harbus mba essay guide pdf

A New Collection Of 22 Essays That Got Applicants Into HBS

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Harvard Business School’s iconic Baker Library

After a three-year hiatus, the MBA students at Harvard Business School today published a new collection of admission essays written by successful applicants to HBS. The new guide, assembled by the editors of The Harbus , the school’s MBA student newspaper, includes 22 essays along with commentary by essay contributors and individual analyses from the newspaper’s editorial staff.

Harsha Mulchandani, a first-year MBA at Harvard and CEO of The Harbus , attributes the lapse of publishing what had been an annual MBA essay guide to other priorities for earlier editors of The Harbus along with a natural reluctance among many students to share their essays.

“People often feel that the essays are too personal and so it takes a lot of reaching out and multiple rounds of following up to get people to contribute essays,” says Mulchandani, who has also worked for The Boston Consulting Group. That’s despite the fact that The Harbus agrees to anonymize identities, cities, countries, and institutions to protect the identity of the authors.

ESSAYS FROM STUDENTS IN CLASSES OF 2020 & 2021

The Harbus MBA Essay Guide: Summer 2020 Edition features 22 actual essays written by successful MBA applicants

The summer 2020 edition of the MBA Essay Guide sells for $64.99 and can be instantly downloaded from the newspaper’s website (you can read three of the essays reprinted with permission from The Harbus at Poets&Quants). There also are higher-priced packages for prospective applicants who may want the latest version with the last guide published in the summer of 2017. Funds raised from the sale of the guides go to the non-profit Harbus which distributes its surplus to a charity at the end of the academic year.

The essays in the updated guide are from students in the classes of 2020 and 2021 and address the school’s current lone essay prompt: “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?”

Mulchandani, who says she bought a copy of the previous guide before applying to HBS from WestBridge Capital where she was an investment analyst in Bangalore, considers the it an invaluable to candidates of any of the highly selective business schools. “I was a fan of the guide before I was a student,” she says. “I was a user. I urged some of my friends who didn’t have guidance from an admissions consultant to buy a guide.”

‘SHE HAD JUST BEATEN MY SOLDIER WITH A FRYING PAN’

The editors note that the book is a “great resource to help you figure out how you want to write your story in a way that is personal and gives the reader a glimpse into your world. Reading the enclosed essays will show you how the admitted students approached the question in creative ways.”

If anything, the collection shows that you don’t need the skills of a New Yorker writer to craft an effective essay. Few of the pieces are especially eloquent, though there are some rather fetching openers. Example: “Why? It is a seemingly simple question, but often one of the most challenging and uncomfortable to answer. It’s the question every entrepreneur asks before coming up with a disruptive solution. It’s the question Newton asked the day a falling apple changed physics forever.”

And there are lines, for sure, that grab one’s attention. “I never imagined my first duty as an Army Officer would be to pick up a soldier from jail after a domestic violence dispute. But there I was at the military police station, confronted by an angry Army wife who had just beaten my soldier with a frying pan.”

‘WRITING THE APPLICATION WAS THERAPY’

Harsha Mulchandani, CEO of The Harbus & a first-year MBA at Harvard

The upshot: Reading this collection would likely liberate applicants from at least some anxiety over facing a blank screen on their computers. Some of the essays are informal; others are little more than talking resumes. They are generally free of grammatical errors and typos, though many are not as clear nor concise as they could be.

Sometimes, more helpful than the essay itself are the perspectives or advice from the applicants. One Israeli student who had worked in the tech industry revealed that for him writing the application was therapy. “Revisiting my life in general, and my career path in particular, I tried to find what were some different factors that played as main drivers to my decision,” he wrote. “I had a good friend with whom I held lengthy conversations, and who helped find the link, or the motif, between some of the stories. This link became my narrative. After writing a few drafts, I hired a proofreader to polish the essay, as I am not a native speaker. The next phase was to send out the essay to alumni friends and acquaintances that were kind enough to provide me with feedback. I put less emphasis on why MBA made the most sense to me, and more on my personal journey, leading the adcom to see themselves from my writing.”  

