Category Archives: Harvard

Get to Know: Harvard Business School

Posted on February 23, 2012 | Leave a comment

Not surprisingly, we get more questions about Harvard Business School than about any other MBA program. At such a highly visible school, it’s hard for changes to go unnoticed, but there have indeed been a lot of changes at Harvard recently. Among them are:

An evolution beyond the case method
What was sacrosanct at Harvard for generations was that 100% of courses were taught using the case study method. As many predicted when Dean Nitin Nohria arrived in Summer 2010, the curriculum is undergoing change. Starting with the class matriculating in Fall 2011, students will now have “field method” experiences as a counterpart to the case-based teaching. The first change to the curriculum is a year-long first-year course called FIELD, for Field Immersion Experiences for Leadership Development. FIELD features small-group opportunities for students to put what they learn into practice. The Class of 2012 will also see a reduction in the number of case-based courses and the introduction of new labs, similar to what schools like MIT have offered for some time.

A slight increase in average age of admitted students
Harvard has traditionally been very open to younger candidates, and has not been as fixated on years of work experience as some other schools. This preference for younger candidates may have reversed with the class starting at HBS in Fall 2011. Over a quarter of those accepted in this class graduated from college in 2007, which means that they have a solid four years of work experience before beginning their MBA. Harvard didn’t accept a single student straight from college this year into the full-time MBA program, either. It is highly unlikely that the pendulum will swing too far in the other direction — Harvard is almost certainly going to continue accepting high-potential early-career students. However, those with a few more years of work experience should also be encouraged by this trend.

An effort to broaden the professional pool beyond consulting and finance candidates
While consultants, investment bankers, and private equity analysts will undoubtedly make up the majority of classes of students entering Harvard for years to come, during this past year, these standard business school types weren’t welcomed as warmly as they typically have been. Harvard was more selective in choosing among these cohorts, and some very well-qualified candidates did not get offered a spot. This is likely due to Dean Nohria’s concern regarding the bad rap that business schools have gotten in the press and their perceived responsibility in contributing to the economic
crisis.

More women in the classroom
As a direct result of one of Dean Nohria’s new initiatives, 39% of the Class of 2014 are women. Harvard now rivals Wharton in this area. Harvard is also working to increase the numbers of women on the faculty and is sponsoring academic research on women in business.

A “normalization” of the HBS 2+2 program admissions
Coinciding with the increase in overall age of Harvard’s students, the Admissions Board also made an adjustment to the HBS 2+2 program. There are fewer special rules and policies surrounding an application to 2+2, and instead, it looks more like a formal channel for Harvard to attract qualified students earlier in their lives. College juniors and seniors can apply through 2+2 in a series of application rounds that work just like the standard MBA application rounds do, except that they’re staggered on an offset schedule from the main cycle, and the essay questions are slightly different. The HBS 2+2 program is at least as competitive, if not more so, as standard Harvard’s standard MBA program.

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HBS Admissions Essays and Deadlines for 2011-2012

Posted on May 18, 2011 | Leave a comment

Harvard Business School recently released its application essays and deadlines for the 2011-2012 admissions season. Note that these are for Harvard’s traditional MBA program; we covered the HBS 2+2 Program application last month. (The two applications have become very similar to one another.)

Here are the new essays and deadlines, followed by our comments in italics:

Harvard Business School Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 3, 2011
Round 2: January 10, 2012
Round 3: April 10, 2012

These deadlines are very similar to last year’s deadlines. Harvard’s Round 1 deadline crept back by two days and its Round 2 deadline crept forward by a day. The Round 3 deadline moved the most: It comes ten days later than it did last year. Most importantly, note that applying in Round 1 means that you’ll hear from Harvard no later than December 19, 2011. That will give you at least a couple of weeks before most other schools’ Round 2 deadlines, in case you decide to wait to hear from HBS before pulling the trigger on a few additional applications.

