FrancescaBW: We'll be getting started in about 15 minutes. Keep your questions coming. To send a question, type it into the white box below and click on send.
FrancescaBW: Welcome, we'll be getting started in about 10 minutes. Keep your questions coming.
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FrancescaBW: Copyright 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
FrancescaBW: Welcome to today's chat. In addition to being the community manager and a reporter for the B-schools channel, I'm also your moderator for today's event. I'd like to welcome our guest Deirdre Leopold, executive director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Business School. She will be answering your questions on everything from writing great essays to the first-year workload.
FrancescaBW: Deirdre, please feel free to start broadcasting your questions and answers now.
HBSDeirdre: Hi Francesca, delighted to be here!
FrancescaBW: We're delighted to have you
businesschat: what does harvard look in a candidate primarily before selecting for admission
FAMUCEO: If you are applying with more than one work experience, would HBS like recommendations from supervisors at each workplace?
kentm: Should I consider attending an Executive Education session at HBS prior to applying?
FAMUCEO: In what ways do you anticipate grade disclosure affecting the culture of HBS?
HBSDeirdre: Let's clarify what "grade disclosure" means.
HBSDeirdre: No . . . Executive Education is for candidates at a different career stage and predominantly company-sponsored. This would not be considered preparatory for the MBA Program.
PeteN: What are HBS' admission yields? Do you expect the yield to stay flat this coming year or increase/decrease?
HBSDeirdre: That's certainly a good plan although by no means a hard-and-fast requirement. We understand that you may not have complete control over access to supervisors you've worked with in the past. Make your best judgment call about what's feasible and will give us a clear picture of how you have spent your time. We are very understanding of constraints!
HBSDeirdre: We're looking for an assortment of leaders, all of whom can thrive in a demanding, fast-paced, highly verbal academic environment. Our classroom experience is quite different from traditional academia; students need to be fully present and engaged and ready to contribute. There are no opportunities to be a bystander. We're looking for people who, at every opportunity, have chosen to be givers vs. takers and don't sit by and wait for others to take the initiative. We are looking for evidence of a rock-solid foundation of intergrity and ethical behavior.
HBSDeirdre: Historically, our yield hovers around 90%; I expect this year to be similar.
HBSDeirdre: Students earn their grades at HBS and we believe that they should be in control of how and when they are used. At no point does grade disclosure mean that HBS is releasing grades to employers or anyone else. The change in policy merely puts control in the hands of the students. This was a long-standing policy which was changed to a more restrictive policy for a period of five years and then reviewed.
HBSDeirdre: Reports from the classroom are that the culture in unchanged - the case method encourages and supports a high level of collaboration in the classroom. Additionally, we are selecting people for whom collaboration is highly valued.
FrancescaBW: It looks like due to some technical difficulties, the questions and answers are not appearing together. We'll be able to put the right question with the right answer in the edited transcript which is available within a week of each event. We apologize for the inconvenience.
FrancescaBW: Feel free to broadcast the next question and answer whenever you are ready, Deirdre
Anzhansen: What is the teaching method at Harvard B school?
HBSDeirdre: HBS uses the case method - or participant centered - model of learning. Cases are stories about real companies with real people with real problems. 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 - over the course of 500-600 cases during their time as students.
kentm: My GMAT is 640 (low quantitative) - does HBS have a cut off?
HBSDeirdre: 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 does Dierdre look for in new potential HBS candidates, compared to prevous adcom directors?
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 who should be at HBS - someone who is larger-than-life and always "out in front". 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, others who are absolutely great at getting a small team to move in important directions and others who are thought leaders and can get a group to see things in unexpected ways. We're looking for all of these leaders - and believe that this diversity of leadership is an important ingredient in our classroom.
FrancescaBW: We have about 40 minutes left.
FrancescaBW: Deirdre can continue to send questions and answers through to the audience.
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 current culture. While it's understandable that candidates are trying to seek any information that may be helpful in gaining admiission 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 explore some thought-provoking topics. Make sure you get full benefit of this process.
PeteN: If you had to rank the different admissions criteria in order of importance, what would the order look like?
kentm: My math course exp. 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: No one single criterion is "the most important". We are trying to assemble a class of diverse experiences and backgrounds. All of the canddiates 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.
