Guide To 2+2 / Deferred Programs At HBS, GSB And Wharton by: Gatehouse Admissions on February 27, 2024 | 0 Comments | 1,172 Views February 27, 2024 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Ten years ago, only a few top business schools offered versions of the Harvard Business School (HBS) 2+2 MBA Program or the Stanford Graduate School of Business (GSB) Deferred Enrollment Program. Now, as competition heats up at business schools to attract the most promising leaders of tomorrow, many of the top MBA programs are offering college seniors and graduate students who have not yet joined the workforce a chance to secure a spot in a future business school class. In addition to HBS and Stanford, Wharton, MIT Sloan, Columbia, Chicago Booth, Northwestern Kellogg, the Yale School of Management (SOM), and Berkeley Haas currently offer deferred programs. How do deferred MBA programs work? While two-year MBA programs prioritize work experience as a key requirement for gaining admission, the admissions requirements to these programs—which we collectively refer to as deferred MBA programs—are different. The concept is that candidates can apply in their senior year of college or in the final semesters of qualifying master’s or PhD programs before they have begun their full-time careers, but they will not actually enroll in business school for a few years, after accruing professional experience. In fact, HBS’s name for its program, “2+2,” refers to the idea that accepted applicants are expected to graduate, then work for two years, and then begin the two-year MBA program. (One exception to this is the Yale SOM Silver Scholars program, which enables admitted students to start their MBA studies immediately upon college graduation. After one year of classes, students do a year-long internship and then return to the school to complete the program.) Why do schools offer deferred MBA programs? Business schools view deferred MBA programs as a way to reach more potential applicants and expose them to the idea of an MBA while they are still in school, instead of trying to compete for mindshare once they have entered the workforce—especially for candidates whose path might not include business school. Think about it: while students who are in the Finance Club or the College Consulting Group will likely have heard about the MBA degree (or will as soon as they start their career), other students—such as chemical engineering students who are researching new ways to recycle plastics, or those who have become master coders in their computer science classes—may not be familiar with the MBA degree or how it could help them reach their long-term goals. By offering this application opportunity early, business schools have a chance to reach these students before they self-select into career paths that might not be a natural pipeline for business schools. Another reality: business schools are, well, businesses! Or at least they certainly need to act like businesses to survive. An MBA program needs students in its classrooms. The more applicants a school has, the more likely it is to fill its seats—and be discerning about who sits in those seats. Colleges offer a big pool of potential applicants. And if a business school can lock down a strong candidate now—even a few years before that candidate will actually show up in class—it can be worth it! Who gets accepted into deferred MBA programs? Successful applicants to deferred MBA programs share traits with successful applicants accepted through the more standard application timeline (candidates applying six to 12 months ahead of matriculation). In both admissions processes, schools seek candidates who demonstrate the following: Evidence of academic and intellectual excellence, such as grades, coursework, and test scores A willingness and ability to lead, either directly or indirectly A commitment to the world around them Note that we are not stressing professional experience in the criteria above. Leadership and impact can certainly be demonstrated in the workplace via your summer internships and other work experiences, but the schools recognize that your professional experience is likely limited at this point. Instead, you can highlight and leverage your leadership and team experiences on campus and in your broader community. Candidates applying for acceptance into deferred MBA programs are usually quite impressive, and there is considerable pressure to be a really amazing applicant. Here is why: the school needs compelling reasons to take you off the market now, instead of waiting two-plus years from now when you might otherwise apply. By accepting you now, a school is saying, “We do not know exactly what will unfold for this candidate over the next two to four years, but based on what we have seen so far, we are willing to chance it and offer a spot now..” The much safer play would be for a school to simply pass on you for now and hope that it sees your application again, after you have been in the workforce for a couple of years. Moreover, many schools that offer deferred MBA programs state that they are actively looking for candidates who might not typically otherwise apply for an MBA—and they even prefer such candidates to those who are in more traditional business school pipelines. In other words, if you are studying economics and are planning to join a premier investment bank or management consulting firm, the bar for admission to a deferred MBA program is even higher for you. That is because the admissions team knows that even without the deferred MBA program, the school would be very likely to receive an application from you in a few