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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 14:11
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Hello all,
Congrats to those that received an interview invite today!

I was waitlisted with an interview in R1 and am wondering if anyone else who is in a similar position as I am heard any news today? Does anyone have any thoughts on when the R1 waitlisters will begin to hear additional feedback?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 14:34
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yepgirlnope
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i also got an invite :)

does anyone have an opinion on whether it's advantageous to interview on-campus or off-campus? i'm based in NYC, so it wouldn't necessarily be a huge hassle to go to Boston.

best of luck to those waiting for the second wave next week-

Also, congrats to everyone!!
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Yepgirlnope congrats on all the admits!! which school you going for??
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 14:38
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To those of you who got invites: when did you submit your application?

I'm wondering if these notifications are the "earlier" applications and they essentially reviewed/decided in the order applicants submitted. Anyone have any insight into how that works or if there's no pattern?
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Wouldn't you think there has to be some sort of order to it? HBS claims applicants receiving invitations next week aren't viewed as inferior to those receiving them this week, it just depends on when the applications were reviewed. In their position, I would start with the first applications submitted and go from there to be fair, as those who are invited next week are at a large scheduling disadvantage. (disclaimer: I would not have been anywhere near the top of that list)

Obviously initial application overviews are going to fast-track certain applicants and rule out others, but I would assume there is some pattern by which the remaining applications are reviewed if the Feb 5 invites truly aren't just for the "best of the rest".

I'm sure I'm over-thinking it, but I keep imagining some poor soul with a great application who was one of the first to submit in R2 not getting an invitation today just because luck of the draw put them at the bottom of the review pile!

Either way, best of luck to all!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 15:00
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Yepgirlnope congrats on all the admits!! which school you going for??
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Thanks. I'm undecided between HBS and GSB... really on the fence and have no idea what to do!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 15:26
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Yepgirlnope congrats on all the admits!! which school you going for??

Thanks. I'm undecided between HBS and GSB... really on the fence and have no idea what to do!
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Do you mind sharing more about your background/ application?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 15:44
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yepgirlnope
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Yepgirlnope congrats on all the admits!! which school you going for??

Thanks. I'm undecided between HBS and GSB... really on the fence and have no idea what to do!
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I feel like a lot will depend on whether you identify with West or East coast more and what you would like to do afterwards. If you want to work in tech, I'd say GSB is a better bet (generalizing here obviously). A year ago I would have said GSB hands down, but after living in the Bay area for the last year I am not sure I could go to school here for another two years. Happy to discuss via PM

Also got an invite today. Application submitted mid-December. Congrats to everyone who got the email, and best of luck to everyone who will get it next week :)
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 16:08
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Wouldn't you think there has to be some sort of order to it? HBS claims applicants receiving invitations next week aren't viewed as inferior to those receiving them this week, it just depends on when the applications were reviewed. In their position, I would start with the first applications submitted and go from there to be fair, as those who are invited next week are at a large scheduling disadvantage. (disclaimer: I would not have been anywhere near the top of that list)

Obviously initial application overviews are going to fast-track certain applicants and rule out others, but I would assume there is some pattern by which the remaining applications are reviewed if the Feb 5 invites truly aren't just for the "best of the rest".

I'm sure I'm over-thinking it, but I keep imagining some poor soul with a great application who was one of the first to submit in R2 not getting an invitation today just because luck of the draw put them at the bottom of the review pile!
Show more

I'm assuming there is an order, but not necessarily that it's chronological. It could be the ones that were a unanimous "yes" from both readers got notified today, but the remaining ones are in further review (if there was a split decision). It could be that certain categories (age, years of WE, intended sector post-grad) got sorted differently and are being reviewed in particular order. Within those categories it could be by time, alphabetically, etc. There's no way to know. So yes, I agree with you that there is an order; I just don't know what it is, and so it's driving me nuts.

In my case, I'm looking for any explanation/understanding of this process. I'm also obsessing over the number that went out today vs next week. I'm still waiting to hear, keeping my fingers crossed that I get an invite next week, and steeling myself for the worst. It's truly gut-wrenching but I'm trying to assume I'll get dinged and then be pleasantly surprised if I get an invite. But I'm having trouble giving up the dream! :shock:
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 16:12
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j0yd1v1s10n
OSUCowboys88


Wouldn't you think there has to be some sort of order to it? HBS claims applicants receiving invitations next week aren't viewed as inferior to those receiving them this week, it just depends on when the applications were reviewed. In their position, I would start with the first applications submitted and go from there to be fair, as those who are invited next week are at a large scheduling disadvantage. (disclaimer: I would not have been anywhere near the top of that list)

Obviously initial application overviews are going to fast-track certain applicants and rule out others, but I would assume there is some pattern by which the remaining applications are reviewed if the Feb 5 invites truly aren't just for the "best of the rest".

