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How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With this thorough analysis, our friends at<\/i><\/b> mbaMission<\/i><\/b><\/a> help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute, so that your experiences truly stand out.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n <\/i><\/b>Last year (after just one season), Harvard Business School (HBS) did away with its incredibly broad \u201cintroduce yourself\u201d essay prompt in favor of one that at first glance seemed to have almost no parameters at all\u2014and, interestingly, was more or less the same as the one from 2013\u20132014, when Dee Leopold was running the show. Now with a full year under his belt as HBS\u2019s director of admissions, Chad Losee must feel that the essay question was effective in eliciting the kind of information the admissions committee finds valuable in evaluating the program\u2019s potential students, because it remains exactly the same this year. Read on for our Harvard Business School essay analysis for the program\u2019s 2017-2018 prompt and advice on the best way to approach it…<\/span><\/p>\n Take special note of the word \u201cmore\u201d in this straightforward question. With it, the admissions committee is subtly acknowledging that it already has a lot of information about you that it can and will use to get to know you better, including your resume, extracurricular activities, recommendations, short-answer question responses, academic transcripts, and GMAT\/GRE score. You should therefore think first about what these portions of your application convey about who you are as an individual and candidate, so you can determine which parts of your profile still need presenting or could benefit from more detail. Now, some applicants may fret that this means they absolutely cannot touch on anything mentioned elsewhere in their application, for fear that the admissions committee will become annoyed and reject them. However, Harvard Business School is not asking only for fresh information\u2014it is asking for\u00a0<\/span>more<\/span><\/i>, and specifically, whatever \u201cmore\u201d you believe the committee needs to evaluate you thoroughly and fairly. So, even though a bullet on your resume may inform the school of a certain fact, if a profoundly important story lurks behind that fact that you feel effectively expresses a key part of your personality or skill set, you should not feel hesitant to share that story. That said, we are not advocating for you to explore your resume in depth, just trying to convey that \u201cmore\u201d here does not mean strictly \u201cthus far unmentioned.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Before we discuss a few approaches you might take in framing this essay, we must note that your goal in writing it is\u00a0<\/span>sincerity<\/span><\/i>. The Harvard Business School admissions committee is not staffed by robots, seeking to detect a certain \u201ctype\u201d of applicant. These are human beings who are trying to get to know you and really want to end up liking you! With this essay, you essentially want to forge a meaningful connection with a complete stranger, and if you try to present yourself as something or someone you are not, you will fail.<\/span><\/p>\n You, like many other applicants, may worry that your sincere stories will sound clich\u00e9d. For example, if you want to write about making a difference, you may wince simply\u00a0<\/span>thinking<\/span><\/i>\u00a0those words: \u201cmaking a difference.\u201d But the power of your story does not lie in the theme you choose (if you choose to write thematically, that is), but in the manner in which you reveal your actions. If you have truly made a significant difference in the lives of others and can\u00a0<\/span>own<\/span><\/i>\u00a0that angle by offering powerful anecdotes and demonstrating a deep emotional connection to others and profound purpose in your acts, you can write on this topic. Although more than a few candidates will undoubtedly submit clich\u00e9d pieces on making a difference, if you can capture your Harvard Business School admissions reader\u2019s attention fully and make a strong enough impression, the clich\u00e9 aspect will disappear, and he or she will be impressed by your actions and character.<\/span><\/p>\n So, what approach might you take to this essay? The prompt is so open-ended that we cannot possibly capture all possible options, but here are a few:<\/span><\/p>\n You may have read through these three options and thought, \u201cWhat about a fourth option, in which I discuss my goals and why Harvard Business School? Certainly they want to know about that!\u201d The HBS admissions committee is a straight-shooting group\u2014if the school wanted candidates to write about their goals and why HBS, or wanted them\u00a0<\/span>not<\/span><\/i>\u00a0to, the prompt would come right out and say so. The reality is that most people should not use this essay to discuss their career ambitions and interest in Harvard Business School, because doing so will not reveal that much \u201cmore\u201d about them. For example, if you are a consultant who plans to return to consulting after graduation, we cannot imagine a scenario in which addressing your goals and why an HBS MBA is critical would constitute an effective use of this essay. However, if you are a medic at a bush hospital in Uganda and are applying to HBS with the goal of commercializing low-cost technologies to fight infectious diseases, this may well be a fitting topic for your essay, as you seek to connect the dots between your unusual (in a positive sense) career path and your aspirations. In short, for most candidates, we would suggest eschewing a \u201cWhy MBA? Why HBS?\u201d approach, but in a few rare cases, it may be appropriate and compelling.<\/span><\/p>\n Finally, let us talk about word limits! Harvard Business School has not stipulated any particular parameters, but keep in mind that with each word, you are making a claim on someone else\u2019s time\u2014so you better make sure that what you have written is worth that additional time and effort. We expect that most of our clients will use between 750 and 1,000 words, with some using as few as 600 and a small minority using as many as 1,250. We have difficulty imagining a scenario in which an applicant would truly need more than 1,250, but we certainly know of candidates who were accepted with essays that exceeded that high target. In short, take the space you need to tell your story properly and showcase your personality and experience, and then work to reduce your essay to its lowest possible word count, without sacrificing any impact or effectiveness.