HBS Dean of Admissions on Letters of Recommendations

Earlier this week Harvard Business School Dean of Admissions Dee Leopold wrote a blog post dispensing some good advice to HBS applicants regarding their MBA letters of recommendation. She hits on several key themes that we tell our clients, and that are covered in detail in Your MBA Game Plan, our MBA admissions guide.

These include:

• Your recommendation writers MUST know you well. Every year we have clients approach us and say something along the lines of, "Good news. I think I can get my CEO to write a letter of recommendation for me." If your CEO hasn't worked with you extensively, and can't discuss your strengths and potential in great detail, then this isn't very good news. Admissions officers are impressed by what YOU have done, not by what your recommendation writer has done.


• Details and specifics are a must. As Dee says, "What we are hoping for are brief recounts of specific situations and how you performed." Any recommendation written in general terms -- "He's a true leader... He exhibits teamwork all the time..." -- will fail to leave a lasting impression on admissions officers.


• While your recommendations don't all have to come from your professional experiences, the best ones are usually written by someone who has evaluated your performance. Dee writes, "Note that we are not looking for a peer recommendation — we find it most helpful if there is some developmental distance between you and the recommender." That kind of person is typically best suited to comment on your strengths and development areas.


• Simply knowing an HBS student or grad doesn't give you any kind of advantage in the admissions process. See has this to say: "Please don't ask current HBS students to write to us on your behalf outside of the formal recommendation process." Of course, dozens (if not hundreds) will surely ignore her advice this year, but you heard it straight from Dee!


• Dee's last point is a critical one. To answer the question of whether or not someone with a tenuous job situation should go to his or her boss for a letter of recommendation, Dee says, "Especially in these unusual times, please don't jeopardize your employment in order to secure a recommendation from a current employer." While we have also shared this advice before, we glad that Dee wrote this. Having it come from the head of admissions at HBS should put some jittery applicants at ease as they grapple with this question.

For more information and advice on applying to Harvard, visit the Veritas Prep HBS information page. Also, call Veritas Prep at 800-925-7737 and find out how they can help you with your recommendations!

HBS Employment Update

On Friday Dee Leopold posted an update on Harvard Business School students' job prospects for this year. This update is especially interesting for anyone who is preparing to leave a steady job this year to enter a full-time MBA program.

According to Leopold, 77% of the HBS Class of 2009's job seekers (this excludes anyone who will continue academic work or who will return to a previous employer) have found full-time jobs. She writes:

I don't have any more details to offer at this point, but we are proud of both our students and our Career Services team who have helped many of our students discover and pursue their dreams and find new opportunities in the midst of great uncertainty in the market. It is still months from graduation and companies and organizations continue to be a big presence on campus - spring will be lively here at HBS. We will provide updates as the season progresses.

Hopefully for those HBS students -- and for students at all business schools this year -- spring will indeed prove to be a lively recruiting period.

To get a feel for your chances of getting into Harvard Business School, try Veritas Prep's Business School Selector.

HBS Admissions Podcast

Recently the Harvard Business School admissions office posted a podcast interview with Dee Leopold, Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid.

The interview started off with the question that Leopold hears most often: "What are you looking for in an applicant?" Leopold broke it down into "qualities" and "experiences," and explained that they look for common qualities but diverse experiences in the incoming class.

For qualities, Leopold highlighted the following:

• Solid values and integrity -- No surprise here. HBS and all other programs won't even consider someone who may seem unethical.


• Ability to thrive in an analytical environment and academic setting -- As described in Your MBA Game Plan, this is one the key dimensions that you must show in your application. We at Veritas Prep refer to this as "Innovation."


• Initiative -- How can you show you how you go above and beyond what's normally expected of you?


• Curiosity -- Another part of what we call "Innovation." Show that you want to learn more about what makes the world tick.


• Maturity -- This is another one of the four important dimensions that we describe in Your MBA Game Plan.


• Perspective -- Do you have self-awareness? How have your experiences shaped your outlook on the world?


• Sense of humor -- Yes, even HBS wants to see applicants who don't take themselves too seriously. We believe this a sense of humor is a clear sign of maturity, humility, and self-confidence.

Note that Leopold didn't mention "leadership." She went on to explain that, "We're looking for leaders who have these qualities (above). We don't think that 'leadership' as a one-size fits all or something that is a list of things on your resume. We think that leadership, and the way you lead, is as exciting a dimension of diversity as any of the other things I mentioned."

There's a lot of great information in the podcast, and this is just a sample. Go here to listen to the entire podcast.

One other note: Leopold mentioned that HBS is visiting a lot of college campuses this year, to open more undergrads' eyes to HBS and the value of an MBA. This is just one more sign of HBS' effort to attract and accept more candidates with very little job experience. Take note of this if you've been out of college for a couple of years and are wondering whether you should apply now or in a couple of years. "We are encouraging people to think about business school earlier in their lives," Leopold said.

While she also went on to say that this is not bad news for more experienced applicants, we believe that HBS' vision of the typical first-year student has permanently changed vs. ten years ago (i.e., it has become younger). If you apply later in your career, expect that HBS will have a lot of questions about why you waited.

Visit Veritas Prep for more information on Harvard Business School and the HBS 2+2 Program.

Harvard's Endowment May Face Losses

In another sign of economic stress, Harvard has announced that its $36.9 billion endowment may face "unprecedented" losses in the coming year.

While a Harvard spokeperson declined to comment specifically on how the anticipated losses would affect university operations, the university has confirmed that it will continue to offer free tuition to students whose families earn less than $60,000 a year, and offer reduced tuition to families with annual incomes of as much as $180,000.

