Accepted to HBS 2+2: Q&A
Just graduated college and was fortunate to be accepted to the 2+2 program at HBS. When I was going through the application process there was a noticeable lack of business school info on WSO geared towards college seniors, so I figured I'd do a Q&A to help future monkeys.
Some basic info on my profile, applications, and outcomes:
School: Non-target state flagship (ranked 40-60 in USNWR) Major: Finance GPA: 3.9+ GMAT: 740 (49Q, 42V) Extracurriculars: President of multiple business clubs Internship: MBB, will be starting at the same MBB in a couple weeks
I applied early to three schools:
HBS: Accepted Stanford GSB: Rejected, no interview MIT Sloan: Interviewed, but I found out about HBS first and pulled my application from MIT the same day For anything else, ask away! EDIT: I've been getting lots of PMs asking for a sensitive version of my resume, so I'll just post it here to be helpful to everyone. Link: http://docdro.id/e1Kabd1
If you're applying to HBS seriously, it's safe to assume you're a bright, hard-working student who has experienced some early career success. HBS can see that on your resume, but what they can't see is the driving force behind those accomplishments. They can't see what motivates you to keep going; in short they can't see your WHY. That's what the essay is for.
Before you start writing (or even think about) your essays you should ask yourself, "Why do I work so hard?" Your first answer might be "because I want to be successful/make a lot of money" or "because my parents told me to"...go deeper. For every answer you give yourself, ask "Why is that important?" You want to get down to a life mission or mantra that makes it crystal clear why you're working so hard, and ideally that life mission will be able doing something for people other than yourself.
Take for example Elon Musk. Elon is a guy who will not give up because he's TRULY convinced we're doomed, and TRULY wants to fix the planet or get the heck off. His mantra would be something like "I develop moonshot ideas to either fix our planet, or get to another." His story would be about why he feels so strongly that we're doomed, and why he feels like it's HIS responsibility to fix it. Whether you like Elon, agree with him or not, I think you'll agree he would get into HBS if he applied.
I chose Elon, but think of all the great leaders. Mark Zuckerberg wants to connect the world. Steve Jobs needed beauty and simplicity in every day life. These guys have one sentence which guides or defines most of their actions.
The point is, you're not going to stand out based on what field you want to go into. Rather, your WHY is what's going to make you unique. Discover your WHY, explain where it comes from and how you'll use HBS to accomplish it, and you've got an awesome essay.
For what it's worth, the EdTech material in my resume is there it's just not what catches your eye. I wrote my thesis about EdTech, have worked on 3 education-related consulting projects, and volunteer at an education facing tech startup. You can't "convince" adcoms you're interested in something that you're not. Be authentic and you have a much greater chance of success.
Good Luck!