Can You Pass The Mirror Test At HBS?

SOME SUCCESSFUL APPLICANTS LAST YEAR WROTE HIGHLY PERSONAL ESSAYS, SOME NOT

Regarding the single “optional” essay question that HBS asks, Leopold again noted that “there is no word limit here and more important than that, there is no right answer. I went on record last year saying we would always change this question. But we saw so much variance in terms of admitted candidates that we are going to try it again. There were some successful applications where people wrote very little. Some wrote quite a lot. Some people wrote only about their work experience. Some people wrote very personal essays. And again, the admissions board found this to be a useful question, a helpful question, and a chance for you to pause and reflect and tell us what you would like us to know. So we are doing it again.

“We don’t think that applying to business school is an essay writing contest. I know it’s the element of the application over which you have the most control at this point. You are not going to go back and redo your undergraduate education, dramatically change jobs, etc. But you do wonder about what to write in this essay. And so I think you want to make sure it is seen by you as proportional. We are going to read these essays. We are going to use this as one way to know you. but this is not the only way in which we will evaluate your application.”

For applicants who submitted files in earlier admission cycles but were rejected, Leopold said that a new application is read as new. “In the first stage of review, you are read as a first-timer,” she said. “You go out to the admissions board without that information being visible to them. Your old application is nowhere in sight at this point. Should you be selected to come in and meet us in an interview, that is when we find your previous application and it becomes a part of your package.”

Some other questions and answers:

Do you consider introversion and extroversion during the admissions process?

That is a really provocative question and I wish we were having a conversation about it so I can actually ask you what you mean by this? We are trying to build the most varied group of classmates that you will ever meet. By varied it means coming from as many different perspectives and backgrounds as possible. I would probably put leadership styles and introversion and extroversion in that category. We are not creating leaders out of thin air. We are looking for leaders who want to have impact, to make a difference in the world, and we want to make sure you have an analytic aptitude and appetite to do the type of work that is expected in a business school. and what it means to be a good community citizen. HBS is a community. We really don’t have any role here for bystanders. We have a place for people who are going to be invested in a classmate’s learning as they are in their own. We are looking for givers, not takers. Stylistically, Introverts and extroverts, both types, can contribute greatly to our community.

How does financial aid work at Harvard Business School?

Financial aid here is need-based. Our admissions process is need-blind. it means that when we evaluate your application we are not taking into consideration whether or not you can pay for this place. Once you are admitted, you then fill out a financial aid application and the financial aid team then applies a simple formula that is based mostly on your last three years of earned income. That will generate a financial aid package for you to cover the cost of attendance minus the amount of fellowship you will receive and the rest is the amount you need to find. It’s a simple formula. We know it’s a big factor but we want to make sure you understand that we do not use merit aid.

Do you have any advice for re-applicants? 

Let’s just say you applied last year and now are facing the same question. here is my advice. I would say even if you are talking about the same general topic it would be helpful to you and to us if there was a different kind of reflection on it. You don’t want to give us the impression that you copied and pasted your earlier response. use your best judgment. We’d like to see some growth in your reflection.

Does the information on the resume need to be identical to the information in the employment section of the application?

We definitely want the dates to line up. We don’t want to see one story in the resume and another in the application. But you can use different language to describe your roles in companies.

What are some red flags in the application?

“This is a commonly asked question but it is hard to answer. I guess that means what are you not supposed to do. I guess I would say don’t overthink, over craft, and overwrite and don’t get involved in something that feels like a production. It doesn’t have to be this incredible document that explains every single thing about you and goes on and on. Your blank response as to how you would answer the question is where you should start.

Do a draft of how you want to answer the question and then stand in front of a mirror and say it out loud and see if it sounds like you. Could you say this out loud, have it make sense and have it be a good picture of you? And then move on. Stop worrying. I know that this process is anxiety-producing. We are trying to allay anxiety by being transparent. But at the end of the day, this is a selection process. “

DON’T MISS: OUR REVEALING INTERVIEW WITH HBS ADMISSIONS DIRECTOR DEE LEOPOLD