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 from international applicants ?
HBSDeirdre: We don't view international applicants as being in a separate pool. All candidates are evaluated on the same criteria. We find that our international applicants offer the same measure of diversity of work experience and leadership styles as those from the US.
littledhc: I want to know if taking the GMAT exam multiple times is frowned upon and will a lower score in a previous attempt reflect negatively on an HBS application?
HBSDeirdre: We look only at the score which you report in the application.
FAMUCEO: What would cause an applicant to be offered a place on the wait list without having an interview first?
HBSDeirdre: We try to compose a wait list after each round and sometimes simply don't have the capacity to interview all applicants before making that decision. All candidates ultimately offered admission will have been interviewed - hence, waitlisters may be invited to interview at any time.
jmwass: Are applications looked at any differently if one is applying for a joint degree either at Harvard Law or the Kennedy School?
HBSDeirdre: Candidates need to be admitted to each school independently. We do ask a question about "why" the joint program and how it will benefit you personally and professionally.
ramtelecom: how many applications were received this year?
HBSDeirdre: About 7400 - up about 11% from last year.
saukumar: what is harvard's take on married couples applying together to the mba program ? do either of us have to indicate in our application that we are applying together
HBSDeirdre: Each candidate is reviewed independently - we do have several married couples entering this fall!
RajeshG: Is HBS interesting in only outstanding candidates like olympic players, consultants from BCG and Bain etc? Do "ordinary" applicants stand no chance?
HBSDeirdre: I think there's a fair amount of distance between an Olympic athlete and "ordinary", whatever that may mean! We're looking for candidates who have consistently tried to achieve their best in any situation - and this can be from a vast variety of backgrounds and paths. We are very interested in seeing what individuals have done given their opportunity sets.
PJC2007: How re-applicant friendly is HBS? I have heard and read that chances aren't good a second time around.
HBSDeirdre: There's absolutely no stigma in our application process against re-applicants. When an application is read by the Admissions Board, previous status is unknown. However, if a re-applicant is invited to interview, we may choose to include the previous application in our preparation for the interview.
FrancescaBW: We have about 30 minutes left. Deirdre, feel free to keep sending through the questions and answers.
gsach: Morning Deirdre, Is it true that HBS looks down upon applicant coming from restaurant industry?
HBSDeirdre: We'd love to see more applicants from lots of industries. It would be a mistake to see a profile of our entering students' backgrounds and view that as a template for the future.
HBSDeirdre: Diversity of experience is very important in the case method model - we're trying very hard to be as broad as possible.
cmrMBA: How creative can applicants get with their essays? I've heard you look for essays that "stand out" but wonder if there is a line you don't want to cross in being too non-traditional in your essay responses
HBSDeirdre: As I said before, our process is not to find the most unusual or striking essays - it's to use the essays to try to get to know the candidate. Use the essays to tell us about the real you vs. trying to get our attention.
Paradosso: when evaluating CVs, do you take into account the differences in education cycles among countries? Should one convert his academic title to the nearest US standard or maintain the original?
HBSDeirdre: We have students from about 70 countries - we're well-versed in understanding the differences in international academic systems so don't worry about trying to translate for us.
businesschat: I have 15 years of work experience and want to do my MBA now .Is too much experience a problem for getting admission
HBSDeirdre: This is an important question: whether you have 15 years of experience or 2 - think about whether the MBA is going to add value and be a signficant transformational experience. For many candidates, 2-3 years is just right; for others, they are "ready" after a much greater number of years of experience. There's no right time.
deanchoi: i have a question re: the case method. my background is in advertising/marketing/media, and i'm looking to get an MBA to become a more well rounded professional and learn finance, accounting, etc. The last time I took anything remotely related to finance was Econ 1 my freshman year. Should I take some classes at a JC before I apply? I heard with the case method there are steps I can take to better prepare myself.
HBSDeirdre: I would definitely advise some exposure to financial accounting and/or finance as both actual preparation and, equally important, for you to assess whether you enjoy speaking the "language of business" and will thrive in an MBA program with a first-year required curriculum.
FrancescaBW: We have about 20 minutes left. Deirdre, feel free to keep the questions and answers flowing.