Some 15 of the 22 essays were written by candidates who lived in the U.S., two from India, and one each from Brazil, Greece, Israel, Netherlands, and Russia. The authors worked in a wide variety of industries, from consumer products and tech to i-banking and consulting. There are a pair of essays from successful applicants to Harvard’s 2+2 deferred admissions program. And women were clearly more generous in sharing their essays than men: 14 of the essays were written by women versus the eight by men.

‘A RETAIL LEADER FROM WILLY WONKA’S CHOCOLATE FACTORY’

Each essay boasts an often catchy headline written by the editors, including “Master of Your Destiny,” “Dancing With The Stars,” “A Retail Leader from Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory,” and “Beauty and the Beholder,” the last of which is reprinted by Poets&Quants under arrangement with The Harbus . It is also a personal favorite of Mulchandani, who with her classmates played a major role in assembling the guide and getting it published.

The editors also parcel out some basic, if worthwhile, advice to would-be applicants. “First, begin your writing process with a period of honest reflection about your motivations, goals and choices to date,” the guide advises. “Secondly, seek out feedback on drafts of your essay from people who know you well. Others can tell you whether your essay is clear, but only people who know you well can tell you whether your essay really brings out YOU.”

The essay, of course, is just one of many parts of a successful application to a business school. Many would argue that a candidate’s grade point average or standardized test score looms larger in the scheme of things as does whether an applicant went to a feeder college or worked for a feeder company.

Asked if she could estimate how important the essay is to an admit at Harvard Business School, Mulchandani believes it would be impossible to assign a weight to it. “It is no more or no less important than the other elements of your application,” she believes. “It is seen as a package. I could not put a number to it if I wanted to because that would not be factual. But it is one of the critical elements that can help you in the process.

‘IT’S IMPORTANT TO SEE ALL THE PIECES OF THE PUZZLE’

“Everything else in the application is where you lay out facts,” adds Mulchandani. “And this is where you get the chance to tell a story. Stories are the most well-accepted form of communication. Putting a story out there that speaks to who you are makes it one of the most important elements. It adds another element that is really important and is a part of your personality.”

That view was reinforced when she did her 30-minute interview with an HBS admissions officer that ultimately led to her acceptance. “I felt that in my interview at least 70% to 80% of the questions were based on my essay. The stories I spoke about were the stories that were emphasized in the interview. In that sense, it bleeds into other elements of your application. So it’s important to see all the pieces of this puzzle.”

DON’T MISS: MBA ESSAYS THAT GOT THESE THREE WOMEN INTO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

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Sample Essays from Admitted HBS Students

• Sample HBS Essay [2020]: Vulnerable But Invincible
• Sample HBS Essay [2016]: The Mechanical Engineer
• Sample HBS Essay [2015]: The Author

I read the new 2020 Harbus MBA Essay Guide wondering what I was going to gain from it. I’ve been reading HBS MBA application essays for 26 years. I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. I also had read the previous Harbus MBA Essay Guide , and the question Harvard is asking hasn’t changed since that one was published. However, while I started The Essay Guide a skeptic, I quickly saw its value, and can whole-heartedly recommend it to HBS applicants. 

Even after having read hundreds of HBS essays, I still found it worthwhile to read The Essay Guide . For applicants who have preconceived notions of what an admissible essay should be, The Essay Guide will open your eyes to 22 successful and different responses. For applicants who are wondering how on earth they should approach their essay, the guide will give them 22 different answers. 

For me it reinforced several valuable lessons:

• There really is no template for a successful HBS essay. The diversity of essays that are acceptable — no pun intended, well maybe a little intended — to Harvard Business School is striking.  
• The commitment of most of the authors to telling their story is also noteworthy. Several said they asked friends to confirm that the essay really mirrors them. Others wrote that they were determined that the essay present an authentic portrait of them.
• Most of the students wrote the essay over the course of months. Give yourself time to draft a persuasive, introspective, and authentic essay. 

Harvard’s question is a fantastic one. It is a probing one. And it requires you to probe yourself so that you can provide a profound reflection of you as you tell the HBS admissions committee what you really want them to know.

A successful Harvard Business School application essay [2020]

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus .  

