Research MBA Programs

bze265 wrote:so can we basically assume that some interview invitations will be sent by Aug. 1st?

Well, so much for frequent blogging during the "down season". When I wrote that, I obviously forgot that this was going to be a new kind of summer: it's the season of the 2+2 Program!

We've been reading applications and spending a lot of time thinking and discussing both individual files and building a summer program for this group for next year. The applications are simply great - everything we hoped for and plenty of them.

This is probably an opportune time to address another frequently asked question: "Is Harvard Business School looking for a younger class?"

Here's how the incoming class looks: we have 912 people expected to matriculate in September. 371 of these are what we call "within three years of college graduation" which means that they have graduated in 2008, 2007, 2006 and 2005. We keep track this way, not by age. About a dozen are coming right from undergraduate school - and another dozen were admitted directly from college but elected to delay matriculation in order to get some - or additional - full-time work experience. Many of the directly admitted college seniors have worked full-time already - all have had significant roles on campus or entrepreneurial experience. All directly admitted seniors are welcome to postpone their date of matriculation.

Back to the class profile and the original question. Do the numbers and I think you'll find that 541 members of the class of 2010 have been out of college for more than 3 years. That's more than the total enrollment in many business schools.

Are these numbers "quotas" or "targets"? No. We'll still do our evaluation and selection the old-fashioned way: one folder at a time. Lots of attention to the written application and mandatory interviews by invitation only. We ask the same questions about every candidate we consider: Is this person a leader? Does he/she give evidence of ability to engageenthusiastically in serious intellectual and analytical work? Will this person invest as much in the educational experience of others as in his/her own?

So the answer would be that we think you can come to Harvard Business School and thrive earlier in your career than you might have heard via the grapevine. That doesn't mean that those with more experience should be discouraged: apply when it's optimal for you. When you can look at the questions we pose and feel eager to respond, that's a good indication of readiness.

Back to the 2+2 files... enjoy summer and watch our website for our information session dates and locations. As always, I hope this is helpful.

bze265 wrote:so can we basically assume that some interview invitations will be sent by Aug. 1st?

nbkaqzl wrote:
I have a piece of info to share.. My school (another large ivy league) is launching a similar program. The program will be restricted to undergrads of the school itself in the beginning. I went to an info session like 2 months ago, and the director of admissions stressed how important the GMAT score was going to be for the program. He said it is the only measure that is standardizing.. Meaning, that's the only measure that levels the playing field (being that people come from different schools, GPA is not standard; i.e. a 3.4 in UChicago is way different from a 3.4 at Harvard since Chicago has grade deflation)..

The average GMAT at my school is close to 690.. The director said: a score below 700 is gauranteed not be accepted.

This is a different school though, so the admission standard could be different.