The Application Process

" 09 OCT 2013
Round One Interview Invitations

If it's helpful, our plan is to send out some interview invitations at NOON today, Boston time. Via email. Nothing until noon.

And we'll send more on October 16. "

In the past, a large chunk of invites would go in the first wave. But after reading Dee's message, it seems the second wave will have the larger chunk. Am I over-thinking?

Even in past years many invites have gone out in the second wave and many students in that wave are ultimately accepted. So you shouldn't overthink it.

There's a lot of helpful information in the HBS interview guide:
www.harbus.org/admissions-guide/

@TheHarbus - I think the information in the link somewhat contradicts what you said.

https://poetsandquants.com/2012/10/24/d- ... ss-school/

For Round 1 candidates 750 invites were sent out in the first wave, but only 100 were sent out in the second wave. That being said, Dee Leopold has clearly stressed (on numerous occasions) that the timing of the interview notification has nothing to do with the relative strength of a candidate.

I've heard from a few friends about the HBS Interview Guide from the @TheHarbus and just bought it. So far it seems to be really, really useful. hbsinterview.com

Hi Neelz1000,

I believe that the second wave this year might be more significant than last year's.
Just wrote about it (https://www.mbaadmissionsadvisors.com/hb ... nterviews/).

In short, the vast majority of first round invites were sent in the first wave last year.
However, based on discussions and data collected on various MBA forums, numbers may actually be higher this year.
We'll find out in a few hours.

Best of luck!

Vincent

Harvard Business School will be sending the second wave of invites at noon today.
They will also send "deny" notifications, as well as "further consideration" letters.

Good luck to everyone!

I received a "further consideration" letter today. Is there any reason for me to believe that there's actually still hope here?

Vincent Ho-Tin-Noe wrote:Harvard Business School will be sending the second wave of invites at noon today.
They will also send "deny" notifications, as well as "further consideration" letters.

Good luck to everyone!

Dear ajt1087,

Congratulations! This means that your profile really interested the HBS admissions team.
There is definitely hope and many applicants were invited to an interview last year after being put on the "further consideration" list.

If there were no hope, you would have received a ding letter by now.

It's frustrating, but you'll have to wait patiently until round 2 (although there might be a couple of things you could do to improve your chances without harassing the admissions committee).

Good luck!

Vincent

Vincent-

Could you describe any of the things that you mean for "things you could do to improve your chances without harassing the admissions committee)."? The admissions office specifically states that no new materials will be added to your folder.

Vincent Ho-Tin-Noe wrote:Dear ajt1087,

Congratulations! This means that your profile really interested the HBS admissions team.
There is definitely hope and many applicants were invited to an interview last year after being put on the "further consideration" list.

If there were no hope, you would have received a ding letter by now.

It's frustrating, but you'll have to wait patiently until round 2 (although there might be a couple of things you could do to improve your chances without harassing the admissions committee).

Good luck!

Vincent

It's tricky because you are instructed not to submit anything extra, and giving general advice is almost impossible in this case. My recommendation would depend on your specific situation, keeping in mind that there is actually not much you can do to influence the adcom at this stage. Their decision to interview you will largely depend on the pool of applications they get in round 2... Yet, I would not completely sit still if I were in this situation.

First, you should receive an email from Dana Scalisi (assistant director of admissions) soon. I would simply reply to it, and reiterate my interest and motivation to join the HBS community. Keep it short.

Then I would follow instructions by the letter as much as possible.

If you haven't gotten a chance to visit campus already, do so (if you happen to be around Boston or have always wanted to visit the town, which is actually very nice). Take a tour of campus, attend a class and an info session if you can. It's subtle, but it clearly won't hurt your chances, and come interview time you'll be better prepared to explain why HBS is the right program for you. You may want to inform your admissions officer of your upcoming visit, but be mindful of their time and do not insist on meeting them.

Have you been encouraged to apply by a Harvard community member? Let them know about your situation, and if they are a very strong supporter they may feel compelled to intercede in your favor. It cannot hurt your chances if it's sincere and from someone who truly knows you well. Never ask for such a favor however, it has to be that person's own initiative, and it would be inappropriate to ask for it.

Finally,if anything major occurs at work (e.g. an unexpected and significant promotion), and only in such a case, I would try to let the adcom know. Do NOT write another essay. Just be factual and send them a brief email explaining the situation with the hope that they'll consider it. There is no guarantee, and you have to apply judgment. But if the change in your situation is truly substantial, I think it is worth giving it a try. Do not send an email or contact the adcom to inform them that you beat your sales target a whole month before year end...

I hope this is helpful. If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd love to hear from you, as this is a rather unusual situation.
The difficult thing here is that you are not officially on the HBS waitlist. You are just back to where you stood a couple of weeks ago when you submitted your application.