Admissions Tips from Harvard

In an online chat, Harvard's director of MBA admissions answered questions from potential applicants. Here's a transcript of the session

Deirdre Leopold
Executive Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid
Harvard Business School

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Changes are afoot in the admissions office at Harvard Business School. When the new application season kicks off in July, candidates will have choices about which essay questions to answer—two required core essay questions and a choice of three among six other essay topics—explained Deirdre Leopold, executive director of MBA admissions and financial aid at HBS, at a recent BusinessWeek live chat event. In addition, a new Web site, set to launch in July, will include podcasts from the admissions and student services staff and faculty. Leopold herself will be writing a blog to keep everyone posted on what's new on campus. The B-school also plans to let applicants know when the bulk of interview invitations go out.

Besides making these announcements, Leopold (HBSDeirdre) also fielded questions from BusinessWeek reporter Francesca Di Meglio (FrancescaBW) and an audience of prospective students at the chat. Here is an edited transcript of the Q&A part of the event:

businesschat: What does Harvard look for in a candidate?

HBSDeirdre: We're looking for an assortment of leaders, all of whom can thrive in a demanding, fast-paced, highly verbal academic environment. Our classroom experience is quite different from traditional academia; students need to be fully present and engaged and ready to contribute. There are no opportunities to be a bystander. We're looking for people who, at every opportunity, have chosen to be givers vs. takers and don't sit by and wait for others to take the initiative.

FAMUCEO: If you are applying with more than one work experience, would HBS like recommendations from supervisors at each workplace?

HBSDeirdre: That's certainly a good plan although by no means a hard and fast requirement. We understand that you may not have complete control over access to supervisors you've worked with in the past. Make your best judgment call about what's feasible and will give us a clear picture of how you have spent your time. We are very understanding of constraints!

kentm: Should I consider attending an executive education session at HBS before applying?

HBSDeirdre: No. Executive education is for candidates at a different career stage and is predominantly company-sponsored. This would not be considered preparatory for the MBA program.

FAMUCEO: In what ways do you anticipate grade disclosure affecting the culture of HBS (see BusinessWeek.com, 12/16/05, "Harvard: No More Grade Secrets")?

HBSDeirdre: Let's clarify what "grade disclosure" means. Students earn their grades at HBS, and we believe that they should be in control of how and when they are used. At no point does grade disclosure mean that HBS is releasing grades to employers or anyone else. The change in policy merely puts control in the hands of the students. This was a long-standing policy which was changed to a more restrictive policy for a period of five years and then reviewed.

Reports from the classroom are that the culture is unchanged. The case method encourages and supports a high level of collaboration in the classroom. Additionally, we are selecting people for whom collaboration is highly valued.

PeteN: What are HBS's admission yields? Do you expect the yield to stay flat this coming year or to increase or decrease?

HBSDeirdre: Historically, our yield hovers around 90%. I expect this year to be similar.

Anzhansen: What is the teaching method at Harvard B-school?

HBSDeirdre: HBS uses the case method—or participant-centered—model of learning. Cases are stories about real companies with real people with real problems.