HBS

I am currently in the process of applying to business school via the deferred admission route, and would like to give my $0.02 on the decision of whether to take the GMAT or GRE. When I first decided on whether to really focus on the GRE or GMAT for business school I looked at a bunch of posts on here as well as read articles online and saw (assumed) that the GMAT was pretty much the norm and - being strong in math - I opted to vigorously start studying for the GMAT. However, the plan to take the GMAT kinda blew up when (1) my in-person test got cancelled because of freaking COVID and (2) the

18 May 2020

Interested in hearing peoples views on the value of HBS / a Wharton MBA for those who plan on ending up in continental Europe / London over the long term. Recently discovered the HBS 2+2 program, and before I commit to preparing for the GMAT etc., I was wondering if anyone on this forum has been in a similar position and could share their experience. Clearly, it would require a significant investment of time and effort to put together a competitive application, and before doing so it would be good to hear if anyone who was successful in the process feels it was worthwhile. More broadly, how

24 Apr 2020

Hi, I'm currently 5 years into a career working in trading at a top prop trading firm (SIG, Jane Street etc) as part of a growing and successful team. The pay is now pretty decent ($400-600k) and the hours are manageable (~50 per week) but I feel that I might be more interested in a more qualitative field such as PE or consulting. As such I've considered applying to a top business school, but am concerned that I'd be taking a massive pay cut. Is it true that coming out of HBS I can expect to make no more than $200k? Are the compensation figures posted by the school (~$170k median salary)

19 Oct 2019

A bit of background: I interned at a BB in S&T last summer and took the return offer. My desk placement isn't done until the summer. I'm apprehensive as to whether I should ask an MD whose desk I interned on for a letter of recommendation to HBS's 2+2 deferred admission program. (It's deferred up to four years.) He knows that I am seriously considering joining his desk long-term and believes that I am talented, etc. I want to ask because I think he knows me well enough to write something really great, but I don't want to seem like I am looking to leave the firm. I just want to have the option

27 Jan 2020

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

05 Aug 2018

About one year ago, I did this Q&A about finishing my first year at HBS. Two years ago, I did this Q&A about being accepted and attending HBS. Seems only appropriate that I close this series out with Part 3... I will be busy with graduation-related activities (we just finished this thing today called "Class Day" and the actual commencement ceremony is tomorrow May 24), but I will do my best to respond to questions. Happy to

02 Jun 2018

All - Some of you might be knee-deep in the MBA application process (currently Round 2), and others might be considering applying next year. I was in your shoes about a year ago and know how convoluted the process can be - it's about as "black box" as it gets. Before I get any further - a bit about myself. I'm currently a first-year student (RC) at HBS. I've been a WSO reader and poster for over 10+ years now, and the community single-handedly got me through investment banking recruiting as an undergrad, and private equity recruiting pre-MBA. A couple of HBS / GSB / Wharton friends and I

20 Feb 2018

I got accepted into both HBS and GSB for the Class of 2020. I see several pro's and con's with each school for my particular situation, and I'm having a hard time deciding between the two. I'm interested in tech and want to live around the San Francisco Bay Area longterm, which I think would - under regular circumstances - lean in GSB's favor. However, I already have both a bachelor's degree and a master's degree from Stanford, so I think it would be valuable to get a different perspective for the MBA by attending Harvard instead of getting a third degree from Stanford, even if its focus area

05 Apr 2018

Hello, I am considering applying for the 2+2 MBA program at HBS and Deferred MBA at GSB, and I wanted to know if I have a decent shot before I spend the time writing essays and asking for recommenders. Here is some info: * Senior Undergrad at USC / UCLA / ND / Georgetown tier school (graduating in May) with full scholarship * 3.7 GPA, Computer Science & Business Admin Major * 5 internships, including as a software engineering intern at Google * Will be returning to Google as a software engineer upon graduation * Taking GRE Jan 4th 2019, but my SAT was ~2300/2400 (with 800 math and 800 writing)

08 Dec 2018

Approximately one year ago I did this Q&A about being accepted and attending HBS. A week ago I finished my last final exam of my RC year (1st year) at Harvard Business School. I have had some time to reflect on the experience (and some spare time before I start my internship this summer) and I thought it might be interesting to some in the community if I shared my experiences (I suppose you can call this "Part 2," if you will). I am happy to answer anything about the 1st year MBA experience at HBS (e.g. academics, career resources, social scene, etc.) No question (within reason...) is off

