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The Iconic HBS Essay is Gone. How to Master the New Prompts.

June 2024 marked a significant shift in Harvard Business School’s MBA admissions process, with the first major update to the essay component of the application since 2016.

That is, the 900-word, open-ended HBS essay— 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? —has been discontinued in lieu of three shorter prompts. 

In this article, we’ll cover the new HBS essays, speculate on why the changes were made, and give our best advice on how Harvard Business School applicants should tackle the new essay themes.

The Harvard Business School Essay Is Now “Essays”

Harvard Business School’s MBA essay prompts for 2024 appeal to “business-minded”, “leadership-focused”, and “growth-oriented” individuals.  

The prompts are:

Business Minded

• Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you strive to make on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

Leadership-Focused

• What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

Growth-Oriented

• Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

At first glance, MBA applicants might feel some relief when reading the requirements for these new prompts. Yes, they’re 100 words shorter, but there’s also much more guidance about what to write about—it would seem. 

However, the narrower the focus, the easier it is for you to “lose the thread” and get bogged down in the language of the prompt.

Increased specificity can also lead to formulaic responses, which lack the personal storytelling that helps your essays standout. (It also increases the chances of applicants turning to ChatGPT or other LLMs for assistance).

As a result, we feel that you’re going to have to work a little harder to distinguish yourself when responding to these prompts—and you’re going to have to resist the temptation to use ChatGPT for your HBS application .

How to Approach the New HBS Essay Prompts

The biggest pitfall MBA applicants fall into with specific, shorter essays like these is to respond too directly to the prompt without considering the bigger picture.

When approaching the essay writing process, don’t worry too much about the exact themes in each prompt. Instead, reflect on the reasons you feel you should be admitted to HBS in general. 

Think through your answers to the following questions:

• Why are you qualified?
• What do you hope to do post-MBA?
• How has your background shaped this motivation?
• What in your background provides evidence that you will be successful in your goal or goals?
• What impact will your success have on the wider community, career path, and so on?

By orienting yourself to the bigger picture, you can avoid focusing too narrowly on “curiosity” or “leadership qualities.” 

Next, think about the topics you don’t need to address in your essays. Factors such as academic ability and career experience will be covered separately in the application or the resume. 

Decide what hasn’t been addressed elsewhere, and strategize on how to work this information into the prompts provided.

This is where a consultant can mean the difference between a generic essay and a memorable and highly impactful response. An MBA admissions consultant can help you think through your motivations and craft MBA essays that seamlessly complement your application while showcasing your personality.

If you’re looking for even more insight about how to tackle the three HBS prompts, consider our advice on writing a strong MBA personal statement—including 4 common mistakes you’ll want to avoid . 

Why was the Harvard Business School Essay Changed?

We don’t have any insider information on why the original HBS essay prompt was replaced, but we can speculate generally on some factors that might have led to this moment.

New Director of Admissions, New Essays

In October 2023, Rupal Gadhia joined Harvard Business School as the Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. These changes coincide with her tenure, and we can safely assume that this is not a coincidence. 

Typically, when admissions essays shift from longer, open-ended prompts to shorter, more focused ones, it’s because many applicants were not effectively addressing the essay’s purpose and were using the space ineffectively.

Perhaps the regime change paved the way for this update—perhaps it was even in the works for some time.

In addition to a new Director of Admissions, the HBS essay updates also seem to align with a change in the types of candidates HBS is seeking to admit.

A culture shift in the Harvard Business School Admissions Committee?

In previous cycles, Harvard Business School has been quite direct about its interest in individuals with a “habit” of leadership and an analytical aptitude and appetite.

However, this cycle sees a shift towards a broader, softer set of qualities, potentially setting the runway for a minor increase in non-traditional MBA admits. 

These qualities directly correspond to the new HBS essays, and Harvard Business School gives some guidance as to how certain candidates should interpret the purpose of the new prompts.

As stated on the “ Who Are We Looking For ?” page, the HBS admissions team will look for individuals who…

• Business-Minded: “are passionate about using business as a force for good – who strive to improve and transform companies, industries, and the world.”
• Leadership-Focused: “aspire to lead others toward making a difference in the world, and those who recognize that to build and sustain successful organizations, they must develop and nurture diverse teams.”
• Growth-Oriented: “desire to broaden their perspectives through creative problem solving, active listening, and lively discussion.”

Now, it is important to remember that Harvard Business School relies heavily on its donors and its reputation with recruiters, who in turn depend on the MBA class composition as it stands today. So we are not likely to see a large shake-up of the school’s MBA class profile overnight.

Further, it’s impossible to predict what industries and profiles are likely to benefit from these changes in admissions criteria. 

But if the essay prompts and changes to admissions criteria are genuine and indicative of a broader shift in admissions committee thinking, then we can expect to see individuals who invest in others (especially those who are different from themselves) fare quite well. 

Wrapping Up

These changes to the HBS application essays coincide with the appointment of a new Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid and a subtle broadening of the admissions criteria for HBS’s MBA class. 

While these shifts may not lead to a dramatic change in the class profile overnight, they do signal an evolving approach to assessing candidates.

For applicants, the key takeaway is to pay close attention to the new essay prompts without getting bogged down by the specific themes. 

It’s essential to maintain a holistic view of your MBA applications, emphasizing your overall qualifications, goals, and the unique experiences that align with each program’s values.

Engaging an MBA admissions consultant can be a strategic move, offering you tailored insights and helping you craft Harvard MBA essays that stand out. By focusing on the bigger picture and strategically addressing the prompts, you can present a strong, authentic application that highlights your readiness for the HBS MBA program.

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HBS – How to Answer the New Essay Prompts (2024-2025)

HBS sent the MBA community reeling when it announced (after months of rumors) that it would be changing its longstanding, single essay prompt this year. The prior 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?”, was introduced in 2016 and lasted for 8 application cycles.

Now, under the new leadership of Rupal Gadhia, who replaced Chad Losee as the Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid in 2023, the school has joined the latest MBA admissions trend: more but shorter essays.  

The 2024-2025 HBS Essay Prompts

Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

For a full list of 2024-2025 application deadlines and essay prompts, click here .

A Mixed Bag

Our team has mixed feelings about these new essay prompts. On one hand, the change is a huge positive for applicants who were often anxious and paralyzed by the ambiguity of the prior open-ended essay prompt. The now very direct questions leave little to assumption and lay bare the school’s intentions behind each question.

However, as you may have noticed, the word count is extremely limiting in these essays. In fact, we’ll go as far as saying that the low word count limit will likely be the hardest part of writing these essays . Fitting impactful and introspective stories into 250-300 words will be an extraordinary feat in writing and editing. And we wonder if the brevity will come at the cost of depth. But the good news is that all applicants are playing by the same rules – and are subject to the same limitations. And we have no doubt you’re up for the challenge.

What Does HBS Look For?

As a starting point, it’s helpful to consider the qualities HBS looks for . Note that these qualities were updated this year as well and it’s no coincidence that they align with the essay prompts above.

• Business-Minded
• Leadership-Focused
• Growth-Oriented

HBS wants strong, conscientious leaders who will change the world. Every successful candidate needs to not only meet the criteria above but do so in their own distinctive way.

Start Big Picture, Then Drill Down to Each Question

It can be tempting to jump straight into the prompts and start brainstorming the best story to answer that specific question. But we urge you to pause and look at the big picture first. Go back to your personal brand and what you stand for. What is the message that you want to deliver to HBS loud and clear?  

Write that message at the top of your essay brainstorming document and refer to it frequently. Use it as your guidepost as you ideate on individual essay topics. And ask yourself, does this story a) answer the prompt? AND b) support and reinforce that message? Your answer should be yes.

The Career Goals Question

The first essay prompt centers around the “why” behind your career choices to-date and your aspirations for the future. HBS is looking for clear cause and effect here and a strong essay will draw simple but powerful connections between your past and your future.

We recommend starting by writing down key inflection points or “aha” moments in your past that sparked your interest in using business as a force for good. These can be but certainly don’t have to be professional experiences. From that list, choose the most influential 1-3 past experiences that you will expand on and connect with your passion for creating an impact.

Then the remainder of the essay can describe your future aspirations. It’s important to convey not just what you hope to accomplish, but also why it matters to you and how you plan to leverage your unique background and insights to make a difference.

The Leadership Question

In this question, HBS is asking you to elaborate on both who you are as a leader and how you’ve had an impact . In other words, this essay must reveal your character, your special brand of leadership , and how you lead – and how those have left a mark on others.

To accomplish this, we recommend following the outline of the prompt. Open by sharing a defining moment or experience that explains the origin of your leadership values and character. This will most likely be a personal experience and can certainly reflect the influence of a role model or leader you admire, a challenge you overcame, or even a unique family dynamic. Anything is fair game here so get creative.

Then you can tell a story of a specific time when you positively impacted others through your leadership. To select the best story here, we recommend writing down all of the key moments in your life where you demonstrated leadership, regardless of whether it was in a formal role. Then from that list, choose your proudest or most defining experience.

Lastly, with the remaining word count, you can close the essay by describing the kind of leader you hope to become, connecting that future vision with the leadership brand you have today and your career goals.

The Growth Mindset Question

If the first two questions put you in the driver’s seat of impact , the third question reverses the roles and asks you to discuss a time when you’ve been impacted . More specifically, the question is asking about a time when you sought out a new experience, new knowledge, a new perspective, or any other avenue that was the opposite of certainty.

Unlike the other questions that ask you to connect the dots between multiple experiences, this question is asking you to recount one specific story or anecdote. We recommend choosing the one most compelling story – the story that exemplifies your curiosity AND strongly supports your personal brand / overarching application theme.

Because curiosity is a core value for HBS, we recommend choosing a story where the stakes were high and the impact on you was truly meaningful. If you’re struggling to identify a good story here, start at the end. Identify specific instances where you experienced personal or professional growth – where there was a clear before and after. Then, backtrack to the actions you took that led to those leaps in growth.

A classic STAR (Situation, Action, Task, Result) format will help you make the most use of the limited word count here. Describe the context of the situation, what sparked your curiosity, and the steps you took to satisfy it. Then conclude by explaining the impact of your curiosity on your development.

What to Avoid

You’ll notice that none of the questions ask you “why HBS” or “why MBA”. This is not a trap. HBS simply isn’t interested in understanding your reasons. So, we don’t recommend spending your specious word count on addressing “why HBS” or “why MBA”. These essays should be deep and personal. What drives you? Who are you as a person (if someone were to start writing a biography about you right now?) And importantly, for HBS, it should point to good examples of how you are a leader.

Get Personal

Your experiences and accomplishments don’t have to be massive things relatively speaking – not everyone has started a non-profit or is on a mission to save the world – but if they are significant to you and your trajectory and evolution as a person, then that’s the point. The goal is to show who you are, what drives you, and what has helped you become who you are today.

Lastly, check out HBS’  Portrait Project . The stories students share and the level of personal depth they go into is exactly the kind of direction you should be taking with these essays. 

Reading this essay analysis is a great starting point in your HBS application process. It will point you in the direction and help you avoid some common pitfalls. But remember that general guidance will only get you so far. Feedback on your individual story and writing is what will supercharge your essays.

If you would like some personalized guidance, click  here  to request a free 30-minute consultation!

After embarking on my own MBA journey, I co-founded Vantage Point MBA Admissions Consulting to help aspiring business school students get accepted to the top MBA programs in the U.S. and Europe. As President, I currently lead a team of over 25 superstar consultants to give our clients an unmatched experience, with a focus on white glove, personalized collaboration and mentorship.

2024-2025 Stanford MBA Essay Tips

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Class of 2025 Application Deadlines + New Essay Word Count

Calling all applicants who want to enroll at HBS in fall 2023, i.e., the Class of 2025. The applications deadlines to apply will be September 7, 2022 (Round 1) and January 4, 2023 (Round 2) – you can learn more about the application here . The application will open in late June 2022, but you can start preparing by downloading our Application Guide now.

Essay news:

• The prompt will remain the same as in previous years: “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?”
• We are, however, adding a 900 word limit to the essay. Why, you might ask? Well, we have heard from some applicants that, without a word limit, sometimes questions (and stress) arise about the “right” word length. We hope that including a limit provides applicants with a little more direction and eliminates the stress about how much is too much to write.
• Do you need to submit 900 words? No, certainly not. Successful applicants may share what they wish to in 500 or 700 words, for example, or go up to 900.

We are already looking forward to getting to know you!

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2024-2025 Harvard MBA essay analysis and tips

Admit expert.

• July 19, 2024

Harvard Business School (HBS) stands out for its rigorous case study method and commitment to developing leaders who make a difference in the world. For the 2024-2025 admissions cycle, HBS has outlined three distinctive essay prompts designed to delve into the depths of applicants’ experiences, aspirations, and growth. The essays provide an opportunity to showcase your unique qualities and potential to contribute to the HBS community. 

Harvard Business School (HBS) has modified its MBA application essay questions for the first time in over a decade. The three shorter essays this year have replaced the open-ended, 900-word “What more would you like us to know?” piece. HBS looks for proof in these essays that candidates are growth-oriented, business-minded, and leadership-focused.

This article offers an in-depth analysis of each essay prompt and provides practical tips to help you craft compelling responses.

In this article, we have outlined a few guidelines that you should keep in mind while writing your essay. By following these guidelines, you can maximize your chances of crafting an essay that will make a lasting impression on the Harvard admissions committee.

Harvard MBA application deadlines 2025

For the 2023 HBS admissions, there are two rounds of intake. The Round 1 deadline is September 4, 2024, and the Round 2 deadline is January 6, 2025.

Please note that the application should be submitted online by 12 Noon Boston Time.

Harvard MBA Essay Prompts for 2024-2025 Admissions

Business minded essay.

Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you strive to make on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (Text box, 300 words maximum)

Leadership Focused Essay

What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (Text box, 250 words maximum)

Growth Oriented Essay

Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (Text box, 250 words maximum)

Understanding the HBS Business-Minded Essay Prompt for 2025 Admissions

The Harvard Business School (HBS) essay prompt for 2025 admissions asks applicants to reflect on how their experiences have influenced their career choices and aspirations and the impact they will have on businesses, organizations, and communities they plan to serve. This essay, limited to 300 words, requires applicants to concisely articulate their career plans post-HBS, emphasizing the anticipated impact they aspire to achieve. In this article, we will explore what the admissions committee seeks in this essay and provide guidance on how to write a compelling response.

Part 1: What the Admissions Committee Seeks

HBS elaborates on the meaning of being business-minded by noting, “We are looking for individuals who are passionate about using business as a force for good – who strive to improve and transform companies, industries, and the world. We are seeking those who are eager to solve today’s biggest problems and shape the future through creative and integrated thinking.”

This statement highlights several key qualities that HBS values in applicants:

• Passion for Positive Change: Applicants should demonstrate a genuine commitment to using business principles to drive positive change in companies, industries, and the broader world. This goes beyond personal career advancement and focuses on the broader impact on society.
• Problem-Solving Orientation: HBS seeks individuals who are not only aware of today’s significant challenges but are also eager to address them through innovative and integrated thinking. This requires a mindset geared towards identifying problems and developing creative solutions.
• Impactful Aspirations: While detailing post-graduation plans, applicants should emphasize the anticipated impact of their career choices. This is crucial for conveying long-term goals and the broader significance of their professional journey.
• Authenticity and Realism: The admissions committee values authenticity. Applicants should avoid tailoring their aspirations to what they think HBS wants to hear. Instead, they should reflect sincerely on their goals and how they plan to achieve them, ensuring that their plans are ambitious yet plausible.

Part 2: How to Write the Business-Minded Essay

Writing a compelling essay for HBS requires a strategic approach to effectively convey your experiences, motivations, and aspirations within the 300-word limit. Here are key steps to guide you:

• Consider personal, professional, extracurricular, or community-oriented experiences that have significantly influenced your career choices.
• Identify specific moments or situations that sparked your interest in your chosen field or career path.
• Focus on “cause and effect” to create a clear connection between your experiences and your professional decisions to date.
• Clearly describe your short-term and long-term career goals post-HBS.
• Emphasize the impact you aim to achieve in your career. This should be a central theme in your essay, reflecting how you plan to use your HBS education to drive positive change.
• Instead of listing titles and companies from your resume, dig deeper into specific influential actions or situations that reflect your motivation for your career and goals.
• Personal anecdotes tend to have more impact on the reader and make your essay more engaging.
• Avoid discussing aspirations that you think the admissions committee “wants” to hear. Authenticity is key.
• Reflect sincerely on where you can make a positive difference and express that vision with authenticity.
• Ensure your plans are ambitious yet realistic, showing a clear path to achieving your goals.
• Highlight the broader impact of your career choices on businesses, organizations, and communities.
• Explain how the roles you have identified for after your MBA experience will allow you to achieve this impact.
• Discuss the skills, relationships, and knowledge you will gain through HBS that will enable you to make a positive difference.

The HBS leadership-focused essay is a unique opportunity to showcase your personal and professional journey, your investment in others, and your vision for the future. By thoughtfully reflecting on your experiences and articulating your aspirations, you can create a compelling narrative that aligns with what HBS seeks in its candidates. Remember, this essay is not just about what you have done, but also about who you are and the kind of leader you strive to become.

What the Admissions Committee Seeks

Harvard Business School’s admissions committee is renowned for seeking candidates who not only possess strong academic and professional achievements but also demonstrate exceptional leadership potential and a collaborative spirit. The leadership-focused essay prompt for the 2025 admissions cycle encapsulates this perfectly by asking applicants to reflect on the experiences that have shaped them, their investment in others, and their aspirations as future leaders.

This prompt offers a platform for candidates to showcase their resourcefulness, persistence, and the journey they’ve undertaken to reach their current position. It’s a chance to provide insights into their personal and professional maturity, illustrating how they have evolved through various experiences. HBS values candidates who are supportive, collaborative, and capable of making a meaningful impact within the HBS community and beyond.

Key Elements the AdCom Looks For:

• Self-Awareness and Reflection : Demonstrating a deep understanding of how past experiences have shaped who you are today.
• Investment in Others : Highlighting specific instances where you’ve supported or mentored others, showcasing your collaborative nature.
• Vision and Leadership Aspirations : Providing a clear and bold vision for your future leadership and how you plan to make an impact.

How to Write This Essay

Writing an effective response to the HBS leadership-focused essay prompt requires a balance between introspection and concrete examples. Given the 250-word limit, every word must count. Here’s a structured approach to crafting a compelling essay:

1. Identify Key Experiences

Start by brainstorming pivotal experiences in your life that have significantly influenced who you are. These could range from personal challenges, educational milestones, professional achievements, to impactful interactions within your community. The goal is to select experiences that reveal your core values, character, and leadership potential.

2. Highlight Investment in Others

Select one or two illustrative examples where you have invested in others. This could be through mentoring, leading a team, supporting a colleague, or contributing to a community project. Be specific about the actions you took and the impact they had on others.

3. Define Your Leadership Vision

Reflect on how these experiences have shaped your leadership aspirations. What kind of leader do you want to become? How do these past experiences inform your future goals? Tie this reflection to your career plans, ensuring it aligns with the vision HBS looks for in its candidates.

The “Growth-Oriented Essay” is your chance to showcase your curiosity and how it has driven your growth. By structuring your essay around a clear example and focusing on your passion, actions, and resulting growth, you can present a compelling narrative that aligns with what HBS seeks in its applicants.

Harvard Business School (HBS) is renowned for its case study method, which emphasizes active listening, participation, and a collaborative approach to learning. The admissions committee (adcom) seeks candidates who exhibit open-mindedness, a drive for personal and professional growth, and the ability to adapt to dynamic environments. For the “Growth-Oriented Essay,” HBS wants to see your curiosity, problem-solving skills, teamwork, and evidence of personal growth.

The case study method requires students to approach problems from various angles, work with diverse teams, and be receptive to different perspectives. As such, HBS looks for applicants who demonstrate a genuine interest in learning and growth. The “Growth-Oriented Essay” is an opportunity to showcase your curiosity and how it has fueled your personal and professional development.

How to Write the Growth-Oriented Essay

The essay prompt asks you to share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how it has influenced your growth. Given the 250-word limit, it’s crucial to structure your response concisely and effectively. Here’s a suggested structure to guide your writing:

1. Situation

Set the stage by describing what sparked your curiosity. What issue or topic intrigued you? What was the context or background? Who was involved? This section should provide a clear picture of the scenario that piqued your interest.

Example: “During my tenure at a tech startup, I was fascinated by the potential of AI in transforming customer service. Despite having a non-technical background, I was determined to understand this emerging technology.”

Detail the steps you took driven by your curiosity. Highlight specific actions that demonstrate your proactive approach to learning and problem-solving. Did you engage in teamwork, exhibit leadership, or gather knowledge through research or courses?

Example: “I enrolled in online AI courses, attended industry conferences, and initiated a cross-departmental project to implement AI-driven chatbots. I collaborated with engineers to understand the technical aspects and worked with the customer service team to identify key areas for improvement.”

Summarize the positive results of your actions and how this experience contributed to your growth. Focus on the skills you developed, the knowledge you gained, and how it influenced your perspective or career trajectory.

Example: “The project led to a 30% increase in customer satisfaction and a significant reduction in response time. More importantly, I developed a deep appreciation for technology’s role in business innovation and decided to pursue further studies in AI and data science.”

Final Thoughts

Crafting your HBS essays for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle is a process that requires introspection, clarity, and strategic storytelling. The “Business-Minded Essay” prompts you to reflect on your career choices and aspirations, emphasizing the impact you aim to make. The “Leadership-Focused Essay” asks you to delve into the experiences that have shaped your leadership style and how you invest in others. Lastly, the “Growth-Oriented Essay” invites you to showcase your curiosity and how it has driven your personal and professional growth. By carefully considering these prompts and following the provided tips, you can present a well-rounded and authentic portrayal of your candidacy, aligning with what HBS seeks in future leaders.

The answer to the Harvard MBA essay question is not something we can provide or explain in a single blog post because we need to know different aspects of your personal and professional life. It must be unique to each of you. For individual guidance please reach out to us at [email protected]  

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August 1, 2024

Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2024 – 2025]

Harvard Business School (HBS) continues to be one of the few schools, if not the only one, with just admissions two rounds (September and January). HBS uses an April deadline exclusively for HBS 2+2, its deferred enrollment program.

The HBS admissions office announced several updates for the 2024-2025 admissions cycle. New criteria for admission were laid out and three shorter essays introduced in place of the program’s long-standing single essay prompt. Although the essays have been shortened, applicants must still understand the importance of self-reflection before picking up the proverbial pen. We have all had experiences in our lives that have shaped who we are personally and professionally. It is critical to spend time focusing on your motivations and identifying your strengths and weaknesses to uncover your authentic story so you can present it effectively to the admissions committee. 

HBS is looking for some specific information from its candidates, and the program’s decision to request that information through three brief essays might make the task of writing these essays seem easier at first. However, it is often more challenging to provide a story’s context and convey the details of the impact you have made with fewer words. It is essential to recognize that the essays are part of a holistic process, and the story you want to tell is found in the various parts of your application, not just in your essays. Make sure that you are clear on what you want to convey to the admissions committee across the totality of your application. Each essay asks you to identify one or more experiences that have been formative in some way. Beyond selecting a specific life event or events (personal or professional) to discuss in each essay, you must convey the outcome or the impact of the experience(s). Don’t use the same experience from one essay to the next. Consider each essay a novel opportunity for HBS to learn something new about you. 

Before jumping into your essays, remind yourself that Harvard’s mission is to educate leaders who make a difference in the world. Also, review the Who Are We Looking For? section of HBS’s website, which identifies the three characteristics that are common among its students: Business-Minded, Leadership-Focused, and Growth-Oriented. Further, HBS provides context for the meaning of Business-Minded, Leadership-Focused, and Growth-Oriented and is specific about how it will identify each of these characteristics throughout your application. 

Ready to get to work on your HBS application? Read on. 

HBS application essay tips

Hbs application deadlines, hbs class profile.

Business-Minded Essay: 

Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

This question asks you to consider past experiences, drawn from any aspect of your life, that have shaped you in some way. How have they influenced your career aspirations and the choices you have made throughout your career so far? While you’ll reference the short- and long-term goals you outlined in the Post-MBA Goals section of the HBS application, you’re not expected to provide the same level of detail here. Rather, describe how these experiences have shaped your professional journey and continue to inspire your plans for your career.

The second part of the prompt requires you to be forward-looking and consider the broader impact you’ll have as you continue your professional journey. Whether with businesses, organizations, or communities, you will contribute to their success in some way. What difference will you make with these entities as you navigate the path to achieving your career goals? Discussing your impact across all three arenas is unnecessary. Instead, focus on an authentic example based on your particular engagement and the specifics of how you will make a difference. 

Leadership-Focused Essay: 

What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

With this question, the HBS admissions committee wants you to identify pivotal experiences that have influenced your development into the person you are. Remember to use a different experience than you did in the first essay. Whether that’s a personal challenge that had a profound impact on your values or an event that changed your perspective, this essay requires you to dig deep and reflect on the effect the experience had on your perception of leadership and your outlook on navigating your environment. Beyond explaining why or how the experience shaped you, the admissions committee wants to know what you have done with your learning. What specific actions have you taken to support others in their journey that showcase what you learned? This can range from supporting a coworker during a challenging period to working with a volunteer group helping homeless youth learn life skills. Beyond investing in others, what leadership traits do you recognize and aspire to develop? Why is it important that you achieve this development?

Growth-Oriented Essay: 

Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

To begin this essay, reflect on times when you were curious about something and were motivated to continue learning because you were driven to grow. What was it that fed your curiosity? How did that strong desire to learn manifest itself? The experience you describe of being curious will demonstrate what you did to continue the learning process. What activities did you engage in, and how did they contribute to your ongoing development? Were there specific people that you interacted with, and if so, what did you learn from them? Next comes, as you might have guessed, the impact. Based on the curiosity that drove you to continue learning, describe how you grew. What part of the experience contributed to your growth? How did your perspective change, or what skills did you develop through the process? 

Source: HBS website

Applications must be submitted online by 12 noon Boston time.

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with HBS directly to verify the essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here’s a look at HBS’s Class of 2025 (data taken from the HBS website ):

Number of applications: 8,14

Enrolled: 938

Countries represented 

• United States: 61%
• Europe: 10%
• Mexico, Central and South America: 5%
• Middle East: 3%
• Oceania: 1%

International: 39%

U.S. Race/Ethnicity (Federal guidelines reporting)

• Asian American: 22%
• Hispanic or Latino: 11%
• Black or African American: 10%
• Multi-race: 6%
• Did not report: 1%
• American Indian or Alaskan Native: 0
• Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander: 0

Average GPA: 3.73

Average years of work experience: 4.9

Median GMAT: 740 GMAT range: 500-790 Median GMAT Verbal: 42 GMAT Verbal range: 25-51 Median GMAT Quantitative: 49 GMAT Quantitative range: 31-51 Percentage of class that submitted GMAT scores: 69% Median GRE Verbal: 163 GRE Verbal range: 150-170 Median GRE Quantitative: 163 GRE Quantitative range: 145-170 Percentage of class that submitted GRE scores: 39%

Undergraduate majors

• Engineering: 25%
• Business/Commerce: 22%
• Economics: 21%
• Math/Physical sciences: 17%
• Social Sciences: 12%
• Arts/Humanities: 4%

Pre-MBA Industry

• Consulting: 17%
• Venture Capital, Private Equity: 17%
• Technology: 13%
• Consumer Products, Retail, E-Commerce: 10%
• Financial Services: 10%
• Manufacturing, Industrial, Energy: 9%
• Health Care, Biotech: 7%
• Military: 6%
• Nonprofit, Government, Education: 6%
• Media, Entertainment, Travel: 3%
• Services: 2%

As the former executive director of admissions at Carnegie Mellon’s Tepper School and assistant dean of admissions at Georgetown’s McDonough School and the University of Pittsburgh’s Katz School, Kelly Wilson has 23 years’ experience overseeing admissions committees and has reviewed more than 38,000 applications for the MBA and master’s programs in management of information systems, computational finance, business analytics, and product management.  Want Kelly to help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2024
• Admissions Straight Talk podcast
• The Selectivity Index , a free tool

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Successful Business School Essays | 2024

With an increasingly competitive MBA admissions process, it's important to understand what makes an applicant stand out. Admissions consultants share their clients' accepted MBA application essays and analyze what makes them work.