Harvard Business School Application Essays

  1. Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)

    For years this question asked, “What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?” but Harvard has simplified the question, just as it did on the application for the HBS 2+2 Program. While the wording is different, though, the heart of the question is unchanged: They don’t explicitly ask for your “most substantial” accomplishments anymore, but of course you still need to come up with three impressive stories. Remember that we’re talking about HBS here, so at least one (preferably at least two) of your examples should highlight leadership. However, don’t overlook stories that also demonstrate other traits that admissions officers look for, including teamwork, innovation, and maturity. Regardless of the question’s phrasing, remember that the “why” in your story is even more important than the “what,” so be sure to spell out why these accomplishments are so critical to describing you as an emerging business leader. Also, ideally you will be able to draw upon multiple types of experiences — not only on the job, but also from your community involvement, your hobbies, and even, in some cases, your personal life.

  2. Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)

    This question is also new this year. Harvard used to ask you to describe what you have learned from a mistake, but now this question has evolved to complement the “three accomplishments” question. Whether you call them mistakes, failures, or setbacks, these examples all share a common thread: They serve to show how you have grown in your relatively short professional career. The word “setbacks,” specifically, is interesting since it gives you the opportunity to talk about challenges you faced that weren’t necessarily of your own doing. For example, getting laid off when your company goes out of business represents a setback, but not a mistake. So, now you have more options here. In some respects describing three setbacks in 600 words is even harder than discussing three accomplishments, since the most important part of any “setback” essay is showing what you learned and how you grew as a result. Still, your mission will be to show introspection (What did you learn?) and a motivation for self-improvement (How did you use what you learned to better yourself and avoid that mistake again?). Having one or two good work-related stories will be important, but remember to look for experiences in all aspects of your life. Your best, most valuable “setback” story may very well come from outside your job.

  3. Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)

    This question is also new, although we would argue that it’s an evolution of an old HBS application question that asked, “What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?” The key difference now is that, while that old question was very forward-looking, this new question will best be answered with a blend of discussion about your past and your intended future career path. Both are necessary ingredients for a credible, compelling essay here. For instance, you could write, “I want to get an MBA so that I can launch a global non-profit organization to wipe out illiteracy,” but if philanthropy and an interest in education don’t show up anywhere else in your background, this may seem like nothing more than a bunch of hot air. Also, although there’s no more talk of “career vision,” it’s important to show that you’re realistic about what an MBA can do for you. Earning an MBA is just one piece (albeit an important one) of your career puzzle, and you want to show the admissions committee that you understand where it fits in the grand scheme of things.

  4. Answer a question you wish we’d asked. (400 words)

    Another new question this year, and we really like this one. Questions like this may seem intimidating at first, but strong applicants will find them very valuable since they can serve one of two purposes: They can serve as a “catch-all” where you can cover important themes that you haven’t yet covered in another essay, or they can help you tell an interesting story that will stick in admissions officers’ minds. An example of the former is dedicating this essay to telling a story that doesn’t strictly qualify as an accomplishment but still demonstrates an important trait, such as teamwork or maturity. An example of the latter is discussing a unique hobby that you enjoy, one that would never come up in your application otherwise. Of course, they key is to tie that back to your overall story — saying, “I like to swim in the ocean” isn’t very effective if you can’t explain why it matters to you — but you can use this essay too pique admissions officers’ interest. If you manage to land an interview with Harvard, imagine how great it would be to hear the interviewer ask, “You do a lot of ocean swimming? That’s interesting! Tell me more.”

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HBS 2+2 Program Essays and Deadlines for 2011-2012

Posted on April 28, 2011 | Leave a comment

Last week the the Harvard Business School admissions committee released its application essays for the HBS 2+2 Program for next year. Today we’ll take a look at the program’s application deadlines and essays for students applying to the Class of 2016.

Note that there is a big change in deadlines since last year: There are now four deadlines, vs. one single summer deadline for the program. Even though the window in which you can apply is now more wide open, note that the program is still designed with current college juniors in mind. (HBS phrases it as anyone who will “be graduating from your college or university between October 1, 2011 and September 30, 2012,” which mostly applies to those who are just wrapping up their junior year in college.)

