The age of HBS students is a popular topic of conversation in many forums (also see here and here). The general trend is towards students in the < 27 age range, but does that mean getting an MBA from HBS when you’re in your mid to late 30s, or even in your 40s is an impossibility? Or…
Harvard Business School
In 2006 I applied to the Harvard Business School’s MBA program. In early 2007 my HBS application was rejected. But rather than let this get me down, I’m letting it motivate me to try harder. Come along with me and get a bird’s eye view of what it’s like to take the GMAT, attend an information session, apply to Harvard, wait for the interview call that never comes, talk with an HBS student, get rejected, and try again.
Soon after my rejection from HBS I posted here explaining why I wanted an MBA, and why I wanted it from HBS. While my root desire to get an MBS from HBS has not changed, other factors mentioned in that post have, enough so that I felt an update was in order.
This post is in response to…
08
Sep
DBA or MBA?
I have a cousin who is currently a DBA student at HBS, and suggested that in light of my rejection from HBS a few years ago, perhaps I should try the DBA program instead. Not only would I get to work closely with professors and get more of an education in the 4-5 year program, but DBA students pay no…
If you’ve done a search on Google for “how to get into hbs” then you’ve probably run into the site HowToGetIntoHBS.com. The website looks horrible, but it’s a pretty good domain name, and you start reading and while it sounds a little bit like a gimmick, you read about how the guy selling this eBook is…
Each year roughly 8,000 people apply to the Harvard Business School, and so I hope that for the next ten years Philip will be able to sell at least that many books per year, because every prospective student of HBS should read this book. I just finished reading Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School…
I’ve taken the GMAT twice. The first time was to get into the Master of Information Systems Management program at BYU, and the second was to get into HBS (which didn’t happen, at least not the first time around). The first time I didn’t study at all. Not one bit. Since BYU had a…
When I first heard about business school consultants it sounded a little shady to me. But I had lunch with a new friend last week and he recommended that when I reapply to HBS I should use one. He worked for a business school consultancy and they had a 90% success rate. He said sometimes former…
Sometimes looking at the negative is more helpful than examining the positive. As opposed to asking what Harvard Business School is looking for, what is HBS not looking for? That is, if you are an HBS grad, worked in the admissions office, are a business school consultant, or otherwise have inside information about the HBS admissions…
Due to some conversations I’ve had, comments I’ve read on my post about business school consultants, and other things I’ve read on how to get into HBS, I’m curious to know what the Harvard Business School is really looking for in their students. Future Fortune 500 CEOs, young people, old people, diversity, entrepreneurs, leadership experience, leadership…
It has been two years since my application to the Harvard Business School was rejected. At the time, I put my HBS application online and invited comments and criticism. I received some great feedback, some of which was fairly harsh, but that’s what I wanted. Recently, that post was referenced on a forum on…
What They Teach you at Harvard Business School: My Two Years Inside the Cauldron of Capitalism is a book by Philip Delves Broughton, which I have not read, and I’m wondering if it’s worth my time. From the review I just read, it would appear that Broughton is an intelligent yet pompous, bitter, judgmental, and jealous cretin, and…
The first commenter on this post brought up the fact that they had used a business school consultant to help them with their application for the Harvard Business School. I’m not sure I was even aware there was such a thing. I’m also not sure how much I’d want to use one, although the idea of having someone…
In January of 2007 my application was rejected by the Harvard Business School, and with good cause. In February of 2007 I charted my path to get accepted to HBS. But the post I wrote in October of 2007 may have left doubts in the minds of some as to whether I’d ever even…
I can’t believe it’s only been 10 months since the Harvard Business School rejected me. It seems like a lifetime ago. What’s interesting is how little I’ve thought about it since it happened.