years, given that you are joining a network of people who regularly apply to business school. Some schools are very open about this. For example, on its website, HBS says it gives “some preference” to those who “work in underrepresented industries and functions,” which it defines as “operating companies,” “entrepreneurship,” and “technically-demanding roles.” Meanwhile, on its website, Wharton says its Moelis Advance Access Program accepts students “whose academic and career interests expand the traditional notions of business education.” What do schools expect to hear from applicants to deferred MBA programs? Of course, there is no set recipe for being accepted into deferred MBA programs; that would be too easy. Business schools all hope to build classes rich with diversity across backgrounds, goals, and experiences, so they want to know who you are as an individual. Do not worry about what you think they want to hear; focus instead on what you want to tell them—what makes you “you” and how this “you” has manifested itself in your actions and impact. Moreover, the biggest hint regarding what the schools hope to hear from you can be found in the questions they ask in the application. For example, Wharton asks the same questions of applicants for both its deferred MBA program and its regular two-year MBA program. Other schools ask additional questions for their deferred MBA applicants or require them to address completely different questions. HBS, for example, announced new questions for its 2+2 applicants in January 2024. Instead of asking applicants, “What more do you want us to know about you?,” the question HBS has been asking applicants for over ten years, HBS asks its 2+2 applicants to respond to prompts such as “How have your experiences shaped who you are, how you lead, and how you will contribute at HBS?” and “How do [your career plans] fit into your current long-term career vision?” As you think about what to write and what you want to tell the schools, always think about the specific questions the schools ask! (And for more guidance on the essay prompts, visit our Resources page.) I have not yet graduated—do schools really expect me to have my career plans locked down? Yes—but only to a degree. In speaking with prospective deferred MBA program applicants, we at Gatehouse often hear, “I’m applying now because I have the time and want to get the application out of the way.” We applaud your forward thinking (most of us on the Gatehouse team did not have such foresight!), but we urge you to dig deeper. What are your career goals, and what sort of impact do you hope to have on the world around you? How does an MBA fit into that picture? Applying to an MBA program simply because you have the time to apply is not a sufficiently strong reason for a business school to admit you. The admissions teams want to know that you have a plan and a vision and that you understand how an MBA can advance your abilities to reach your goals. And yes, before you ask, it is okay if your goals change between now and when you matriculate. It would be naïve to expect nothing to influence your vision once you start your career. Still, the schools expect you to have a plan based on the information you have now; as we often say, schools much prefer to place bets on candidates who have a vision that might change than candidates who have no vision at all. What if I apply and do not get in? You have just read how the bar is higher for many deferred MBA program applicants, and the competition for spots is fierce! Who applies to deferred MBA programs? Well, typically, ambitious, on-the-ball, and driven students who are planning ahead. Like you, they will be involved on campus, achieving academic wins, and developing a robust resume that captures their leadership potential and provides evidence of their impact. But with so few spots available, the schools will need to say “no” to many superstars because the pool of applicants for deferred MBA programs is skewed toward superstars. That is the bad news. But here is the silver lining: business schools are very friendly to re-applicants from this pool. It makes sense: if you were on the ball enough to think about applying to a deferred MBA program while in college, history would suggest that you will be equally on the ball in your career and community post-college. Business schools would be foolish not to consider you if they are lucky enough to see your application again in a few years! The fact that you already applied will also serve as a sign of your commitment to and interest in the school; these are never sufficient on their own to earn you an acceptance, but they are still a net positive to your candidacy. So, if you are thinking that you want your future to include business school, there is no downside to applying now, giving it your all, and seeing what happens. For additional support on applying to deferred MBA programs, reach out for a free consultation with a Gatehouse Consultant. We are here to help! Gatehouse Admissions is a boutique, specialized MBA admissions consulting firm, focused primarily on Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB, and UPenn Wharton. With a Consulting team of MBAs—all of whom who secured their own admission to these elite programs—and a philosophy focused on deep commitment and client successes, Gatehouse Admissions is proud of its track record of outperforming the market by 3x and of giving its clients the support and expertise they need to stand out in this ultra competitive process. Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below. Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.