'Tricky.' 'Regressive.' 'On Brand.' 'Frankenstein-like.' MBA Consultants On Harvard Business School's New Essays

Tricky. Regressive. On brand. Formulaic. Very traditional.

Those are just some of the words MBA admission consultants are using to describe this week’s updated Harvard Business School application for MBA candidates. After joining HBS as the new admissions chief nine months ago, Rupal Gadhia shook things up by abandoning the one required essay of nearly a decade and replacing it with three shorter essays (see Revealed: Harvard Business School’s New MBA Essays).

The trio of questions, with a combined word limit of 800 words, are meant to help Harvard admissions staff select candidates from its applicant pool who are business-minded, leadership-focused, and growth-oriented.

‘THESE NEW HARVARD ESSAYS DO NOT REQUIRE CRITICAL THINKING OR DEEP INTROSPECTION. IT’S LIKE HIGH SCHOOL WRITING.’

We asked a host of admission experts to not only react to the changes but also to provide guidance to young professionals who will apply for admission to Harvard’s MBA program in this forthcoming 2024-2025 admissions season. Some admission pros believe the changes are for the good; others think a set of more traditional and less creative essays have now been substituted for what had been unique. That discarded open-ended essay–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?–was thought by many to elicit more valuable information to assess a candidate. The new questions, many believe, would allow applicants to simply recycle their essays to rival schools.

Not surprisingly, perhaps, the most critical comments often were by admission consultants who wanted to remain anonymous.
“It’s like they lost all the gravitas,” believes a leading MBA admissions consultant who works with many HBS applicants. “They are like everyone else. The old essay forced you to be critical of your own path and gave you so much freedom to show different sides of you. You had to think five to ten layers deeper with who you are. With these questions, you don’t need to think critically. It’s like high school writing. This does not require critical thinking or deep introspection. These questions won’t prepare you for the interview or prepare you for one of the most rigorous programs with high stakes. You can just do Stanford first and then repurpose for this. Now Stanford has more gravitas. Stanford is really well structured. They have six essays and they all get to understanding the person.”

The consultant also thinks the new prompts are poorly worded. “I can see this is a result of a lot of compromise. That is why these are written in such a Frankenstein fashion. These are not essays that an experienced admissions person would write.”

‘JUST GET TO THE POINT’

The “business-minded” prompt, for example, asks applicants to “reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve.”

“I understand the business-minded essay because Harvard is always looking for impact,” the consultant adds. “But why can’t they simply ask, ‘What is the biggest business impact you’ve had and what did you learn? Just get to the point.”

The consultant finds the same issue with HBS’ “leadership” essay: “What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become?” First off, for a 250-word limit essay, Harvard is asking applicants three different questions. Secondly, the answer to the essay is far too obvious, the consultant adds. “Who isn’t going to say they are an empathetic leader who invests in people? You don’t need a lot of introspection to answer that question. Harvard should have asked applicants to write about a time when their leadership was challenged and what they did about it.”

When on-the-record, most admission consultants were more receptive to the changes, if not always complimentary of them.

Stacy Blackman of Stacy Blackman Consulting:

Every year for almost a decade, HBS announced its application in May and defaulted year after year to its single essay topic: “What more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy…” This season, HBS delayed its application announcement to mid-June and changed to a three-essay approach, representing a significant change, especially for an institution that doesn’t usually pivot swiftly. In order to understand how to best strategize for the new essay prompts, we first need to understand the context and triggers for the change.

Why the change to the three-essay model and the five-week delay to the application announcement? Just last month, Harvard University publicly announced that it will no longer comment on public matters unrelated to its ‘core function’ after volatile campus protests, government scrutiny and intra-university conflicts. It’s no coincidence that the new essay topics lead applicants to reflect in manner that is both neutral and MBA-oriented. HBS may have adjusted its essay prompts so applicants would refrain from speaking about sensitive, political, and/or polarizing topics.

The new essay topics lack any direct reference to ethnic, cultural, and/or diversity perspectives—this omission must be intentional considering the SCOTUS affirmative action decision just came down in the last year. HBS wants to get back to the basics to capture success factors within application essays for HBS students—both within the classroom and in how they interface with career recruiters, and that’s what these new essays represent. Abandoning the previous essay of “What more would you like us to know…” allows for less sensitive and more “MBA-relevant” applicant essays. Ashley, a former HBS Admissions Officer and HBS MBA who works on our SBC team shared, “Bottom line, these schools are betting on you. They want to know that their investment (taking you instead of someone else) will pay off. They are trying to predict who will have outsized influence.” With these new essays and along with all the other facets of the application (resume, rec letters, etc), HBS is looking to not only predict success but also do so in a manner that is least controversial.