HBS 2+2 Program Admissions Deadlines
Summer Round: July 6, 2011
Round 1: October, 2011
Round 2: January, 2012
Round 3: March, 2012

Right now, only the Summer Round has a specific date attached to it, although that will likely change soon. Also, be aware that applying by the July deadline (which used to be the only 2+2 deadline) means you will notified by September, which gives you plenty of time to make plans in your senior year. You can apply as late as March of your senior year, but that will probably mean finding out your status no sooner than when you graduate. Many students may not be comfortable with this arrangement. We recommend getting your application in by the July or October deadlines to give yourself enough time to plan things out on the back end.

HBS 2+2 Program Admissions Essays

  1. Tell us about three of your accomplishments. (600 words)

    This question used to ask, “What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such?” which was exactly the same question that was on the traditional HBS application. Although they’ve rephrased it (probably to try to sound a little less stuffy and intimidating to 20-year-old college kids), the meat of the question remains the same: They don’t explicitly ask for your “most substantial” accomplishments, but of course you’re not going to want to tell them three mundane stories. While you are obviously younger than the typical HBS applicant, the school still expects to see several separate, concrete examples of how you made a positive impact on the organization, community, or people around you. Having a hard time coming up with many? That may be the first sign that you’re not yet ready to apply to Harvard Business School. If that’s the case, don’t despair… You just may want to consider the more traditional route of working for several years before applying to business school.

  2. Tell us three setbacks you have faced. (600 words)

    Okay, fair enough. First they ask for three accomplishments, and now they want to hear about three “setbacks” (which is sort of admissions speak for “failures,” although these don’t need to be spectacular disasters). Last year, the question “What have you learned from a mistake?” which was also taken directly from the two-year Harvard MBA program’s application. In some ways we’re a little surprised that they’re asking for three, since the most important part of a “failure” essay is showing what you learned and how you grew as a result, and 600 words doesn’t give you a lot of space in which to tell three such stories (and do it well). Still, your mission will be to show introspection (What did you learn?) and a motivation for self-improvement (How did you use what you learned to better yourself and avoid that mistake again?). While you won’t have the same experiences as a twenty-five-year-old applicant to draw upon here, look for experiences in all aspects of your life where you learned a valuable lesson. There’s a good chance that your richest story will come from outside of your academics. However, academic stories are indeed okay. The admissions committee knows you’re young and don’t yet have much professional experience.

  3. Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)

    Believe it or not, while this might question seem like a must, HBS never asked this in its 2+2 Program application until now. While you’re still young, your answer to this may have as much to do with your past as your future. You may have some ambitious plans, but those will be meaningless unless they fit within the context of your background. For instance, you could write, “I want to get an MBA so that I can launch a global non-profit organization to wipe out illiteracy,” but if philanthropy and an interest in education don’t show up anywhere else in your background, this may seem like nothing more than a bunch of hot air. Also, be sure to demonstrate that you’re mature and realistic as far as what an MBA can do for you. Graduating from HBS in a few years won’t immediately launch you into the world of private equity stardom… There are a lot of other things you will need to do to get there, and you want to show admissions officers that you understand this. Talking to current MBA students and recent business school grads can help you a great deal here.

  4. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400 words)

    This question carries over from last year. Being that you probably don’t yet have any full-time work experience, the admissions office needs to dig a little deeper into your undergraduate experience to learn more about you. Don’t simply rehash your transcript here! Why did you choose your major in college? What motivated you to choose certain course? Were there any instances when you really pushed yourself out of your comfort zone? Focus on just one or two themes here, ideally showing how you have grown academically over the past three years. HBS wants to transform you from young raw ingredients into a polished, finished product. Showing glimpses of such a transformation in the first three years of college can help the Harvard admissions office picture you thriving at HBS.

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Posted in Harvard, HBS, HBS 2+2 Program, Uncategorized