesting.

Here is the Harvard prompt: "You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?"

All the stuff you are going to talk about in a job interview have all been noted by Harvard. "We have seen.... everything". Now they say "tell us something we don't already know". The only thing they don't already know is something really personal. It could be the personal motivating factor that made you achieve all those things in the first place. Now, that is really personal.

To quote Londoncalling1. He said: "I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies."

Obviously he was not that personal in his previous attempt but he went "for something more personal" in his essays and he got into HBS.

So, no I disagree with when you say "As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps".

We're just reporting on what we have heard Dee Leopold specifically say, combined with our experiences over many many years of helping Harvard applicants.

There's plenty that can be discussed in an essay that still fits the guidelines we're talking about and goes above/beyond what's in the rest of the application assets. And there's always exceptions.
Show more

Completely agree.

Had a lot of guidance on this one, courtesy of Margaret at Stacy Blackman, but here's how I worked my essay: How I observed x character trait in someone else and applied it to my own leadership style through M, N, O situations and here are the outcomes A,B,C and how those experiences transformed me as a leader going forward (incorporated my career vision and goals).

It's personal, concise and straight-forward business writing. Hopefully it's good enough to get in.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 22 Jan 2014, 22:58
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essaysnark

We're just reporting on what we have heard Dee Leopold specifically say, ...
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ES - this isn't an attempt to 'call you out,' but genuinely curious what you've heard/read from Ms. Leopold that would lead you to your conclusions?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 23 Jan 2014, 01:33
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Completely agree.

Had a lot of guidance on this one, courtesy of Margaret at Stacy Blackman, but here's how I worked my essay: How I observed x character trait in someone else and applied it to my own leadership style through M, N, O situations and here are the outcomes A,B,C and how those experiences transformed me as a leader going forward (incorporated my career vision and goals).

It's personal, concise and straight-forward business writing. Hopefully it's good enough to get in.
Show more

It's quite well documented in various interviews from Dee around (a quick google should do the trick) that HBS are looking for a slightly more experienced and diverse class. I've not seen it spelled out (I'd be surprised if they have because it's a free-form essay - how you write it is probably as revealing as what you say) but it's pretty logical though based that, that you stand a better chance if you tell them more about some of your professional experiences, the more unique and vivid the better.

The Kraken's was very similar to my own approach. Some of the things I hear a lot - "answer the question" (i.e. 'tell us anything else we need to know?') & "keep it simple". Combine the two with the theme I mentioned? I think you end up with something very close to the above.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 23 Jan 2014, 01:49
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Now this is where it gets very interesting.

Here is the Harvard prompt: "You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?"

All the stuff you are going to talk about in a job interview have all been noted by Harvard. "We have seen.... everything". Now they say "tell us something we don't already know". The only thing they don't already know is something really personal. It could be the personal motivating factor that made you achieve all those things in the first place. Now, that is really personal.

To quote Londoncalling1. He said: "I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies."

Obviously he was not that personal in his previous attempt but he went "for something more personal" in his essays and he got into HBS.

So, no I disagree with when you say "As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps".

We're just reporting on what we have heard Dee Leopold specifically say, combined with our experiences over many many years of helping Harvard applicants.

There's plenty that can be discussed in an essay that still fits the guidelines we're talking about and goes above/beyond what's in the rest of the application assets. And there's always exceptions.
Show more

afabmp

ES - this isn't an attempt to 'call you out,' but genuinely curious what you've heard/read from Ms. Leopold that would lead you to your conclusions?
Show more

Let me take a shot at this conundrum. Now, no one says you should tell Harvard "I had cancer, and I survived it. Because of that Harvard should admit me". Maybe that is what ES is saying. That will not work. Maybe this will work: "I was promoted three times in one year, therefore I am awesome. Harvard admit me". I doubt this will work either, and it is purely professional.

Let's try this: "I fought cancer, and I won. I learned perseverance and tenacity. I translated this into my work and I was promoted three times in one year. I want to go to Harvard to achieve greater things such as investing in cancer research". Now, that is more likely to work. This is personal stuff. Really personal.

