HBS Essay Analysis 2013

Question

Essays for HBS 2013 
 Essay 1  Tell us about something you did well.  (400 words)

Essay 2  Tell us about something you wish you had done better.  (400 words)

Joint degree applicants  How do you expect the joint degree experience to benefit you on both a professional and a personal level?  (400 words)

Brief career essay  How does pursuing an MBA support your choices above?  (500 characters)

Recommender Questions 
   Please comment on the context of your interaction with the applicant. If applicable, briefly describe the applicant's role in your organization. (250 words) 
  How does the candidate's performance compare to other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (250 words) 
  Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant's response. (250 words) 
  Please make additional statements about the applicant's performance, potential, or personal qualities you believe would be helpful to the MBA Admissions Board. (250 words)

souvik101990 · Answer

https://gmatclub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/mbaMission-logo-arno-cropped2-e1307914206953.png   MBA Mission Analysis of Harvard Business School Essay , 2012-2013

Harvard Business School (HBS) kicks off the MBA application season again, and this time it is doing so with a significant overhaul of its entire application. HBS has shrunk its written requirements from four mandatory essays of 400 to 600 words to two essays of 400 words each, but has added a new post-interview 400-word write-up (for the approximately 25% of applicants who are selected to interview), giving interviewees a mere 24 hours to submit their “last word” to the school.

Managing Director of MBA Admissions Dee Leopold has long held that essays play too prominent a role in the business school admissions process, but does giving candidates just two essays (analyzed later in this post) truly reduce the emphasis? We suspect that having only 800 words with which to make a lasting impression on the admissions committee, candidates will worry that they do not have enough space to successfully convey a full picture of themselves. We therefore expect that applicants will fret even more than usual over their essays, debating whether the two stories they have chosen to share will be sufficiently powerful and compelling, and giving their essays an incredible amount of attention. Meanwhile, to make up for this lack of space—and thus allay their fears that they have not shared enough information about themselves in their essays to persuade the admissions committee to admit them—they will likely “stuff” their resumes, interview sessions and recommendations with as much crucial information as they can squeeze in. In some ways, then, HBS is just forcing candidates to play a game of “whack-a-mole”—the school is trying to push information out of the essays, but the information will undoubtedly pop up elsewhere! As long as the admissions process is competitive and requires that applicants submit qualitative data, candidates will seek to gain an edge any way they can.

Here is our analysis of HBS’s essay questions for this year—we hope it will give you that edge. And remember, you can always contact us for a free consultation:  https://www.mbamission.com/consult.php

1. Tell us about something you did well. (400 words) 
Many candidates will worry that the one thing that they “did well” will not stand up against what others in the applicant pool will have to offer. Although some candidates will be able to differentiate themselves with tales of spectacular accomplishments (earned an Olympic medal, cashed in a start-up, etc.), most will have to rely instead on how they did their thing particularly well to differentiate themselves.

Remember, the end result of the thing “you did well” and that you are showcasing in this essay is only part of your story. So, you should take care not to lead with that end result; if you do, you will kill the mystery—and with it, the admissions reader’s interest. For example, if you write, “I am proud of having earned the earliest promotion ever at my firm,” your reader immediately knows the climax of your story and has little incentive to keep reading to learn more about you and what you have to offer. Where is the opportunity for discovery when you know the conclusion up front?

You want the reader to learn about you and what you “did well” to earn that (in this example) remarkably early promotion. Therefore, you should focus on telling your story from the beginning, leading the reader through your actions and decisions, which will ultimately reveal how you “did well.” Similarly, definitely avoid starting your essay with the statement “One thing I always do well is…” For one thing, such a declaration conveys an immodest—if not cocky—tone, and for another, you can be sure that other candidates will begin their essay this way and that the admissions committee reader will almost involuntarily lose interest. Start your essay by telling your reader exactly what you did—just launch into your story and let the conclusion come where it should, near or at the end.