Other Ivy League schools are taking additional steps to mitigate students' pain: Princeton will make more financial aid funds available to students, and Brown will relax rules barring students with unpaid tuition balances from registering for classes. Given the size of Harvard's endowment, even if it faces losses this year, we wouldn't be surprised to see the school take similar steps to protect its students.

If you're applying to graduate school this year, the bottom line is that top schools don't want to have to turn away anyone because of fianances, even in this economy. Don't be afraid to pick up the phone and have a frank conversation with the financial aid office at your target school. Chances are that they want to work with you to help you make it work.

For more information on Harvard, visit the Veritas Prep HBS information page and read about the HBS 2+2 Program.

HBS 2+2 Interview Invitations Sent

According to some of our own clients, last Wednesday Harvard Business School sent interview invitations to select HBS 2+2 Program applicants. (Congrats, folks!)

HBS also sent rejection letters to applicants on the same day, and in the letter the school explained that there were over 600 applicants to the program. Given the estimated number of applicants Harvard will accept, this would put the projected acceptance rate of the HBS 2+2 Program in line with the general school's acceptance rate (in the low- to mid-teens).

Interviews are happening shortly. Good luck, everyone!

If you are an undergrad considering applying to an early MBA program, be sure to visit the Veritas Prep HBS 2+2 Program information page.

The HBS 2+2 Program

If you’re a college junior with a liberal arts bent, the HBS 2+2 Program could be right for you. This marks the first year of admissions for Harvard Business School’s new program targeting college undergrads. According to our MBA admission consulting team -- which offers specialized consulting for students applying to the HBS 2+2 Program -- the new program has created quite a buzz on campus.

The program has three main benefits to consider: one, it's an ideal time to apply during your undergraduate years; two, it offers superior access to job recruiting and career advice; and three, it provides students with extra preparation in leadership and practical business skills.

Ideal time to apply: No matter how busy you feel in college while balancing coursework, sports, clubs and social commitments, you will undoubtedly be shocked to find out how busy you are once your full-time career begins. In addition, a couple years after graduating, you will probably find yourself a little rusty at test taking and essay writing. The HBS 2+2 Program application deadline comes during the summer after your junior year in college (this year it comes on July 1, 2008), which can be an optimal time to apply. You are in prime test taking and essay writing mode, you have great access to professors for recommendations, and (as hard as it may be to believe) it is probably easier to find extra time to work on those daunting, time consuming essays.

Access to job recruiting and advisors: Ask any HBS student what the most beneficial thing was about school, and toward the very top of their list would be access to world-class companies and incredible career advisors. As part of the HBS 2+2 Program, you will get access to these companies and coaches as a college senior, supplementing the recruiting opportunities already present on your undergraduate campus. Over 100 of the most prestigious companies participate in the program, eager to hire the ambitious college students accepted into the program. And while working at one of these companies, you are free to focus on your job performance without the distraction of GMAT studying and essay writing that plagues many young professionals stressed about getting into a top MBA program.

Extra preparation: During the summer preceding business school, Harvard hosts extra workshops for members of the program focused on leadership and business skills. In addition to learning critical skills that will differentiate you from other recent college graduates, you will also get to meet a phenomenal group of students who have had experiences similar to your own – a network of students who will likely remain some of your closest friends.

If you have exceptionally strong academic performance, a track record of leadership, and a desire to push yourself even further, take a closer look at the HBS 2+2 Program. Don’t worry if you don’t quite yet know what you want to be “when you grow up” or what you will do with your MBA degree. This program is designed for people like you.

If you want to ace your Harvard application, visit Veritas Prep to learn more about the specialized MBA admissions consulting we provide for HBS 2+2 Program applicants.

HBS Releases Application Essays & Deadlines for Class of 2011

If anything marks the official beginning of the 2008-2009 application season, this is it: Harvard Business School just released its deadlines and application essays for the Class of 2011.

For those of you who are planning ahead, the application deadlines are mostly the same as last year, except for the Round 1 deadline, which is almost two weeks later than last year's. The deadlines are as follows:

• Round 1: Oct. 15, 2008
• Round 2: Jan. 6, 2009
• Round 3: Mar. 11, 2009

Remember that you want to aim for Round 1 or Round 2. Applying after Round 2 means competing for very few open seats, so you want to do everything you can to apply no later than Jan. 6, 2009. Since the Round 1 deadline is just five months away, it's not too early to start preparing! That especially goes for the GMAT. Study until it hurts, take a GMAT prep course if you want some extra help, and then nail the GMAT and get it off of your plate. The last thing you want to do is have to cram for the GMAT while you're also trying to perfect your essays and chase after the people writing your letters of recommendation!

Looking at the HBS application essays, there are now just four required this year, compared to five last year. Two are required, and two can be chosen from a list of four questions.

Required Essays

1. What are your three most substantial accomplishments and why do you view them as such? (600-word limit)
2. What have you learned from a mistake? (400-word limit)

Optional Essays (choose two)

1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400-word limit)
2. Discuss how you have engaged with a community or organization. (400-word limit)
3. What area of the world are you most curious about and why? (400-word limit)
4. What is your career vision and why is this choice meaningful to you? (400-word limit)

Of the optional essays, many applicants will assume #1 is only meant as a "Let me explain why my undergrad GPA is low"-type essay, but also consider using this as a chance to discuss a time when you pushed yourself out of your intellectual comfort zone. Looking at #4, the "why is this choice meaningful to you" part is what is most interesting. HBS isn't looking for you to just rattle off your five-step plan for world domination. Explore why you want to do it, and why you're passionate about it. This kind of introspection is key to setting yourself apart in HBS admissions officers' eyes.

If you would like more information about applying to HBS, visit our Harvard Business School profile page. And for more information on business school application deadlines, visit our MBA admissions deadlines page.