What HBS Admissions Officers Say About The MBA Application

Harvard Business School (HBS) welcomed its largest MBA cohort in school history this past year. As the Round 2 deadline approaches, the HBS admissions team recently offered insight into the B-school’s MBA application process.

GMAT VS. GRE

Applicants can rest assured that both the GMAT and GRE will be viewed equally in HBS admissions as the business school does not have a preference of one over the other.

“If you submit multiple test scores from GMAT or GRE to HBS, we will only look at the score from your highest single test sitting,” according to HBS admissions. “Nearly 30% of our current first-year students at HBS submitted GRE scores.”

TWO YEARS OF FULL-TIME WORK EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

If you’re applying to HBS, you’ll want to have at least two years of full-time work experience under your belt.

“As the case method of learning used by our MBA program relies on exchanging perspectives, you must have two years of full-time work experience in a professional position in the public, private, or nonprofit sector by the time you enroll at HBS,” according to HBS admissions. “Co-ops or internships done while in school or during the summers between terms are not insignificant, but typically do not count toward professional work experience for our purposes.”

BE SELF-REFLECTIVE

HBS admissions officers say they seek out applicants who can offer a strong sense of self-reflection in their admissions essay.

“The essay is your opportunity to share new information that isn’t elsewhere in the application,” according to HBS admissions. “Think about how you can use the essay to help the admissions committee get to know you better. Consider meaningful or formative experiences that are important to you that you haven’t gotten a chance to mention anywhere else in your application.”

Stacy Blackman, founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting, recommends being vulnerable in telling admissions officers about your hardships and how you overcame them.

“Embrace the challenges that you have overcome and tell your story,” Blackman writes. “Remember that focusing on the lessons in your setbacks can be inspiring and revealing.”

Sources: Harvard Business School, Stacy Blackman Consulting, Poets&Quants