Straight from poets&quants. I mean we've always known that HBS is selective, but the profiles of the people who got dinged this year is just insane. HBS admissions used to be kind of straightforward, but as the best students from the top schools gravitate to MBA rather than MD or JD, competition has become brutal. I don't think there's any doubt that HBS is more selective than any other professional grad school in the world.
http://poetsandquants.com/2015/02/17/you-wont-believe-who-harvard-busin…
Maybe they misspelled Harvard in their essay.
Can someone explain to me why TFA is such a huge MBA feeder?
I thought it was pretty common knowledge that even the strongest applicants are still rolling the dice with HBS and GSB I guess that's more corroborations with Brady's point.
IMO these profiles are impressive but not like whoa auto-admit impressive.
Agree. When you see the kids that DID get in, these kids stats don't stand out at all.
I think this is just P&Q doing it's P&Q thing -- which is to make a big deal out of something that isn't a big deal. The numbers, or what's on paper doesn't always tell the story. I mean, so what if someone is a
The numbers don't tell you if someone is a great leader, or if they've had a terrific idea that changed a process, or if they started a business in a developing country that is a category killer. I think the word is "reductionist" but I don't know for sure.
this.
the vast majority on this list either got a check or check plus in the raw stats department. from there they failed to demonstrate something unique and got lost in the pile of people with stats + a story.
duplicate, sorry, software glitch
I'm not even close to being an expert on this...but out of all those profiles, the only ones that have me scratching my head are the three M/B/B's...the McKinsey one and the two below it. Other than that, I can point out exactly why they weren't competitive..whether it be low gpa, low GMAT, too old, or a job that doesn't fit. And agreed with the TFA thing...how is that surprising?
Just to add to my last post...half these people aren't even close with the stats...3.0 gpas and not at a top firm and theyre wondering why they didnt make the cut?
lmao ahhaah +1
And I personally know 2 people who got into HBS this year - WSO would be kind of shocked with their profiles. But I think that's the general direction HBS is heading in, i.e. taking in people with not so "prestigious" backgrounds.
Admit 1: Top 50 USNR LAC, Econ, GMAT?, 4 years in no name consulting Admit 2: Top 30 USNR LAC, Econ, GMAT?, 4 years in F100 corp fin
Both Asians, one M, one F
3-4 years seems to be the sweet spot.
Also a distinct lack of arrogance seems to be a common factor among admits.
I remember seeing an analysis somewhere, that showed the acceptance rate for finance majors at harvard was around 2%....so this definitely seems to be the case.
hmm maybe i should apply this year... you guys think i'd get in?
True, part of it is that the pool is incredibly competitive, the other part is that you never know how well the application was executed. I spoke with an admissions director at an Ivy League this week who mentioned that they see a lot of obvious mistakes on applications that are otherwise strong....applications laced with grammatical errors, applications that contradict themselves, etc. A big one apparently is people who use admissions consultants: it will often be obvious that someone else was writing parts of the application which results in an automatic ding (as attempted plagiarism should).
I am always reminded of the complete inability of WSOers to do some primary research when it comes to B School issues.
You don't have to believe some sensationalist article written by a website trying to attract page views. Do some primary research. Go on LinkedIn, and type in HBS in the advanced search field and look at the profiles of the type of people who have been getting in the fast few years. Even better if you can find a HBS alum to talk to in your company.
From my very crude observation/analysis, Dean Nohria and Dee Leopold are on a mission to permanently change the nature of the HBS student body. To put it very crudely, they want to make sure that flashy finance dudes (Gordon Gekko wannabes) do not get into HBS because they believe that it spoils the social fabric of the section/class. You probably think I am joking when I say they are screening for arrogance, but I am being dead serious. Any sort of arrogance is a major red flag for HBS admissions, and if you display that during any part of the admissions process, you are not getting in. Another way to put it is this - Nohria is on a missions to make sure that HBS does not graduate an MBA who will make the news for all the wrong reasons 10 years down the road. So, no more Jeffery Skillings
I know I didn't clearly state my point, but I hope you guys get it.
Just go on LinkedIn, and see the actual facts and you'll see what I mean. They are trying to become a student body of ordinary/humble people who have excelled at their careers.
Use LinkedIn to see if HBS admits are douchebags or not. Hmm...
This is pretty accurate. I worked with 3 HBS students over the summer and they were all very humble and came from non-finance backgrounds. Backgrounds were fashion, engineering (defense), and military. They never talked about being in HBS and certainly weren't there for the prestige alone.
100% agree the arrogance screen exists, but people with finance backgrounds are still getting into HBS - Bain Capital and Berkshire both got a ton of people in, and I know TH Lee, HIG, Charlesbank, Audax, and BV all got people in from Boston offices.
People with top BB+PE are still getting into HBS in pretty good numbers. It's the marginal finance people who are getting squeezed out (i.e., non-BB banks, traders, smaller PE shops and hedge funds).
CFAExtraordinaire is a on tear.
Brady how come you still read b-school admissions websites ??
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