Accepted: What Does Harvard Business School Want? [Short Video]

Is it your dream to get your MBA from Harvard Business School? Your dream can be one step closer to becoming a reality if you have the special attributes that HBS is looking for. Let’s see what these attributes are.

Full video transcript

Hi, this is Linda Abraham with Eye on Admissions.

I’m occasionally asked: What are the common attributes or the common denominators among accepted applicants in their Harvard Business School application? And that’s exactly what I’m going to address.

The answer is really very simple, and interestingly enough, there are two common traits. And these are the two common traits also identified by a Harvard Business School professor that I met with. And the two traits, the common denominators are:

• Leadership
• Impact

Easy to say, easy to define, but not always so easy to provide.

Demonstrating Leadership in Your Harvard MBA Application

Leadership means that you’ve motivated others, you’ve assumed responsibility, you’ve initiated, you’ve managed, you’ve administered. Those kinds of qualities. It can be in a large group, it can be in a small group, in can be on the job, it can be off the job. It can be in college, it can be in sports, the arts, a religious organization, ethnic group, all kinds of venues. But realize that Harvard wants to see a habit of leadership. Not just one time, one activity, or one place, but a habit of leadership. And they are serious about that.

Demonstrating Impact in Your Harvard MBA Application

This means that your leadership, your participation, your activism, and your initiative made a difference. What were the results of your leadership? Talking about the results, showing results, and showing that you made a difference – this will show that you had impact.

And again, what you want – if you want to be on the right side of the application piles of the Harvard admissions office – is to be able to show leadership and impact.

This is Linda Abraham with Eye on Admissions. Thank you very much for listening.

Do you need help creating your super-strong application for HBS (or any other top business school)? Explore our MBA Admissions Consulting and learn how our expert consultants can help you get ACCEPTED!