Samuel's Essay

MBA Whisperer® offers bespoke test preparation and MBA admissions consulting services, enabling accomplished professionals to “dream their impossible dream.” It was founded by Travis Morgan , a former television journalist, MBA alumnus & admissions interviewer, and Director of Admissions Consulting for the world's largest privately-held test prep and admissions consulting company at the time. Travis brings his unique brand of enthusiasm and energy paired with 17 years of test preparation and admissions consulting insights to elevate each client’s experience.

New 2024-2025 Harvard Business School Essay Prompts

For the first time in over a decade, Harvard Business School significantly changed its admissions essays and criteria in its 2024-2025 application. Under the leadership of new Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid, Rupal Gadhia, the school has also reframed the criteria on which the Admissions Board evaluates candidates. For many years, the criteria had been: 1) a habit of leadership, 2) analytical aptitude and appetite, and 3) engaged community citizenship. The 2024-2025 admissions essays align with the school’s new criteria : 1) business-minded, 2) leadership-focused, and 3) growth-oriented.

The new 2024-2025 Harvard Business School essay prompts are as follows:

1. Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

2. Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

3. Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

While the essay prompts and evaluation criteria have been adjusted, the characteristics of a successful Harvard Business School candidate have not fundamentally changed. Rather, the essay prompts and refined criteria now signal with greater clarity what the HBS Admissions Board really looks for in candidates. The important question as an applicant is how you can show them that you have what it takes! We at MBA Whisperer believe that analyzing previous essays from successful candidates remains a valuable tool to identify the key elements of a successful Harvard Business School essay.

Successful Harvard Business School Essay

Essay prompt: As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School program? [no word limit]

When I was eight, my oldest brother went to prison for armed robbery of a vehicle as part of a gang on the Southside of Chicago. My family had experienced a lot during our time in Chicago, but that was the straw that broke the camel’s back—pushing my parents to move our family in search of a community that would offer their six black boys a better life. My family packed up what little we had and moved away from the familiarity of family and friends to Georgia.

Even as a young boy, I was able to recognize the immediate difference in my community.

Even as a young boy, I was able to recognize the immediate difference in my community. We had moved from a majority black, low-income city to a majority white city with deep southern roots. On the surface, my transition seemed seamless, but on the inside, I was conflicted. I felt like a misfit stuck between two very different communities. And because I had two communities, it felt like I didn’t have any at all. At least none that I could call my own.

Over the next decade, my parents pushed my brothers and me hard to make sure we didn’t follow the path our older brother took. By the end of high school, I was in the top five percent of my class, had one of the best 800-meter track times in the country, and was on my way to becoming the first college graduate in my family.

But no matter how hard I worked, I still felt like a misfit. In an effort to fit in, I got involved with the wrong crowd. I started drinking and doing drugs. Then one day, things took a turn for the worst. I was pulled over and searched by a police officer. He found the drugs I had with me. I remember thinking, “my life is over.” Only it wasn’t. As the officer held the drugs in his hand, he looked me straight in the eyes and said, “Trust me, you don’t want to go this way. Get off this stuff before it ruins your life. Now get out of here.”

That moment was a major wake-up call, and I realized that I needed to make immediate changes in my life.

Two months later I met the Latter-day Saint missionaries. I could see myself in them—they were young and awkward and seemed like they didn’t quite fit in. However, they had one major difference from me. They were driven by a strong purpose, and I wanted what they had. I decided to take a step in the right direction and was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

One year later I was serving a volunteer mission in Manchester, England. For two years I sought to help others find what I had found—a sense of community matched with a strong purpose. This consistent period of service helped me come to the realization that helping others find community and purpose was what mattered most to me, and that that belief would be my “North Star” for the remainder of my life.

Upon returning home from my mission, however, the pressures and demands of life hit me with full force, and I once again became consumed with my own goals. Within a few years, I had become one of the fastest 800 meter runners in NCAA history and had taken home an international gold medal while representing team USA. I had signed a professional contract, had set the World Record in the Road 800 meter race, and had won the bronze medal at the USA Indoor Championships with one of the fastest 600 meter times of all-time. Yet, I felt empty and unhappy.

It was then that I, for the second time in my life, learned what mattered most to me. Only this time, I also learned why. This time, I was able to recognize how much help I had been given in my life. My parents helped me by moving in search of a better community. The police officer helped me by giving me a second chance. The missionaries helped me by teaching me the importance of purpose. My coaches and professors helped me by encouraging me to shoot for the stars. I suddenly realized that my hard work and determination didn’t make me who I was—my community did.

That moment of realization and reflection was powerful. So powerful, in fact, that I quit track and field that day to pursue opportunities that would allow me to be a more influential mentor. It wasn’t just about helping others find community and purpose; it was about walking the path with them. I had been given just that, and I felt a responsibility to give back. Since retiring as a professional runner, I have sought opportunities that will mold me into an influential mentor.

On this quest, I decided to join the consulting industry and get involved in social impact cases focused on the Black and Hispanic communities. Advising clients on some of the unique challenges these communities face has felt significant, but now I am ready to make an impact in a more hands-on, “on the ground” way. I want to use the search fund model to acquire and operate a small business in a low-income, predominantly black city. In that capacity, I want to leverage the influence the business will give me to bolster the community. Specifically, I want to work with local non-profits, community organizers, and social workers to set up a network of mentors for youth and young adults who are lacking community.

But in order to do that, I need help. I need to learn how to acquire and operate a small business from experts like [HBS Professor] and [HBS Professor]. I need to understand how to better connect with and learn from others by participating in the case method with the most diverse set of students in academia. I need to find like-minded individuals who are willing to help me form a network of mentors to bolster communities. These are some of the many experiences I need and can gain from Harvard. I have attended multiple HBS information sessions and have spoken to several alumni. These interactions have been starkly different from the interactions with other schools. HBS students aren’t going to business school just for a break or to make more money. They are going to business school so that they can gain the skills and network needed to “make a difference in the world.”

This is the kind of community I want to learn from and contribute to. Harvard is my number one choice—there is simply no other community like it in the world.

Professional Review by MBA Whisperer

The Four Ingredients of a Perfect HBS Essay

Samuel’s essay demonstrates what MBA Whisperer calls the Four Ingredients of a Perfect HBS Essay:

1. Offers a glimpse of the world through your eyes

2. Imbues strong leadership, impact and ambition with a deeper purpose

3. Demonstrates intellectual curiosity

4. Brings a “quiet confidence” with humility and vulnerability

HBS Essay Ingredient #1: Show what makes you uniquely you

As former HBS admissions director Dee Leopold once wrote, getting into Harvard Business School isn’t an “essay writing competition.” MBA admissions officers don’t admit essays—they admit applicants. Samuel’s essay offers us a compelling glimpse of the world through his eyes using the unique elements of his (admittedly stellar) profile: a challenging childhood, an accomplished student-athlete, and two religious/purpose-driven awakenings. In this 1,100+ word essay, he dedicates almost no real estate to his consulting career, his least-differentiating factor. Rather, he showcases a glimpse of the world through his eyes that no one sitting next to him in the HBS classroom can bring.

Think about what key experiences have made you uniquely you. I would recommend selecting a different experience across your academic, professional, extracurricular, and/or community involvement for each of your three HBS 2024-25 essay questions.

Samuel demonstrates his work ethic and ambition through his athletic achievements, and then ties his personal and professional experiences to his future ambitions.

HBS Essay Ingredient #2: Leadership, Ambition & Purpose

HBS isn’t looking for the next class of middle-managers; they genuinely want to “educate leaders who make a difference in the world.” Samuel demonstrates his work ethic and ambition through his athletic achievements, and then ties his personal and professional experiences to his future ambitions. You will have 500 characters elsewhere in the application to outline your career goals, and be honest! It’s okay to have “traditional” goals like consulting, banking, PE, etc. But as you write your Business-Minded essay, be bold and ambitious as you connect your career goals to a deeper purpose.

HBS Essay Ingredient #3: Intellectual Curiosity

I’m glad to see that HBS replaced the “analytical aptitude and appetite” evaluation criterion with “growth oriented”—i.e. candidates who are eager to learn and improve. Your academic potential will largely be assessed via your undergraduate institution, coursework, GPA, test scores, etc. Even though Samuel didn’t attend an Ivy League institution, and his GMAT score is below the school’s average, his ability to weave together his seemingly disconnected experiences into a unified theme demonstrates thoughtful reasoning skills.

However, I would have encouraged Samuel to include some “nuggets of knowledge” to showcase his depth of understanding regarding his industry, career goals, or other societal trends; even a simple statistic about the value of mentorship in underrepresented communities could show intellectual curiosity. Since this ingredient in his essay is light, if he were an MBA Whisperer client, I would encourage him to ask his recommenders to highlight experiences that showcase his analytical skills.

HBS Essay Ingredient #4: Quiet confidence, humility, and vulnerability

This may sound strange, but at MBA Whisperer, I tell my clients that the essays are not where you sell yourself to the Admissions Board. There’s always a temptation to try to scream, “Look at me! Look at me! I promise I’m qualified! Pleeeeease let me into your school!” Other elements of your application—most notably your resume and enthusiastic letters of recommendation—do the selling for you.

Do you notice Samuel’s tone? He brings a quiet confidence that shows he’s already qualified to attend the program. Yes, he touches on some adversity, and yes, he briefly highlights accomplishments, but in a remarkably humble tone. By acknowledging that life’s path isn’t always a perfectly straight line, he demonstrates humility, vulnerability, and growth-mindedness.

Final note: The 2024-25 HBS essay prompts are too specific and word counts too short for you to rattle off a list of reasons why you want to go to HBS. This is likely by design—Harvard doesn’t need you to tell them why they’re great. Stick to the four ingredients, use short, impactful “mini-stories” to give the Admissions Board a glimpse of the world through your eyes, and drop the mic!

By Travis Morgan, Founder of MBA Whisperer

Hailey's Essay

MBA Ivy is one of the leading MBA admission consulting firms in Manhattan, specializing in helping MBA and EMBA applicants gain admissions to the most competitive Top 10 business schools in the US and abroad. Helmed by a former Harvard admissions interviewer + Harvard graduate, the firm has made a name for itself among finance, business, and Wall St professionals in the investment banking community and beyond.

Boosting an exceptionally high acceptance rate to schools like HBS, Wharton, Columbia and MIT Sloan, the firm personally vets each client to make sure they're truly competitive at the level they're targeting. Schedule your free consultation today at: www.MBAIvy.com

Growing up as a competitive dancer, I sought to deeply understand my teammates’ personalities in order to improve communication, build comradery, and perform our best onstage. I enjoyed learning about the specific choreography pieces that spoke to them and including those components in our routine, enabling each person to find joy in their performance. Although I’m no longer choreographing, I’ve continued to emphasize the importance of strong communication channels in my professional endeavors. Until my grandfather’s passing, I thought my professional passions were rooted in retail’s digital disruption. I was fascinated with how technology improved the holistic retail experience. However, as my grandfather battled dementia, I witnessed the information asymmetries that plague the U.S. healthcare system. Due to a data miscommunication amongst his physicians, he endured an erroneous resuscitation, which resulted in a great deal of preventable pain and his subsequent passing.

The jarring realization that an industry worth 18% of our GDP was so technologically behind shifted my professional focus towards addressing the communication inadequacies besieging healthcare.

The jarring realization that an industry worth 18% of our GDP was so technologically behind shifted my professional focus towards addressing the communication inadequacies besieging healthcare. Many doctors aren’t given the data they need and are often rushed to the next patient, fostering an error-prone environment that pushes for the quickest, rather than the best, care. After observing my grandfather’s complications, it became my mission to challenge the information and communication inaccuracies of the U.S. healthcare system, refusing to believe that an industry worth so much could let patients down so frequently. Thousands of patients die annually from preventable errors and nearly 5% of diagnoses are incorrect altogether. As hospitals purchase independent medical practices and leverage more at-home services, the need for streamlined communication will only increase.

In order to help tackle the communications issues that providers face, I aim to work as a VP of Product at a leading hospital system. I will focus on making information more actionable by developing products that better integrate data from patient health records. Leading my consulting team through the launch of a Medicare business, I discovered a niche curiosity for the challenges providers face when communicating internally; unfortunately, the status quo is adversely affecting patients. As our team designed a hospital discharge workflow, we observed doctors transitioning responsibilities to the discharge team, who sometimes didn’t have the right information to discharge patients. Concerningly, patients often left the hospital without the best care plan or equipment to promote a healthy recovery. We saw how providers are stretched thin, burned out, and left without the right tools and data to provide high-quality care.

Additionally, hospitals’ antiquated processes, such as lack of technology adoption and excessive regulatory restrictions, hinder rapid transfer of information, often impeding the smaller, innovative companies who want to not only send information quickly, but make it more actionable. Recalling my grandfather’s experience, I knew this issue wasn’t restricted to just insurance. The internal communication problems affected doctors’ offices, hospitals, and other facets of the industry. An opportunity remains to disrupt the provider’s experience by bridging this communication gap. I want to streamline provider workflows by developing better internal communication products that leverage patient health records. I will draw upon my experience in healthcare technology roles to enable more efficient product implementation, especially as it pertains to increasing the speed and accuracy of effective information transfer. My time at this company has allowed me to grasp a deeper understanding of the industry, enabling me to see that this communication problem is systemic and affects other stakeholders in the U.S. healthcare ecosystem.