Caveat: I am not an adcom member, neither am I an admitted candidate. I am just someone who is trying to get into HBS as a Round 2 applicant.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 23 Jan 2014, 04:33
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knightofdelta

Now this is where it gets very interesting.

Here is the Harvard prompt: "You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?"

All the stuff you are going to talk about in a job interview have all been noted by Harvard. "We have seen.... everything". Now they say "tell us something we don't already know". The only thing they don't already know is something really personal. It could be the personal motivating factor that made you achieve all those things in the first place. Now, that is really personal.

To quote Londoncalling1. He said: "I also completely rethought my essays and went for something a lot more personal - something that was easier with six previous applications under my belt and all the introspection that implies."

Obviously he was not that personal in his previous attempt but he went "for something more personal" in his essays and he got into HBS.

So, no I disagree with when you say "As a very general statement, HBS doesn't want to see overly personal content in their apps".

We're just reporting on what we have heard Dee Leopold specifically say, combined with our experiences over many many years of helping Harvard applicants.

There's plenty that can be discussed in an essay that still fits the guidelines we're talking about and goes above/beyond what's in the rest of the application assets. And there's always exceptions.

afabmp

ES - this isn't an attempt to 'call you out,' but genuinely curious what you've heard/read from Ms. Leopold that would lead you to your conclusions?

Let me take a shot at this conundrum. Now, no one says you should tell Harvard "I had cancer, and I survived it. Because of that Harvard should admit me". Maybe that is what ES is saying. That will not work. Maybe this will work: "I was promoted three times in one year, therefore I am awesome. Harvard admit me". I doubt this will work either, and it is purely professional.

Let's try this: "I fought cancer, and I won. I learned perseverance and tenacity. I translated this into my work and I was promoted three times in one year. I want to go to Harvard to achieve greater things such as investing in cancer research". Now, that is more likely to work. This is personal stuff. Really personal.

Caveat: I am not an adcom member, neither am I an admitted candidate. I am just someone who is trying to get into HBS as a Round 2 applicant.
Show more

Reasonable interpretations, I guess I'm just vexed that some is arguing that the director of admissions has laid out parameters of ought and ought not wrt how 'personal' stories are.

For me, I considered my resume, letters of rec, etc., to function as sort of data points, like a connect-a-dot picture of myself. The essay, then, was simply the line--the context in which I wanted the admissions committee to view those facts, with new details included where appropriate.

It's not a normal "optional essay," i.e., not "tell us anything we missed" like other schools, where you'd discuss gpa, etc., so I don't think mentioning facts available elsewhere is verboten, at least in so far as they're necessary to weave the tapestry of your story.

Of course, I'm sure people have gotten in with any one of these approaches, so I suppose it's a matter of what works best for you, coupled with a skillful execution.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 23 Jan 2014, 05:41
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afabmp

Reasonable interpretations, I guess I'm just vexed that some is arguing that the director of admissions has laid out parameters of ought and ought not wrt how 'personal' stories are.

For me, I considered my resume, letters of rec, etc., to function as sort of data points, like a connect-a-dot picture of myself. The essay, then, was simply the line--the context in which I wanted the admissions committee to view those facts, with new details included where appropriate.

It's not a normal "optional essay," i.e., not "tell us anything we missed" like other schools, where you'd discuss gpa, etc., so I don't think mentioning facts available elsewhere is verboten, at least in so far as they're necessary to weave the tapestry of your story.

Of course, I'm sure people have gotten in with any one of these approaches, so I suppose it's a matter of what works best for you, coupled with a skillful execution.
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Exactly my sentiments. I think trying to box applicants into a specific template is kinda tacky. Then all applicants will begin to look the same. Where will the diversity come from?

I worked with a consultant on my Harvard, INSEAD, and Stanford apps; she allowed me to express myself freely while she guided the execution. I worked with a friend, a 2014 Wharton MBA candidate, who made me use the canned approach. While I felt the first three apps really expressed who I am (INSEAD has called me for interview already), the Wharton app made me feel dressed up. I am waiting on how they will all pan out.
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GMATNinja
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