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HBSEducating Leaders Who Make A Difference in the World
[#permalink]
07 Jul 2021, 12:31
2
Kudos
HBS – Educating Leaders Who Make A Difference in the World
Our next stop on our visit to M7 schools is beautiful New England to take a look at Harvard Business School (HBS). Located in the historical city of Boston in Massachusetts, Harvard was the first college to establish an MBA program, which happened at the Harvard University Graduate School of Administration in 1908. At that time, the school only accepted male students. It wasn’t until 1937 when HBS took over the Training Course in Personnel Administration (founded at Radcliffe College), that they decided to accept women into the HBS-MBA program, but only in their second year. Finally, in 1962, HBS voted to let women enter their MBA program directly. Since then, we have seen some extraordinary female leaders graduate from Harvard's MBA Program. Anne Moore, first female CEO of Time, Inc., Meg Whitman, CEO Hewlett-Packard, Abigail Johnson, Chair of Fidelity Worldwide Investments, and bestselling author of the book Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg.
So, while HBS has seen much change over the years, its mission has remained clear, we educate leaders who make a difference in the world. The Dean of HBS, Nitin Nohria, says that there is much meaning behind the school’s mission. “Each element of the school’s mission, to educate leaders who make a difference in the world, is infused with meaning. When we talk about leaders, we mean people who embody a certain type of competence and character. Both the competence that comes from the general manager's perspective the School cultivates and the character to understand the difference between being self-interested and self-centered.” HBS structures almost everything they do around their mission from their curriculum to their choice of candidates. Josh Nelson, Associate Director, Regional Outreach, MBA Admissions said many students and alumni chose to attend HBS because of its mission. “They want to make an immediate impact on something greater than themselves.” Nelson went on to say that the world needs business leaders to address its most urgent and challenging problems. “Virtually none of these problems can be addressed without business leaders playing a vital role.”
HBS offers a two-year MBA program with the first year focusing on your required curriculum (RC year) and the second year focused on your elective courses (EC year). This setup gives you a broader foundation of general management and then allows you to focus on electives and do some hands-on learning. HBS is also well-known for its case method teaching in which students are put in a leadership position and asked to solve real-world problems. Associate Director, MBA Admissions at HBS, Rachel Frankenfield explains case method teaching. “Each class is a guided discussion about real-life business challenges facing real companies and leaders. The student puts themselves in the place of management and decides how to move forward. Many times, the person who the case is about is right there in class with the students.” So clearly there is a participatory hands-on approach to learning which is so beneficial to the students.
The MBA program at HBS usually has more than 900 students in a program and that number is expected to grow to over 1,000 to accommodate the Covid deferrals. To optimize learning for each student, HBS has what is called “The Section Experience.” With The Section Experience, students arrive at HBS and are assigned a specific section of about 90 students. These are the students with whom they will complete their required curriculum, work on cases, plan study groups. They will also have a dedicated faculty working with them. One recent alumnus, Michael Raiche said he was surprised at how welcoming his section was. “My section was absolutely like a family.” HBS 1 fosters an inspiring and collaborative community connecting students in dynamic, immersive learning environments with global perspectives and experiences to create true impact and effect lasting change.
If the MBA program at HBS sounds like the school you see yourself applying to, you will want to know the 3 main traits that HBS looks for in a candidate:
• A habit of Leadership – As their mission states “We educate Leaders,” so it would make sense that they would look for that quality in their candidates. Leadership comes in many forms, so you do not need to be an out-front type of leader, behind the scenes leaders play an important role too. • Analytical aptitude and appetite - Much of the learning and hands-on projects students will be a part of at HBS will include analysis. They will be looking at this through your GMAT/GRE and GPA scores, your work experience, and your overall application. • Engage community citizenship – HBS will also want to see how you have engaged in the community around you during and post-college. This will be useful knowledge that you will share with your peers which will allow you to showcase your interpersonal skills during case method learning in which grading is about the collective experience.
All that being said, while these three qualities are considered to be most important, HBS also looks to assemble a diverse class of prospective candidates with varying experiences and backgrounds.
Are you an innovative thinker that has demonstrated leadership and analytical skills, but you do not have the work experience to add to it? Do you have a strong desire to make a difference in this world? If you answered yes, then the HBS 2+2 program is for you? The 2+2 program is a way for current students that have not yet worked full-time, whether in college or are part of a Master's Degree Program, to apply to HBS on a deferred basis. The way to do this is through its 2+2 program. The program offers two years of professional work experience and two years in the HBS MBA Program. If you would like more information on the 2+2 program, check on the HBS website.
If you are interested in learning more about HBS, you can check out our recent MBA Online Spotlight Fair and hear more about HBS or any other school you may be interested in.
Whatever way you decide to apply, if Harvard Business School sounds like part of your MBA Journey, GMAT Club is here to support you on your road to success.
Archived HBS Discussion
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