04 Jun 2017

I would like to extend a warm welcome to myself, Prestigious Pete. I am a jealousy amalgam, created from combining all the conceited, self-assured finance super douches into one man called Prestigious Pete. After finishing up at Andover, I went on to attend Yale University, where I majored in Sociology, played Varsity Golf, and was president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. I then marched over to Blackstone M&A upon graduating, because Goldman Sachs was not prestigious enough. After my brief stint at Blackstone, I went swiftly to Harvard Business School, where I spent two years going to

06 Apr 2017

I was fortunate enough to be accepted into HBS in Round 2 and will be heading there this Fall. I have never done a Q&A on this site before and I feel that now might be a good time to do so. I hope that sharing my experience with the MBA application process might be somewhat useful to the WSO community. Vital stats: Male Caucasian Education: AB from Harvard (Economics) GMAT: 730 (HBS median, e.g. nothing special) GPA: Slightly below HBS median (never came up during the interview as an issue)

03 May 2016

Hi all, Somehow I'm in a situation where I have to choose between HBS, Stanford & Wharton. Career goal: I want to end up at a long/short with an excellent track record and reputation. I'm currently in PE. Thoughts? Which one would you choose? And does it matter? Timeline wise: I've put down the deposits. I'm in a situation where my partner (fiance) is all R2. Right now I have no idea where we will go. I have a preference and she has a preference. TIM

16 Feb 2016

Hi guys - I'm going to begin my MBA application process for the class of 2020 soon (will be applying round 1), and I am trying to decide which of the MBA admissions consultants to engage with for my apps As background, I have a classic IBD / PE background (GS TMT / MS M&A --> Megafund like KKR / Carlyle / Apollo), and am aiming for HBS, Wharton, Columbia, and Stanford (will likely apply to at least 2 of these schools in Round 1). HBS is my 1st choice, and my research seems to suggest that HBSGuru is apparently really good for people with my type of background. However, many of my friends have

21 Apr 2017

My profile: - Ivy grad, 3.8 GPA, magna cum laude, science major, philosophy minor, English minor - 337/340 GRE (170 V/167 Q/5.5 essay, 99th percentile, 1600/1600 on old scale) - White - 1st job: worked at M7 b-school for 2 years as research assistant - 2nd job: Startup for 1.5 years - 3rd/current job: Business analyst at Google for 2+ years, working on ads and policy with PMs and engineers designing tools and implementation for controlling sensitive content in search and YouTube (beheadings, porn, terrorist content, etc., personally led 4 high visibility projects that affected feature use for

07 Dec 2016

I was fortunate to be accepted into HBS round 1, and am now weighing my options. I was also accepted to Booth(w/ 70K), Kellogg(w/ 90K), Tuck (full tuition), Yale SOM (full tuition), and McCombs (full tuition). Although HBS was my top choice, I am having a tough time coming to grips with the debt load that I would likely have to take to attend the school (won't know what scholarship award is from HBS until next month). I currently work for a major oil company and my immediate post-MBA goal is to transition to energy banking in Houston, and maybe PE following that if possible. Energy banking is

03 Jan 2015

Mod Note (Andy): Each day we'll be posting the top WSO forum posts of 2014. This one was originally posted on 10/1/2014 and ranks #23 for the year by total silver banana count. You can see all our top ranked content here. I'm just about a month and a half or so into my first year ("RC year") at Harvard Business School, and I wanted to write a bit about what it's been like so far. Since I'm still new to the place, take my experiences with the requisite grain of salt, but I've realized that various parts of what my "earlier self" thought this place was going to be like (the pros/cons) are pretty

17 Dec 2014

Hey, So I'm getting prepped to apply this fall for 2018 admission, and wanted to get an assessment on my chances of getting into HBS or Stanford and how realistic that is. I would love to go there but also don't want to get my hopes up to high as I've just started the application process. My Stats are as follows: Ethnicity: Hispanic, Dual Citizen, but European last name (don't know how much that matters) Undergrad: Top 5 University (varies between top 3 and top 7 depending on the ranking website), 3.6 GPA Work Experience: Restructuring and Turnaround out of college, was promoted

05 Apr 2017

Who in their right mind would get accepted to Harvard Business School and turn it down? Turns out the answer is: someone who also got into Stanford.