Furthermore, I continue to witness the issues that startups endure given the slow implementation rate that legacy organizations face, specifically hospitals. Confronted with this issue early on, I led the team through a strategic pivot of our business model. I executed the cost-benefit analysis that moved our focus away from hospitals and towards independent medical practices, which also experience various information asymmetries due to their smaller size and budgets. While this has proven beneficial for our growth, I question how often this happens with smaller players in the industry and what hospitals, providers, and most importantly, patients, are missing out on as a result. My experience has shown me that I want to bridge this information and communication gap at a broader scale by working with a hospital system that has bought independent medical practices and has started to enhance their at-home services. I seek to prepare myself to be an executive in the space, one that leads with passion and fortitude to tackle the industry’s greatest communication challenges in a way that appeals to business, provider, and consumer stakeholders. In transitioning to a product management role at a hospital, I will use the skills learned in my consulting and operational roles to drive change in an environment that hasn’t, until fairly recently, been on the cutting edge of technology.

However, I understand that developing certain technical skill sets will be imperative in order to deeply understand the intricacies of the healthcare system and drive decisions alongside minds from business, clinical, technological, and political backgrounds. I will immerse myself in areas that challenge my perspectives with regard to formulating strategy, analyzing unstructured data, and managing technological and operational change in order to best position myself to lead within my organization and further my healthcare career. A HBS MBA will give me the technical skills required to analyze prior market decisions to inform future strategies and challenge this convoluted healthcare system alongside innovative thinkers. While my grandfather’s experience is in the past, I’m committed to reducing miscommunication errors within hospitals and increasing information sharing amongst providers to alleviate these issues for other patients. Drawing upon my learnings as a young dancer, I’ll enable my teams to develop products that bridge the communication gap and put joy back into care delivery for the provider. I will continuously seek to be at the forefront of healthcare innovation where I can launch products that invert the communication status quo of an archaic model – one that no longer meets the needs of the 21st century provider or patient.

Professional Review by MBA Ivy

Though disjointed in the beginning with the applicant's almost non-sequitur discussion of dance team and choreography in what feels like a very forced example to highlight her background in "teamwork" (i.e. it would have been better to instead discuss a more professional work example), this essay does however quickly shift to a very solid and meaningful discussion of the problems and issues within the US healthcare system, alongside the applicant's passion for addressing the serious problem of inadequate technology and data organization within the current system and her desire to create change.

Drawing from her own background in healthcare technology and using examples that describe this background in a level of detail admissions will understand, the result is a very strong personal essay that shows admissions her awareness of the existing problems in this niche that she wishes to solve, as well as the "how" and "why" of how her interest originated and is very much rooted in her own personal values and motivation.

As the essay further progresses, the applicant then elaborates on how she intends to execute this proposed focus in both her MBA study and her career moving forward -- again, not just speaking abstractly, but utilizing her strong, relevant, past experience and examples in the field to build solid connections to her desired future work: seeking to bridge the data and communication gaps she's identified with her own past expertise. Overall, a very solid essay, outside of the beginning few sentences, which still managed to get her in.

How to Adjust for the Newly Released HBS Prompts:

HBS doesn't just have new prompts, they are now expanding the personal statement into three separate essays that seek to discover how you are 1. Business-minded, 2. Leadership-focused, and 3. Growth-oriented. The most important point here is to not repeat yourself as you work your way through these essays and expand on each point. Each essay should discuss different examples and experience from your background and, when taken as a whole in terms of your overall personal narrative, show you as a very multi-faceted and interesting MBA applicant who is very well qualified to succeed.

Emma's Essay

Embark MBA is a boutique MBA Admissions consulting firm founded by former M7 Adcom. My superpower is helping applicants craft materials that sound and feel like them. Since 2017, I’ve helped hundreds of MBA-hopefuls - 97% have succeeded, with 59% receiving scholarships (an average of $143k). I achieve this by simplifying the application process, providing individualized and tailored advice, and spending time to deeply understand you.

“See those letters up there? They’re over six feet tall,” she whispered, grinning. Standing below Michelangelo’s dome inside St. Peter’s at the Vatican, my mother pointed at the lapis-lazuli letters in the mosaic hundreds of feet above us. After confirming the letters’ size relative to a man standing on the platform above, their significance was clear and my passion for art, its geometric precision, and its import in the world had been ignited. While my interest in art history has only grown since that moment 14 years ago, I’ve also discovered passions for the arts more broadly, business, and the environment. Experiences stemming from these interests have led me to integrate art and analytics, build adaptability, and grow and exercise a passion for positive impact.

Art + Analytics: From Evensong to EBITDA

In addition to an early interest in Renaissance art, studying ballet for 12 years inspired a passion for classical music and, subsequently, a love of singing that continues today. While the formulaic precision of classical music intrigues me, singing is even more captivating to me. From joining a church choir in third grade to completing a European tour with a high school group to taking lessons at the Peabody Institute, singing has allowed me to share arguably-underappreciated genres of music with the community. Most recently, after moving to Texas last summer, I tried out for and joined the adult choir at a local church. I’m very excited to continue my pursuit of music while co-leading our 2020 tour to New York.

Receiving 'top bucket' performance ratings and being selected for an Associate promotion felt like affirmations of the value of blending art and business.

While I indulged my passion for singing through voice minor lessons at Johns Hopkins, by studying art history and business courses, I further cultivated my interest in art and analytics. Additionally, interviewing a student investment group for a JH News-Letter article significantly expanded my opportunity paradigm of the intersection of art and analytics. Just as art history demands a combination of aesthetic appreciation and well-researched logic, finance presented fascinating ways to leverage research in solving business challenges. While proactively moving up the financial knowledge curve helped me secure internships with [Asset Management Firm] and [Investment Firm], recruiting for investment banking roles as an art history student at a “non-target” school posed significant challenges. After countless cold emails and informal conversations, I received and accepted an offer with [Investment Bank] in Milwaukee. Upon arrival, I strove to build a rigorous analytical base while applying the dual art-plus-analytics lens from my humanities background, thereby earning the respect and trust of my originally-skeptical colleagues. Receiving “top bucket” performance ratings and being selected for an Associate promotion felt like affirmations of the value of blending art and business.

A Quest to Become U-Haul’s Top Customer

Transitioning from art to investment banking represented one big leap – studying in Italy and moving to four different cities in the span of four years helped me further appreciate the importance of adaptability. While I’d studied Italian at Hopkins, living with a host mom who spoke minimal English in Florence challenged me to rapidly improve Italian language proficiency while adjusting to a new culture. Similarly, living in Baltimore, Milwaukee, Chicago, and Dallas has stretched my horizons. Having grown up in quiet Connecticut, living in Baltimore during college offered exposure to a more urban environment, but that transition did little to prepare me for the Midwest. In fact, Milwaukee’s exceptionally-friendly people and bone-chilling winters sometimes felt as foreign as elements of studying abroad.

After spending three years with [Investment Bank] in Milwaukee and Chicago – a period during which I absorbed many new perspectives and proactively flung myself into new communities – I accepted a private equity role in Dallas with confidence, knowing I’d adapt to the scorching summer heat and abundance of barbeque joints just as I’d adapted to polar vortices living along Lake Michigan. While often stressful and initially lonely, these transnational moves have exposed me to diverse viewpoints, allowed me to interact with people of varied experiences, and helped me become comfortable integrating into new environments.

A Tale of Two Passions: Education and the Environment

Beyond exposure to city life, living in Baltimore helped me understand the need for a stronger U.S. education system and gave me an outlet to drive positive impact. In serving as an Organizer with a school-affiliated tutoring program supporting elementary school students, I guided progress across pairs of tutors and students while connecting Hopkins with the Baltimore community. Transitioning from one-on-one tutoring to leading tutor-student pairs enabled me to learn how to motivate others. Sharing success stories of helping students advance across multiple reading levels, for example, generated renewed commitment from high-achieving undergraduates with limited time, and connecting tutors with one another empowered them to refresh their knowledge of teaching tools. It was extremely rewarding to develop relationships with students, their families, and tutors, and to witness demonstrable student progress that often led to transformative opportunities in middle school and beyond.

At [Private Equity Firm], I’ve continued fostering a passion for creating positive change, albeit for a broader set of communities. Having grown up in a family that, ever-conscious of the Earth’s finite resources, recycled enthusiastically and regularly held “shortest shower” competitions to conserve water, I believe the business community can and should do good via an environmentally-conscious approach to growth. As a personally-passionate champion of environmental sustainability initiatives, I was thrilled with the opportunity to guide an air pollution control company within Insight’s portfolio. Through this experience, I’ve helped lead the portfolio company’s expansion into aftermarket services, a recurring revenue stream that will boost Insight’s financial return but, more critically, will enable customers to maintain their aging anti-pollution systems, reducing airborne toxins and converting waste into usable materials.

Looking forward, I hope to funnel my love for blending art and analytics, appreciation for adaptability, and commitment to positive impact toward transforming how we engage with our planet. Post-MBA, I aspire to join an environmentally-focused investing firm that considers financial, social and environmental metrics. I hope to strengthen the critical skills of efficiently synthesizing complex scenarios, listening intently to and comfortably sharing ideas, and thinking from the perspective of a leader at Harvard. Longer-term, my career mission involves leveraging these skills to lead an investment firm that benefits the planet while achieving attractive financial returns. Specifically, I aim to create environmental solutions through investing and supporting technologies and companies that reduce waste, plastic consumption, ocean pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions. Art and music provided me with early connections to our shared world history – it’s critical to pioneer new ways of interacting with our world that will enable the continuation of art, music, and other noble endeavors for millennia to come.

Professional Review by Embark MBA

I felt like I was sitting down over a cup of coffee with her. I could hear her voice - she's clever, thoughtful, introspective.

Let’s start with the topic at hand - What more would you like us to know? The beauty and challenge of this topic (and others like it - I’m looking at you, Stanford’s “What Matters Most” essay!) is to tell the reader who you are and why. For the majority of the essay, Emma did this well! I felt like I was sitting down over a cup of coffee with her. I could hear her voice - she’s clever, thoughtful, introspective. From the six-feet tall lapis-lazuli mosaic letters, to the polar vortices of Lake Michigan, to the “shortest shower” competitions, I could picture, sense, and imagine the scenarios she placed for the reader. Her essay invites you to want to know her more. As a former Admissions Committee Member who read thousands of essays a year, this is a rare feat - I applaud her!

What would I have done differently? The intro reads as mismatched to the rest of the essay. Her intro introduces the idea of art opening her aperture of the world, concluding with additional passions for arts, business, and the environment and THEN overlaying on “integrating arts more broadly, build adaptability, and grow and exercise a passion for positive impact”. Whew! That’s a lot for 1 essay! Had this essay more precisely either A) threaded a singular art theme to all 3 vignettes (she does so in the first, not the other two) or B) positioned the intro as her having 3 passions - art, analytics, and the environment - this would have read as a more united, fluid essay. Again, this essay is warm and inviting, but suffers from the common pitfall of tackling too many topics.

What do I mean? Her first paragraph details her exploration of art through singing and art history and how she found similar appreciation for analytics - love it. What I don’t love is weaving in the perceived challenges of recruiting for an investment banking internship and winning over her ‘originally-skeptical colleagues’. Positioning herself as disadvantaged and the magnification of how she was maybe looked down upon takes away from what I’d rather read - her perception of beauty shared between art and numbers. It’s unnecessary detail that pulls me away from knowing her.

The second vignette is set to show how she’s built adaptability by moving from studying art to her investment banking roles and subsequent moves. This paragraph has some lovely detail - AND I would have chosen to either detail how art was at the core of her travels + put the more in line with “appreciation” for adaptability as what we read in other vignettes. She describes her moves mostly as being required to adapt (“stressful and lonely”) vs. maybe a sense of adventure, which those two adjectives betray.

The third vignette is the weakest for me - education and the environment. Again, while there’s beautiful detail, she’s chosen 2 large topics. I would have chosen just 1 as this paragraph is too ambitious. Further, detailing her accomplishments in tutoring is the one place in the essay that begins to read as if any one could have written it.

For most applicants, it does not make sense to state your goals within this particular essay, unless the content of the essay ties into your goals. HBS already has a separate goals essay, therefore the content repeated here could be repeated. I don’t know if that’s the case for Emma. That said, it seems like Emma is reflecting on the “why” behind her goals, which she may not have had room for elsewhere. In that case, this is perfectly fine although I would have guided her to tie her experiences / goals more succinctly and instead devoted more content to the essay's main body.

Emma is clearly a strong candidate with a warm, inviting tone to her essay - no wonder she was invited to interview! I am tough on essays - when I read, I try to imagine what I would have thought as Adcom. My advice for anyone drafting is to narrow topics while ensuring that every paragraph sounds uniquely like you.

Olivia's Essay

Created by Maria Wich-Vila, a Harvard Business School alumna with over 20 years of admissions-advice experience, ApplicantLab is a self-guided online program that puts expert admissions consulting tools in your hands: “world-class advice, at a fraction of the price”. Top admissions consultants of Maria’s caliber routinely charge $450+ for merely one hour of guidance; in contrast, ApplicantLab costs only $349 for one full year of access to the entire system.

When launched, ApplicantLab won the “Audience Favorite” vote at the regional HBS New Venture Pitch Competition – a roomful of MBA grads immediately grasped its value, and delighted users ever since have used it to bolster their applications (and have written rave reviews).

ApplicantLab walks you through every step you need to craft your strongest application possible, including in-depth analysis and guidance for your resume, recommendations, interviews, and of course, the essays. Each year, Maria attends a conference for elite admissions consultants, where she speaks with admissions officers from over 25 top programs to get the latest scoop. As the daughter of two public school teachers, Maria knows how to synthesize her knowledge into impactful lessons, and has built the tool to work well for different learning styles (ie, a linear deep-dive path, or a “speed run” / “in a hurry?” version).

