Harvard application

You can't get into Harvard's MBA coming out of undergrad... some prior planning goes a long way to achieving your goals.

Alright this is not true.

You CAN get into Harvard MBA direct out of undergrad. You can do it through either:

1) 2+2 preadmit program (admitted to HBS at end of junior year, guaranteed spot after 2 years of working) 2) Apply normally senior year

is it difficult? yes. Is it a wise choice? I'm not sure about this one. The reason I say this is because I think it is VERY UNLIKELY that most 21-24 year olds can fully utilize the extent of resources HBS offers. A lot of it from my understanding is intangible (i.e. networking), so it really depends on one's own experiences.

On another note... heard that a lot of this year's HBS class couldn't find jobs. It's 900 people per year... Isn't it a degree mill?

GS TMT? Bain PE? Dude be real. Harvard prides itself in taking the best, most diverse candidates, with a diverse work experience backgrounds. In other words, they do NOT want all bankers and consultants (don't believe me? look it up for your self). The prior work experience is exceptional, but more than half come from other industries. Experiences such as working at Google, Microsoft, F100 Corp strategy, Venture Capital, starting your own business, etc. GS TMT has less than 30 professionals. Not a lot of kids get in that group. Same goes for PE out of undergrad. You CAN get into Harvard if you have decent work exp, a diverse background, >700 GMAT, etc.

The common thread that all of these business schools like to see is that people excel at everything they do. Whether it is moving from GS TMT to Silverlake, etc. or working for a nonprofit and advancing their career. The common thread is to be able to show advancement and that whatever you do you excel at and are one of the best...

MoneyKingdom,

My post comes from anecdotal evidence -- one person I know, who was a senior in college, applied after having worked at GS TMT and landing a full time job at Bain Cap. Of course, this is far from being the only path to HBS. Apologies if it came off that way.

To reiterate though, you do have to be exceptional in some way or another to get into HBS as a 21 or 22 year old. Whether that is working at GS / Bain or launching a nonprofit or what have you, you do need to be that kind of stand out in order to be seriously considered. That was the point I was trying to make (which goalieman688 mentioned). Hope that is helpful for the OP.

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There's a pretty strong bubble dynamic for burnt out banking analysts looking for something else to do... right now, it seems like starting a interview/resume/Excel training service is the next wave.

Time has changed... back in 80's my father was able to get into Harvard MBA straight out of Harvard College. He was a history major at that. Today I hear that going to b-school without work experience is a major mistake that aspiring ibankers make.

The MBA competition out there has made me realize how many scary-smart people are out there. I am talking about the guys and gals who got straight A's in HS and college, did a division 1 sport and were team captains, build churches in Africa just for the hell of it, had time for a social life, and scored 99th percentile on entrance exams like SAT and GMAT. It seems like that is what it takes for HBS out of undergrad.

i know someone who went to baruch undergrad and did two years ops analyst at a BB who got into HBS, so it really varies.

Its probably just jealous rage since I was one of the many that got dinged by HBS, but it seems to me HBS is an organization of people I don't really care for. They waive their fee for undergraduate seniors but not for military, yet claim to be supportive of the military. They preach integrity, yet they will allow the extremely rich and powerful to buy their kid's way in (i.e. George W. Bush and I am betting countless others). I am sure I would be a proponent of the organization if I had been accepted, because I think the way it works is you hate them if you can't join them, but if they accept you, you become just like them. I don't know, it just seems hipocritical to me.

I have to completely agree with the majority here and say that you will be a big long shot to say the least (assuming you don't have some sort of absolutely phenomenal entrepreneurial background coupled with a fantastic reason for pursuing an MBA now as a college senior).

Getting into a top business skill requires a complete profile - work experience, extra-curricular experience, grades, recommendations (from those that can talk to the development and growth of your character and/or leadership ability, preferably), demonstrating both professional and personal growth, and having a clear vision for why you want an MBA and how you are going to utilize it/achieve your goals. It is rare, possible, but rare for a college senior to support all of that and then go beyond to show that he/she is the right fit for the many seasoned professionals that will also make up the class and that he/she will be able to not just learn, but also contribute to the class on a real level.

Now, that's all well and good, but I realize that this "complete picture" often runs a fine line and that many one-dimensional candidates make their way in every year as well - whether through connections, creative license with essays, strong brands, etc - it happens. But, generally speaking, having that complete profile, especially as a college senior will be key to landing you even near the right mark.

Finally, even if you want to apply, you are not looking at Round 3 - literally the most competitive round where there are only a few seats left over (not 3 or 4, but definitely less than the previous rounds). The 2+2 program deadline has already passed and you will not be dealing with solely round 3 apps and previous round waitlisters for the last few spots.

If you are convinced in your profile, then by all means apply - you don't have much more than time to lose (assuming you've taken the GMAT and sent your scores already). Otherwise, I'd say hold off, build some experience, and then apply.

bschool applications have multiple application deadlines. they call them "rounds". the april deadline is for the final round, which is when admission rates are by far the lowest. don't apply this year. as others have said a) you're probably too young and b) the april round has terrible odds. so let's say that 6% of college seniors are admitted, and 2% of people in the april round are admitted. (these are made up numbers, but i'm just trying to make a point) i don't like those odds.

get some work experience and apply to harvard in the first round

I thought the deadline is june 15th if you are completing your Junior year.. I don't like this since most BBs only recruit SAs for the summer after junior year..

I met a guy who went to HBS straight out an undergrad (think third tier school) and majored in English. He applied not even expecting to get in, but did and is now at a top tier bank in fixed income. Yes, experience is highly valuable for b-school but there's starting to become a shift where schools focus on the younger crowd and pushing more experienced applicants to executive programs.

I say if you have an interest, why not apply? But make sure you have an understanding of why and what you want to get out of it. I think the chances are stacked up against and it's definitely a lot more difficult than if you did a job and excelled at it for a few years.