This essay question may seem a bit confining at first, but the vagueness of the phrasing actually makes it rather “applicant friendly,” leaving you with more freedom and flexibility than you might initially realize. You don’t need to focus on a single fact/experience (like the “earliest promotion” example we offered), though you can certainly do so. With this essay, offering a rather broad answer is a legitimate option. For example, if you were a particularly talented mentor, you could tell more than one story of how you helped someone else develop their talent particularly “well.” Or perhaps if one thing you “do well” is standing up to consensus, you could share more than one anecdote that reveals this strength.

Before you even dream of starting to draft your essay, though, you will need to brainstorm very thoroughly. Do not try to “game” this question and anticipate what the admissions committee wants to hear—there is no “secret code” that will unlock the key to a spot in the next HBS class. Instead, think long and hard about what you truly do well and who you are as a person. Ponder your core experiences—what is the common thread that connects them? In the end, you may describe a single experience in your essay, or you may offer more. The key is that the story you tell be sincere and true to who you really are.

2. Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words) 
Several of the directives we have offered for HBS’s first essay also apply to this one. Do not start with “I wish I had done X better,” and do not begin with “My deepest regret is (insert conclusion!)” Again, your success in writing this essay will come down to sharing with the admissions committee how you do things.

Clearly, the phrasing of the question requires you to honestly reflect on your past experiences. And being truly honest does not involve making a brazen and/or disingenuous statement (“I earned the earliest promotion, but I wish I could have gotten it even earlier!”) that is really just an attempt to indirectly highlight a strength instead. The admissions committee members are smart and will see through this ploy immediately. We can virtually guarantee that anyone who does not admit some form of weakness or deficiency in this essay—some sincere area in which they hope to improve —will end up on the school’s “ding” list.

So, what should you write about? Again, brainstorming is key. Think about your experiences and your regrets. Even think about times when you achieved something that was significant but yet still suboptimal in some way, or a time when you experienced a consequential stumble along the way (not a fake stumble that did not hurt!). Think about your core character traits and what you could work on or change. Can you identify a pattern or trend in your behavior? If you could have managed a project better, join the club. But when you think about how exactly you managed the project poorly or suboptimally, what core trait does that reveal? Where else can that characteristic be found in your past?

When you write this essay, do not try to hide or talk around your shortcomings in the situation you are describing, in fear of exposing your chosen vulnerability. The admissions committee members want to understand who you are—to do this, they want and need to hear your honest voice. You don’t need to beat yourself up or be overly critical, but the school wants to know that you have the maturity and insight necessary to recognize areas in which you can improve and the willingness to do so.

One final warning—do not pander! Avoid the temptation to end this essay with a trite statement about how this situation would be improved with an HBS education. It will come across as cloying and transparent.

Have the Last Word: The Post-Interview Reflection (conditional on being interviewed) 
 From the admissions committee: “Following the interview, candidates are required to submit a written reflection using our online application system. This must be submitted within 24 hours following the completion of the interview. Detailed instructions will be provided to those applicants who are invited to the interview process.”
 
Within 24 hours of interviewing, you must submit some final words of reflection. Some applicants may find this requirement intimidating, but we encourage you to view this additional submission as an opportunity to delve into new aspects of your profile and share them with the admissions committee. Because your HBS interviewer will have read your entire application before your interview and could therefore ask you questions based on information in your resume, essays, recommendations, etc., he or she just might provide an opening for you to discuss new elements of your profile in this post-interview reflection. Hypothetically, then, if you could not find a way to work the story of a key life experience of yours into your essays, but your interviewer touches on this story or a similar one in your meeting, you may now have the license and opportunity to do so.

During your interview, your focus should definitely be on the interviewer’s questions and your responses. However, be prepared to jot down all of your interview responses as soon as the conversation is over. A helpful approach may also be to write up a few bullet points about parts of your profile that do not appear in the other parts of your application—and thus that the admissions committee is missing—as you prepare to write your reflection statement. With only 24 hours, you will need to be organized in advance and ready to make an impact one last time.

As more becomes known about this portion of the admissions process, we will update this section of our analysis.

