HBS 2+2 Program Class of 2016 MBA Essays and Recommendations
Apr, 26, 2011
Categories: Admissions Consulting | application | HBS | MBA | MBA留学 | Recommendation
- Learn as much as you can about HBS. If possible, go visit the campus. Visiting HBS, like visiting any business school, is one of the best ways to learn about it.
- Attend admissions outreach events as these will give you an opportunity to hear from admissions directly and possibly interact with alumni
HBS is not right for everybody, so look at it closely to see if it right for you. HBS is very open about who they take. Not everyone should apply or go to HBS. For a happy story of HBS rejection, see here.
The Essay Questions
The 2+2 Program has four set essay questions. I will discuss each of them in detail.
HBS has asked some variation of this question for a very long time. According to 65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays, “This is one of those essays that is probably a permanent fixture in the HBS application (p. 121).” So far it has been the only question not to change. HBS has made this one of the mandatory questions because…
How to use this grid for outlining your answer to Question 1:
Row 1: “Stories.” The first thing you need to do is think of the accomplishments. These will eventually take the form of stories, so that is what I call them. A few things to keep in mind:
- Your accomplishments may be personal, professional, or academic.
- While it is very important that your accomplishments be distinct so as to reveal different things about you, there is no single formula for what their content must be. It really will depend on your background. Some people think you need to have one academic, one professional, and one extracurricular here. My experience with both admits and those invited for interviews is that this is not the case.
This a new variation on the mistake/failure/setback question that HBS has been asking for a very long time. it now fully parallels the structure of the accomplishments essay. This is the first time that HBS has asked for three setbacks. I think most applicants will find this question to be incredibly challenging. Applicants usually have enough difficulty writing about one mistake, failure, or setback, so doing three is likely to prove initially daunting, but I think it might not be as hard as it initially looks.
Why do you want an MBA? (400 words)
Even if you know why you want an MBA, I suggest going through a formal process of MBA goals formulation. You can use my GAP, SWOT, AND ROI TABLE FOR FORMULATING GRADUATE DEGREE GOALS for this purpose (see below). I think Gap, SWOT, and ROI analysis are great ways for understanding what your goals are, why you want a degree, and how you will use it.
Step 1. Begin by analyzing your “Present Situation.” What roles and responsibilities have you had in clubs, part-time jobs, internships, volunteer activities, etc.? What was/is your functional role(s)? What was/are your responsibilities?
Next, analyze your situation in right now. What opportunities exist for your growth and success? What threats could limit your career growth?
Step 2. Now, do the same thing in Step 1 for your “Post-Degree” future after you have earned your graduate degree. IF YOU CANNOT COMPLETE STEP 2, YOU HAVE NOT SUFFICIENTLY PLANNED FOR YOUR FUTURE and therefore you need to do more research and need to think more about it.
Step 3. If you could complete step 2, than you should see the “Gap” between your present and your future. What skills, knowledge, and other resources do you need to close the gap between your present and future responsibilities, strengths, and opportunities?
LEARN WHAT IS HOT. Learn what is hot now and try to figure out what will be hot by the time you graduate. Now, of course, this is just a plan and chances are that what is hot in your industry or field now, may very well be cold in the future. The point is to come across to the Harvard Business School as someone who is not only well informed, but has CUTTING-EDGE knowledge. Some great general sources for learning what is hot:
What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400 words)
Consider the emphasis that HBS puts on academic ability:
The likely structure for your answer here may very well be similar to the accomplishments essay. That said, while it is possible to write on multiple aspects of your academic experience (two to four different topics), it is certainly possible that you might want to focus on only one topic here.
While this essay may seemingly focus on an academic topic, it is very possible that the theme actually relates to your leadership potential, career vision, personality, or some other topic that you have not effectively addressed elsewhere. As with any topic, you should ask yourself why does Adcom need to know about it?
You should not focus on a story about your non-academic undergraduate activities. Clearly this is not part of what HBS is asking about. You can easily discuss extracurricular activities in the accomplishments essay, but not here.
Finally, I should point out that I don’t see any advantage to using this essay to explain a bad GPA. Instead focus not such an explanation, but on making a clear argument for why you are strong candidate. There is an additional information section on the application which is long enough to provide a brief explanation of anything problematic in your academic background.
Questions for Recommenders
Questions for Recommenders
For the 2+2 MBA program, you will need two recommenders. I like the HBS recommendation form best because it is short and sweet. Other MBA programs torture recommenders with a series of typically 6-10 questions, while HBS takes a recommender-friendly approach. For more about recommendations in general see my previous posts, “10 KEY POINTS FOR WRITING AN EFFECTIVE RECOMMENDATION: WHAT EVERY RECOMMENDER SHOULD KNOW” and “Further Comments on Selecting the Right Recommenders.” Another thing that I like about the HBS recommendation questions is that they are found on the HBS website and don’t require registering as a fake recommender to obtain. It is really annoying to have to go through the process of a registering as fake applicant and then registering fake recommenders in order to look at recommendation questions! I try to avoid doing that. Some schools seem to think that no one has figured out how to get access to these things or that there is something wrong in having applicants have easy access. Applicants need to see the questions because there is a very good chance that they will need to advise recommenders on the questions, especially if their recommenders are not familiar with this process. Why make something that should be so easy to obtain so difficult?
Recommendations must be completed online. The form includes the following four essay response questions. I will analyze each question.
- Please comment on the context of your interaction with the applicant. If applicable, briefly describe the applicant’s role in your organization. (250 words)
Adam’s Quick and Dirty Interpretation: HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW THE APPLICANT AND WHAT DO THEY DO?
