HBS Essays Fall 2011

Thanks for all your emails, questions and for your business.   A number of you wrote to us and asked for our HBS alum / reviewer to publish tips on the HBS essay questions, so here they are!
 
What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)

• We view this classic HBS essay as a microcosm of your entire application -  great opportunity to showcase your professional, personal and community activities in one tight essay and get the reader started on a good note
• We find a lot of candidates have a hard time picking from their many accomplishments - which one should we discuss here?  If you're not sure, write a 200 - 250 essay on each of your accomplishments and then pick the three you like best.
• Don't forget the second part of the question!  Why do you view the accomplishment as so critical in your life?   How did it impact you and what you did since? 

What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)

• For highly accomplished candidates, this is THE hardest question to answer.  Know this and focus your attention on it early.
• 50% of essay responses to this question (of the ones we see, at least) are flawed because they dance around the "mistake" and candidates refuse to take accountability for what they did.  No matter how perfect you are, everyone makes mistakes!  Accept yours, explain it and discuss what you learned from it. 
• Avoid focusing this essay on how you fixed the mistake.  Again, a very common error is to spend the first few sentences explaining what the mistake was and the rest of the essay describing the glorious ways in which you fixed it.   Rather, focus on what you learned.  

What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400-word limit) 

• Use this question to either explain away low academic performance, discuss a strong curricular project or significant extra curricular experience

What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you?

• We recommend you use this question almost 100% of the time – it’s a great place to discuss professional goals, aspirations and how they relate to your experiences
• This is also a good place to fit the “Why HBS” story – without really telling it explicitly – i.e., anyone reading the essay should naturally lead to the conclusion that HBS is what you need next
• Try to avoid “copying” your standard short / long term goals essay here – this explicitly asks for “Career Vision”, mostly implying a longer term vision 

Tell us about a time in your professional experience when you were frustrated or disappointed.

• The question asks for when you were frustrated or disappointed – much easier to answer than the classic “failure” or “mistake” question
• While writing about why you were frustrated or disappointed, be careful not to sound as though you are blaming everyone around you for the incident – this can come off sounding very obnoxious
• Describe how you fixed the situation or made yourself feel better, but don’t feel compelled to project yourself as the smartest guy around.

When you join the HBS Class of 2013, how will you introduce yourself to your new classmates?

• Great question – perfect opportunity and everyone should use this essay unless you really have a good reason to not
• Bring in your true personality here – especially the fun stuff, family stuff, the hobbies, the “out there” accomplishments
• Make yourself sound like someone that others would like to hang with – think of this as an interview over an essay.  

Wharton Essays 2011

Ready to apply to Round 1?  Alright, here's some essay guidance from our Wharton alum who is one of our reviewers!

Required Question:  What are your professional objectives? (300 words)

• Keep it simple!  Very limited space here, and this is probably the most important question of the lot. 
• One way to answer this question could be to describe your background very briefly, bridge to how Wharton fits in and then move on to describe what your objectives are
• Avoid: Grandiose openings - "I believe I can change the world".  I don't doubt that you can, but you would be surprised how many people use this as their opening line.

Optional: If you were able to create a Wharton course on any topic, what would it be? (700 words) 

• Great question, and not the easiest one to answer.  But this question affords you a LOT of space (100 words more than the others) to translate your passion.  Use it if you can. 
• If you decide to use this question, explain clearly how this works with your background and your objectives. 
• Be creative!  This is your chance.  But also, be tactical.  Describe what the course would cover and how it would be delivered.

Optional: Reflect on a time when you turned down an opportunity. What was the thought process behind your decision? Would you make the same decision today? (600 words)

• Use this question only if you have actually ever been in this situation.  We've seen a number of candidates try to "fit" an experience into this answer, and it doesn't work!
• Remember to clearly explain why you chose the path that you did - why it seemed to be the "best" of options available to you at the time
• You can leverage this question to demonstrate your evolution and growth!  Especially if you chose to say that you would not make the same decision today.  Explain why. 

Optional: Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? How did this experience help to create your definition of failure? (600 words)

• Based on experience, we find that most "high performing" candidates have a great degree of difficulty answering this question.  Take your time with it because it won't be easy. 
• The second half of this question is critical - definition of failure.  Your articulation of the experience should lead the reader to naturally believing why this defined "failure" for you in the context that you were in. 
• A lot of candidates try to bring out what they did "right" after the failure - this is okay, but you can't use 90% of this essay to talk about what you did well.  This is a failure essay!

Option: Discuss a time when you navigated a challenging experience in either a personal or professional relationship. (600 words)   

• This question presents a great opportunity to present your personal side if you haven't done so in the other essays; or even your personal side in a professional environment
• Most candidates avoid this question because they feel like there's not enough "meat" in the eventual answer they come up with - but you can articulate the challenge and why it was challenging and how it helped you in a strong and detailed manner