HBS 2+2 a plus for pre-MBA PE recruiting?

For those that don't know about the program, Harvard 2+2 allows college seniors to apply to HBS and gain guaranteed admission after completing two years in the workforce.

A good friend that has been admitted to Harvard 2+2 said that he/she is able to defer admission for something like 6 years though.

This got me thinking: if you are an investment banking analyst interviewing for pre-MBA PE roles (MF or MM), would it be an advantage in the recruitment process to have an HBS acceptance in your back pocket for after the PE stint?

8 Comments
 
Newspeak A good friend that has been admitted to Harvard 2+2 said that he/she is able to defer admission for something like 6 years though.

wow how did he do that?

I'm talking about liquid. Rich enough to have your own jet. Rich enough not to waste time. Fifty, a hundred million dollars, buddy. A player. Or nothing. See my Blog & AMA
 
Best Response

Yea, I've never heard of deferring for 6 years although I've heard of plenty of people deferring for 4 years instead of 2.

Anyway, to the OP, I have 3-5 friends who currently work at megafunds and were also admitted to 2+2 (and a few others who got into Stanford and deferred). From what they've told me, it doesn't help directly but having been vetted and given a stamp of approval by other "elite" institutions can help you win over interviewers because 1) most people at megafunds are alums and 2) they in a way trust your credentials more. Two of my friends swear they were passed through in interviews because their interviewers went to HBS/GSB. Also this is for the funds that push you out after two years. For the funds who directly promote / hedge funds, I imagine they'll be less receptive if you have "accepted at HBS" on your résumé or mention it during the interview as they'll be less inclined to beleive that you want to stick around more than 1-2 years.

 

You can defer admission to HBS 2+2 and I can confirm this has been extended to up to 4 years in the past, although the members of HBS I've communicated with stated that's really as far out as they've seen

 

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