Interesting article about those fortunate enough to get accepted into multiple top MBA programs, and where they ultimately decide to go. Stanford beats out Harvard 56% to 22% of the time, and 22% choose to attend other MBA programs.

01 Feb 2015

This is consistent with what I've been hearing from inside sources for a number of years. That dual admits long used to split about 50/50 but that recently (for a few years now) it is heavily in Stanford's favor to the tune of 3:1. [quote]"These choices are closely guarded secrets in the world of MBA admissions, but for the first time Bloomberg Businessweek today (Jan. 28) sorted through its most recent survey data to find answers to these often agonizing decisions... "...When it comes to Harvard and Stanford, the results give the West Coast school a big edge-mainly due to the increasing

03 Feb 2015

Venture Capital and Private Equity has surpassed Consulting as the top industry experience at HBS class of 2017, accounting for 17% of incoming students. [quote] For the first time ever, Harvard Business School is enrolling more students with backgrounds in venture capital and private equity than those in consulting or any other field. For this fall's incoming group of MBA students, 17% of the entire class–or 166 out of the 940 first years–will hail from VC and PE firms versus just 16% from consulting, down two percentage points from last year. That's an even more significant decline in

02 Sep 2015

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-business-school-just-rejected/

20 Feb 2015

Each year, every first-year student at Harvard Business School spends a semester building a startup in teams of five or six. In total, 180 teams work to gain traction and prove a viable business model in less than six months. I learned a lot from starting cleverlayover with my team as part of this Harvard experiment and from watching the other teams tackle incredible challenges. It was definitely inspiring to see some of the innovative ideas developed by our peers. I'd like to share some of the insights we learned through all the hard work; after all, rarely do you get the chance to observe

11 Jul 2015

Wondering how you guys would gauge the value of an MBA for someone in my position (experienced assoc. at a young LMM). I'm comfortable with my resume from a name-brand standpoint, having done the whole Wharton + BB path, and on-paper I don't see myself as needing an MBA (debut fund, LMM, team dynamic feels as non-hierarchical as a finance firm can be), although I acknowledge that it may help down the line in terms of LPs + fundraising, portfolio co dynamics, and talking to founders/execs of potential targets. And of course, the network would be super great to have as well. Two other factors

23 Nov 2019

Stats: 3.5 GPA from Top Public School (Think Berkeley) JP Morgan Private Banking Analyst GMAT 730 Do I have a chance at top 10 business schools? Thanks!

22 May 2015

Anyone with good news today?

12 Dec 2014

A HBS student indulges in self-righteous whining about the "excessive" partying scene at HBS and the lack of an intellectual culture. Is this guy freaking kidding? First, he doesn't have the courage to reveal his name since he knows his classmates will rightfully make fun of him. Second, did this guy not do his research on what b-school is about and specifically, what goes on at HBS? B-school is ultimately very little about grades and classes. Not saying that you shouldn't learn, but most MBA classes are quite frankly worthless. Spending so much time prepping for them is a huge waste. If this guy can't afford to party with the rich HBS ballers, he can still attend other social events, network, establish lifelong bonds, and improve his social skills.

26 Nov 2014

I'm in the very fortunate position of having been admitted to both HBS 2+2 and the Stanford GSB deferral program for seniors on Wednesday. I've been really struggling with the decision - Harvard's brand is unparalleled, but the Stanford GSB seems like a unique environment and culture, especially given the small size and entrepreneurial slant. In May I'll be graduating from Harvard undergrad (working in PE post-graduation), so that slightly has me leaning towards the GSB. Any advice or ideas would be greatly appreciated, and I'm happy to answer questions re: my background or other things

12 Dec 2014

Hi, What are my chances at HBS given finance background and high GMAT/GPA?