FrancescaBW: We have about 15 minutes left. Deirdre, are you having problems with the system?
PeteN: Other than the brand/name/reputation and the case-study-only approach, what are the most distinguishing factors of the HBS program?
ratitehri: i had taken GMAT in Nov 2002, is my score valid for applying to havard this year?
HBSDeirdre: I'd focus on the case method learning model, the required curriculum which gives all students an opportunity to get a solid grounding across business disciplines, the distinctive nature of faculty interaction with students in a very high-quality teaching environment. Faculty at HBS can't rely on prepared lectures since the case method is organic and continually evolving. One third of the cases in any given course are brand new every year - that's a critical way of being at the cutting edge.
HBSDeirdre: In the next application cycle, scores from January 2003 and on are valid.
HBSDeirdre: In addition, one third of the cases used are about international organizations, in large part due to the network of five HBS global research centers. There are significant opportunities available for HBS students to be global, both here and abroad.
HBSDeirdre: Unlike many schools, we are a residential campus, with 33 building on 40 acres. About 80% of students live on campus, which makes for a close-knit community experience.
FAMUCEO: Could you discuss HBS's increased emphasis on learning teams?
HBSDeirdre: Learning teams are a way of giving students the important opportunity to work together in small groups of 6-8. While our core unit is the 90 person section, we were looking for a way to replicate the diversity in the entire class in a small unit. Learning teams function both as study groups and as project teams with specific academic assignments throughout the first year curriculum.
FrancescaBW: Again, questions and answers are not appearing together, but we'll be sure to correct this when we post the edited transcript. Please forgive us for this technical glitch.
nvassall: What are the pros/cons of applying in each of the admissions rounds?
HBSDeirdre: I think it's fair to say we view Rounds 1 and 2 as very similar and are looking for roughly an equal number of candidates from each of these rounds . . . so choosing between these two is largely a matter of personal preference-when can you devote the time to the application process?
HBSDeirdre: I would say that Round 3 is essentially used as a "shaping" round - looking for candidates who round out the profile of the class.
FrancescaBW: We have about five minutes left. Deirdre, feel free to answer two more questions.
HBSDeirdre: I'd like to make sure we have a chance to tell you about "what's new" for this application season which will kick off in early July:
HBSDeirdre: There will be choices for candidates about which essay questions to answer - there will be two core essay questions for all applicants to answer plus a choice of three from a menu of six essay topics.
HBSDeirdre: In addition, we are trying to be reponsive to the need for more information about what's going on in the admissions process between submission and notification - we plan to message out when the majority of our interview invitations have been issued - there will always be additions but we think this information will be welcome.
HBSDeirdre: We will launch a new website in early July which will include podcasts from Admissions, Student Services and faculty. In addition, I will be writing a blog to take you inside the Admissions Office and also keep you informed about various happenings on campus.
nvassall: What constitutes a great recommendation?
HBSDeirdre: This is a very frequest question and is both easy and difficult to answer: choose someone who knows you well, can point to specific and relevant situations and who is enthusiastic about your desire to go to business school. Make your best judgment call about who that is and don't worry about their titles or connections.
FrancescaBW: That's all we have time for today. I'd like to thank our guest Deirdre and BusinessWeek.com reporter Alison Damast, who worked behind the scenes, and BusinessWeek.com B-Schools Channel Editor Phil Mintz for his support. And we'd like to extend a special thanks to all of you for joining us.
peguy123: How much are applications to HBS up this year over last and how much will that decrease the accepance rate by? Do you expect the trend to continue?
FrancescaBW: We had so many questions today (even before the chat began) that I'm sure many of you didn't get the answers you were looking for.
HBSDeirdre: Applications were up about 11% this year. We expect class size to stay the same in the near future.. . and, as always, we are not good at predicting the applicant pool in the future!
FrancescaBW: I apologize for that. But there's something you can do --
FrancescaBW: Thanks again, Deirdre and HBS
FrancescaBW: And thanks again to our audience. This was an informative and successful chat.
HBSDeirdre: My pleasure - -thanks for the opportunity and good luck to all!
FrancescaBW: Copyright 2007 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
FrancescaBW: Bye!
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发表于 2007-5-30 10:13:00