<\/span><\/p>\n From the admissions committee: \u201cFollowing the interview, candidates are required to submit a written reflection using our online application system. This must be submitted within 24 hours following the completion of the interview. Detailed instructions will be provided to those applicants who are invited to the interview process.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n For the fourth consecutive year, Harvard Business School asks candidates who are granted an interview to complete one more written task. Within 24 hours of interviewing, you must submit some final words of reflection, addressing the question \u201cHow well did we get to know you?\u201d As with the application essay, this post-interview reflection is open-ended; you can structure it however you wish and write about whatever you want to tell the committee. HBS urges interviewed applicants not to approach this reflection as a formal essay but instead \u201cas an email you might write to a colleague or supervisor after a meeting.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Some candidates may find this additional submission intimidating, but we encourage you to view it as an opportunity to reveal new aspects of your profile to the admissions committee. Because your Harvard Business School interviewer will have read your entire application before your meeting, you will likely discuss information from your resume, essays, recommendations, etc., during your interview. This post-interview reflection, then, could provide an opening for you to integrate new and different elements of your profile, thereby adding depth to your candidacy. For example, if you could not find a way to include the story of a key life experience of yours into your essays, but your interviewer touches on a similar story or something connected with this experience in your meeting, you would now have license to share that anecdote.<\/span><\/p>\n As soon as your interview is over, jot down all the topics covered and stories you discussed. If you interview on campus, note also any observations about your time there. For example, sitting in on a class might have reminded you of a compelling past experience, or participating in the case method may have provided insight into an approach you could use in some way in the future. Maybe the people you met or a building you saw made a meaningful impression on you. Whatever these elements are, tie them to aspects of your background and profile while adding some new thoughts and information about yourself. This last part is key\u2014simply describing your visit will not teach the admissions committee anything about\u00a0<\/span>you<\/span><\/i>, and a flat statement like \u201cI loved the case method\u201d will not make you stand out. Similarly, offering a summary of everything the admissions committee already knows about you will not advance your candidacy and would constitute a lost opportunity to keep the committee learning about who you are.<\/span><\/p>\n Harvard Business School offers some additional advice on the post-interview reflection that we strongly urge you to take seriously and follow:<\/span><\/p>\n As for how long this essay should be, HBS again does not offer a word limit. We have seen successful submissions ranging from 400 words to more than 1,000. We recommend aiming for approximately 500, but adjust as appropriate to thoroughly tell the admissions committee what you feel is important, while striving to be succinct.<\/span><\/p>\n For a thorough exploration of\u00a0Harvard Business School\u2019s\u00a0academic offerings, defining characteristics, crucial statistics, social life, community\/environment, and other key facets of the program, please download your\u00a0<\/span>free<\/span><\/i>\u00a0copy of the\u00a0<\/span>mbaMission Insider\u2019s Guide to Harvard Business School<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n The Next Step\u2014Mastering Your HBS\u00a0Interview:\u00a0<\/b>Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible\u2014the key is informed preparation. Download your complimentary copy of the\u00a0<\/span>Harvard\u00a0Business School Interview Primer<\/b><\/a>\u00a0today, and be sure to also check out our tailored\u00a0<\/span>HBS Mock Interview and Post-Interview Reflection Support<\/b><\/a>. ?<\/span><\/p>\n How can you write essays that grab the attention of MBA admissions committees? With this thorough analysis, our friends at mbaMission help you conceptualize your essay ideas and understand how to execute, so that your experiences truly stand out. Last year (after just one season), Harvard Business School (HBS) did away with its incredibly broad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":132,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,928,52900,17,4,52899,52894],"tags":[414,53054,53055],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-13824","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-admissions-tips","category-business-mindset","category-business-school","category-essay-analysis","category-mba-b-school","category-mbamission-partners","category-partners","tag-harvard-business-school","tag-harvard-business-school-essay-analysis","tag-mba-essay-analysis"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/132"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13824"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13865,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13824\/revisions\/13865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13824"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13824"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13824"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.manhattanprep.com\/gmat\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=13824"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u201cAs we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA Program?\u201d (no word limit)<\/b><\/h4>\n
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Have the Last Word: The Post-Interview Reflection (conditional on being interviewed)<\/b><\/h4>\n
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mbaMission<\/em><\/b><\/a> is the leader in MBA admissions consulting with a full-time and comprehensively trained staff of consultants<\/b>, all with profound communications and MBA experience. mbaMission has helped thousands of candidates fulfill their dream of attending prominent MBA programs around the world. Take your first step toward a more successful MBA application experience with a free 30-minute consultation with one of mbaMission\u2019s senior consultants. Sign up today at www.mbamission.com\/manhattangmat<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"