Sixty feet up, I swung from Corona Arch in Utah’s canyonlands and weighed my options. Midpoint in my descent my long braid caught in the rope and threaded through my rappelling gear. I stopped my downward momentum in time to prevent injury, but my hair was wound and wedged tightly. Climbing up a few feet to create slack, I worked to pull my hair free, but it was impossibly tangled. With limited resources, tethered by only sixty feet of rope, I needed a solution. I called to my canyoneering companions below to pull the rope taut so I could use both hands. Then I swung my small pack off one shoulder and dug through it to find the serrated switchblade intended for cutting rope, not hair.

As a supply chain consultant, I often face challenges that require quick and resourceful response as while climbing Corona. For example, I was assigned to a project where the team I joined was behind schedule. In just four weeks we were expected to present client executives with answers to a long list of complex questions. Like using my rope knife, I confronted the client’s needs with assertive resolve, redirecting my team’s initial plan. I led us to use advanced analytics tools, personally coaching two team members from Korea and India. My creative approach to our problem accelerated data cleansing and analysis iterations, allowing us to exceed expectations ahead of schedule. Our work resulted in a strong client relationship with requests for additional work proposals worth millions of revenue dollars.

I took a creative educational path, happy to be an autodidact, and graduated from high school at fifteen years old.

This tenacity and skill for creative problem-solving was developed early in my life. I took a creative educational path, happy to be an autodidact, and graduated from high school at fifteen years old. Not old enough for a driver’s license and rather young to go away to college, I rode my bike to work and class at nearby University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), despite the 110-degree heat. Mom said it built character. I strategically chose credits that transferred a year later to my school of choice: Brigham Young University (BYU).

I was determined to have a foreign experience but lacked funds for a traditional study abroad. I found a nonprofit program to sponsor me as an English teacher in Russia. While there I didn’t live in university housing with English-speaking students but instead with a Russian family in a poor, rural area. I spent that invaluable semester teaching English to grade-school children. By refusing to succumb to limitations, I made my dream for international travel a reality.

I was different from peers in college because of my age and in Russia because of my nationality. Through this difference, I learned to appreciate and optimize diversity while asserting my authenticity. For me, authenticity means accepting myself and others, expressing my thoughts honestly and clearly, learning from my mistakes, and taking actions consistent with my values. I work to be authentic.

For example, during my first college internship I was the only female on a fifteen-person team. My job was to establish operations with a newly contracted school district, organizing transportation for special needs students. Despite age and gender, I connected with co-workers and did my job so well that when my employer learned I was too young to rent a car — something they took for granted I could do because they failed to notice my age and something essential to my accomplishing my work — they accommodated me by providing prepaid cards for taxi rides and pairing me with another team member as needed. I proved such an asset to my employer that they offered me a full-time position at the end of my internship, which I declined in favor of returning to BYU. They extended offers over the years. Although I turned these down, I did recommend several friends whom they hired. This experience of being myself even though I was different from the group and even from the employers’ expectations, reinforced my commitment to authentic representation in every aspect of my life.

While at BYU, my commitment to authenticity helped me cultivate a collaborative dynamic within my supply chain team. We competed at several 24-hour case competitions, which can induce the same anxiety as dangling sixty feet above the ground with my hair caught in a carabiner. Our collaborative culture, centered on open discussion, helped us work under pressure to develop winning solutions. We were awarded first place at the BYU supply chain case competition, first place at the Mountain-West competition, and fourth place at the national level. While at BYU I also served as the supply chain program’s Executive VP of External Relations, fostering connections between students and professionals. Harnessing my ability to connect with others I built a network that directly linked three of my classmates to full-time jobs, and many underclassmen to internship offers. My dedication to building collaborative teams and meaningful connections has served me and is a core value of my personal and professional life.

During my three and a half years with [Professional Services Firm], I’ve worked on sixteen projects with thirteen different clients, many of whom are global and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to my core client work, I sought opportunities for organized community service upon joining [the firm], which further developed my collaborative skills and power for creative problem-solving. Discovering a nascent pro-bono consulting program for local nonprofits, I noticed an upcoming project for a global startup accelerator based in Boston. [Their] mission to provide equity-free funding to impact-focused startups resonated with my values, so I joined [the firm’s] project team.

Unlike carefully structured teams for standard client projects, my pro-bono team was a coalition of willing, passionate people donating night and weekend hours. A few weeks in, our project manager became too busy with core client work to continue. Due to my strong relationships with teammates they asked me to fill the leadership role. We had just completed the strategic assessment and I recognized that to deliver real value we needed to provide [the startup accelerator] something more tangible: they needed a tool to enable their work. My teammates proposed we recommend tools on the market or identify technical requirements for future development. I knew we could do better than simply provide recommendations. Understanding my client’s unique challenges, I built an Excel-based tool to automate workflows and visualize data. After several iterations with my team and the client, the tool offered an intuitive user design and custom data dashboards. [The startup accelerator] received the tool with enthusiasm, then expanded its use to all internal teams. Months later, they reported that the tool helped them secure their largest donation to date.

The project became a hallmark narrative for [the Professional Services Firm’s] bourgeoning pro-bono consulting program. I formally reported our success on several occasions, including at [the firm’s] quarterly northeast partners’ meeting. Interest in my presentations rallied support for the creation of a larger, more formal program which [the firm] coined [Program Name]. I managed our first project during the Boston pilot. [The program] is now in Boston, Chicago, and Seattle—going nation-wide in 2020. My [project] experience proved I can affect positive change. It also validated my desire to exceed creative problem solving by capitalizing on what I call my “maker nature” producing real products that deliver real value.

There is no better vote of confidence in my ability to deliver real value than the recent decision made by [the firm’s] Senior Partners to sponsor me as a Digital Accelerator. This promotion involves a year-long role of weekly protected time intended for training and experimentation with emerging technologies. Additionally, in November I was asked to lead the development of a supply chain analytics platform that will change the way [the firm’s] supply chain teams deliver value to clients. These opportunities are important and exciting to me because I see their potential for me to affect significant positive change.

The case-based learning model and carefully crafted student experiences at HBS are even more exciting to me because they promise exponential opportunity for me to contribute in real ways. I hope to utilize Harvard’s Innovation Lab and field courses in operations, technology, and entrepreneurship. While exploring the student experience, my husband and I were drawn to the Partner Club and community culture at HBS. We believe this will support my efforts to develop relationships with classmates, faculty, and alumni. Earning an MBA at Harvard will be an ongoing adventure as arduous, breathtaking and awe-inspiring as rock-climbing in Utah’s canyonlands. I intend to face academic and professional challenges at HBS with the same tenacity, creativity, and authenticity as I do rappelling because my life depends upon it.

Professional Review by ApplicantLab

So, let me start by saying that I’ll usually discourage you from reading “sample essays” – in part, because sometimes candidates themselves are so impressive that the essay was not the deciding factor in their acceptance (they might have gotten in despite their essay), and also because there’s a risk that you might (even sub-consciously!) adopt someone else’s “voice” or style: sub-optimal in a process where authenticity is paramount.

We can start by acknowledging that this candidate is fundamentally VERY strong – they have a very compelling story, appear to work in a “feeder” role (consulting), and clearly show a years-long “habit of leadership” (a defining characteristic HBS file readers look for).

One thing I like is that the writer states the challenges overcome in a fairly matter-of-fact (not melodramatic) way, explaining how these obstacles shaped them.

The strongest parts of this essay are those where the candidate effectively reveals some information I would not otherwise know – e.g. their early graduation from high school and subsequent tenacity going to college / Russia. One thing I like is that the writer states the challenges overcome in a fairly matter-of-fact (not melodramatic) way, explaining how these obstacles shaped them.

It was also a good idea to point out their lasting impact – e.g., how their success in the pro-bono consulting project led to the firm expanding the initiative. This is yet another detail I might not have otherwise known, and as such, is a terrific use of the essay space.

That having been said, the essay could have been optimized in a few ways. First of all, please realize that the file reader will be reading NOT ONLY your essays, but also your resume, recommendations, and the many little text boxes within the application form as well (awards; extra-curricular activities; and most importantly, your work accomplishments and challenges). So, e.g., the paragraph about the college supply chain competition – most of that information was probably already covered elsewhere? To make your essay as strong as possible, think about strategically using the rest of the application, and reserving the essay(s) for otherwise-unknown details!

Also, for HBS specifically, there is no need to talk about why you want to go there. Harvard has historically had the highest “yield rate” (roughly 90%) of any business school. They know their case method is terrific, they know their community rocks, etc. Providing a laundry list of their offerings isn’t necessary.

Finally, there are two stylistic choices here that could have been improved. First, the repeated rappelling / knife references were distracting due to being too forced / ham-fisted. There is no need to force your essay(s) around a central theme (unless you’re specifically asked to). Secondly, the author makes (understandable) usage of buzzwords and trendy business phrases such as “I …appreciate and optimize diversity while asserting my authenticity...learning from my mistakes”. Which, to be clear, are wonderful sentiments! But then no strong, specific evidence is provided of the candidate actually doing those things. The example given of “commitment to authentic representation” was … merely bringing up that they were too young to rent a car? That’s a mere minor logistical hiccup, not a dramatic moment of “asserting authenticity”? In your essays, resist the temptation to overly-dramatize events, include trendy buzzwords, or make claims about yourself without providing parallel evidence.

In sum, this is an impressive candidate with a strong essay (who was probably going to get accepted regardless of the essay!). Trimming of superfluous information (found elsewhere), removal of “Why HBS?”, avoiding the temptation to force a metaphor, and ensuring that parallel structure is adhered to (e.g. don’t bring up “I am a ____ sort of person” without then providing a concrete example), would have brought this essay to an even stronger level.

Carlyn's Essay

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Six pm on a freezing February Saturday in Evanston: after twelve hours of shooting across three locations for our upcoming issue of STITCH, Northwestern University’s student-run fashion magazine, our 15-person team was fading fast. The models shivered in the frosty air, our photographer wrung her hands in despair over the disappearing light, and the make-up team was starving. We had one final shot to complete on our shoestring budget. As STITCH’s Creative and Photo Shoot Director, I needed to rally our discouraged group. I draped warm leather jackets on the models, posed them under a photographer-approved street light, and found a 50% off coupon to order pizza for the team. Two months later, Teen Vogue featured that shot when it named STITCH one of the country’s top 10 college fashion magazines. This experience highlighted the importance of values which I endeavor to consistently practice: advocating for a balance of creativity and business-oriented pragmatism in fashion, taking deep-dive initiatives to create solutions, supporting the growth of others, and establishing common ground to drive impact.

While interning at Proenza Schouler in New York, I realized that both creativity and business are pivotal for success in fashion. After a confusing day left me questioning my dream of working in fashion, I walked to the Metropolitan Museum’s Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty exhibit. As I waited in the two-hour line, I internally debated the topic. I was the company’s sole finance intern and my Parsons-trained peers seemed disinterested in the economics of fashion. If future designers didn’t care about the financials, did an impactful place exist for me? When I entered the exhibit, though, it suddenly made sense. Among the horsehair jackets and antler headdresses, I realized these uniquely beautiful creations couldn’t exist on their own. While Alexander McQueen created runway art that enchanted audiences, the business team behind the brand converted that awe into a commercial powerhouse. From that exhibit, I developed a mission to help fashion brands achieve success by balancing art and business.

Through its gold-standard executive development program, Neiman Marcus has given me amazing opportunities to blend art and analytics. These experiences have taught me the value of proactively tackling problems with an open solution mindset. Having happily rotated through Buying and Marketing, I felt particularly excited to advance into our more quantitative Planning team and lead the financial growth of a $75M Ladies Shoes office. One of our keystone brands, [Brand], was down $700K to last year. Combining through sales data, I discovered that the brand’s historically successful fashion-forward styles no longer resonated with customers. Rather, basic styles constituted our most successful silhouettes and consistently sold out. Leveraging the data as evidence, I pitched a two-part proposal to our VP of Planning and Divisional Director: 1) increase the brand’s budget despite its low productivity and allocate 50% of this increased budget to basic styles—a 1.5 multiplier to the existing basics allocation; 2) utilize the Beauty division’s automated replenishment system to optimize revenue and ensure constant stock of top-selling styles. With our senior leaders on board, we then persuaded cross-functional teams including IT and Allocation to help transform strategy into reality. From this initiative, our keystone brand generated an additional $1.3M in sales and now the replenishment system is employed across our entire division. Without creative problem solving and collaboration across company divisions, this current growth would not have been possible.

Benefiting from amazing mentors in my academic and professional journey, it’s important to me to support the growth of others. I lead training classes for new Assistant Buyers and have directly mentored ten colleagues. While I love discussing the intricacies of product, color, and trend, I also strive to share the analytical fundamentals of buying, planning, and retail math to excite junior teammates about the power of data. So far, eight mentees have earned accelerated promotions. When Neiman Marcus upgraded its outdated system platforms, confused chaos erupted. With no available manuals, I taught myself to navigate the new systems and experimented until I found solutions. The company named me a system “Super-User” allowing me to lead meetings training our 30-person Merchant team on best practices. Our team became experts on the new systems which resulted in an incremental $30M in revenue for the company.

At Alexander Wang and Neiman Marcus, I have witnessed how passions often run high in creatively-geared industries. I’ve learned the importance of identifying common ground and building consensus to enable success and have applied these skills to other areas. I love playing sand volleyball—and you can bet emotions can run as hot as the sand we play on! When I became team captain, we were a patchwork of different levels of expertise, yielding embarrassing losses and frustration among more competitive players. To grow mutual understanding and camaraderie, I partnered tenured players with novices and implemented a democratic playing-time system. While we’re not league champions yet, we made it to the second round of playoffs.

