“As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?” (900 words)
The best business school in the world has continued to keep all prospective MBA students on their toes by giving this open-ended question! Infinite possibilities! Great opportunity or immeasurable terror?!
While most students might find this discomfiting, we strongly suggest that you grab this opportunity to impress the Harvard admissions committee with your candidacy. Use this excellent chance to traverse into an area of your personality or life or dreams that would make you shine and urge the HBS team to invite you for an interview.
Your resume, employment details, school transcripts, extra-curricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores, and recommendations have already been disclosed. So what else you could tell them?
HBS knows a lot of facts about you through the rest of the application. It has sufficient information regarding the 'whats' about you, but it still doesn’t know all the 'hows' and 'whys' of your achievements, struggles, and visions. So you can utilize this opportunity to talk about the reasons behind your choices. So, you could build a story and show one or more themes running through your life events. This will help the HBS admissions understand the person behind the numbers they see in your application and get a true glimpse of you.
We suggest that also consider identifying areas from your life and plans that are impressive, and distinctive and forcefully present your candidature to this esteemed university. Explaining your career vision, and speaking about your values, events that have shaped you, or your life philosophies could be good options to consider. While work is (possibly) one big part of your life, an approach that shows more of your personal side will help make a more memorable impression. Your view of life and work, how and why Harvard MBA will work for you, and how you plan to contribute to the Harvard MBA class could be other options.
Go for it!Harvard MBA application requires you to submit a one-page resume along with details about your employment and academics. The typical MBA resume format consists of employment, education, and extracurricular details. MBA resume tips
You will need to have two recommendations submitted online by the application deadlines.
It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure that all recommendations are submitted online by the deadline date for the round in which the applicant is applying.
As per the HBS admissions team, you are suggested to find people who know you well enough to answer them. This can be a former supervisor, a colleague, someone you collaborate on an activity outside of work. How well a person knows you should take priority over level of seniority or HBS alumni status.
Like many top business schools in the US, Harvard MBA application constitutes of letter of recommendation questions modified from the GMAC MBA letter of recommendation template. MBA LOR tips
As is the policy with most top business schools, Harvard MBA interviews are conducted only by invitation. Students typically would receive an invite 4-6 weeks after submitting their MBA applications.
MBA interviews may be scheduled on campus, in domestic or international hub cities, or via Skype.
Harvard MBA Interviews are 30 minutes and are conducted by an MBA Admissions Board member who has reviewed your application. Your interview will be tailored to you and is designed for us to learn more about you in the context of a conversation.
Within 24 hours of the interview, MBA candidates are required to submit a written reflection through our online application system. Detailed instructions will be provided to those applicants who are invited to the interview process. MBA interview tips