Essay: Vulnerable But Invincible 

Home country: USA

Previous industry: Consulting

Analysis: The author takes a rather bold approach here. She uses the essay to point to the times when she showed vulnerability in the workplace. This essay presents a strong example of how an essay can be used to complement different aspects of your personality – while resume and application can be used to highlight accomplishments, the essay has been intelligently used to show author’s capacity to be strong enough to talk about situations when she broke down in a professional capacity, but took lessons from each of these situations and employed them to her strength.

I have cried exactly four times at work.

The first time was early in my career. It was 2AM and I was lying in bed struggling with an Excel model. An overachiever my whole life, I was wholly unused to the feelings of inadequacy and incompetence bubbling up inside me. After clicking through dozens of Excel forums with still no right answer, I gave up and cried myself to sleep, vowing to never let myself feel so incapable again.

The second time was a year and a half later. I was unsatisfied with my project and role, and questioning my decision to be a consultant. That uncertainty must have been apparent to everyone, because my manager pulled me aside and bluntly told me that my attitude was affecting the entire team. I cried in front of him, devastated that I had let my doubts bleed into my work.

The third time was just a year ago. I was overseeing a process redesign and struggling to balance the many changes needed. The Partner called me into his office to say, “I’m worried our process is not as sound as it needs to be. I need to know that you care about this as much as I do.” I nodded, say that I do, then ran to the bathroom to cry, overwhelmed by how much change I knew was coming.

Each of the first three times was driven by frustration and anger. I had tamped down my emotions to the point where they overwhelmed me. Particularly as a young woman in business, I never wanted to be viewed as a stereotype or incapable. I was ashamed of my tears and terrified at how others would perceive me.

However, each of those experiences proved to be a turning point. My tears motivated me to ask for help when I needed it, pushed me to restructure my mindset and approach, and gave me a moment to breathe, rebalance, and reprioritize. In each case, my work was better for it. I have also used each experience as a learning moment. Each time I asked myself what decisions led me to the point of tears, and what I could have done differently. I could have raised my hand earlier for help, initiated a conversation with my manager about my uncertainty and dissatisfaction, or involved the Partner more actively in the planning and prioritization. While I can’t change the past, I can learn from it, and am more considerate of such outcomes when I make these decisions today.

Emotions are an inevitable part of the human experience, and as such, an inevitable part of the office. Rather than keeping them at bay, I have begun embracing my emotions to be a better manager and leader, and build more authentic connections. As a manager, I understand my team as people, not just colleagues. I have regular conversations with each of my team members to understand their individual goals and motivations, so I can take those into consideration when building the team structure and delegating responsibilities. As a leader, I invest in traditions and events that foster camaraderie and high morale. I am the proud founder of [NAME OF OFFICE PROGRAM] in the office, a beloved tradition that is now an integral part of the office and that I hope will continue even after I leave.

The fourth time I cried was at the rollout of a process redesign I oversaw. This was our first time demo-ing the new process end-to-end for the rest of the team. As the demo progressed, I felt the team’s energy turn from nervous anticipation to dawning excitement, and finally to sheer awe and amazement. As the demo ended, one of my teammates turned to me, and asked in a hushed voice, “Are you crying?” And I was. This time, I cried not with frustration or anger. This time, I cried with joy for our success and with pride for my team. Embracing my emotions allowed me to show that tears are not shameful and don’t need to be hidden in the workplace. I am no longer ashamed of my tears, and I am proud to demonstrate that a strong leader can be pragmatic and emotional all at once.

Word count: 705

Author’s comment: “I started early on my essay (~ 3 months before the submission deadline) because it was important to me to iterate and be thoughtful. I started by laying out potential themes and stories for my essay, and while there are a lot of similarities, the core message changed quite a bit. Don’t get too attached to any one story or theme and allow yourself to let go of a draft if it’s not the right one. What I found most helpful was having 2-3 close friends that I trust wholeheartedly review multiple drafts, because they were able to provide continuous feedback and help me combine pieces from multiple drafts. None of them had ever gone to or applied to business school, but were experienced in writing and communication (e.g. one is a screenwriter) which helped me focus on communicating MY story more so than what is the story that HBS Admissions would most like.”

A successful Harvard Business School application essay [2016]

This sample essay is from  The Harbus MBA Essay Guide  and is reprinted with permission from Harbus. 

