As our reviewers are in the home stretch and busily reviewing HBS Round 1 essays for the deadline, a few reminders / pointers from our HBS alum based on common errors they've seen in the essays they've reviewed so far:
1. What have you learned from a mistake? Remember, the question asks about a mistake, not a failure, not how you fixed a problem in the company, and not what you learned from a challenging professional experience. Too many essays we've seen for this question completely miss the point. Don't feel compelled to demonstrate a heroic endeavor here - just state the mistake you made, and what you learned from it.
2. Renewable energy and Microfinance -- if you are going to express an interest in either of these things, make sure you explain why and what you've done in these areas. Readers like us (and admissions officers) can get put off reading about these buzzworthy topics essay after essay if there isn't real substance in them.
3. Introduce yourself essay - try to lighten up. It's okay to brag (really, it is), but at the same time, you want to introduce yourself and your real personality. If you care about family, say that. If you care most about mountain biking, say that. Don't feel pressured to describe yourself as the flag bearer of literacy in the world if you aren't one.
4. Don't litter your essays with names of HBS grads remotely related to you or friends of friends that you have talked to once. Use names only if it makes sense to do so and if it meaningfully contributes to what you are saying in your essay.
5. Finally, get your essays read and reviewed. The entire package, not individually. Get them read by family, friends, but most importantly, by an independent reader that doesn't know you at all. Remember, the admissions officers only know you from what they read in your essays. This may sound as a shameless plug for our services, but it's not. You can get your essays reviewed by us or anyone else out there, but get them read by an unbiased reader that doesn't know you personally.
Hope this helps! Good luck this week to all Round 1 applicants.
Note: We will be reviewing HBS essays until just before the deadline and are offering 24 hour turnarounds at a premium rate for those interested.