I'm sure I'm over-thinking it, but I keep imagining some poor soul with a great application who was one of the first to submit in R2 not getting an invitation today just because luck of the draw put them at the bottom of the review pile!

I'm assuming there is an order, but not necessarily that it's chronological. It could be the ones that were a unanimous "yes" from both readers got notified today, but the remaining ones are in further review (if there was a split decision). It could be that certain categories (age, years of WE, intended sector post-grad) got sorted differently and are being reviewed in particular order. Within those categories it could be by time, alphabetically, etc. There's no way to know. So yes, I agree with you that there is an order; I just don't know what it is, and so it's driving me nuts.

In my case, I'm looking for any explanation/understanding of this process. I'm also obsessing over the number that went out today vs next week. I'm still waiting to hear, keeping my fingers crossed that I get an invite next week, and steeling myself for the worst. It's truly gut-wrenching but I'm trying to assume I'll get dinged and then be pleasantly surprised if I get an invite. But I'm having trouble giving up the dream! :shock:
Show more

From what I can tell, there's plenty of black dots on the first page that have great WE and GMAT scores who haven't received invites yet so there's still hope. Nonetheless, I'm in the same boat... My wife keeps telling me I'm not going to get in and embrace that fact (she's the realist and I'm the optimist). I'm trying not to think about what the process is as it will drive me crazy. Good luck this week!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 29 Jan 2014, 22:03
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Did folks who received invites today had their application status changed? The 'submitted status and open application' section seems to have disappeared for me and now directly navigates to the 'application status' page with my details.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 03:23
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Hello Everyone,

Has anyone from Nigeria been invited for an interview? Congrats to everyone who already got invites..
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 05:33
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tickets-open-for-hbs-s-dynamic-women-in-business-conference-166795.html#p1323784

suzwillis
Only two days left in Early Bird tickets for the 23rd Annual Dynamic Women in Business Conference on Saturday, February 22nd at Harvard Business School. Sign up now!


Here are three great reasons to register:
1. You will have the unique opportunity to hear keynote speakers Christine Day (lululemon), Vivien Yeung (lululemon), Maria Renz (Quidsi), and Carla Harris (Morgan Stanley) share their executive leadership experiences.
2. In addition to content-based panels, this year's conference will also include skill-development workshops that you can put into action immediately.
3. Attendees interested in learning more about Harvard Business School can sign up for an exclusive campus tour, panel discussion, and admissions overview on Friday, February 21st, prior to the conference. Capacity is limited for this pre-conference event!

If you would like to learn more and register, just google HBS WSA Conference!

We can't wait to see you there!
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 07:29
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how do interview signups work exactly? do you get an email at exactly 12 with a link to spots?

how competitive is it to get the spot you want?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 Updated on: 30 Jan 2014, 07:56
Originally posted by asymmetric on 30 Jan 2014, 07:50.
Last edited by asymmetric on 30 Jan 2014, 07:56, edited 1 time in total.
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Congratulations to all of you who received interviews!

As I imagine that many of you will start interviewing in approximately two weeks and selecting interview dates later today around noon, I figure some people may be interested in some of my personal takeaways from interviewing at HBS (on-campus) R1 this year.

