Do I need to take TOEFL for HBS? (with master degree in US)

[rainbowgirlusa]

I got my bachelor degree in a university where english is not the major language of instruction, but have a master degree from a top US university. Though HBS "strongly advise" applicant to take the TOEFL (not required), I wonder if not submitting a test score would negatively affect my application? Does anyone have a similar situation? thx for the advice!

[Vincent Ho-Tin-Noe]

Dear rainbowgirlusa,

I would advise you to take the TOEFL.
It's a small pain, but the school strongly recommend taking the test in your situation.
Based on your profile, the test should be a breeze for you anyway.

Think about it this way: if you do not take it and are not invited to an interview will it obsess you for quite some time?
I think it might, and you will never find out whether your application was sidelined because you were not able to demonstrate English proficiency.

This is obviously very subjective, and my answer might be different if you had several years of professional experience in the U.S.

Good luck with your application.

Vincent

[CriticalSquareMBA]

I agree with Vincent here. Just go ahead and take it and make it a non-issue. What you don't want is for them to notice it's absence, and then put the rest of your application under a microscope to determine if you have the proficiency they need (even though, from your post, you clearly do).

So to just put the issue to bed quickly and definitively, take the test, knock it out of the park, and make it just a "check the box" component.

Also, as a general rule of thumb, if a school "strongly advises" anything, chances are you should do it (tests, visits, etc.).

Cheers,

Bhavik