Straight Out of College to HBS?

In any case, think about why you want to do it first. The MBA is a card you only get to play once. So you should use it wisely.

You have an undergrad biz degree, what is the point of going straight to HBS?

My logic is that I have the finance knowledge after college, so I should look at the management side.

I should note that one of the reasons I'm applying to HBS is the perks they offer college seniors:

1)Waive the 235 dollar app fee 2)Offer a 2 year deferral option 3)Provide feedback letters for rejected applicants

I have an offer at my summer bank (Think Top 2) which I plan on taking whether or not I am accepted or rejected (Thats where the 2 year deferral is so helpful).

The issue is not whether I should go immediately, but rather how I can improve my chances of getting in.

Side Note: Good friend of mine my year did the Wharton MBA submatriculation (Undergrad + MBA = 5 years), did summer analyst stint at BB, and then was asked back as a summer associate once he got the accpetance news. The kid is gonna be a 22 year old associate.

Pretty sick, no?

I know a 27 year old MD. that's sick.

kid, if you can become a 22 year old associate, than by all means do it. I don't know you, so I've got to hedge that it's not the case.

The 2 year deferral option is not a bad deal, so that might be worth looking into.

235 dollars is nothing in the grand scheme of things.

The only negative feedback I can imagine is not enough work experience.

He had his shit together though and is now a VP at a PE firm straight outta HBS.

you won't get in, so don't worry about it.

yeah I agree with Kimbo, those guys who go straight from undergrad, probably have 4.0 in dual Engineering/Finance, have started their own company, and are a world class violin players.

Disclaimer: The post above has been made by someone who is not currently employed in IBD, and has not had an interview yet...

My friend thought about applying to HBS and deferring for two years, but realized that there's no point. If she could get in now, she could absolutely get in 3 years from now, with more experience, and more money in her bank account. If you've been working in a bank for 3 years, what's $235?

If you can get into HBS straight outta undergrad, surely that puts you ahead in the world?

Being interested in markets and stuff, you must feel that time is your most valuable commodity, so If you can make it to Associate by skipping an analyst role or by skipping going to b-school and being offered an associate role then you're laughing.

That just seems like smart logic to me. Plus most of your comments on this forum regarding life as an analyst are negative, whereas a lot of people regard life as a post-grad as a bit of a laugh.

I'd say that the end definitely justifies the means. Even when you take into account the foregone earnings whilst at b-school.

get some experience and you may find that B-school would be a waste of time with your previous business education.

You will learn more and contribute more if you have working exp prior to business school

what does the guy have to lose by applying now? he already rocked the gmat, he's got a job offer which that he's gonna take (so the argument that he should definitely get some work experience b4 bschool is out), and there are a bunch of other perks as well (yeah yeah nobody seems to care about the app fee but i remember back in college, my poora$$ still thought it was a decent amount of money)... basically the worst that can happen is the guy doesn't get in and applies like everyone else a few years down the line if he still decides to go to bschool (it's not like harvard is gonna blacklist him...he can still apply later)...on the flip side, if he does get in, he's set for bschool...who really wants to study for the gmat and deal w/ all the inevitable interviews and essays after working for a few years if you can avoid them? and to the guys who don't think the guy will get in, i think this guy has as good a chance as any other senior...the following isn't the exact same situation and i'm not trying to say it is, but it's somewhat relevant...i went to uchicago undergrad and applied to a program they set up for seniors to apply to the gsb...so i took the gmat senior year, did the app, had the interviews, and in the end i had a 2-3 year deferred acceptance to the gsb (and i'm def no allstar)...i'm not committed to going and i'm sure the harvard program isn't binding either, so you can still apply to other schools later on...who wouldn't want a chicago or harvard as a backup?

finally, i agree w/ everyone that stresses how important it is to get some work experience b4 heading to bschool, but in a few instances, it just might not be the best choice...i had a friend from school that went straight from undergrad to the chicago gsb...during undergrad, he founded a start-up w/ some friends and got some funding...his first year in bschool, he won an entrepreneurship competition sponsored by chicago...the next year he won forbes young entrepreneur of the year award and got 100k for winning...i suppose my point is, some ppl know exactly what they want to do w/ their careers, and in those cases sometimes they don't need a few years of work b4 bschool to figure it out...they would rather learn the theory first and put it into practice themselves rather than labor as some corporate cog for a few years and decipher the theory from seeing it in practice...

you've got the stats they are looking for, no doubt about it. I would give it a shot, chances are better that they would give you deferred admission (2 years) vs letting you in right away.

I worked with a guy this summer (in PE) who came straight to HBS from undergrad. Don't let these naysayers turn you away.

But to answer your question, most of the folks HBS has let in right out of school have had techie backgrounds (CS, EE, etc) or deep involvement in a family business or other meaningful business (which they started).

Previous posters do make a good point, W is solid, but its going to be difficult to convince HBS why this is the right time for you..Best of luck.

business school would be useless without w/e and who wants to be an associate in banking?!

1) business school is a free option on a career change

2) without prior work/industry experience you'll be a poor associate - most associates with work/industry experience are bad, you'll be worse (no offense)

You're going to have kids who are 1-2 years younger than you coming to you and asking you about industry conventions and practical finance matters which you won't have the experience to answer.

A very smart person once reminded me, that the most detrimental thing people often do to their careers is try to accelerate it beyond abilities which ends up costing them big time...

If you get in then you should attend. I know people who got into HBS and MIT Sloan straight out of college and had the mindset that they should get more experience first, so they went to work and reapplied after a couple of years and got rejected by both schools (plus many more).

Do it only if you plan on working for 2 years, otherwise, on the off-chance that you do get in (which is unlikely, not trying to discourage you, being honest), you might be tempted to go straight to it.

Having been in a MBA program with kids that have no work experience, I have seen how they get reamed in the job hunt, their poor relations with their class peers notwithstanding. As someone else said, a MBA is a card you only get to play once; time it wisely.

So guys,

I really appreciate all the feedback I've gotten, and I'm happy to report that I been offered an interview at HBS in boston in a couple of weeks.

I should remind readers of this post that the entire time, if accepted, I've been planning on deferring for 2 years after working at my Top 2 BB bank in a solid industry coverage department.

So, the question now becomes this:

If my interviewer doesn't bring up my youth, should I? If my youth is being ignored, does that mean that my interviewer expects me to address it myself, or that its an angle that doesn't need to be considered.

Also, any general advice about b school interviews would be greatly appreciated. Questions that have caught you offgaurd, etc.

Let's hear it folks.

...it was ridiculous enough the first time around.

I think you should absolutely address your youth. Most likely he will bring it up, as the standard bschool question is "Why now?", which is just as relevant at 27 as at 22. And you better have a very good answer as to why now... Id say you have to sell him on how your "experience" in college equates to the 3-4 years experience that the average HBS student has already acquired, which will be a tough sell.

How did the interview go?

I'm actually considering the same thing, and HBS is one of the few if not only elite bschools that have a 2 year deferral option. I would definitely defer for 2 years before going to bschool.

I figure I would let them know I am deferring for two years while I am applying. Is there any way to let them know you are applying for deferral acceptance?

One of the trends in B-schools is to go younger, as you're closer to the hard analytics and coursework (try being in the workplace, and see how much you forget). You're doing the right thing - the feedback that you'll get from the application process is worth the time in itself. Good luck!

Any updates on this? I am extremely curious as I, too, am a senior at Wharton who applied to HBS (in round 3).