Mini-Essay: 
 Finally, in addition to the two required essays, applicants must also write a brief career essay, which is asked in the online application. Candidates will first be asked to select a target post-MBA industry and function, and then must answer the following question: How does pursuing an MBA support your choices above? (500 characters)
 
HBS is limiting its essays this year but has snuck in one more important one—a mini-essay of 500 characters (that is roughly four sentences). In this short space, HBS wants to know you are serious about your studies—that you understand your target industry/function well and can relate your need for an HBS MBA to your desired advancement. But do not make this an “HBS is great” piece. What the school wants to understand is that the academic value of your MBA is what is key to achieving your goals.

souvik101990 · Answer

https://gmatclub.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/Admissionado-Logo.png   Admissionado Analysis of Harvard Business School Essay , 2012-2013   
Harvard dances to its own tune. It can afford to, mostly because it enjoys a reputation as arguably the best and most prestigious brand name in business schools around the world. The demand is so high, they invent newer and newer ways to skim off the tippity-top of the world’s finest business school candidates. But let’s think this through. If the demand is so screamingly high, and they need to improve their ability to discern who truly deserves a seat in their shop… why would they be asking for LESS writing from the candidates, and not more?

There is a simple and powerful lesson here. It’s not about saying “enough” stuff, it’s about saying “the right stuff.” The right stuff that suggests POTENCY.

Working backwards, potency is the stuff that makes the reader go, “Yep, this kid is Harvard material,” or, “Wow, this kid is gonna go places,” or, “Man, this kid just blew my mind,” or, “I don’t know why, but I find myself fascinated by this application.” Whatever leads to THOSE reactions is “the right stuff.” Great. Easier said than done, right?

Well, let’s consider the box they’ve given you to play in. Two essays, at 400 words apiece. Folks, that is SUCH a limited playpen, it’s worth understanding the goal here before diving in without a plan. The idea isn’t to find creative ways to cram a 2000-word app into an 800-word space. We need to rethink the approach entirely. We need to make super CLEAN points that have weight. Picture that group discussion where people are debating a topic. And the eager beavers raise their hands and start rattling off facts and keep yammering and yammering and yammering. And this ping-pongs back and forth for 20 insufferable minutes. And then, the quiet guy, who hasn’t said a word the entire time, raises his hand. The room quiets. And he makes a simple point, in a single sentence, with a soft, measured tone. That halts everyone in their tracks. Because the point he makes is incredibly smart, incredibly impactful, and incredibly succinct. 10 out of 10 times, that guy is gonna wield more influence than any of the other chatterboxes. Less is more. It’s time to channel our inner “THAT GUY!” Let’s dig.

Tell us something you’ve done well. (400 words) 
A great response here pushes past merely execution of a great accomplishment, but also ropes in some element of DECISION-MAKING or JUDGMENT that truly underscores the success. Execution is mostly easy. Ever eaten at a 5-star restaurant? Do you think the Head Chef is there every night preparing every last element of every last dish? Hardly. That guy has developed the RECIPES (in more senses than one) for not only the concept of the dishes, but also their execution. At some point, it becomes as much of an assembly line as an automobile factory in Detroit. Finding that assembly guy is easy. Finding the CHEF that inspired the whole thing is hard.

So. When you’re mining your greatest accomplishments, include things that showcase something that YOU possess that has the potential to WOW. Did you do a simple task extraordinarily well under extraordinarily trying circumstances? There may be indications of unparalleled leadership here that would get HBS’s attention. But, and here’s the key, you need to isolate that “head chef” trait that belonged exclusively to YOU, that defines YOUR personal value that—when extrapolated—has exciting implications.

There is also a subtle hint here that implies repeat performance. If there is evidence of consistent success based on Trait X, it’s worth alluding to. If the accomplishment buttons up too well, and we can only imagine the value existing inside that singular moment, it will shrivel up on the spot. We need to get the sense of a thread that DEFINES something about you; something in your DNA. “Ah, this kid’s a born leader.” “Oh I get it, this guy was born to step up under intensely high-pressured situations.” “It’s clear here that this kid has been a visionary since age 5.”

Some versions will be able to convey this indirectly through an obscenely confident tone and an experience that makes it abundantly clear what that trait is. Other versions may need to work a bit to highlight that aspect.