Essay: The Mechanical Engineer

Author’s home country: United States of America Author’s previous industry/profession: Operations consulting, operations management  Author gender: Male

Analysis:   The author focuses his essay on two themes – his professional experience as an operations consultant and an experience which motivated him to go for an MBA. Through the essay, the author is able to highlight his professional skills, achievement as well as give a clear picture of his long-term career plans and his reasons for doing an MBA.

I’m [APPLICANT’S FIRST NAME] and I have journeyed here from the hallowed grounds of [APPLICANT’S U.S. NEW ENGLAND HOMETOWN], where I spent my formative years amid wild dreams of achieving greatness by setting world records and winning the Olympics. As I’ve hung up my [OLYMPIC SPORT’S TRADITIONAL SHOES] in favor of business shoes, those dreams have evolved into a desire to achieve greatness in a different arena. Today, my dream centers on helping companies leverage technology to propel their operations into the future, providing unparalleled customer service and delivery, with an operational efficiency to match.

I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in [GRADUATION YEAR] and spent my first 3 years out of college working as an operations consultant. It was my job to walk into a manufacturing plant and drive significant operational change – for example, I once spent 3 months walking the sticky floors of a milk plant in [MID-SIZED U.S. SOUTHEASTERN CITY] helping plant management boost throughput by 30% in order to take on a new customer. We accomplished this goal with zero capital spend, a feat many had believed was impossible. In our projects, the biggest challenge was almost always convincing managers to reach for that extra tad of unseen opportunity hiding within the operation, because oftentimes it was very difficult to look beyond the daily struggles that plagued their operations. I worked directly with 5-8 person “rapid results teams,” coaching them on how to think about operational improvement, motivating them to sprint towards it, and leading them through the analysis required to capture it. I left those milk, water and oil sands plants with many enduring friendships and inspiring operational victories borne from our journey from ambitious goals to concrete results.

<< READ: What is HBS Looking For? >>

I’ve spent the past two years working in supply chain management at a private industrial goods supplier. I chose direct management because I wanted to drive these same inspirational improvements in an operation I owned. My role was to manage and improve the operation, and through my experience, I learned the nuts and bolts of the supply chain industry. However, my dream of innovating supply chain operations pushed me to consider transitioning to an organization with an ambitious, transformative purpose. In fact, last year I had a unique opportunity to reflect on what type of impact matters to me. This opportunity was my first ever trip to [NORTHWEST AFRICAN REGION], the place of my family’s origin.

On the second day of the trip, I journeyed to [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN TOWN], a small town nestled next an enormous active volcano that is surrounded by a wide expanse of rich volcanic soil, which is used to make wine. This wine is sipped by adventure-seeking tourists relaxing after a long day on the volcano, and thus the town’s two major industries, wine and tourism, are sustained. When we arrived at the town, I was shocked to see it buried by an avalanche of volcanic rock from an eruption [A FEW YEARS PRIOR]. As our guide lamented on the dreary prospects of the Page 2 of 2 town, I was amazed to see just how important these two industries had been to its development.

Through this real world example, I was able to clearly visualize the impact businesses can have on their broader environment, an understanding that had not been as evident to me while working in the larger, more complex American economy. For example, I had spent hours walking among the dilapidated buildings speckling the warehouse district in Cleveland, but only after my trip did I connect them to the decline of the Midwestern manufacturing industry. Upon my return, armed with this broader perspective, I decided my next step would be to attend business school. There I would gain the technical, operational and leadership skills to make my transition to an organization whose goal was to drive change in its broader industry and community, as those wine and tourism companies had done in [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN TOWN OF FAMILY’S ORIGIN].

So, that is how I arrived in front of you today. My goal is to humbly learn as much as I can from our section, our professors, and our experiences. I am excited to get to know you, and will always do my best to support our section intellectually and athletically (we will be the future section Olympics champions!).

How about yourself?

Word Count: 711

Author’s comment:   While the initial draft of my essay did not take more than an hour or two, it was the revision process that I spent a significant amount of time on. I think the most important part of the essay writing process is to ensure that your story and personality come through – and this is perhaps the most difficult part! To help with this, I had individuals who were not as familiar with my story and why I wanted to go to business school provide me with feedback in addition to those with whom I worked closely.