While planning the SPCA of Texas’ Strut Your Mutt fundraiser, two teammates on our PR committee vehemently disagreed on whether to focus promotional efforts on social media or traditional outlets. During a particularly heated meeting, it became apparent that without intervention our team would splinter. I asked the opponents to share pros and cons of their perspectives and actively listen to the alternative approach. Creating space for and identifying commonalities in differing opinions got us to a solution everyone felt invested in: we would use influencers to promote the race on social media and news shows. With the broad exposure, the race successfully raised $275K for animal rescue efforts.

Going forward, I hope to continue melding creativity and business, leading impact by finding common ground, and taking initiative to find creative solutions to successfully scale new luxury designers.

Going forward, I hope to continue melding creativity and business, leading impact by finding common ground, and taking initiative to find creative solutions to successfully scale new luxury designers. The fashion industry is a $1.2 trillion global business and growing every year. With fast fashion and an over-saturation of top designers in the marketplace, customers are looking for unique clothing to differentiate their wardrobe. However, many young brands that could fill this market void struggle to get off the ground due to a problematic funding structure: companies have to pay for everything upfront but aren’t reimbursed until the product sells. I hope to launch a luxury brand accelerator, like those traditionally found in the tech sphere. In exchange for equity, my accelerator would provide new designers an ecosystem in which to strategically assess, grow, and fund their businesses, encouraging the most innovative to expand. I hope to transform the fashion landscape and help designers transport brilliant new concepts from paper sketches to customers’ closets.

Professional Review by Mr. MBA ®, Val Misra

Carlyn takes us on a delightful journey of self-discovery and achievement, one that is brimming with ‘passion’ for data and creativity, shining ‘intellectual curiosity’, and ‘insight’ by displaying vibrant, heartfelt examples of introspection and growth. Her detailed progression from creative university student to finance professional and the many “show, don’t tell” experiences she thoughtfully portrays ‘shows’ us why she is a superior candidate for any coveted MBA program.

Her splendid example of overcoming an obstacle and quick thinking resulting in an award-winning photo and team-building pizza moment are superb for 'show, don't tell'.

As a Northwestern student in Para 1, Carlyn’s vivid account of freezing Evanston, shivering models, and a starving make-up team resound similar campus memories for most college students during challenging assignments. Her splendid example of overcoming an obstacle and quick thinking resulting in an award-winning photo and team-building pizza moment are superb for “show, don’t tell”. She highlights her 2 personal brand themes: creativity and business excellence. Para 2 perfectly illustrates Carlyn’s ‘A-ha’ moment, after questioning her business worth in fashion, her discovery that business and financials serve as the foundation to all fashion art houses. If done correctly, the ‘A-ha’ moment is an excellent means to showcase one’s ‘insight’, self-discovery, self-realization, and wisdom. Great job!

MBA Admissions officers need to see professional achievement, leadership and giving back in candidates and Carlyn details this well in Para 3-4. At Neiman, she showcases her guts, bravery, and leadership to turn around a failing product line, quantifies the work example with financial data (growth, loss, revenue) to show real impact, and provides valuable insight on creativity and collaboration to achieve her goal. Carlyn also highlights the importance of helping others come up as she did. Nicely done!

In Para 5-6, Carlyn chooses to showcase her extracurricular passions for sand volleyball, incorporating her strategic management and teambuilding style with her team, and social impact fundraising initiatives, including her successful management of an inter-person conflict and the quantifiable results of her team’s collective efforts. A+ on her extracurricular and social impact examples!

Finally, MBA Admissions teams desire candidates with clear, well thought out career ambitions. In Para 7, Carlyn details her continuing passion for creativity and business fashion and provides a concrete market opportunity for her future ‘luxury brand accelerator’ solution. It would have benefited Carlyn to briefly specify how an MBA education would help her achieve her future goals- gaps in her knowledge (Entrepreneurship major), professional/social clubs, alumni network, etc.

Siddharth's Essay

Admit Expert is a premium MBA admissions consulting company, helping candidates secure admission to top B-schools across the globe with significant scholarships. Admit Expert has a unique 3 layer system, whereby each candidate is aligned with multiple stakeholders including 3 categories of consultants - A lead consultant (who is top B-school alum with extensive MBA admissions consulting experience), alumni from each B-school the candidate is targeting, and a Quality Assurance Mentor (who can be another consultant or an ex ad-com director of a top B-school).

Last year, I fell in love at first sight. She had big gleaming eyes and would laugh like a child. We started dating in a week, I proposed to her a month later, and in six months, we were married. My parents were praying that we don’t take just six months to have a baby! Some of my instinctive decisions, often outside my comfort zone, have led me to the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Life changed completely, and all of it had happened because my heart told me to believe in someone.

When I left a capital markets job at Deutsche Bank to work for an Indian Member of Parliament (MP), many of my friends thought I was taking an insane risk. I was working at a fraction of the salary to set up his office from scratch. But my gut told me that this could be a unique opportunity to have large-scale impact. In six months, the MP became the Deputy Finance Minister, second in command of the Indian economy, and appointed me as his Chief of Staff. Life changed completely, and all of it had happened because my heart told me to believe in someone.

Dealing with financial products for three years at Deutsche Bank taught me a valuable life lesson – returns come with corresponding risk. And just as investors generate good returns by taking measured risks, we make impact by taking difficult decisions in the face of uncertainty. Over two years ago, I read in the newspapers that the HBS-educated [HBS Alum] had quit his corporate career to work on economic policy and contest parliamentary elections. Inspired and intrigued by how a successful professional could utilize his business acumen to effect better governance, I cold-emailed him and offered help. Within a week, I was in his hometown of Hazaribagh, a poor, rural district in the tribal state of Jharkhand, a region marred by extremism and with abysmal income levels.

This exciting new world was a far cry from my comfortable office. I managed the campaign war-room, from where we ran a low-cost, tech-friendly, and creative campaign. We mobilized our party-workers through a call centre, bypassed conventional media through social media and inexpensive pamphlets, and used analytics and marketing techniques to engage more effectively with the voters. I realized how business skills could be used to solve a political problem. And finally, we managed to get Narendra Modi to Hazaribagh and organized a massive rally for him. Jayant won by a record margin! My decision to break boundaries had moulded me to adapt and thrive in unknown settings. Not only did the Hazaribagh adventure lead me to the Finance Ministry, it also motivated me to help drive pro-poor welfare initiatives, such as universal social security and pharmaceutical crop licensing. The Ministry gave me an insider’s perspective on the functioning of a government, along with a chance to work on some major economic reforms, such as recapitalizing state-owned banks, setting up a sovereign wealth fund, and deepening capital markets. However, my biggest learning was that the power of relationships can often surpass the power of position. While decision-making authority can often be beyond our control, relationships can still make things happen. The complex Indian bureaucracy is hierarchical and resistant to outsiders. It was inspiring but also challenging to work with people twice my age at the Ministry. I would often offer my help to senior bureaucrats and build rapport through informal chats. Strong relationships thus built helped me mediate complicated negotiations between diverse stakeholders.

Over time, I have realized that who we become is largely determined by the decisions we take, the boundaries we break, and the relationships we make. Our time at HBS will give us the grit to cross boundaries and face unfamiliar situations. When we discuss case studies in a class, share our perspectives over coffee, or work together in a club, we will sharpen our instincts to make better decisions. My teenage hero Albus Dumbledore told Harry Potter that it is our choices that show what we truly are. And my mentor, [HBS Alum], often mentions how his HBS experience trained him to make difficult decisions. I am sure that in the next two years, we will help each other in shaping our choices, while forging enduring bonds. When we go back to the world, we will face success and setbacks, satisfaction and sorrow, but this section will always be home. Dear section-mates, I am excited to begin this life-long journey with you!

Professional Review by Admit Expert

Further, he has been able to elucidate these leadership traits by weaving them into a story of his life by narrating instances where these traits are evident.

HBS looks for a habit of leadership, and leadership can be gauged in various ways, including gauging one’s leadership qualities and traits. In this essay, Siddharth has displayed his leadership traits of taking calculated risks by listening to his intuition and going against the flow, courage to come out of his comfort zone, and an ability to forge interpersonal relationships. Further, he has been able to elucidate these leadership traits by weaving them into a story of his life by narrating instances where these traits are evident. Siddharth also displays his passion to join HBS by mentioning the HBS alumni he is inspired by and has interacted with, and narrating what he looks forward to doing, while at HBS. Siddharth also gives the ad-com a glimpse into his leadership style when he dives deeper into his campaign management story, by explaining the actions he took, impact he created, and how he was able to create the impact, thus giving the ad-com a sneak peak into the traits which can help him become a future leader.

Harvard Business School MBA Essays & Analysis 2024 - 2025

Harvard Business School (HBS) has released its MBA Essay Questions for the 2024 - 2025 application cycle. This year, HBS has opted to do away with its iconic 900 word essay, instead choosing to ask three essay questions with shorter word limits. Let’s explore each in turn.

Here are the Harvard Business School MBA Essays for 2024 - 2025.

Harvard MBA Essay 1

Business-Minded: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you strive to make on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

This is your classic career goals essay. The 300 word limit is shorter than the typical career goals essays at other schools, so be direct and brief while writing about your answer. 

HBS states that it looks for candidates who “are passionate about using business as a force for good”, i.e individuals who have a clear impact they want to make in the world. 

We recommend starting with a story that explains what has inspired your career decisions and goals. This experience should give rise to your ‘purpose’ - the positive, overall impact you want to have on businesses, organizations, and communities. 

Now that you have outlined your core mission, explain how you will create a path towards it. What do you plan to do right after your MBA? These short-term goals should be specific, clearly stating your target role, company/companies, industry, and geography. Briefly, discuss the skills you will build and the impact you will have through this role.

Finally, describe your long-term goals. These may be less specific than your short-term goals, but they should align with your ‘purpose’. Explain how you’ll achieve your purpose through this long-term dream job. 

Harvard MBA Essay 2 

Leadership-Focused: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

Harvard’s mission to “educate leaders who make a difference in the world” has been its main influence when it comes to evaluating its MBA applications. The school traditionally focuses on leadership qualities and demonstrable impact. So it comes as no surprise that one of HBS’s essay questions this year is geared directly towards your leadership approach.

In this essay, you will need to connect your experiences together to demonstrate what has influenced your leadership style and how you effectively lead others. 

You may want to start with an experience which was formative to your growth as a leader. This could be a challenging situation, something new you experienced, a turning point in your personal life, or someone who impacted you. With only 250 words, space is tight, so make sure your story focuses on what you learned. 

Then, your second experience could explain how you applied this lesson to positively impact others, or how you plan to apply this lesson in the future. 

The AdCom wants to see evidence not only of leadership, but also how you collaborate and invest in others. They want to know that you will add value to the school’s community, so make sure your stories reflect well on the relationships and trust you build as a leader. 

Typically, your leadership approach ties back to your career goals and your time at HBS. So if there are any leadership programs or student clubs you will be involved in, you might want to conclude with those. 

Harvard MBA Essay 3

Growth-Oriented: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

This is a curveball of an essay question! It’s unique to HBS, so you may have to dig deeper to find a story that demonstrates your curiosity, appetite for learning, and adaptability. 

HBS asks this question to understand your academic readiness. The case study method that is heavily used in the HBS classroom requires students to actively listen, think critically, and collaborate with others. So in this essay, use a story that demonstrates how you take initiative, solve problems creatively or unconventionally, or learn through challenges.

Note that HBS hasn’t asked the “Why HBS” question anywhere, so you might want to include how you will bring your curiosity to the class, an extracurricular, or other community activities.

Use the SCAR structure to answer this essay. 

Situation: Provide context to your Curiosity story

Challenge: Outline the challenge you faced

Action: Describe the action you took

Result: Discuss the outcome and quantify it where possible

Analysis: Introspect on the what you learned from this experience and how you'll apply it in the future

Harvard MBA Essay 4

Briefly tell us more about your career aspirations. (500 characters)

This is a short but important essay. You've already written about your goals in Essay 1, so keep them consistent with your essay answer. Here, you can describe your employment plans, industry and function in the online application portal. This essay is an opportunity to showcase precision, clarity, and strategic planning about your goals after your MBA. 

Center the essay around your short-term and longer-term goals. Be aspirational but also practical. These goals should be achievable, actionable, and logical.

"My post-MBA plan is to return to Oliver Wyman, which will sponsor my MBA. Upon my return, I will focus on FMCG clients, helping them to restructure and navigate new regulations. After 3-4 years, I may transition to one of these client companies, directly leveraging my leadership and strategy skills to transform the way that Vietnamese consumer goods companies finance their M&A. My long-term goal is to launch a health-tech startup with my sister in Hanoi."

Harvard Optional Essay 

Please use this space to share any additional information about yourself that cannot be found elsewhere in your application and that you would like to share with the Admissions Committee. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances (e.g., unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, areas of weakness, etc.) that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. (500 words) 

Few applicants have followed the “traditional” employment route with no bumps in the road. So it’s not an issue that you took an unconventional path, as long as you make it clear. 

But it is a problem if the reader of your application doesn't understand your journey. This essay is your opportunity to make it crystal clear.

Some unconventional aspects of your application might include: a low GPA in an academic semester or a gap in your resume because of Covid-19. Or perhaps you have an overlapping experience you’d like to address.

Important: Don’t be tempted to use the entire word count! Instead, be as concise as possible in explaining your exceptional circumstances, and close the essay with a constructive outcome, such as what you learned from the experience.

Check out our Harvard MBA Interview Guide  for in-depth insights into Harvard's interview process, what they're looking for in prospective candidates, interview questions, and tips to ace your interview. 

For the full HBS MBA application course with example essays  based on real essays by previous applicants, check out the Harvard application program on MBAconsultant.com.  

We help determined applicants get admitted to top business schools. Get in touch if you think we can help you with your MBA application. Book a free   20 mins chat  now.  