  • I was very impressed by the quality of the applicants. The pool selected seemed to be composed of very smart, personable people -- people I would be happy to have as classmates. I imagine you guys are just as strong, and look forward to meeting you as well next year. Perhaps some of us shall even be in the same section :)
  • Interviewing on-campus was definitely a good idea. If you can, do it. I advise that if you do, you sign up for a class visit either earlier in the day before your interview, or the day prior or something of that nature, such that you can talk about the HBS classroom environment during your interview. HBS is big on the case method, and Dee Leopold has said repeatedly they're trying to find people who fit well into a case method classroom. Talk about *specific* ways you'd be a good fit in this environment - things you think you can add to the classroom through your experiences that are unique and a reason they would want to have you as part of that classroom. If you've already visited a HBS class, or will have by the time you interviewed, don't sign up for a second one - due to space constraints they want people to only visit one class per application round, and you already have the experience to draw upon in your interview, so a second one isn't necessary. Also, go to all the sessions they have during your interview day! They had a career panel discussion, a session hosted by students, a session hosted by faculty, etc -- go! That's just more material you can bring up and talk about in your interview to show how strongly you're interested in the school, and that you've done your due diligence to determine HBS is a good fit for you.
  • My interviewer was very kind and friendly, however, basically had a poker face my entire interview, even as I was talking about what I thought to be my strongest points. This made me think that she wasn't impressed with my work experience, background, and decisions. From what I heard from other people who interviewed (and subsequently were accepted) as well, this is common. It, however, really threw me off -- don't let it get to you. The thirty minutes flies by, and as I stood up to walk out, I found myself a bit overwhelmed/concerned that I had not gotten enough good points through, or that I had horribly screwed some questions up, as she at no point seemed particularly moved by anything I was saying. I over-thought every question in the coming month after, and was convinced that I had bombed the interview. Don't do it. The interviewer probably liked you just fine, and you probably did not bomb the interview. It's their job to have that pokerface, and from what I've heard, all the people who had interviews like mine also got in. The one guy who I met who did NOT get in was the guy who said "man my interview went so great, that was so easy, I definitely crushed that, I'll be stunned if I don't get accepted." So, don't over-think it. My HBS interview was unique in this manner from every other school I interviewed at (MIT, Wharton), so even if you have had interviews at other schools, HBS can be a little different. It's normal, don't worry about it.
  • After you interview, you have to write a post-interview reflection (PIR) within 24 hours. I found this to actually be an excellent exercise, and I really appreciated HBS having this. As I mentioned above, there were a few things I felt I hadn't gotten the opportunity to cover, and really wanted to, and my PIR was where I did that. I don't think a good PIR alone can save a bad interview, or a bad PIR alone can ruin a good interview, but I do think it definitely is helpful if you were borderline. My word of advice about the PIR: be honest but positive! I've read about people focusing on everything they messed up in it, but I believe Dee Leopold reads *every* PIR herself. I doubt she wants to read a page about all the ways you messed up, when it's probably the 10th PIR that way she has read that day. Would a PIR like that make you really want to admit that student? If there are areas of concern, address them, but keep it in a positive light/upbeat/optimistic.
  • I also know some people walk out of the interview and sit down immediately after and write their PIR and submit it. I don't advise this. I'd take extensive notes on what was said in your interview, for yourself, right afterwards so you don't forget things, and maybe start a draft of your PIR, but I really recommend sleeping on it before submitting it. You have 24 hours. Take the time to think about what you want to convey. I was a little bit shell-shocked walking out of my interview and had a much more negative than I did after sleeping on it. Think about how many days you spent crafting, editing, etc, your essays. I think it's foolish to rush the PIR. They give you 24 hours, use them.

Overall the interview was a positive experience, even if a little daunting. You guys will all do fine! Best of luck.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 07:52
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how do interview signups work exactly? do you get an email at exactly 12 with a link to spots?

how competitive is it to get the spot you want?
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They will email you at noon with a link - which if I recall links you to your HBS application, where there's a status item about signing up for an interview slot. You select it and fill out your information. I missed the exact slot I wanted but got one the day after, so it was fine. I'd recommend being at your computer at noon today though.

If my memory serves me correctly, since it's an item on your application page that appears at noon, you can probably skip waiting for the email altogether and just refresh your application at noon and click the link.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 09:00
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FROM HBS Admissions Blog: Round Two...What happens next?
Now that the adrenaline rush of getting the application submitted has passed, you may be wondering what happens next. Here's the plan:

We will send out interview invitations in two waves, January 29th and February 5th. The invitation will be an email from Harvard Business School. Nothing will happen on any dates before, after, or in between!

On February 5th, we will also notify all Round Two applicants who are not moving forward in our process that they have been released.

There will be detailed instructions about interview dates, locations, and the sign-up process in the interview invitation.

Interviews will take place on campus between February 13th and 28th. We'll also be in the following hub cities: Mumbai, Dubai, Shanghai, London, Paris, New York City, and Palo Alto, CA. We don't have definite dates for hub city interviews yet - we will by the time interview invitations are sent. Candidates unable to travel to interview will be able to arrange for Skype interviews.

That's all for now.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 09:00
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FROM HBS Admissions Blog: Round 2 Interview Invitations
Good morning!

Tomorrow, January 29th, we will send out the first of two waves of interview invitations. We hope this will be at 12:00 noon Boston time and they will arrive as an email from Harvard Business School. Interview invitations contain detailed information about locations and the process for signing up for an interview.

We will send many, but not all invitations tomorrow. The second wave will go out on February 5th. At that time we will also send releases to candidates who are not being invited to interview. There will also be a small number of candidates we would like to further consider in Round 3.

All 2+2 interview decisions will be sent on February 5.

I'm aware of all the speculation about how many invitations go out in each wave and if certain geographies or backgrounds are more likely to go out in the first vs. second wave. How we split up these waves varies from year to year and to avoid a lot of algorithms being built out there by those with far more sophisticated quant skills than we possess in Dillon, I'd rather just leave it at many and some. I can assure you that geography and background have nothing to do with the waves - it's all about human beings here in Dillon reading a lot of applications thoroughly. We devote a great amount of effort to finding the right balance between minimizing your wait-time and maximizing the care and attention we give to each application. We are not running your applications through any kind of machine - we're reading them. And reading again.