Justin Marshall, founder of Justin Marshall Consulting

Matt Symonds, co-founder of Fortuna Admissions:

Justin Marshall, founder of Justin Marshall Consulting:

To me, the prompts feel quite regressive, and a return to the more formulaic approach that pervaded MBA applications two decades ago. Because the previous prompt was so open ended, it forced applicants to be introspective and self-aware.

You couldn’t just ramble for 900 words; you had to identify themes in your life to show how your personal experiences shaped your values, your leadership style, and your goals.

Comparatively, these new prompts are much more paint-by-numbers. Applicants will likely cover the same ground in terms of topic, but there’s very little room for nuance and self-expression. I think it will be harder for applicants with less conventional backgrounds and experiences to differentiate themselves.

I’m sure HBS grew tired of reading so many painfully earnest ‘life story’ essays, but I suspect they’ll soon find themselves yearning for essays that have a heartbeat and personality. But 250 words just doesn’t allow for that unless you’re a very crafty writer.

Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted

Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted.com:

A few thoughts on the criteria:

I found the HBS focus on “business minded” to be very intriguing and perhaps slightly confusing. HBS in its criteria defines that “Being business-minded is about the interest to help organizations succeed, whether in the private, public, or non-profit sector.” So clearly it’s not just about being for-profit. I’m assuming that “helping organizations succeed” in this context means maximizing use of resources including human, financial, and physical resources. So that could imply deriving informed insights from data, empowering and managing colleagues, as well as making wise use of money, equipment, real estate, etc.
“Leadership focused” sounds very much like HBS’s old “Habit of Leadership, and leadership is definitely a signature value for Harvard University as a whole — not just for HBS. However, I think this criterion is centered around human leadership, whether by status or stature. It relates much more to nurturing, motivating, and empowering others to make a difference with you. And much like in the old “habit of leadership” HBS is inviting applicants to evidence their leadership impact in “extra-curriculars, community initiatives, or your professional work.” This quality should be reflected in multiple places in an applicant’s application.
Growth Oriented is new. It means applicants should show that they are open to new ideas and experimentation. One excellent way to show growth is by showing progression on the job via your resume, again, in addition to providing a specific example of curiosity or growth in the essay. Alternatively, it could be something like increasing responsibility or development in a sport, artistic, or community service commitment.

The main point I want to get across before I turn to the essays themselves, is that applicants should try to show these qualities throughout the application, including potentially and if relevant the box about their family, not to mention the resume, post-MBA goals, work experience, activities, and awards sections. The essays while very important, are not the entire application.

Turning to the essays:

Given the focus on “Business-Oriented” meaning helping organizations succeed and the specific wording of the question, applicants need to highlight 1 or 2 experiences that influenced their career choices and ideally that also allows them to show impact. They then need to discuss what they intend to do as a result in the future and the difference they intend to make.
Again, they are looking for 1-2 experiences that have influenced an applicant’s views of leadership and how that applicant wants to lead as well as evidence that they have led in that way. Given the word limit, there is no room for more than 1, maybe 2 examples. HBS wannabes should include their best example/s here.
Curiosity is the first step in growth. When were you, as an applicant, curious about something — wanting to know more, researching, learning a new skill, creating to solve a problem. Provide one example here and what did you learn about yourself and your ability to grow from the experience.

As others have said, these are much more directed, narrow questions and very different from “What would you like us to know?” that has been HBS’s question. However, “What would you like us to know?” should be at the back of every applicant’s mind as they answer all MBA application questions.

Furthermore, given the current, tight word limits and the specificity of the questions. I believe these questions will be easier for the more typical applicants to respond to than the old one.

Matt Symonds, co-founder of Fortuna Admissions:

The new Managing Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School, Rupal Gadhia hasn’t wasted any time bringing change to the HBS application. And with her career in brand management since completing her Harvard MBA in 2004 of she is certainly ‘on brand’ with the new leadership-focused essay.

There is every chance that she faced questions about the MBA application during her second HBS interview – this time for the MD role. And like any strong applicant to Harvard, she would have prepared her interview carefully and was perhaps aware that the old essay attracted a fair amount of criticism, and certainly generated a lot of anxiety.