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2024-2025 Harvard Business School MBA Essay Tips and Example Essays

Jul 1, 2024

• Who is Harvard looking for?
• How should I answer Harvard essay questions?
• We help your Harvard essays shine

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on July 23, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below. 

When many people think “business school,” the first MBA that pops into their mind is Harvard Business School. Established in 1908, HBS has been at the forefront of business education for more than a century. 

However, receiving more than 8,000 applications per year, Harvard Business School is one of the most difficult MBA programs to enter. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Harvard admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Harvard Business School MBA sample essays to ensure you give your HBS application your best shot. 

1. Who is Harvard looking for?

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 5 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. 

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

If this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll first have to prove you’ve got what it takes by successfully answering Harvard’s brand new essay questions. 

2. How should I answer Harvard essay questions?

Writing any admissions essay is a tough task, however, Harvard raises the bar. Keep reading for a more in-depth look at how to turn this rather open-ended task into standout essays! 

2.1 Goals short answer tips

Briefly, tell us more about your career aspirations (500 characters, including spaces) . 

Then, you’ll see a box where you have 500 characters to share your goals. In the box, directly state your short-term and long-term goals in simple, clear terms. You have a whole essay to talk about the impact and motivation behind your goals, so you don’t need to focus on that here. 

If you’re struggling to define your goals for the MBA, check out this post ! 

2.2 Essay 1 tips

Business-Minded: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you strive to make on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

A MAJOR change, HBS has introduced three short essays, including this goals-type essay , to replace the long, open-ended question it favored for years. 

However, with only 300 words , HBS forces you to clearly state some of the most fundamental — and important! — information in your MBA application . 

First, we suggest that you review how HBS defines “business-minded” and how they expect to see this in your application. 

You have a 500-character short answer in the application form itself where you need to state your short and long-term goals, so there is no need to restate them here. You can just jump right into the experiences that have influenced your career choices. 

We do suggest that you start off the essay with context into why the goals you’re pursuing are right for you. This might be a STAR-format story (or 2 mini STAR stories) that is related to your goals or part of your personal track record that motivated you to pursue the goals you stated. Make sure that the story or stories that you choose are all directly related to your career goals and that you can make a clear link between them and your career path both now and in the future. 

If it helps you to briefly mention your goals ( think a few words here) to help transition your essay from past to future, you can briefly mention your career aspirations on a high level. For example, you might use something like, “Looking ahead, as a leader in the healthcare space…” and then continue on with the second part of the essay. 

In the second part of the essay, the focus is all on impact. Here, you want to be crystal clear about the legacy you hope to leave behind with your goals. 

The question asks you to think about impact beyond just your own career and prompts you to consider the impact your goals will have on businesses, organizations, and communities. We always encourage our clients not just to think about the direct impact their goals will have but also how their goals will make the world a better place. 

For example, if you want to launch a startup that offers services to SMBs, which are currently underserved in your country, make sure to show how this will impact the business landscape, as well as how it will make the lives of those your company will improve as a result of using your service. 

Additionally, we often encourage clients to think about the concept of a “parallel goal.” For example, if your main goal is to move up the ranks in the private equity industry, perhaps your parallel goal is to continue the work you’ve done to break down gender barriers in the male-dominated finance industry. Or, if you’re planning to become an operations-focused consulting partner, perhaps your parallel goal is to serve as an example for other LGBTQ+ leaders in your firm and continue mentoring younger professionals in your industry. 

If you do have a parallel goal, make sure that it connects with your previous track record. You don’t want to mention how you’re dedicated to mentoring others in your future career if you’ve never mentored anyone before, as this will come across as inauthentic. If you do mention this type of goal in addition to your “main” goal , make sure you also show the impact you hope it has. 

In short, make sure you consider the wide-reaching impact of your goals and clearly state it. It’s also a great idea to back this impact up with why you’re passionate about pursuing these goals at some point in this section since your passion for your future is what makes your career plans come alive!

2.3 Essay 2 tips

Leadership-Focused: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

This question is challenging because it asks you to cover so much ground in just 250 words. 

First, we suggest that you review how HBS defines “leadership-focused” and how they expect to see this in your application. 

Then, start with a reflection on your leadership style. You need a clear definition of your leadership approach here for this essay to work effectively. It’s short, so bringing in stream-of-consciousness explorations of leadership or examples that are all over the place will demonstrate a lack of coherence and focus that won’t impress the adcom. 

Once you’ve thought about this, work on developing a list of your best leadership examples. We suggest one personal/extracurricular and one professional story if you can and if it’s aligned with your leadership theme. This shows a great range of leadership and demonstrates that you’re a leader not just because it’s required of you at work but also because you seek to lead and make an impact wherever you find yourself. 

After choosing your examples, it’s time to start writing. We suggest you start with a hook intro that brings in some type of wording that directly states your overall leadership style or focus. This will give the essay the organization and coherence we’re looking for while also grabbing the adcom’s attention. 

Then, bring in your two leadership examples. You won’t have space for long STAR-format stories here, so you want to summarize them in a few sentences. Make sure you still cover what happened, how you demonstrated leadership, and the results/what you learned in the end. Considering the word count of the essay, we suggest you spend ~75 words for each example. 

Finally, end your essay by exploring the leader you want to become. Be specific about how you want to improve and how you want to continue to make an impact as a leader. You want to connect this with the definition of leadership HBS gives above, but don’t dedicate word count to talking about HBS’ specific curriculum and leadership classes you want to take during your MBA. 

Instead, focus on the bigger picture and make sure the growth you say you want to pursue directly aligns with the stories and theme you mentioned above. We suggest you spend ~75 words on this section before ending with a killer conclusion sentence that ties it all together.  

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of successful HBS MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Harvard Business School essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. Click to join ! 

2.4 Essay 3 tips

Growth-Oriented: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

First, we suggest that you review how HBS defines “growth-oriented” and how they expect to see this in your application. 

Though you may be tempted to cram in as many examples of curiosity as you can in this question, HBS clearly asks you for a single experience, though they do not dictate that you must draw this example from your professional experience. 

As such, considering the fact that you want to show growth in this example, brainstorm a list of examples in which you faced a clear challenge and were able to overcome it using curiosity.

Does the question say there has to be a challenge? No. 

Do essays where applicants use overcoming challenges as a platform for demonstrating skills tend to work better than others? Yep!  

So, we suggest focusing on examples where your curiosity was key in solving the problem you faced. As such, an example where applying your already expert programming skills was what helped you face down the challenge won’t work well here. 

Instead, think of examples rich in creative problem solving, like learning a new skill to ensure a solution was reached or even demonstrating active listening and understanding both sides of an argument to resolve conflict.

Finally, make sure your story has a clear outcome or resolution and that it impacted your growth as a leader or person in some way.

When you start writing your essay, begin with a hook introduction that sets the stage and makes your reader want to keep reading to find out what happens. 

Then, show the challenge you were facing. When writing this essay, do not skim over the conflict part of your story . Though we work hard to avoid conflict in real life, a bit of conflict in your story here demonstrates your curiosity applied to real life.  Finally, we truly feel you should stick to the STAR framework to ensure you deliver a winning answer. 

Continue by showing what you did (this is the part in which you’re actively demonstrating your capacity to lead). During this section, focus on showing how you accomplished what you did and why you felt the actions you took were appropriate for the challenge. 

End your essay by showing the result you were able to achieve (we suggest you focus on examples with positive outcomes), what you learned, and specifically how you grew in some concrete way as a result of the experience. 

TOP TIP : It’s important to specifically call out “curiosity” in this essay. This will ensure that you fully and clearly answer all aspects of the prompt. Make sure, however, that you are specific about your curiosity – how you applied it, what you learned, etc. Don’t just name-drop curiosity and keep going. Make sure it’s an integral part of the story. 

2.5 Optional Essay tips

Please share additional information here if you need to clarify any information provided in the other sections of your application. This is not meant to be used as an additional essay. Please limit your additional information to the space in this section.

We know you’ll be tempted, but please don’t send us any additional materials (e.g., additional recommendations, work portfolios). To be fair to all applicants, extra materials won’t be considered.

This section should only be used to convey information not addressed elsewhere in your application, for example, completion of supplemental coursework, employment gaps, academic issues, etc. Feel free to use bullet points where appropriate. 

Though with such a short application you may be tempted to use this response to add additional stories and information you couldn’t quite squeeze in elsewhere, restraint is necessary here. Make sure you focus on explaining gaps in your application only, though you can use these explanations to highlight related achievements. 

You only have 75 words, so you’re only going to be able to state the facts!

We have written extensively on the issue of optional essays, giving tips and tricks for how to address issues like low GMAT scores or poor academic performance here . 

2.6 Reapplicant Essay tips

Please use this space to share with the Admissions Committee how you have reflected and grown since your previous application and discuss any relevant updates to your candidacy (e.g., changes in your professional life, additional coursework, and extracurricular/volunteer engagements). (250 word limit)

We have written a separate post on the topic of reapplying to business school , including insider tips and tricks to help make sure your second shot at your dream school is successful

3. We help your Harvard essays shine

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories . This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school. 

Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner.   

This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program. 

That’s the approach we took with Fernando, who was admitted to Harvard. In their words, “ I absolutely recommend Ellin’s work to anyone who is applying to – or thinking about applying to – an MBA program. She definitely made the process smoother and helped me get to the end goal: get accepted at Harvard!”

Not only can you take advantage of our editing expertise through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!

No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine . Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.

4. Deadlines

The HBS MBA deadlines for the 2024-2025 season are below. You can access the HBS application here .

HBS MBA Round 1 Deadlines

Application Deadline : September 4, 2024

Interview Notification : TBD

Decisions Released : December 10, 2024

HBS MBA Round 2 Deadlines

Application Deadline : January 6, 2025

Decisions Released : March 26, 2025

HBS MBA 2+2 Deadlines

Application Deadline : April 25, 2025

Decisions Released : June 27, 2025

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HBS 2+2 Deferred MBA Essay Prompts & Tips (2024)

As of 2024, HBS has changed its deferred MBA essay prompts away from the traditional, "What else should we know about you?" to three smaller essays. Read more and nail your HBS 2+2 application here.

Posted January 4, 2024

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Harvard Business School recently updated its application essay prompts for its 2+2 deferred MBA program. Here is what you need to know and how to stand out.

HBS 2+2 Essay Prompts (2024)

Those applying to the HBS 2+2 program in 2024 or later will no longer write the traditional, "What else should we know about you?" essay. Instead, they will write three shorter, more targeted essays that each have a limit of 300 words. Two of those essays will be on personal topics and one on career aspirations.

Personal Essays

For the personal essays, applicants have three options of prompts and will need to pick two. Here is what is stated in the application portal:

The HBS classroom and community thrive when we bring together people who can share a variety of perspectives. To get to know you better and how you will engage at HBS, please choose two of the three prompts below to tell us more about yourself.

• How have your experiences shaped who you are, how you lead, and how you will contribute at HBS?
• What intellectual experiences have influenced your approach to learning and have led you to pursue an MBA?
• What communities have you been engaged with that have defined how you invest in others?

Career Essay

The career essay only includes one prompt option, which is as follows:

How do the career plans you shared in the Career Plans section of the application fit into your current long-term career vision? What skills and/or professional experiences do you hope to obtain in the deferral period that will help build the foundation for your post-MBA career?

HBS 2+2 Essay Tips

1. showcase personal growth and self-awareness.

HBS values applicants who demonstrate a keen sense of self-awareness and personal development. Your essays should reflect your journey, how you've evolved, and what you've learned from your experiences.

• Example : If you led a project that faced significant challenges, don't just focus on the success. Highlight what you learned about leadership, teamwork, and your own strengths and weaknesses.

2. Articulate Clear Career Goals and Vision

HBS wants to understand your career aspirations and how their MBA program fits into that path. Be specific about your goals and how the knowledge and network at HBS will help you achieve them. For deferred applicants, specifically, this is very important. The school does not have a professional track record on which to judge you; instead, you have to show that your potential outweighs any risks in your candidacy.

• Example : Rather than stating a general desire to be in leadership, detail your ambition to lead a tech startup focusing on sustainable energy, explaining how HBS’s resources and alumni network will help you get there.

3. Demonstrate Leadership and Impact

Leadership is a core value at HBS. Your essays should showcase instances where you have made a meaningful impact , whether in your professional, academic, or community engagements. Show leadership wherever you can.

• Example : Describe a time when you initiated something, outlining the challenges faced, the impact it had, and what it taught you about leading.

4. Reflect a Global Perspective and Diversity of Thought

HBS looks for candidates who bring diverse perspectives and understand global contexts. Illustrate your awareness and appreciation of different cultures, ideas, and viewpoints.

• Example : Share experiences where you worked in diverse teams or in different countries, focusing on how these experiences broadened your understanding and approach to problem-solving.

5. Craft a Cohesive Narrative

Your essays should collectively tell a story about who you are, linking your past experiences with your future aspirations. They should complement the rest of your application to present a well-rounded picture of your candidacy.

• Example : If your resume highlights extensive work in finance, your essays could discuss how this experience sparked your interest in fintech innovation, shaping your career goals and desire for an MBA at HBS. Do not reiterate information that is already found in the other areas of your application.

Remember, the essence of these tips is not just to inform the admissions committee about your achievements but to provide insights into your character, mindset, and potential to contribute to the HBS community and beyond. Good luck!

Read these articles next:

• An Overview of the HBS 2+2 Program—and How to Kick Off Your Application
• Harvard Business School — MBA Program & Application Overview (2023)
• Top 10 Deferred MBA Programs in the US—and How to Get In
• The Deferred MBA Process and Top Programs: An Expert Guide
• 2023-2024 Harvard Business School MBA Application Deadlines
• A Guide to the HBS Essay

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How To Write Harvard HBS Essay With Examples

Harvard Business School’s MBA is one of the most well-known, acclaimed professional degrees in the world. When applying to HBS is a competitive next step in your education and career, every aspect of your application deserves careful deliberation and preparation, especially your HBS essay. 

