Getting into Harvard Business School requires good grades and a well-rounded individual as well.
Getting into Harvard Business School (HBS) to earn a a Master's in Business Administration (MBA) is no easy feat. Only around 13 percent of the applicants are admitted, according to Business Week. Fortunately, there are other ways besides good grades to help boost your application and help it stand out. There are three application deadlines for applicants to apply and each round gets equal consideration for admission. There is no work experience minimum to apply to HBS; instead admission staff look for students who demonstrate strong leadership qualities, ability for intellectual growth and engagement in community and interactive learning.
Instructions
1. Use your personal essay to show off your true self. Share your goals, passions, and personality. This essay gives you the opportunity to show the admissions staff a glimpse of yourself that does not have to do with academics. If you have a humorous nature, use it to your advantage and include this trait in your essay in an appropriate manner. When crafting your essay, be creative with the content, since admission staff read hundreds of essays and you need something that will allow you to stand out from the crowd.
2. Show off your work experience, extracurricular activities and community service, since HBS wants well-rounded individuals who demonstrate strong leadership potential. Make sure to include everything you have done within the last four years of college. Or, if you have been out of school for a while, include the last few years. HBS admissions staff wants to see that you have been keeping busy and using your time wisely.
3. Choose your references carefully. It is better to get a letter of reference from a professor who has worked with you closely, than the senior manager of the company that you worked for who does not know you nearly as well. Get a variety of references, both academic and professional ones. Try to get individuals who can vouch for your performance in a business-related area, such as a business professor from college or your boss from the accounting firm you worked at over the summer.
Tags: admission staff, admissions staff, Business School, demonstrate strong, demonstrate strong leadership