I wouldn’t be surprised if Rupal had already identified how she wanted to break up the essays into themes of leadership, business and growth.

We work with so many applicants admitted to HBS every year, and they often looked at the one very open ended essay with initial trepidation. “What more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA?” Where do I start, what should I say, where do I stop?

But once we showed them that the essay was building on the considerable amount of detail the admissions committee already had from the resume, letters of recommendation and bio-data application form, they were able to understand the tremendous opportunity they had to then share their distinct and very personal story. And they started to really enjoy the self-reflection HBS was inviting them to explore.

Many candidates will instinctively feel far more comfortable with the new format, that breaks the essays into three clear questions that require much shorter answers. But the challenge remains the same to make a great impression and stand out from others for all the right reasons.

With the ten members of the Fortuna team from HBS, we’ve been talking a lot about the new essays. DéJeune Antoine, who was the inaugural Co-Chief Inclusion Officer, says that, “the business-minded essay is very much in line with the way HBS interviews candidates. I see it as a better screener question to identify interview candidates. The “growth-oriented essay” seems to hit on an applicant’s ability to succeed in the classroom.”

>She points out that that curiosity is one of the key traits for success with the HBS case study. “When 25 people have already commented on a case, you have to come up with a unique comment that adds value to really be seen, and have your best shot at getting a great participation score and being called on again in the next class.”

Harvard wants you to thrive and flourish during the two years of the MBA, and the three new essays move a lot closer to what they are looking for in great candidates.

Jeremy Shinewald, founder of mbaMission

Jeremy Shinewald, founder of mbaMission:

HBS has certainly moved from the abstract to the concrete. Some applicants previously felt like they didn’t know where to start and some weren’t sure if they had answered the question, even when they were done. Now, the questions are quite straightforward and all have a cause and effect relationship — one where the applicant discusses the past to reveal the present or future. Smart applicants will understand how to share their experiences and, more importantly, how to relay their values. Some will mistakenly try to whack HBS over the head with stories of their epic feats, but the key isn’t to brag or embellish – the key is to simply create a clear relationship, via narrative, between past experience and true motivations.

It is, of course, surprising that HBS left applicants on edge until the last minute, all to create very traditional essays. As applicants learn in MBA classrooms, change can be hard and take time. The bottom line here is that these essays are somewhat of an applicant’s dream – they allow the savvy applicant to play to their strengths and draw on their best anecdotes and experiences to create a complete story. Some applicants will lament the absence of a ‘Why HBS?’ prompt, but my guess is that the admissions committee recognized that they would get an almost homogenous collection of essays touting the case method and other well known features. HBS gets some kudos for keeping the focus on the applicant.

Betsy Massar of Master Admissions

Betsy Massar, founder of Master Admissions:

First, I’d like to give a shout-out to hard word limits. I know text boxes can be clunky for the applicant, and might even make paragraphs optional. As consultant, I’m glad that I don’t have to argue with applicants about their choice to write 50% more than the word guideline.

More seriously, Harvard has had questions before! As recently as the class of 2013, students have had to write a 600-word essay on their greatest accomplishments, and a 400-word essay on what students learned from a mistake, and a bunch more. Anyone remember ” Tell us about something you wish you had done better. (400 words)”

And then there was “Introduce yourself,”

It’s the first day of class at HBS. You are in Aldrich Hall meeting your “section.” This is the group of 90 classmates who will become your close companions in the first-year MBA classroom. Our signature case method participant-based learning model ensures that you will get to know each other very well. The bonds you collectively create throughout this shared experience will be lasting. Introduce yourself.

Talk about pressure! I don’t know anyone who didn’t feel like they were standing on a stage naked in front of an audience.

And the most recent open-ended question, which was like, “Tell us something we cannot figure out for ourselves,” was just one big puzzler. But students managed, and some even got admitted.

I do have questions about these new questions, for example, how do you make sure the first essay question doesn’t overlap with the text box in the “Post-MBA Goals” section. Also, I can already see myself clarifying to students that the “leadership-focused” essay is more about the writer’s past experiences than about their future greatness.

Having said that, I think the growth question about curiosity is great! It’s a chance for applicants to show how they navigate ideas and choices. I think there’s a lot of opportunity for prospective students to let their personality show a little.

