How To Get Into Harvard Business School

Update: This article was originally posted on August 4, 2022. It has been updated with new information and tips below.

Harvard Business School is known for its excellent reputation amongst employers, impact-driven community, and consistently high rankings. Considering that HBS offers one of the best MBA programs and receives nearly 10,000 applications per year, earning a spot at this school requires you to really stand out from the competition. 

In this guide, we will go through how to get into HBS. While many applicants think that simply marketing themselves well is enough to gain admission, successful applicants are the ones who understand a) who Harvard is looking for, b) how the school’s MBA program, community, and opportunities fit their profile and goals, and c) how to prepare an HBS-specific essay and interview. Read on for our expert advice on how to master these three things.

 

1. Understand who Harvard is looking for

(Photo courtesy of @harvardhbs on Instagram)

Every year, Harvard Business School admits the largest single MBA class in the world, with around 1000 students starting each year. In general, Harvard tends to admit applicants with 4.9 years of work experience and outstanding test scores. The median GMAT for the Class of 2025 was 740 and the median GRE was 163Q, 163V.   

Harvard also places a strong emphasis on diversity, with the Class of 2025 containing 45% women and 39% international students.

According to Harvard’s Admissions team:

In addition,  some of the key characteristics HBS looks for in applicants are:

Habit of Leadership

Leadership may be expressed in many forms, from college extracurricular activities to academic or business achievements, from personal accomplishments to community commitments. We appreciate leadership on any scale, from organizing a classroom to directing a combat squad, from running an independent business to spearheading initiatives at work. In essence, we are looking for evidence of your potential.

Analytical Aptitude and Appetite

Harvard Business School is a demanding, fast-paced, and highly-verbal environment. We look for individuals who enjoy lively discussion and debate. Our case and field-based methods of learning depend upon the active participation of prepared students who can assess, analyze, and act upon complex information within often-ambiguous contexts. The MBA Admissions Board will review your prior academic performance, the results of the GMAT or GRE, and, if applicable, TOEFL iBT and/or IELTS, and the nature of your work experience. There is no particular previous course of study required to apply; you must, however, demonstrate the ability to master analytical and quantitative concepts.

Engaged Community Citizenship

So much of our MBA experience – including the case method, section life, and student-organized events – requires the active collaboration of the entire HBS community. That’s why we look for students who exhibit the highest ethical standards and respect for others, and can make positive contributions to the MBA Program. The right candidates must be eager to share their experiences, support their colleagues, and teach as well as learn from their peers.

We want applicants who have these traits, as well as bring a variety of skills, accomplishments and aspirations. In each class, we create a dynamic environment that mirrors the breadth and depth of our world economy. Our promise to our faculty and to every student here is to create a class of 900 students who come from as many different backgrounds and perspectives as possible.

So, if this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll have to think of the ways in which you align with the main characteristics of HBS’s students. This means forming your business school brand and then focusing on the aspects of that brand that align with leadership, analytical aptitude, and community citizenship.

 

2. Know HBS’s program and how you can use it

The second thing you must do to get into HBS is to know the MBA program and how it applies to your career goals. If you want to get into Harvard, you really need to show the admissions committee why it’s a good fit for you (and why you’re a good fit for the community too)!

While you will have to do your own research to find the specifics of what aligns specifically with your goals and profile, below we are highlighting some of the main aspects of Harvard’s MBA program so you can be informed about what makes it unique in comparison to other business schools.

 

The HBS Case Method FIELD

Two defining aspects of HBS’s MBA curriculum, the infamous case method and FIELD, are focused on giving students a balance of theory and practice. 

The HBS case method provides students with real or simulated business cases which they must analyze and openly debate in class. HBS’s use of the case method allows for nuanced discussions of business problems and solutions. This allows students to problem-solve with a variety of new perspectives and approaches, even if students are unfamiliar with the topic of focus.

During the first year at HBS, all students are required to not only take the same core courses but also complete FIELD, a year-long program that immerses students in real-life leadership experiences to develop their interpersonal skills. At the end of the spring term, students go on a FIELD Global Immersion to develop a new product or service for a global partner company.

 

A tight-knit community

While students are not likely to have met their entire class by graduation due to a large MBA class size, HBS’s sections ensure that students gain a sense of community and understanding with a diverse group of peers. Sections are diverse groups of 90 students who complete the first year’s required curriculum together and create close relationships through group projects and other social activities.

In addition to experiencing HBS’s tight-knit student community, MBA students and grads have access to the school’s one-of-a-kind alumni network. HBS has a large and diverse alumni community, with more than 85,000 alumni located in 173 countries. There are global networking events that take place in cities across the globe, and even 97 regional alumni clubs that you can join!

 

Student-led clubs

While all MBA programs offer students plenty of opportunities to get involved and network outside of the classroom, Harvard has a higher-than-average number of student-led clubs that promote strong networking and skill-building. With more than 95 clubs and over 200 leadership positions within HBS’s Student Association, there are many ways for students to refine their leadership and organizational management experience, explore interests, and make lifelong connections. 

Clubs at HBS give students access to many opportunities such as workshops, speakers, and conferences. Whether you are interested in networking with others from your region or social group (e.g. LatAm Club, South Asian Business Association, Women in Investing Club), exploring your industry further (e.g. Venture Capital & Private Equity Club, Social Enterprise Club), or simply finding others with similar personal interests (e.g. Whisky, Bourbon & Spirits Society, Hospitality & Travel Club), there are certainly a number of clubs that fit your profile and objectives.

