How to Crack Harvard Business School Admissions?

Every MBA aspirant has a dream to get admission at Harvard, and each day I face questions like “What does one need to get an admission into Harvard Business School?” The answer is simple, a good GPA and a good GMAT score. Although, most of the business schools say that there is no minimum or maximum GMAT score requirement for admission, Harvard, on the other hand does care about your GMAT score.  First, if you want to increase your chances of securing a seat at Harvard, you have to score 740+ on your GMAT. On analyzing the admission statistics for Harvard Business School for last few years, we came to the conclusion that those who got admission there had a high GMAT score and thus it plays a vital role.

Second, our analysis also suggested that a large majority of candidates who got into Harvard Business School had a GPA of at least 3.77. Since most of the Indian applicants have engineering backgrounds, therefore both maintaining a good academic record without any backlogs and an engineering degree from a top engineering college play a vital role in the Harvard admission process.

Third, we found that although non-engineers with an above average GPA have a higher acceptance rate, engineers with a lower GPA have a fairly higher acceptance rate too. Our best guess for this trend is that, generally, engineers, even with a lower GPA, have a better IQ.

Fourth, the round in which you apply has a significant impact on your chances of acceptance at HBS. Applying in a later round significantly reduces your chances of admission at Harvard. In our experience, the acceptance rate in round one is approximate 12% while in round two it is almost 7%. You wouldn’t risk applying in round 3 unless you have a godly application.

Fifth, applicants who majored in finance have a significantly lower rate of admittance, only 2%. Whereas, applicants who have worked in venture capital or the military have a much higher admission rate, 16% and 17% respectively.

Sixth, students whose profiles showcase leadership qualities, perform better in the Harvard Business School Admissions. Leadership can be expressed in many forms, from college extracurricular activities to academic or business achievements and from personal accomplishments to community services. HBS appreciates leadership on any scale, from organizing a classroom to leading a combat squad and from running an independent business to spearheading initiatives at work. Hence, your leadership skills serve as an evidence of your potential.

The Harvard Business School admissions committee looks for students who exhibit the highest ethical standards and respect for others, and can make positive contributions to its MBA Program. The right candidates must be eager to share their experiences, support their colleagues, teach and learn from their peers.

In the nutshell, we at Leverage, advise our student to analyze their profiles themselves, before applying to Harvard and if they feel that they have all the above qualities then Harvard Business School is the best option for them.

Good luck with your Harvard applications!

Bidyut Dutta,

SVP and Head Admissions,

[email protected]

www.leverageedu.com