Linda’s comment:

I would hate for any of you to read this essay or any of the other essays in  The Harbus MBA Essay Guide , which I recommend, and think “This is a great template. I’m going to tell a story just like this one!” Bad idea. Wrong response.

The one take-away from this essay and the other successful essays in this book is that the reader feels a little like s/he is meeting the author – not someone else and not some masked being.  Individuality is the common thread in those essays; it isn’t brilliant prose or incredible writing. It’s authenticity and humanity. And yes, the author is accomplished too.

I chose this essay from the Harbus collection because I know there are many engineers applying. Some — both in and out of their field — think of the profession as boring or common. But this essay is neither boring nor common. I loved it because the writer comes to life, and  his passion  and personality shine through. He doesn’t get bogged down in technicalities, industrial jargon, or an alphabet soup of acronyms. He tells his story with energy and clarity, from his perspective, and with a focus on his impact.

Now that’s an example you can follow: Tell  your  story with energy and clarity, from  your  perspective, and with a focus on  your  impact.

Check out what recent applicants have to say about working with Accepted:

A successful harvard business school application essay [2015], the 2014-15 harvard business school essay question:.

You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores, and what your recommenders have to say about you. What else would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy?

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus.  

Essay: The Author

Author’s Background: Finance & Media

The author sets the stage for the remainder of the essay by first presenting a notable accomplishment of hers and then explicitly illustrating the entrepreneurial drive and diligence she used to see it through. More importantly, the author’s opening introduces a theme – storytelling – that is consistently interwoven through different stages of her life. The reader is lead through the author’s childhood, professional and extracurricular experiences, along with accomplishments, all the while being reminded of the integral role storytelling has played. Beyond highlighting her gift, or passion for the art of storytelling, the author goes on to connect this theme with her future career ambitions, as well as describe how this could also serve the HBS community.

In 2012, I realized a life ambition – I completed my first novel, all while working full time at [Top U.S. Investment Bank]. I could not wait to share it with the world and eagerly went in search of a literary agent. But each agent I contacted declined to represent my novel.

Storytelling is my lifelong passion; it saw me through a difficult childhood. After my father left, my mother raised me as a single parent in [U.S. City/State], a rural Bible Belt town two hours south of [U.S. State]. We did not have much money and that coupled with my bookishness made me a target for bullies. Books and writing were an escape; they gave me an avenue to articulate the feelings of abandonment and powerlessness I otherwise did not want to express. Writing made me happy and the more I wrote, the more my talent blossomed. I began to win awards and my work was published in youth literary journals. These experiences made me more confident, a key part of my success later in life. It all started with a pen, a notebook, and my imagination. Nevertheless, I was passionate about my work and was determined to put it into readers’ hands. In true entrepreneurial fashion, I self-published my novel through the digital platforms Smashwords and Createspace. I worked with a promotional expert to organize a month-long book tour to promote the book to prominent book bloggers and their readers. The result? My novel has received multiple 5-star reader reviews, from Amazon to Goodreads, and was a semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award.

Stories are an integral part of the human experience. They uplift and inspire, give us permission to dream and to visualize what could be. Storytelling has been an integral part of my career, from building financial models at [Top U.S. Investment Bank] that illustrated my expectations for the companies that I covered to delivering a presentation to [International Daily Newspaper] ’s chief revenue officer explaining why reducing ad prices for tender house advertisers would not lead to an increase in revenue.

My passion has also informed my growth as a leader; I believe my most impactful expressions of leadership have been my efforts to help others write the narratives of their own lives and careers. At [Top U.S. Investment Bank], I created an informal mentorship program for female and minority interns and first-year analysts in the research division and led a “soft skills” class to help new analysts handle difficult interpersonal situations. For four years, I’ve mentored a young Hispanic woman through Student Sponsor Partners, a nonprofit that gives low-income students scholarships to private high schools. Being a mentor gave me the privilege of guiding another first generation college student along what I know can be a lonely, difficult path. This fall, she started college with a full scholarship.

