You’re applying to Harvard Business School. We can see your resume, school transcripts,
extra-curricular 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?
There are a few different ways to approach this essay (and
you can use a combination of these if that works for you as well):
- Focus on your personal accomplishments – if you think your resume and recommenders will best capture your professional achievements (and don’t have much to discuss further in that area), this might be the right approach for you.
- Why should HBS admit you – what do you bring to HBS? How will you add value to the classroom? What specific contributions will you make to the community?
- Highlight the “highs and lows” of your life – provide context to one or more accomplishments or discuss struggles that may explain a certain time frame in your career or education
- What is most important to you? – Adapt this long-standing Stanford essay on what matters to you most and why to paint a picture of your life and your values that may not be evident to someone through your application
- Discuss your family and relationships – and how they impacted you and helped shapes your values and belief system
These are some ideas, but there may be other ways to do it
too. A few other things to keep in mind:
- Avoid regurgitating something that is already in your application – this can be very putting off to the reader especially since it is clearly specified to discuss what is not included in your application already
- Keep the tone of your essay direct and authentic – HBS is moving more and more toward a no-frills application and the essay should reflect that
The average suggested length of the essay, based on our
reviewers’ feedback, is 600 – 900 words.
Obviously, if you have a legitimate reason to use more words, go for it,
but we think this is most appropriate for most applicants.
Interested in getting your essay reviewed or in a consulting session with an alum? Email us at essaycritique@gmail.com or use the Buy Now link on our site.
