Admissions Tips from Harvard

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

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It is our belief that, in real life, the critical task of a leader is to make decisions—with imperfect information, too much or too little information, and under time pressure. Our students have daily opportunities to practice this pattern of assessing problems, analyzing them, and then deciding what action to take.

kentm: My GMAT is 640 (low quantitative). Does HBS have a cutoff?

HBSDeirdre: [It] depends entirely on the strengths you present in the rest of your application. For example, a strong academic record from an engineering major who is doing lots of analytical work on the job is of much more importance than that candidate's GMAT score. Every application is reviewed in its entirety. We are admitting candidates, not scores.

ramtelecom: What do you, compared to previous admissions directors, look for in new HBS candidates?

HBSDeirdre: I have been thinking a lot about leadership and how to both define and identify it. I think there's a danger in thinking that there is just one model of a leader—someone who is larger than life and always out in front—who should be at HBS. I prefer to think in terms of an assortment of leaders, some of whom gravitate to traditional leadership roles in an established organization, some of whom like to start things and get them up and running, some of whom motivate small groups, "thought leaders" who provide the unexpected and provocative way of looking at a problem. One of the most exciting ways of thinking about diversity in the case method classroom is on the dimension of leadership styles—bringing together all these folks and hearing how they tackle the real life problems in a case.

amriyer: How does Harvard view admissions consultants and people who use their services in their applications?

HBSDeirdre: We understand that coaching and advisory services play a big role in the current culture (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/24/07, "A Booming Business in MBA Coaches"). While it's understandable that candidates are trying to seek any information that may be helpful in gaining admission to business school, I would strongly advise that this be limited to self-discovery and exploration of career goals vs. giving anyone else an opportunity to be your voice and tell your story. The business school admissions process is not an essay-writing contest. The essays should be your opportunity to answer some thought-provoking questions and, in the process, find out something useful about yourself. The rest of your application—your academic record, work history, outside activities, and recommendations—are unique to your experience.

PeteN: If you had to rank the different admissions criteria in order of importance, what would the order look like?

HBSDeirdre: No single criterion is "the most important." We are trying to assemble a class of diverse experiences and backgrounds. All of the candidates we admit will be able to be strong contributors to the case method, both in terms of their analytical foundation and their habit of leadership.

kentm: My math course experience is limited to college stats and some econ classes. Should I take a calculus class? Are there math courses you expect most applicants to have?

HBSDeirdre: Sounds like you have a basic quantitative foundation, although it's hard for me to make a definitive statement without seeing the specific classes. Calculus is not required for admission; however, a core evaluation criterion is a solid analytical and quantitative foundation. If I were to suggest coursework, it might be in the "language of business," as in financial accounting.

sendo: What kind of qualities are you looking for in international applicants?

HBSDeirdre: We don't view international applicants as being in a separate pool. All candidates are evaluated on the same criteria.