18 Aug 2015

I signed up to have my HBS interview in mid-Feb and have been trying to prepare by talking to as many alums as I can get to listen to me. Many are a few years removed and have advised me to try to get as fresh a perspective as possible since the school "changes their interview style often." Despite the possibility of them being outdated, I have a couple of mock interviews lined up. Much of the content on this site and the web in general has been useful, though new and recent advice/perspectives are always helpful. Have any of you been in touch with current/recent alums and/or have any words of

01 Feb 2015

For 72 hours only I am pleased to announce that the Clear Admit Harvard Business School guide will be FREE for download on the Clear Admit site! Read the post on the Clear Admit blog to receive the code to check out this 48-page, critically acclaimed guide for free! Get an edge on the competition as you prepare to submit your MBA application for the Class of 2017. Become an expert on the school overnight! Click here for details: http://blog.clearadmit.com/2014/09/free-harvard-business-school-guide/ Let me know if you have questions or any issues getting your guide! Best, Erin

05 Sep 2014

Hi guys, I am facing an important decision for my career and I like to share it with you. Background: • Italian Management Consultant, I've been working for almost 3 years now for Second Tier Consulting firm (Top 4/5 in Europe according to most rankings , way below in US) • Planning to apply to MBA (2nd round, starting date August 2017), targeting HBS/Wharton/Columbia in USA or LBS/Insead in Europe • My firm is willing to finance (partly) my MBA but this will theoretically imply a lock-in period of 2 years • Short / medium-term career goal: switch to PE I know that it will sound pretty

27 Sep 2016

As some celebrate the end of the grueling admission process (short,compbanker etc) others are just beginning (class of 2016) I will be applying to the usual suspects this fall, came across this post and thought to myself "the new formula for getting into HBS" goes something like this; found a start up (no matter how boring) + found/be highly active in an NGO = $$$$ What are your thoughts on this new trendfrom blue chip/BB+PE experience to start up and NGO experience. **Management consultants still seem to get some love. [quote] Harvard Business School is one of the most exclusive institutions

08 May 2013

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/education/harvard-business-students-see-class-as-divisive-an-issue-as-gender.html?hp Me thinks not. He would probably be never invited to their events. Edit: None of us worker bees would ever be accepted.

09 Sep 2013

Fellow monkeys, With the release of R2 decisions this week for the majority of schools, I thought we'd start a thread for everyone that'll be matriculating somewhere this fall. Where'd you apply? Where are you in at? Where are you headed?

28 Mar 2013

Speechless ... http://www.boston.com/food-dining/restaurants/2014/12/09/harvard-business-school-professor-goes-war-over-worth-chinese-food/KfMaEhab6uUY1COCnTbrXP/story.html

12 Dec 2014

I read recently that HBS and GSB sometimes have lower placement rates upon graduation because the students hold out for 'unicorn jobs'. What would be some specific examples of jobs like this? Is it referring to positions such as C-suite at start-ups, or are there specific firms which they target?

25 Mar 2015

so anyone receive the invitation today? apparently went out at noon EST. i didn't get one

09 Oct 2013

It is often assumed that Tier 1 of B-schools is "H/S/W." It is also (I believe) generally assumed that within the top 3, H/S are tied for #1 and Wharton is a clear #3. I think that it is fairly clear that H > W from a reputation standpoint. I think whether S >W depends on whether one is focused on tech / entrepreneurship. What are everyone's thoughts (clearly this is a totally subjective question)? Is Wharton clearly a "Tier 1.5" in the minds of people, or would you lump it into the "Tier 1" and make no distinction?

28 Apr 2014

Damn, maybe Brady was right. So I AM sitting at this fancy restaurant+bar in Cambridge last night, and in comes this group of guys with their HBS fleece jackets. (I couldn't normally afford this place, but just went there for a special occasion) As I'm looking at these guys, I'm thinking - I may not have achieved much compared to these guys in life, but at least I am not a loser like them. I kid you not, it was almost Brady like. They definitely had some swagger. I mean I'm sure since the place in in Cambridge there were students from the Harvard Law, Med schools as well. But you don't see them wearing jackets with HLS labels.