Karla Cohen of Fortuna Admissions

Karla Cohen of Fortuna Admissions:

Over the years I have spent a lot of time putting the open-ended essay into context for anxious candidates, most of whom struggled to know where to begin. While some candidates wrote brilliant, meaningful and authentic essays told in a succinct and memorable way, others delivered the “kitchen sink” and some even tried to fit an autobiography in 900 words.

Essentially, the old HBS essay gave candidates enough rope to hang themselves with, and unfortunately some did. So, I was thrilled to see a new set of HBS essay questions with clearer signposts indicating the specific elements that HBS is seeking to learn in the process of evaluating over 8,000 applicants a year. Some applicants will appreciate the opportunity to break their story into discrete, focused parts.

Beyond credentials, HBS is looking for character. The process of how to communicate this effectively is complex. It’s all about your essays. Indeed, the essay portion of the application is often the make-or-break factor for HBS. Character doesn’t show up on a resume, in your test scores, or through grades or your transcripts. Your opportunity to show them what you are made of, what drives you, is in the essays.

The competition is fierce, so this is the place where you can convince them you have what it takes to be part of this incredible community. Once you’ve reached a certain level of exceptionalism in terms of being brilliant, driven and dedicated, it’s all about your story. Think of it like drafting a “movie trailer” for your life – your Harvard MBA essays should be engaging and interesting. A great essay will entice the reader to say, “Wow, I cannot wait to meet this person and learn more.”

Liza Weale of Gatehouse Admissions

Liza Weale, founder of Gatehouse Admissions:

These essays will be tricky. Applicants will need to consider how much overlap is acceptable across the different essays, how much weight to give to the past versus the aspirational future, and how to demonstrate their leadership and values without simply listing them. So, while the new prompts are narrowly focused—a welcome sight for applicants who struggled with HBS’s open-ended prompt of years past, these questions are no less challenging.

And applicants have much less time to reflect and prepare their responses, given we are almost at the end of June. It will be interesting to see if these questions give HBS the information the admissions team seeks to craft the new class. I know I am jumping ahead, but I suspect that we will see changes to these prompts next year!

Scott Edinburgh, founder of Personal MBA Coach

Scott Edinburgh, founder of Personal MBA Coach:

The new HBS essay questions are not a surprise, particularly after HBS updated its prompts for 2+2 applications. Conversations with admissions directors at the AIGAC conference confirmed what we have been seeing over the past few years: The ideal profile of an MBA applicant has changed. HBS is not just looking for accomplished leaders with strong academic backgrounds. They are looking for applicants who understand the greater role that businesses play in society and have a strong vision for how they will drive greater good.

The previous essay allowed applicants to talk about their personal story and their uniqueness, but with these longer open-ended stories, many applicants did not touch on their specific career vision or the type of leader they aspired to be. The powerful story often replaced relevant content. These new questions are a return to the basics for HBS (years ago, Harvard had 3 short essays) and direct applicants to be much more specific in terms of what they share with HBS admissions. Successful applicants will not only show how they will add to the diversity of the classroom but will also talk about how they will leave the world better than they found it and invest in their employees. Also important as you answer these prompts will be showing HBS how you will be a growth-minded intellectually curious contributor in case discussions.

Essay Tips:

For essay 1, I recommend that you give HBS a very brief summary of your career to date and how it has both informed and prepared you for your future career. The bulk of the essay should then share your broader career vision and the greater impact you hope to make in your career.

For essay 2, I recommend that you think about your most unique experiences or strengths and share them with HBS by telling a short story. You should then follow this with a concrete example of how this has shaped your professional leadership style. A strong answer will close with a vision of your future leadership.

Finally, essay 3 allows applicants to show HBS the type of student you will be in the classroom. While HBS is not interested in hearing about what you will do on campus, they do want to make sure that you have strong intellectual curiosity and will come to case discussions with an open mind and a willingness to learn. Actions speak louder than words so select an example that shows this mentality.

Tyler Cormney of MBA Prep School

Tyler Cormney of MBAPrepSchool:

Many applicants (and admissions consultants) will not be happy with the change while others will appreciate having three questions spelled out for them. My guess is that the open-ended essay question format may have generated essays that were less useful in evaluating candidates effectively. If it had, they would have stuck with it. The new questions require candidates to showcase qualities and experience HBS values:

Purpose-driven career aspirations

Habit of leadership

Growth mindset

While the questions may limit creativity, they are likely to provide the HBS admissions committee with more relevant information to identify candidates who will thrive in their program.