Dee Leopold, Harvard Business School Admissions Director, provided a number of useful tips and reminders related to the upcoming application season, some old and some new.
Somethings Old. Somethings New.
We have summarized the key points below. A link to the complete post is at the bottom of this page.
- Uploaded transcripts: New. Harvard is requiring that all transcripts be uploaded this year, meaning no more templates for you to fill in your grades. Simply scan and upload.
- Recommendations: Old. Harvard does not require or demand recommendations from your current supervisor. However, if possible, they strongly advise it. If not, be sure to include a brief explanation in the “additional information” section. Peer recommendations can be important if you are trying to, for example, describe your achievements related to a start-up venture. Finally, for those people who work for family businesses, parents are not viewed as objective. Period. Find other options — Dee Leopold states that HBS likes the “family business perspective” in their classroom, so it’s worth the effort!
- Events: Old and New. There are evening information sessions in Boston, Los Angeles, and several international cities still to come, so be sure to check the Events section of the HBS website.
- Visiting Classes: Old and New. Class visit spots are hard to secure — they fill up fast. Dee recommends that even if you find yourself closed out of a class, it still may be worthwhile visiting. They are promising information sessions led by the Admissions Board, tours led by students and lots of places you can wander and strike up conversations with students.
- Weekly Interviews with Current Students: New. Dee Leopold announced that she is planning on doing a weekly interview with a current student, perhaps alternating between first and second years. Trying to address “what it’s really like” to be an HBS student. One person each week, posted on Fridays, started in mid-September.
More Information
You can read the (quite amusing) complete post by clicking here.