400 words is consciously tight. Clutter is your worst enemy. This needs to weigh something thematically. Think long and hard about the trait in you that gives you your CRACKLE. If it’s not there, Harvard will know. If it is there, you need to foreground it with a ton of self-assurance and elegance of communication. Simplicity is your friend.

The quick breakdown: there will be (generally) three major components to this essay:

Setup of the situation. 100 words. 
 The situation itself, what you DID, and HOW you did it. And WHY you succeeded. 200 words. 
 That sense of consistency throughout your “career.” The “this is in my DNA aspect.” 100 words.

Those are rough guidelines of course, but if you’re maxing out those three elements, good things will happen.

Tell us something you wish you had done better. (400 words) 
The worst version of this response is the one that feels disingenuous. The best version is the one where we feel the high-level strategist in you. Before we dig, there’s a subtle hint here about what kind of event they’re interested in hearing about. They don’t wanna know about the time you FAILED. Instead, they’re looking for something you did WELL… but wish you could have done even “better.” So, by all outward appearances, this should seem like an accomplishment, and yet… the “Harvard Business School” caliber student in you wasn’t satisfied. There’s an itch there that left you wanting. This is what we wanna hear about.

To the average person this was a success, but to YOU it could have been better. In order for this to pack a punch, we need to see the success by itself and THEN be introduced to your dissatisfaction, or the itch that kept you up at night. And then understand why.

What are they going for here? What is the thing they’re gonna learn from this response?

Simple: Smartness. This one depends on the subject matter HEAVILY, folks. You need to have an intelligent response, or else. Imagine participating in a marathon. And WINNING. Imagine writing an essay about how you feel like in spite of winning the race, you felt like you could have improved your time by a few minutes had you NOT done X, Y, and Z.

Seriously? Sure, it speaks to a fighter in you, and sure that type of drive may have implications, but there’s a smallness to it that will cause a school like HBS to tune out. Improving your personal score by a few notches… big deal.

If you’d said, on the other hand, yes I won the marathon, but I was hoping to inspire a wave of interest in the youth in the city of Boston to take an interest in fitness. And sadly, the number of sign-ups for subsequent marathons actually dipped after my win. I could have make a statement by wearing a shirt with a different logo. I could have done X, Y, and Z, etc etc. See the difference? That’s a much… bigger idea. There’s a larger point here that gnaws at the Harvard guy, that others won’t see as clearly.

This is a way to ensnare those folks who have that sense of the big picture etched into their DNA. Explaining the “event” and the “outward-appearing success” should take no more than 100-150 words. The rest should be devoted to exploring the missed opportunity. In particular, the “big” thing that most others might not have even seen. If that missing piece was well understood by everyone, chances are it won’t be that cool an answer. That missing element has to surprise us in some way. “Wow, what a neat perspective.” That’s a great litmus test for this response. Were you alone in feeling like this thing could have been better? It’s a great starting point.

The 400-word interview reflection. 
Something you wish you’d said during the interview but didn’t.

A neat twist. Hate to say it, folks, but too much premeditation here can be poisonous. First things first, go in and “say exactly what you hope to say during the interview!” In other words, don’t sabotage your interview to SET up some kind of game-changing response HERE that you hope will seal the deal. Go in and crush your interview.

Now, let’s say you do. Or, let’s say you don’t. There’s a TYPE of response here that can demonstrate your might no matter what. And it’s tied to the theme in Essay Question #2 “Tell us something you wish you had done better.” That theme is… bigness.

If you answered a question, and gave an A- minus response, and now you feel like you forgot to mention one aspect of your leadership experience that might end up painting it in a more favorable or impressive light, chances are you’re not gonna affect the outcome much. But, if you can demonstrate the idea that your gears are constantly churning, that you kept chewing on a certain theme after the interview had ended and wish you’d addressed it and asked your interviewer or mentioned it yourself, etc etc, and the idea is INTERESTING, and SURPRISING, now we’re getting somewhere. Newness. Surprises. Refreshing additions.