Looking for more than just a summary of the HBS MBA? 

Luckily, we’ve created a complete guide on HBS, including program specifics, MBA class profile, and HBS post-MBA salary and employment information. Additionally, we have dozens of sample Harvard Business School MBA essays that got our past clients into HBS, plus essays for numerous other top schools, all in one place. Click to join!

 

 

3. Prepare a winning application

Last but certainly not least is knowing how to write an outstanding essay and prepare for a successful interview. Below are our top tips on succeeding at both of these key aspects of your HBS application!

 

Write an outstanding essay

Writing any admissions essay is a tough task, however, Harvard raises the bar with its highly-challenging yet open-ended prompt.

Here’s the question: As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program? (900 words maximum)*

*Though these questions are accurate at the time of publication, check out our Harvard Essay Analysis post for the most up-to-date questions and analysis. 

The open format allows you to include plenty of information about the experiences and examples you think make you unique. At its core, this essay is focused on allowing HBS to get to know the person behind the data, understanding how you have demonstrated leadership and excellence in your life, as well as gain insight into what motivates your decision to apply to HBS and pursue your specific career goals. 

That means your first task is to decide what you want HBS to know about you, highlighting what about you aligns with the school’s community, values, and program. Consider the fact that they have read your letters of recommendation, your CV, and all the information you typed into the online forms. 

Good examples would include — but are certainly not limited to — explaining how you created a new volunteer initiative in your community or navigated complex work situations, giving context for the decisions you made, explaining the motivations behind your professional choices, or discussing difficult challenges you faced and overcame or how you acted as a leader at work and/or at school. 

To check out sample essays that got our clients into Harvard Business School, click here!

*Note: this is the latest essay question as of the date this guide was published, but we suggest that you check for recent changes, as schools often update their essay questions closer to the round 1 deadline. You can access HBS’s essay question and more application info here.

 

Prepare a winning interview

After you’ve submitted your application and essays, you must wait to see if you get an invitation to interview. If you do get to the interview phase of the Harvard application process, congratulations! This is an exceptional achievement. 

HBS interviews are fast-paced, often including as many as 20-30 questions in the space of 30 minutes! Furthermore, though HBS interviewers do sometimes ask a few standard MBA interview questions, most of the questions you will receive are tailored to your profile and/or are follow-up questions to answers you give during the interview. We believe that HBS adopts this type of interview style to test how well you would fit into the case study classroom environment. 

Despite its fast pace, our clients who have interviewed with Harvard say that the interviewer was very friendly and demonstrated a genuine interest in their answers. For some clients, questions were far more personal in nature, covering topics like their childhood and family upbringing. Other clients reported their interview was strictly professional, so make sure you’re ready for anything when you interview with HBS. 

The questions you get at HBS will be very tailored to your profile and will adapt as the conversation develops. For example, if you say: “I’d really love to do my summer internship in a technology company,” your interviewer might follow with: “Which 3 companies would you apply to?” As such, make sure you have combed through your application and have considered all types of questions and follow-up questions your interviewer might be interested in asking you. 

Though most questions are unpredictable, HBS does also draw upon some of the more common MBA interview questions, such as those asking why you are interested in attending an MBA in light of your career goals, why you’re interested in HBS, and what you bring to the Harvard community. 

For some model questions that previous candidates have received in their past HBS interviews, click here.

Keep in mind that, unlike most business schools, all candidates that are selected to interview at HBS must answer this open-ended question and submit their answers within 24 hours of their interviews. 

As part of the application process, you will be required to complete a Post-Interview Reflection. Here are a few details straight from Harvard Business School:

• The Post-Interview Reflection is not intended to be another formal essay. Think of it instead as an email you might write to a colleague or supervisor after a meeting.
• We will be much more generous in our reaction to typos and grammatical errors than we will be with pre-packaged responses. Reflections that give any indication that they were produced before you had the interview will raise a flag for us.
• We do not expect you to solicit or receive any outside assistance with this exercise.
• Your Post-Interview Reflection is due within 24 hours of the conclusion of your interview. Let the interview soak in a little bit…we hate to see people missing activities because they’ve blocked out the time right after their interview to write their reflections.
• There is no word limit for the Post-Interview Reflection. There is a file size limit for the document you will upload, but it is quite generous.

Though there is no “model” for how to respond to this question, we have gathered several tips to help you ace this part of the HBS interview process here.

 

Make sure you prepare a successful Harvard application

Getting into the HBS MBA is no easy feat. 

With multiple essays, numerous letters of recommendation, and admissions interviews, a successful application to Harvard requires that you carefully think about all aspects of your profile and craft the most cohesive, compelling narrative possible. 

Starting from scratch, though, can leave many applicants like you feeling confused and uncertain they are developing an application that will impress the Harvard admissions committee. 

That’s why we created our MBA Resource Center, which includes everything you need to get into the Harvard MBA, all in one place. This includes dozens of sample essays, recommendation letter questions and guides, sample letters of recommendation, MBA CV templates, interview mock sequences, and even sample answers to the most common interview questions. 

In short, our Resource Center puts the Ellin Lolis Advantage into your hands, giving you exclusive access to the materials we used to help maintain our 98.9% success rate.

The Ellin Lolis MBA Resource Center has helped countless applicants around the world get into Harvard. Sign up today to put this competitive advantage to work for you.