If you don't receive an invitation on January 29th, please don't send in additional materials or letters of support. I understand the impulse, but please don't.

And, as always, I really do understand that waiting is hard.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 09:53
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asymmetric
Congratulations to all of you who received interviews!

As I imagine that many of you will start interviewing in approximately two weeks and selecting interview dates later today around noon, I figure some people may be interested in some of my personal takeaways from interviewing at HBS (on-campus) R1 this year.

  • I was very impressed by the quality of the applicants. The pool selected seemed to be composed of very smart, personable people -- people I would be happy to have as classmates. I imagine you guys are just as strong, and look forward to meeting you as well next year. Perhaps some of us shall even be in the same section :)
  • Interviewing on-campus was definitely a good idea. If you can, do it. I advise that if you do, you sign up for a class visit either earlier in the day before your interview, or the day prior or something of that nature, such that you can talk about the HBS classroom environment during your interview. HBS is big on the case method, and Dee Leopold has said repeatedly they're trying to find people who fit well into a case method classroom. Talk about *specific* ways you'd be a good fit in this environment - things you think you can add to the classroom through your experiences that are unique and a reason they would want to have you as part of that classroom. If you've already visited a HBS class, or will have by the time you interviewed, don't sign up for a second one - due to space constraints they want people to only visit one class per application round, and you already have the experience to draw upon in your interview, so a second one isn't necessary. Also, go to all the sessions they have during your interview day! They had a career panel discussion, a session hosted by students, a session hosted by faculty, etc -- go! That's just more material you can bring up and talk about in your interview to show how strongly you're interested in the school, and that you've done your due diligence to determine HBS is a good fit for you.
  • My interviewer was very kind and friendly, however, basically had a poker face my entire interview, even as I was talking about what I thought to be my strongest points. This made me think that she wasn't impressed with my work experience, background, and decisions. From what I heard from other people who interviewed (and subsequently were accepted) as well, this is common. It, however, really threw me off -- don't let it get to you. The thirty minutes flies by, and as I stood up to walk out, I found myself a bit overwhelmed/concerned that I had not gotten enough good points through, or that I had horribly screwed some questions up, as she at no point seemed particularly moved by anything I was saying. I over-thought every question in the coming month after, and was convinced that I had bombed the interview. Don't do it. The interviewer probably liked you just fine, and you probably did not bomb the interview. It's their job to have that pokerface, and from what I've heard, all the people who had interviews like mine also got in. The one guy who I met who did NOT get in was the guy who said "man my interview went so great, that was so easy, I definitely crushed that, I'll be stunned if I don't get accepted." So, don't over-think it. My HBS interview was unique in this manner from every other school I interviewed at (MIT, Wharton), so even if you have had interviews at other schools, HBS can be a little different. It's normal, don't worry about it.
  • After you interview, you have to write a post-interview reflection (PIR) within 24 hours. I found this to actually be an excellent exercise, and I really appreciated HBS having this. As I mentioned above, there were a few things I felt I hadn't gotten the opportunity to cover, and really wanted to, and my PIR was where I did that. I don't think a good PIR alone can save a bad interview, or a bad PIR alone can ruin a good interview, but I do think it definitely is helpful if you were borderline. My word of advice about the PIR: be honest but positive! I've read about people focusing on everything they messed up in it, but I believe Dee Leopold reads *every* PIR herself. I doubt she wants to read a page about all the ways you messed up, when it's probably the 10th PIR that way she has read that day. Would a PIR like that make you really want to admit that student? If there are areas of concern, address them, but keep it in a positive light/upbeat/optimistic.
  • I also know some people walk out of the interview and sit down immediately after and write their PIR and submit it. I don't advise this. I'd take extensive notes on what was said in your interview, for yourself, right afterwards so you don't forget things, and maybe start a draft of your PIR, but I really recommend sleeping on it before submitting it. You have 24 hours. Take the time to think about what you want to convey. I was a little bit shell-shocked walking out of my interview and had a much more negative than I did after sleeping on it. Think about how many days you spent crafting, editing, etc, your essays. I think it's foolish to rush the PIR. They give you 24 hours, use them.

Overall the interview was a positive experience, even if a little daunting. You guys will all do fine! Best of luck.
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this was great! thanks so much for this.
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 09:59
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It seems few people have been inviteded, doesn't it? In the Gmat Club, just seven, and in the Beat the GMAT, I guess just two. Obviously, there are many people who don't visit these forums, but I remember that in R1 more people in these forums said that they were invited.
Also, I have the feeling that they invite according to the location of the hub cities. What do you think?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 10:02
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Has anyone received the email to schedule an interview yet? Is there a different way to log into the system?
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Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016 30 Jan 2014, 10:03
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Interview booked. Just log in to your application and you should see an updated link. Still haven't received an email but did get one confirming my appointment after I booked.
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