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At Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC), we love hearing from our team of HBS experts about their experiences.  In this two-part series, we’re shining a spotlight on the HBS gurus on the consulting team at Stacy Blackman.  Don’t miss part 1 of How to Get into HBS.

Each of our former HBS Admissions Officers was once a decision-maker, reviewing thousands of applications and interviewing MBA candidates from various academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds. They also traveled globally to represent the school at outreach events. In addition to working in MBA admissions, several of our experts spent time in the Career and Professional Development Office.

Enjoy these insights from team members who know intimately the behind-the-scenes workings at HBS admissions. 

As you’ve no doubt gleaned from the HBS website, the preferred framework for assessing MBA applicants is three-pronged. They seek candidates with these characteristics:

• Habits of Leadership
• Community Citizenship
• Analytical Aptitude & Appetite

Habit Of Leadership

When it comes to recognizing a “Habit of Leadership,” it’s crucial to note that this can be demonstrated in various ways.  Of course, there are the more typical examples: the president of your class or the captain of your team. But it can also show up in less formal ways.  For instance, you might have organized and managed a holiday gift drive or started a new service trip with friends.

“Leadership can take many forms,” notes another SBC consultant who also served on the HBS admissions board. For instance, “Capital L” leaders are the people in positions of authority professionally—those whose roles convey they are leading the parade. 

But we also see HBS admits who are “small-L” leaders. These professionals are strategic, innovative, and proactive regardless of their job titles. Such leaders step up when needed and thrive in hard times. Plus, they have demonstrated leadership traits over time and can show that track record to HBS throughout their application.

Capital L leadership may include examples such as fraternity president, Eagle Scout, student council president, and varsity soccer team captain. 

Small L examples include: starting a recycling program in your dorm or starting a community garden to source local produce. Perhaps you served as an effective role model and mentor in your firm or developed a new way to approach building a financial model at your bank.  In a nutshell, “You saw a need, and you filled that need.” 

To get into Harvard Business School, leadership examples must shine throughout the entire HBS application. That includes your short responses on work experience entries; your list of extracurricular involvement and awards; your resume; and, of course, the essay. 

“Leadership is demonstrated not only in the roles and titles held, elections won, etc.. but also in how you interact with others and ways in which you’ve made an impact alone or with others, “ says one HBS AdCom expert on the SBC team.

Community Citizenship 

It’s difficult to hide an arrogant or entitled personality for a full 30 minutes, which is one of the reasons that HBS began requiring an interview as part of the application process in 2012. One thing to note is that every school employee with whom an applicant interacts could potentially have input into their candidacy–even people who may “just” be sitting at an event table or at a reception desk.

“Personal qualities encompass ethics, morals, values, judgment, and ego,” notes another HBS AdCom expert on our team. That’s a significant element to keep in mind should you advance to the in-person interview. She simplifies this as: “How will you play in the sandbox that is the HBS classroom?”

Citizenship is less about what you say and more about the overall tone and how you come across in the application. HBS doesn’t want egotistical or arrogant types in the program, and it’s something they look out for during the initial reading of an application. 

For example, take the investment banker applicant from Darien, Connecticut, who studied at an elite university and has traveled the world. Such an applicant must be very careful about their application and essay tone. HBS AdCom will scan for arrogance based on privileged life circumstances and choices. 

“Talking in a braggy manner and discussing an over-the-top lifestyle would immediately take the applicant out of the running,” notes a former HBS AdCom member on our team. “Instead, we recommend trying to present an unexpected application that shows real depth around how he makes a positive impact in our communities.”

Analytical Aptitude & Appetite

When the admissions officer considers an applicant’s GPA and test score, academic, analytical, and quantitative prowess is crucial. “HBS AdCom will also comb through transcripts and consider the skills the applicant exercised and built in his or her work experiences,” says a former HBS Adcom on the SBC team.

For reference, we’ve assembled a sampling of test scores for SBC client admits from this past season. GRE scores ranged between a 630 converted to an 800 perfect test score. GPAs ranged from 3.4 to 3.9. GMAT scores ranged between 690 and 770 (based on the Classic edition).

Undergraduate Institutions

The undergraduate pedigree of HBS admits varies considerably. Here are some of the colleges and universities attended by our client pool of HBS admits.

Duke	University of Minnesota
Vanderbilt	Brown
Princeton	Waseda (Tokyo)
UC Santa Barbara	Harvard
Williams	Yale
U Sao Paulo	UC Berkeley
Cornell	Boston University
Wesleyan	Middle East college
UVA	U Maryland
UTA	Cornell
Univ. Warwick (UK)	Michigan
U Penn	Dartmouth

Harvard Business School’s approach to undergraduate majors sets it apart from other institutions. HBS values a diverse range of backgrounds, not just business. Humanities and STEM degrees are equally welcomed. This inclusive approach is a key aspect of HBS’s unique admissions criteria. 

If your college classes weren’t quant-heavy, there are other ways to demonstrate you can handle the intellectual rigor of the program. Strong work experience can compensate for a lack of quant classes in college. 

Intellectual curiosity and horsepower are vital, too, in addition to the stated criteria. This may come across as “dorky,” but to HBS, dorky is good! 

Research projects, thesis projects, reading, and interests you develop on your own all qualify under horsepower. Examples of “dorky-is-good” across our SBC client pool include:

• Discussing research projects you pursued that weren’t required 
• Taking on TA positions 
• Working in a lab and writing a paper with a professor 
• Opting to do original research for a thesis 
• Developing a new curriculum with a faculty member

The drive to satisfy one’s intellectual curiosity must shine throughout the HBS application. It should come across in extracurriculars, awards, and your resume, but the HBS essay is an ideal place to get a true sense that a candidate thinks about the issues deeply and is on a quest to quench their intellectual curiosity.

Stacy Blackman Consulting’s Podcast, B-Schooled, is hosted by Erika Olson, Harvard MBA and Chandler Arnold, Stanford GSB MBA. B-Schooled now has more than a quarter million downloads and 200+ episodes.  Search and sort through our 200 B-Schooled podcasts. 

About The Author

Stacy Blackman is the founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). We are the only consulting firm in the industry that has a complete panel of former MBA Admissions Officers from the top US and European MBA programs. SBC holds the #1 ranking on MBAinsight, CollegeConsensus, ClearAdmit, BeattheGMAT, ExamStrategist and we are  #1 out of 11 firms for the presence on our SBC team of former MBA Admissions Officers by PoetsandQuants.  Sign up for SBC’s E-Newsletter for valuable insider intel culled from the former MBA Admissions Officers on our team and real-time learnings: stacyblackman.com/newsletter  Request a free MBA Advising Session call: stacyblackman.com.

Stacy Blackman is the founder of Stacy Blackman Consulting (SBC). We are the only consulting firm in the industry that has a complete panel of former MBA Admissions Officers from the top US and European MBA programs. SBC holds the #1 ranking on MBAinsight, CollegeConsensus, ClearAdmit, BeattheGMAT, ExamStrategist and we are  #1 out of 11 firms for the presence on our SBC team of former MBA Admissions Officers by PoetsandQuants. Sign up for SBC’s E-Newsletter for valuable insider intel culled from the former MBA Admissions Officers on our team and real-time learnings: stacyblackman.com/newsletter  Request a free MBA Advising Session call: stacyblackman.com.