Storytelling will be a part of my future career path; as an MBA graduate, my goal is to obtain a position in strategy and business development at an entertainment company that specializes in film or television. Long term, I want to start a multimedia and merchandising company with a publishing arm (books and magazines) as well as film, TV, and digital operations. Using strong, fictional heroines and informative lifestyle content, my company’s goal will be to educate and inspire women to become their best selves. My particular focus is creating compelling, multidimensional characters to inspire young women of color, who are constantly bombarded by negative images of women who look like them in media.

I’m pursuing a Harvard MBA because I want to become a better business strategist and strong general manager. Also, I want to further develop my leadership and presentation skills as I will manage professionals on the content and business side; it will be my task to unite them behind a shared strategic vision. Specifically, I want to learn how to motivate teams and individuals to perform at their highest level, and to become more adept at persuasion and generating “buy-in” from others. Harvard’s unique approach using the case method and emphasis on leadership development will challenge me to grow in both these areas. I also feel that I have much to contribute to Harvard’s community. My varied background in finance and media has given me a unique perspective that will be valuable in classroom discussions and team projects. I want to share my passion for the entertainment industry with my classmates by chairing the Entertainment & Media club and planning conferences, career treks, and other opportunities.

My background gives me the capacity for fearless thinking that is needed to meet the challenges of the entertainment industry’s shifting landscape. A Harvard MBA will strengthen that foundation and help me to become the kind of dynamic leader who can bring the vision for my own company to life and be at the forefront of entertainment’s structural shift.

Time & Effort: “It was about 6 or 7 drafts. Not sure on the hours.”

Word Count: 805

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus . We highly recommend the book!

If you would like advice on responding to this year’s HBS essay question, (which is different from the 2014-15 prompt) please read our Harvard Business School essay tips .

Linda’s comments:

Bottom line: You want your readers to feel like that they are meeting you — not someone else, not a scripted piece of shallow PR devoid of personality and humanity, and not some phony combo of you and the author of an essay in a guidebook or on a website. They really and truly want to meet you!

So think about your story. 

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Related Resources:

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HBS GURU --B SCHOOL CONSULTING

This wide-ranging interview with me appeared in the march 13th 2006 edition of harbus, the newspaper of the harvard business school, the case for admissions consultants:, an interview with sandy kreisberg founder of cambridge essay service.

HARBUS –THE NEWSPAPER OF HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL

HARBUS: Why did you say our HARBUS essay book “65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays” is really “65 Mediocre Essays From Successful Applications?”

SANDY: Ha, ha. Well, on the record, probably “35 Mediocre Essays,” which are either under-cooked in terms of facts, quotes, examples, or got to the real point at the end and then did not bother to start over, or never followed up on the meaning/significance of the experience. Those are classic mistakes, but at HBS, essay execution does not count so much as essay DNA. If you have powerful experiences, the adcom will meet you half way.

HARBUS: What do you mean?

SANDY: I read lots of applications from accepted HBS students with weak or so-so essays, or essays that could have been improved, or essays that are, in cases, confusing, but you can usually figure out why those applicants were accepted. They presented diverse, powerful experiences, even if not fully captured. Applying to HBS is not an essay contest. If applicant A has a perfect essay about not much, and if applicant B extrudes the factual underpinnings of having a big impact on an underserved group, you go with applicant B, on the theory that she can perfect her writing when she gets here, or never become a great writer but become a powerful leader, and hire professionals to do her writing.

HARBUS: Is that true at all schools?

SANDY : No, at Wharton and Stanford essay execution really counts way more. At Wharton you can commit suicide if you don’t really nail why Wharton, why now, goals. At Stanford, you really need to be on their wavelength in Essay A about what matters most, although if they want you, they will blink a bit, too. Although, HBS, to its credit I suppose, will blink the most, both about technical essay execution and stats, especially the GMAT.

HARBUS: OK, given the recent push back from adcoms about consultants, what are the best arguments in favor of consultants?

SANDY: Consultants can level the information grid, both in the obvious example that applicants from banks and consulting shops have a lot of contextual information about applying, about what questions really mean–if not the secret handshake–then just the data base of previous successful applicants from their firms, and access to mentors, successful peers now at school X, Y, and Z etc.

HARBUS: And?