As I emphasized in my 10 Key Points Post, “#2: YOU BETTER KNOW THE APPLICANT OR CREATE THE APPEARANCE THAT YOU REALLY DO,” it is critical that the recommender establish the legitimate basis upon which they are making this recommendation. A clear description which is explicit about the time knowing, organizational relationship to, and extent of observation of applicant is critical. In addition, this answer should, even though it is not stated, begin the act of advocating for the applicant (My key point #10: BE AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR THE APPLICANT). In the process of describing the applicant’s role in your organization, highlight the ways they have added value to the organization.
- How does the candidate’s performance compare to other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (250 words)
Adam’s Quick and Dirty Interpretation: SHOW HOW THE APPLICANT ADDS VALUE IN WAYS THAT ARE DISTINCT FROM HIS/HER PEERS.
Directly compare the applicant to his or her peers in the process of explaining the applicant’s role in your organization or similar organizations. While you should not unrealistically overstate the applicant’s role, I highly recommend that you clearly indicate what makes him or her special. You will not be helping the applicant very much if they are not positively distinct in one or more ways. Provide at least one very concrete example of what makes the applicant special in comparison to others.
- Please describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (250 words)
Adam’s Quick and Dirty Interpretation: IF YOU ARE QUALIFIED TO WRITE THIS RECOMMENDATION, YOU HAVE PROVIDED CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK TO THE APPLICANT!
I consider this to actually be the ideal question for determining whether a recommender actually knows an applicant well. After all, casual acquaintances, your dad’s friend, the President of your country,and other such personages that often take the form of bad VIP recommendations, cannot effectively answer this question. As this will be a situation where you are criticizing the candidate, Key Point #7: BE CRITICAL, BUT NUANCED applies. Clearly describe what the candidate did that resulted in you providing feedback. Next describe how the applicant responded. An effective and applicant friendly answer here will be one where the applicant learned from and was, ideally, able to implement your feedback. Assume that HBS believes that great leaders learn from their mistakes and they are trying to gauge the extent to which the applicant has the potential to be such a leader.
- Please make additional statements about the applicant’s performance, potential, or personal qualities you believe would be helpful to the MBA Admissions Board. (250 words)
Adam’s Quick and Dirty Interpretation: OK, SO WHAT ELSE SHOULD HBS REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE APPLICANT?
Other schools will often ask two questions or more to address this same issue as HBS does in this one question. What I really like about this is that the recommender is not forced to fit the applicant into a specific category. Such attempts at fitting round pegs into square holes can certainly take much time for a recommender to address. HBS makes it easy for recommenders to focus on what they consider most important to say about an applicant. This space should be used to focus on the absolutely critical selling points about the applicant that the recommender really wants HBS to know. Core accomplishments, interpersonal and/or professional skills, and future potential are the ideal topics to write about here.
USING HBS ALUMNI AS RECOMMENDERS
Finally, I just wanted to mention that given that HBS has the largest alumni network of any MBA program, it is not necessarily the case that one should prioritize obtaining recommendations from HBS alumni. If you are fortunate to have such a person who can effectively recommend you, that is great, but selecting an HBS alumni simply because they are an alumni is not necessarily smart because there will be so many of them. The most important thing is to have a recommendation that will really standout and fully convinces HBS about your past accomplishments, suitability to enter HBS in 2014, and future potential.
As I emphasized in my 10 Key Points Post, “#2: YOU BETTER KNOW THE APPLICANT OR CREATE THE APPEARANCE THAT YOU REALLY DO,” it is critical that the recommender establish the legitimate basis upon which they are making this recommendation. A clear description which is explicit about the time knowing, organizational relationship to, and extent of observation of applicant is critical. In addition, this answer should, even though it is not stated, begin the act of advocating for the applicant (My key point #10: BE AN EFFECTIVE ADVOCATE FOR THE APPLICANT). In the process of describing the applicant’s role in your organization, highlight the ways they have added value to the organization.
I consider this to actually be the ideal question for determining whether a recommender actually knows an applicant well. After all, casual acquaintances, your dad’s friend, the President of your country,and other such personages that often take the form of bad VIP recommendations, cannot effectively answer this question. As this will be a situation where you are criticizing the candidate, Key Point #7: BE CRITICAL, BUT NUANCED applies. Clearly describe what the candidate did that resulted in you providing feedback. Next describe how the applicant responded. An effective and applicant friendly answer here will be one where the applicant learned from and was, ideally, able to implement your feedback. Assume that HBS believes that great leaders learn from their mistakes and they are trying to gauge the extent to which the applicant has the potential to be such a leader.
Other schools will often ask two questions or more to address this same issue as HBS does in this one question. What I really like about this is that the recommender is not forced to fit the applicant into a specific category. Such attempts at fitting round pegs into square holes can certainly take much time for a recommender to address. HBS makes it easy for recommenders to focus on what they consider most important to say about an applicant. This space should be used to focus on the absolutely critical selling points about the applicant that the recommender really wants HBS to know. Core accomplishments, interpersonal and/or professional skills, and future potential are the ideal topics to write about here.
Finally, I just wanted to mention that given that HBS has the largest alumni network of any MBA program, it is not necessarily the case that one should prioritize obtaining recommendations from HBS alumni. If you are fortunate to have such a person who can effectively recommend you, that is great, but selecting an HBS alumni simply because they are an alumni is not necessarily smart because there will be so many of them. The most important thing is to have a recommendation that will really standout and fully convinces HBS about your past accomplishments, suitability to enter HBS in 2014, and future potential.