You’ve heard that money will make people do strange things. I suppose in some cases money will also keep people from doing strange things. I want to get an MBA from Harvard Business School. But does my motivation have anything to do with my lack of financial success as an entrepreneur? Do I see getting an MBA from HBS as…
I have now applied to HBS, been rejected, and plan to reapply in the fall of 2008 for the class that will begin the fall of 2009 and graduate in 2011. That gives me about 20 months in which to prepare. The question is, what can I do during that time that will be of the greatest benefit…
Since I let the cat out of the bag that I applied to the Harvard Business School I’ve been swamped by people telling me that having an MBA is overrated, that HBS is overrated, that other schools are just as good, and that anyone who goes to HBS is an arrogant punk and I don’t want to be like them.…
After pondering the possible reasons for my recent rejection from HBS and the much-appreciated feedback of those who took the time to read through my HBS applicaton, I think it’s only fitting to summarize what I’ve learned.
By the way, based on the feedback I’ve received I have decided to reapply. I’m not sure if I’ll do that…
Update: BusinessWeek forum readers, go read this.
Update 19-Dec-09: Even though this post, and my application, are three years old and I’ve learned enough during that time to look back in amazement at how poor my application was and I know enough to make the next one quite a bit better, I’m still quite open to feedback/criticism/etc., so…
Dear Mr. Steimle:
The MBA Admissions Board appreciates your interest in our MBA Program and the considerable effort evident in your application. Unfortunately, we are unable to offer you a place in the MBA Class of 2009.
The MBA Admissions Board carefully and thoughtfully assesses each application. Because of the large number of applications we receive, we are unable to…
Did you know that I’ve applied to the MBA program at the Harvard Business School? Of course you didn’t. Other than my wife the only people who know are those who know because I let the cat out of the bag accidentally, and that’s a small group. My parents don’t even know, nor any of my siblings. Well, I applied,…
Still no invitation to interview at HBS. The HBS website has this to say which is somewhat reassuring, but not as reassuring as an invitation:
Interview invitations are extended on a rolling basis throughout the course of each application round. There is no set date by which invitations will begin to be extended and can continue up until, and including,…
C’mon…c’mon…I’ve been waiting forever! According to a current HBS student who talked to someone on the admissions board they weren’t planning on getting started with any interviews until mid-November. But that was almost three weeks ago! And as much as I had previously decided that I would not get anxious or agonize over waiting to hear anything I find myself…
Clayton Christensen is a professor at HBS and the author of The Innovator’s Solution
Today I had a phone call with a student at HBS, Ryan Buell. My web design firm built, hosts, and maintains the website for the Cyberposium at Harvard Business School, and this year Ryan has been our main contact. I told him of my application to HBS and he generously offered to talk with me on…
I’m getting ready for the interview that I suspect will come sometime during the next 2-3 months. The content I bought at HowToGetIntoHBS.com includes a list of “40 questions asked by the admissions board in actual HBS interviews” that I’m going through. Whether or not these will be the actual questions asked this year, who knows, I don’t,…
Well, the appliction is finished. It was whisked off to its electronic resting place courtesy of the folks at AY to await the review of the Admissions Board or some such organization of professional perusers of HBS applications.
And what, if any, are my feelings upon the resolution of such a feat as this? First, that even if…
It’s 9 p.m., Friday night. In 12 hours I will be starting the GMAT. The studying is over, and now all I have to do is get to sleep, wake up, and get to the testing facility. I’ve taken the GMAT before, and I’ve taken some practice tests so I know more or less what to expect. What I don’t…
My wife and I attended an information session last night for HBS. They send out people to tour around holding these two-hour sessions about the application process and such. Ours was hosted by Pamela Ralston, who is on the admissions committee, along with an HBS alum and another girl whose job description I didn’t catch.
If you have a chance…
On Saturday I took a practice GMAT exam and got a 610. Thank goodness for practice. Considering that I felt like I bombed the test I guess a 610 isn’t that bad. I took the GMAT about six years ago for my first graduate degree and got a 640 with no studying whatsoever, but that was six years closer to…
By the time anyone reads this post it will be at least four months old. That is because I will not be posting anything about my intentions to get into the Harvard Business School until I know whether I have been accepted or not. Why? Because I’m a business owner, and I’m concerned about the effect it could…