SANDY: And in the not so obvious example of being a group of dedicated school watchers, who stay around year after year, (consultants) can be an added voice to that of the official information provided by the school. Consultants are like stock analysts, who are not perfect either obviously, but who do interpret what the official company line is, have industry expertise, and in cases, force a company to own up to mistakes, or just operate with the healthy knowledge that someone is watching them.

HARBUS: Huh? Consultants do that?

SANDY: You bet, consultants are outgrowths of the blog and internet culture of the past 10 years, and most consultants, including me, define their ‘brand’ on blogs and internet forums like Business Week’s, which has about 10 leading consultants all giving advice, chewing over any event like grade disclosure, hacking, interview scheduling, 3rd-round applications, age limits at various schools, dean changes, EMBA vs. MBA in public forums. The more history, data, insight I bring to those discussions, the more I get a following, the more I define a personal brand, the more clients I get, etc.

HARBUS: But can’t the schools address those issues?

SANDY: Well, sure, but adcoms are limited both legally, and probably temperamentally, and institutionally, to take a wide view of things. For instance, the GMAT range is 560-800, the age-range is 21 to 36, etc. But applicants want to know who gets in with a 560 GMAT, and how many students are over 32, and how many students get in Round 3.

HARBUS: Who does get in with a 560 GMAT?

SANDY: Ha, ha, I thought you could tell me.

HARBUS: Name some things consultants have pointed out to the blogosphere?

SANDY: That 3rd Round is really, really hard at Wharton and Stanford, and probably a bit harder at HBS; that most folks over 32 or so, who are not military, are going to have a hard time getting in to Harvard or Stanford; that Harvard is not as fond of IIT graduates from India as Wharton is; that Harvard’s recent claim that grade non-disclosure was implemented to insulate its January cohort (of beloved memory) who were, in fact, different in terms of background, etc. was a major 180 from what it was telling the January cohort at the time; that interviews at Stanford usually have zilch impact on your admit decision, while bad interviews at HBS are usually a prelude to a ding or WL.

HARBUS: How many HBS students use consultants?

SANDY: Well, the HARBUS survey said 10 percent, and my own guess is probably as many students use consultants as HBS faculty and staff use admissions consultants for their own children – in one form or another, including sending them to schools that hire consultants.

SANDY: And, that is probably higher than 10 percent.

HARBUS: What do you think HBS adcoms are looking for?

SANDY: It’s no secret undergraduate GPA counts more than they let on, as a gross metric. Although, like I said, they are willing to blink, in lots of individual cases, to their credit. If you don’t come from the most popular 50 feeder companies or organizations, you need to pop some other part of the application, like extras, or stats. If you are a regular Joe or Jane from Ivy/near Ivy/ banking/ consulting, it gets real, real hard separating the last 75 applicants on the train from the next 100 on the curb. I don’t envy the adcom making those calls. Every year, I run across 20 or so people who get dinged at HBS who seem just great to me, but I’d have a hard time kicking out 20 members of the class to make room for them.

HARBUS: You said you convince about 100 applicants a year not to apply to HBS? What makes you so sure?

SANDY: Because I try to convince 200, and of the 100 who apply anyway, none get in.

HARBUS: Because?

SANDY: Too old, too ordinary, no stardust, nothing driving them in, disfavored cohort (IT) to boot, deluded (owns auto detailing shop, sells residential real estate, web designer). OK, the adcoms are going to come up with one of each of those (laughing). I’m sticking with the program, I don’t mean someone who once sold residential real estate, I mean that is the current job-not that there is anything wrong with that, as Seinfeld says.

HARBUS: If you were on the adcom, what would you do about consultants, and what changes would you make in the application process?

SANDY: Nothing and nothing. I love the HBS process, and not because it is good for me, it isn’t. I’d do better if essay execution counted more, as it is, I tell lots of applicants not to bother hiring me, ‘You could make this application way better, but it ain’t going to make a difference, you deliver the package, and that is all that counts, the wrapping paper just has to have the right address.’

HARBUS: So what do you love about it?

SANDY: I think it is a very good corkscrew that gets out the cork, and the cork is mostly the stuff of your real experiences, and a slight aroma of reflection, hope, aspiration and potential.

copyright 2022 @HBSGuru.com

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