27 Nov 2013

Ok. I'm going to get sht on REAL hard for making this thread but whatever. I just got an e-mail from a friend who just started HBS. I'm pasting the contents below verbatim, except for names of course. "Sup Brady! It's great hearing from you. Hope chi-town is treating you well. But yeah, HBS just started, still going through orientation. Man, I'm having a fcking blast so far. Tons of parties, people getting blasted every night. Of course once classes start, we will calm down just a little bit. Lol. But i've been going out to tons of spots in boston and meeting chicks left and right. You're

28 Aug 2012

It doesn't seem like a particularly controversial statement to say there are only a few reasons why someone from a top banking/consulting + private equity background would apply for an MBA: You think you want to stay on the path you're on, but kind of burned out and want to have a good time while you still can You think you want to stay on the path you're on, but you need to find a new fund via MBA recruiting You don't think you want to stay on the path you're on, and want some low-risk time to figure it out I think I fall into the 3rd bucket; I've already got my brass ring from consulting and PE, but I don't think I want to do either long term. Academics

13 Apr 2014

I'm a rising senior at a target school considering applying to HBS 2+2. I haven't taken the GMAT yet and will take it soon (within 8 weeks) if I have shot of getting in (given that I score 750+ on the GMAT--I scored 700 cold on a practice test and am confident I can get it up to 750+ with preparation). If I don't have a shot at 2+2, I won't bother with the GMAT until later. Important Info: Asian female GPA: 3.6 in humanities major Work Experience: boutique consulting internship, marketing internships Essay: will be a strength, very good at essays My main concern is my GPA. I have an upward

02 Aug 2015

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/10/education/harvard-business-students-see-class-as-divisive-an-issue-as-gender.html Does anyone else thing this article is kind of stupid and non-news? To summarize: There is a select group of international, very wealthy, ostentatious and cliche-y students at HBS. Big fucking deal. That's the case in every single higher-education institution in this country. News flash, there is much more wealth disparity in the RoW than in the US, and the US... having the most developed, best regarded, and most fun higher education institutions tends to attract the well off international crowd. Its really has nothing to do with HBS. In fact, if this phenomena wasn't present at HBS, I would actually find that much more interesting and noteworthy.

09 Sep 2013

"Absurdly profitable company seeks journalist with ten years' experience and a Harvard MBA for extremely highly paid, low stress job in which he can wear nice suits and loaf around in air-conditioned splendor making the very occasional executive decision. Requirements: an acute discomfort in the presence of spreadsheets, inability to play golf, poorly concealed loathing of corporate life, knowledge of ancient Greek." – The Help Wanted Ad I Sought But Never Found

We spend a lot of time on WSO talking about business school, wondering whether it is right for us. And it seems that

09 Mar 2013

My boyfriend is going to HBS next year (he got admission for this academic year, but deferred till next year because of work) and we're saving up for b-school now. I'm going to transfer to my firm's Boston office. On my income and his savings we could live very comfortably, but since b-school is so expensive most of the money is going into that. Where do HBS students live to save money but get decent apartments? Most of the people I've spoken to live on campus in dorms, or they live in university housing on Western Ave. But from what I've heard, it's a very "campus" feel and it's not like you have interesting restaurants or music venues right on your doorstep. We're moving from New York, so we definitely don't want to constantly be in a campus environment.

08 Sep 2012

I just recently watched the CNBC special on HBS and was wondering if the school is really worth the hype? I have a lot of friends that went to ivy league schools and now regret taking on the debt only to get a job they could've gotten just by going to a nice (and much cheaper) public school...

04 Jun 2012

Anyone have this? Is so can we talk, would be much appreciated. Thanks.

03 Nov 2012

How many of you are applying to HBS this cycle? What are your "stats" (GMAT, GPA ...)? How far are you in the process? I'm sorry if such topic has already been posted. Please also feel free to join the group: http://www.wallstreetoasis.com/group/hbs-applican…

04 Nov 2012

Mod Note (Andy): This is a syndication from ryanallis.com The admissions department at Harvard Business School asked me to write a reflection on my first semester for the Class of 2015 pre-matriculation blog. Here's what I sent in. I hope it gives an insight into what I've experienced the last four months. In summary, I'm loving every moment. Come visit me in the Spring semester if you'd like to see HBS for yourself! A Letter to the HBS Class of 2015 A Review of the First Semester of Harvard Business School By Ryan Allis, Class of 2014, Section F December 17, 2012 Dear Future Friend

26 Dec 2012