Harvard (HBS) Calling all applicants - Class of 2016

Hey all,

First time poster here. I have an interview in London next week, looking for anyone who went through the interview off-campus, preferably in London as well. Any experiences you can share? How is off-campus interview different from on-campus?

Hi jfried11,

I interviewed in London, back in November. I assume it'll be in the same place on Park Lane.
Wrote a bit of a diary of the day on my blog here: https://timbob101.wordpress.com/2013/11/23/harvard-the-interview-with-a-sprinkling-of-wine-cheese/

Hope that helps and good luck!

Tim

FROM HBS Admissions Blog: Round 3 - Should You or Shouldn't You?

You want to go to business school. You really do. But the fall season kind of got away from you. You were busy. Work was demanding. You simply didn't have time to hunker down and focus on b-school applications. Now you've got it together. Ready. But there's all this noise about Round 3. Discouraging and worrisome noise. Let's try to address some of the myths. Myth #1: There are no spots available. Not true. We manage the selection process to ensure that there are always spots open for the candidates we want. Are there as many spots open as in Rounds 1 and 2? No. Are there as many applicants? No. Do I think a strong candidate has a fair shot? Yes. Myth #2: We’ve run out of financial aid. Not true. The very last person admitted to the class has access to the same need-based financial aid that the very first person received. Myth #3: If I get dinged in Round 3, I can't/shouldn't apply the next season in Round 1. Not true. There's absolutely no stigma in re-applying 5 months later. Happens a lot. Many people in our classroom today were successful re-applicants. Myth #4: It's too late for 2+2 applicants. Not true. Not even close to true. Round 3 is a great choice for 2+2 applicants. Why? We can be more flexible about the number of 2+2 admits given that we are not worried about a seat being occupied for this September. College seniors have another semester of grades to show us. And another semester of activities. I also see a 2+2 application as a good dress rehearsal for future applications - and possibly interviews - to lots of other selective scenarios. If you aren't admitted to 2+2, we like to say (over and over): It doesn't mean not ever, it means not now. Besides, it's a great deal. $100 application fee. A chance to get the standardized tests over with when you're in test-taking mode. And, best of all, two or three years to explore and then come to HBS. Myth #5: There's no Welcome Weekend for Round 3 admits. True. But all the interviews will be held on campus so you'll get to see us in real time. And here's some advice about visiting classes and the campus: If you want to see the case method in action, there are many spots available to visit a HBS class this spring. Also, there will be limited availability for visiting a class before the Round 1 application deadline next fall, so this is a great time to visit. Register for a class visit through our online scheduling system. We will also be hosting several other events on campus in the next few months, including an LGBT Open House, Prospective Students’ Diversity Day, and lunches for prospective women applicants with members of the Women’s Student Association. You can always meet us online, too. We will be hosting Admissions QA webinars to answer your questions before the Round 3 deadline, as well as webinars featuring members of the Women’s Student Association and the Armed Forces Alumni Association. To learn more, please see the Admissions Events page of our website. Here's a reminder: The Round 3 deadline is April 7. We'll do our usual posts right after the deadline about timing of interview invitations. As always, hope this helps.

Had my interview over the last few days. Overall, really conversational. Definitely starting to overthink some of my answers - really could have done a better job with a few questions by having tighter answers. It's gonna be 4 long weeks...

Beyond the interview, I thought everybody in the admissions staff was incredibly friendly throughout the day as well as transparent about the overall process.

Good luck to the rest of you who have interviews coming up - it won't be as bad as you think.

I had a very similar experience at my recent interview in Boston. As much as I had heard about the admissions committee being hospitable, I was surprised by how warm and welcoming my interviewer(s) were. 75% of my questions focus on my resume and/or essay, but I talked to others who interviewed the same day who had very few questions related to their career progression or essay.

I think everyone (including myself) leaves the interview room feeling pretty good and then begins a downward spiral into negativity, picking apart their interview and feeling progressively less confident in his or her performance and answers. I didn't answer a few as well as I thought I should have either and felt myself stumbling at times, but had other questions that I felt I nailed. Only time will tell.

The best part of it all was the opportunity to interact with other applicants. Everyone was nervous, but incredibly friendly. It was definitely a group that I would love to spend 60+ hours a week around for the next 2 years. Really solid people.

I can honestly say the best piece of advice I have received about the interview is to write yourself a note before heading in. More specifically a note stating "I did not do as badly on my HBS interview as I believe I did". Because trust me...2-4 hrs after you're done.. you'll believe you bombed harder than anyone ever has.

Immediately after my interview, I thought I did really great. It was after about the first 24-48 hours that I started over-analyzing every response I gave and thinking of what I could/should have done better. Welp, it's February 26, exactly one month until decisions are released. Let's all hope for the best!

If it makes you feel any better... there are only 28 days in February, so decision day is a little closer than it seems haha.

any idea if this email will say "Congratulations" for ppl that got in vs. "HBS Decision Available Online" for those who didn't.... i guess it doesn't really matter, but trying to stay distracted here.

Also, if you were one of the "Further Consideration" ppl from Round 1, can you still be Waitlisted after interviews in Round 2?

Getting wait-listed after receiving a FC from Round 1 seems unlikely, although theoretically possible. I haven't seen any communication from HBS indicating that those who suffer through the FC route are immune from being sent back into the purgatory that is the wait list. During my interview, the adcom member thanked me profusely for my willingness to hang on through the Further Consideration period, which I thought was really nice. It leads me to believe that HBS would hesitate to subject FC applicants to further waiting via the WL.

I could be totally wrong - its just a hypothesis.

As far as I know the emails will be identical for admits, dings, WLs, and FCs--it will just tell you to log into your account to view your updated status.

On the admissions blog before round 1 interview invites were sent, Dee has a post where she says it is highly unlikely you would be FC'd in round 1 and then waitlisted in round 2 after interviewing.

Is it reasonable to expect a call from admissions personnel if you are admitted? Or does that happen to only a minority of successful applicants?

Admits will generally get calls from someone in the admissions dept within a week of notification, and they'll also get matched up with students and/or alums who give them a quick call to say congrats and answer any questions.

so would you say day-of, or day-after is unlikely, or the calls are skewed towards D-day?

Your best bet is to look back at the thread from round 1. I believe decisions are posted online first (on d-day), and then admitted students may receive congratulatory calls later.

No calls on the day-of - decisions will simply be posted on the online portal. Can't remember if this was mentioned on Dee's blog or somewhere on the website; they also mentioned this during one of the panels during interview day.