3 Tips For Applying To Harvard Business School

With a brand like Harvard on your resume, you unlock doors and have lifetime access to uncommon opportunities.

Resources

+ MBA Program Stats ​here​.

+ MBA Program Deadlines ​here​.

Now, to submit a truly competitive application to HBS, you first need to understand what their admissions board looks for.

In evaluating your candidacy, the admissions board looks to see evidence of these three traits:

1. A habit of leadership: the admissions board is looking for evidence of your potential via leadership at any scale — from college extracurriculars to personal, professional, academic, and community accomplishments. The use of the word “habit” here is intentional. It’s not just a one-time leadership experience HBS looks for. Habit is a way of being and a part of who you are, like your default mode. Habit is also something you do actively – it is action on your part. That gives you a sense of what the admissions board is looking for when they read your application.

2. Analytical aptitude and appetite: while there is no minimum required test score or GPA to get into HBS, the admissions board looks at those, your transcripts, extra courses, and work experience to evaluate your ability to master analytical and quantitative concepts. And that’s really because at HBS, the teaching method is case-based. You are given a written case study, with data often complex and ambiguous, to digest, discuss with your learning team, and then discuss in class. It’s fast-paced, rigorous, very verbal, and demanding. The admissions board wants to admit students who will not only add something to the class but who also have the appetite for — that is, will be able to thrive in that kind of environment.

3. Engaged community citizenship: ethical standards, positive contributions, and respect for others are some of the themes the admission board evaluates here. Plus, a spirit of active collaboration both ways, sharing and also supporting others. Notice, similar to the first trait, this is more about who you are than what you do. It’s not about community service, but intentional, sustained participation within a group or form of community that you have citizenship in, aka have an identity, connection, and responsibility to.

The admissions board looks for these traits to understand what you will bring to the HBS class, what kind of community member you will be, and what your potential is for after you graduate from HBS.

3 Tips for Applying to HBS

1. Reflect first — everything in your business school applications should be intentional. And even more so with your HBS application. Don’t just jump into crafting responses and highlighting your accomplishments. Take the time to reflect on the overall story you want to tell the admission board. Think about the picture you want to paint for them and how you can showcase the traits they are looking for before diving into the details.

2. Get specific — one of the challenges to overcome when applying is the gravitas of the HBS brand. It is not even close to enough to want to go to HBS because it is HBS. You need to get specific about how this next step of going to HBS is important to your career journey. Your “why HBS” needs to be personal, strategic, and specific.

3. Practice, practice, practice — if you are invited to interview, congratulations! The HBS interview will be very different than any interview you have done. It is fast-paced, high-pressure, and custom-tailored to your application. Practice. Get fully familiar with everything you submitted, all the bullet points on your resume, the accomplishments, your essay, all of it. Leverage resources online or get support from an expert to run mock interviews. It’s like the MBA Olympics. Train like a champ!

I hope this article has been helpful! You can join the conversation on this topic on Youtube, and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

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Aniekeme