Think about an idea that might get your interviewer thinking a bit. Think about a perspective that adds a twist to the interview and recasts something that came up in perhaps a different light. This is your chance not to turn A- into an A, but rather to create a new “grade” altogether. “Wow, what an interesting thought.” “Wow, this kid is really smart.” “Wow, I hadn’t thought of that.”

NOT… “I wish I’d mentioned my fourth leadership experience because blablablabla.” Incremental additions will have not just diminishing returns, but will fall FLAT.

Okay, so how do we do that? How do we turn the written reflection of the interview experience into a crackling 400-word essay that gets people’s attention? Simple. Respond to the stuff that actually happened during the interview. Don’t pull a Sarah Palin and “pivot” and deliver a pre-programmed response. It’ll feel exactly as musty and stale as the potato chips that have been sitting on the shelf for a year. The best response shows your agility to respond to the present situation. The “Harvard Business School” bad-ass can respond to the toughest of situations, in real-time. This is an expectation, a given. This is your chance to prove it.

souvik101990 · Answer

https://www.stern.nyu.edu/cons/groups/content/documents/webasset/con_033850.jpg   Accepted.com Analysis of Harvard Business School Essay , 2012-2013   
 The 2013 Harvard MBA application questions are now online. And they are entirely new. A few of the more significant changes:
Just two required 400-word essay
An early round 1 deadline (September 24) and decision notification date (Dec. 12)
An entirely new component: A required “written reflection” on the interview for anyone invited to interview to be submitted within 24 hours of the interview. Poets and Quants says that this reflective piece also is a maximum 400 words, but I could not find that info on Harvard’s web site.
Harvard‘s instructions and question are in black below; my comments and tips are in blue. Let the 2012-2013 MBA application season begin!

Essays 
 1. Tell us about something you did well. (400 words)

First, read  “Who Are We Looking For,”  which clearly lays out Harvard’s selection criteria. They are:
  Habit of  Leadership  
 Analytical Aptitude and Appetite 
 Engaged Community Citizenship

Your transcript and test score will either show #2 or not. Allow your essays to reveal as much as possible about #1 and #3.
For essay #1, what do you really want them to know that shows you as a leader and contributor with impact? That’s what you want to write about. You do not want to write a treatise on leadership or community citizenship or even ethics and entrepreneurship. You don’t want to answer  Why MBA  or Why Harvard. You do want to tell a  short story  about something you are truly proud of, preferably something showing you in a leadership role contributing to your community or employer and having a profound impact.
Tell the challenge you faced, your response, and the result of your actions. Briefly reflect on what you learned and why you are so proud of this “something.” Be concrete, specific, and vivid.

2. Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words)

“Oh no! Do I have to write about a…. a mistake?!?”
Yes. Harvard wants to admit people of strong character who are self-aware, willing to admit to and  learn from mistakes , and able to bounce back from setbacks. In a word, Harvard wants people who are resilient. Your response to this question should reveal all those qualities. Again, say what happened, what went wrong, and what you should have done. If you can, discuss another similar situation you were more successful because you learned your lessons the first time around.And if you just happened to be in a leadership role when you learned this particular lesson, all the better in establishing your habit of leadership.
As always, allow both these essays to show you in different arenas of your life. Perhaps the first can be in a professional setting and the second can show you engaged in community service, an extra-curricular activity, or a hobby.

Post Interview Reflection

Following the interview, candidates are required to submit a written reflection using our online application system. This must be submitted within 24 hours following the completion of the interview. Detailed instructions will be provided to those applicants who are invited to the interview process.

It is difficult to provide a tip on this one because your essay will be so dependent on the interview. You will want to think back on the interview and focus on one or two points that you really want to make sure came across and perhaps did not. Your essay or letter should not simply be how much you are dying to go to Harvard; it should supplement the conversation you had during the HBS interview. And, like your required  MBA essays , it should be succinct.

Final thoughts 
Dr. Nitin Nohria, Harvard Business School’s dean, is having a strong impact on the school. I recommend you watch this TED talk that he delivered last year. However, your essays should be about you — not this video. 
 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCHnK5ZK9iI

bb · Answer

HBS Essay Analysis 2013

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