The application essay requires even more thought because Harvard Business School views essays as a real-time representation of who you are (besides the interview and statement of purpose ), professionally and personally. This blog will take you through a step-by-step process so you’ll know exactly how to write the Harvard Business School essay.  

Hopefully, it will also help invigorate your pride in your own story, for Harvard Business School will be more likely to see your potential if you demonstrate that you see it too.

Harvard Business School Essay Prompts

The Harvard Business School essay is just one component of a complete MBA application, but it certainly has its own considerations. So, it is important that you take time to consider the essay separately from the rest of the documents and information in your application. The essay prompt is as follows:

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?

This essay question is particularly challenging for many applicants due to its vague nature.  The other potentially unexpected kicker to this prompt: there is no word limit. Regarding the length of your essay, the Harvard Business School webpage suggests that you “use your best judgment, and try to be clear… and concise.” 

We’ll discuss how to best work on this deliverable later in the blog, as it is an important factor in the overall presentation of your writing. 

Unless you have an exceedingly in-depth resume, the essay is definitely going to be the most personal aspect of your application. The essay is your chance to use your own words to describe yourself, your values, and your insights. 

It will be the most significant signal to the admissions committee as to how your background has influenced you and how HBS would fit well into your future.

How to Write Harvard Business School Essay in 6 Steps

Organization is key to ensuring quality in your HBS essay. It’s important to order tasks in an accomplishable, reasonable way where each goal is clear and manageable. 

Exploring blogs about MBA essay writing is one way to get ideas flowing. To help wrap your head around organizing your essay-writing efforts, here are some beginning-to-end steps for the creation of your HBS essay:

• Self-Reflection
• Decide on the Right Story and Its Theme
• Write an Outline
• Start Your Essay Carefully and Deliberately 
• Draft Your Essay and Revise
• Get an Outside Perspective ‍

1. Self-Reflection

Start the process of HBS essay writing with something as equally fundamental as it is simple: thought. Consider the role that the essay will play in your application and how to make the essay benefit your goal of getting into Harvard Business School. 

There are two sides to useful self-reflection regarding a goal like a Harvard MBA.

First, think purposefully about your career goals and tie them to an MBA at Harvard Business School. Ask yourself, how would a Harvard MBA help you get to where you want to go, professionally? What would you most like to gain from your time studying at HBS? 

Thinking about these things and then including them in your essay will demonstrate to the admissions committee that you have a clear trajectory for your MBA experience and your career. 

Additionally, revealing these considerations in your essay will speak to your confidence in your aspirations and in your decision to apply for Harvard Business School, which will likewise be attractive to the admissions committee.

The other side to a useful introspection would be considering what you as a student would contribute to Harvard and to its MBA program. A US News article about successful MBA essays encourages you to highlight what you would contribute to the HBS MBA program, so that you come across as a useful addition instead of simply a “taker.” 

If you were in the admissions committee's shoes, what would be the most enticing aspects of your past education, your experiences , and your personality. Essentially, you should think, specifically and without judgment, about what your biggest strengths as an applicant are, realistically. 

Knowing this will help you, both consciously and subconsciously, weave your most compelling characteristics into your essay so that the admissions committee gets to know your best side. ‍

2. Decide on the Right Story and Its Theme

You absolutely do not want to use your essay as a canvas on which to dump information about yourself. Harvard is not interested in reading an essay that expands on your entire resume or simply describes you. Tell a story! 

Elucidate on an impactful experience or explain a significant lesson you’ve learned. You’ll probably either overflow with abounding exciting examples to choose from, or you’ll struggle to find even one compelling anecdote. 

Don’t worry if you sit in this situation for a while; after all, you’ll ultimately still need to decide on just one topic, whether that means whittling down your options or sifting through your past to isolate that one perfect story. 

Once you finally do settle on that one excellent, fascinating subject that excites you enough to write about, you should also deliberate about what you intend your themes and tones to be. What would the ideal takeaway(s) be for a reader of your essay? 

Additionally, and this is annoyingly subjective, so apologies; how do you want to sound ? You should have a picture of how your essay will present your information, and you should have a picture of how your essay will present you . 

The admissions committee will use the essay to try to imagine you and the role you’d play at Harvard , so keep in mind how they would do this with the essay you write. ‍

3. Write an Outline

This step is fairly straightforward. Take the most important points of your topic, and put them in an order that would flow well as you write. Make sure, as you lay these points out, that they align with each other coherently and that they reflect your intended theme. 

From there, write out some thoughts on how best to integrate each point into a complete essay. You might want to explicitly write out which details are most crucial to each part of your story or subject. For example, let's say your compelling story about a transformative internship abroad begins by explaining what you were doing before it. 

Then, intuitively, you’d have to include details about where you were at this stage of the story and whether you were working, studying, traveling, etc. Put this information in your outline, so you know that you don’t leave things out and lose your reader. ‍

4. Start Your Essay Carefully and Deliberately

The way you begin your essay is quite important and will in many ways determine how the rest of your essay will shape out. First things first, make sure you feel good about your first sentence. 

Just like the opening scene of a movie, the first statement or two of your HBS essay will introduce your writing style and general tone to the admissions committee readers. Consistency always improves readability, and consistency starts with your opening sentence. 

Try to make the first couple sentences intriguing to garner some interest right from the get-go.

From the first sentence, ensure you’re keeping to your tone, at least peripherally. We can all agree a shift in tone tends to break the flow of good writing, and to have that break early on in your essay might throw the admissions committee off. 

The more sentences you write in a consistent tone and manner, the easier it will be to continue to write in holding with them. Because you’re trying to tell one, coherent story, the reader will be most interested if your writing follows an intuitive flow of ideas.

5. Draft Your Essay and Revise

From this last point, try as best you can to find a steady pace, and begin expanding on your outline. The nice part of this step is that you don’t have to get carried away with wording, sentence structure, or length. Again, focus on including all the relevant details and continue matching your tone. 

Try to write at a reasonable rate for decent chunks of time instead of writing intermittently while giving in to distractions. The more consecutively you write each sentence and paragraph, the better they’ll run together when someone’s reading them.

The reason you’ve already prepared an outline, and plan to edit throughout the rest of your writing process, is to make your first attempt at writing the essay as easy as it can be. 

Mistakes and breaks in your thinking can easily be caught by careful reading after the fact, so capitalize on inspiration when it hits and simply get your first draft onto the page. When writing an important, personal essay like this one, it also serves you well to keep boosting your confidence. 

If you fixate on word choice and how your writing is sounding, you’ll be more likely to break up the flow of your statements and make reading your essay feel choppy. You are telling your own story, and the point of the essay is for the admissions committee to get a better idea of your personality and character, so take pride in the fact that you’re unambiguously the best writer for this subject. ‍

6. Get an Outside Perspective‍

Once you’ve written the entirety of your essay and edited it carefully and precisely, get some extra peace of mind by having one or two other people read your essay. The more insightful and writing-experienced your readers of choice are, the more you’ll benefit from their critiques and opinions. 

The crucial part of this step is to get thoughts from someone unattached to your writing. As fervently and specifically as you may edit your own essay, you’ll always struggle to distance yourself from your emotional attachment to certain phrases, details, or even words. It’s ok. Every writer goes through this with the things they write. Trust us.

This other person allows you to hear a perspective from someone who read every sentence as how it sounded, not how it was intended. In this way, they fill the shoes of the admissions committee, but at a stage where you can still make changes to your essay. 

Don’t take criticisms personally; it's better to hear them now than to be at their mercy after submitting your application. 

No, you don’t need to force yourself to accept every change proposed by your reader(s). The point of an outside perspective is not to find a qualified editor and let them rewrite an essay about something important to you. 

This step is more useful just in reinvigorating your own thoughts about your paper because, in the late stages of your essay writing, it's much easier to get bogged down with the same considerations and forget the bigger things you’re trying to say to the admissions committee.

3 Successful Harvard Business School Essay Examples That Worked

Here are successful Harvard Business School essay examples to give you an idea of what to write. 

Sample Essay #1

“Start again,” my mother would demand after tossing my less-than-perfect homework into the trash. As a kid, I was taught that ‘work is finished when it’s not just your best work, but the best.’ Most kids would resent a parent for this, but I didn’t: my mom practiced the same rigor with her own work. She had to—a Latin immigrant with only a high school degree in 1980s [City] was held to a higher standard, especially one fighting to change both the media’s and corporations’ impressions about Latinx consumers.

I have applied this doctrine of “do better, be better” throughout my life, focusing on improving my own communities, be it through offering students a taste of food around the world with a college underground pop-up kitchen or planning a [Latinx event] as a conference chair. Last year gave me the chance to continue to work on being an inclusive leader in the Black/Latinx (B/LX) community as a ‘white-passing’ individual. Ultimately, however, these concerns were unimportant when given the opportunity to improve things now for the B/LX community. My new work projects helped me confront leaders I felt had not supported teams during the summer’s tragedies. I learned how feedback framed as suggestions could have powerful consequences. In fact, one of my managers actually came to me for advice on how to engage his peers in order to help his local community use pooled funds from [consulting group].

These experiences have helped me refine my long-term aspirations. Though I would still like to build on my mother’s legacy of a community-minded entrepreneur, I dream of founding my own venture capital fund. I want to alter the face of business by empowering young, diverse entrepreneurs who will bring novel approaches to lingering problems from past generations. Rather than improve my community only through projects supporting others’ priorities, I intend to be an active participant, building an incubator for entrepreneurs of color to eliminate barriers that maintain inequality such as urban food insecurity and underfunded education systems.

HBS will immerse me in the rapidly evolving entrepreneurial environment, helping me to understand process and practice creating ideas as both a founder and funder. On campus, I intend to be an active participant in HBS’ Anti-Racism goals, fighting to bring equity and inclusion with the same passion I have brought to my office and B/LX network. After graduating, I plan to continue engaging with HBS, either by working with student-run investment groups (like IVP’s Steve Harrick and the students behind the inclusion-focused Phoenix Fund) or working with professors to influence HBS’ future (like alumni Lulu Curiel and Eric Calderon, who helped develop a case study with Professor Alvarez to improve Latinx representation in MBA programs). Internalizing the case-method and the hands-on experiences acquired in my two years on-campus will embolden me to disrupt the status quo, both from the grassroots and executive levels.

What Made It Successful 

So, what works well in this thoughtful, personal HBS application essay? Starting with the introduction, the anecdote that this writer starts their essay with grabs attention through the strict rigor that their mother required for them growing up. 

Again, the key to the first few statements of an application essay lies in their ability to compel the reader to read on. An excellent introduction. will ensure  reading your essay is  a pleasure instead of a chore. 

Further on in this essay example, the reader understands where the applicant's motivation for equality and fair representation stems from, and this theme persists throughout the piece. It’s through demonstrating strong points like these that the reader reaches a higher empathy for the writer, which never hurts when applying to Harvard Business School. 

We also gain appreciation for the leadership skills of the writer due to their clear descriptions of past examples. Crucially, do not just hear how these examples played out, but what lessons the writer learned from them that they continue to apply. 

Finally, the essay’s conclusion cites both short-term and long-term goals for the writer's schooling and career, and this section feels very specifically written for HBS. 

Including references to Harvard Business School and its alumni, as done in this example, shows the admissions committee that your efforts in writing this essay are totally aimed at getting into HBS’s MBA, and that you’ve thought hard enough about the decision to do in-depth research.

Sample Essay #2

Our life experiences shape our skills, perspective and help define our paths. Reflecting on my personal and professional journey, I would like to share three lessons which have strongly shaped my journey and outlook.

My first lesson is about people. I feel fortunate to have understood the enormous potential in empathizing and collaborating with individuals to achieve community success, organizational targets and personal goals.

Perhaps due to my father’s frequent job transfers, I grew-up as a reticent, lone worker, shying away from forging long-lasting relationships. While excelling academically, I skipped participating in anything at school that required dependence on other people. It was only at my undergraduate institution, [University] that I really started building relationships with my hostel-mates and exploring the various opportunities [University] offered.

However, soon dark realities came to the forefront when a final-year student committed suicide while my close friend, [Name], got sucked into a vortex of depression due to his poor academic performance. Deeply shaken, I resolved to address mental-health issues on campus and joined the Institute Counseling Service, comprising student volunteers, faculty and professional counselors who sought to provide emotional and academic help to students.

Driven to make a difference, I led 240 student volunteers, strengthened our mentorship program to identify students in need of professional help and organized Orientation Programs. To dispel the stigma associated with mental-health and build trust, we increased the approachability of counsellors by initiating hostel visits and collaborated with NGOs to use theatre and generate awareness. I personally mentored students and it was heartwarming to create an environment in which people were able to discuss their personal issues freely with me. While I gained friends for life, I realized there is no greater happiness than witnessing one’s mentee overcome difficulties and be successful! Listening to varied personal experiences inculcated empathy and fostered ability to forge strong interpersonal connections.

This experience stayed with me during my professional journey with [Consumer Goods Company]. Just out of college, I had to navigate union strikes, reconcile socio-political contexts and motivate 600+ unskilled workers, several years my senior to transform the quality performance of an $800M factory in a small town. Leveraging interpersonal skills, I understood employee concerns and created an experiential training program. Listening to them, educating them, sharing success and owning failures together, I immersed myself in the workforce environment, instilling a culture of innovation and change. Our efforts reaped dividends as we eliminated all consumer complaints and achieved the best-ever performance in quality metrics, securing [Consumer Goods Company] market-share and launching 24 premium product variants. Thus, I learnt to drive organizational change by harnessing people’s potential.

My second life lesson is about values. I feel long-term success can only be achieved if one has the character to stand by one’s principles during testing times.

At age-5, I recall accompanying my mother to court hearings to witness a long-drawn trial involving my father. Overtime, I understood how my father had been slapped with a fake harassment case because he refused to accept a bribe for professional favors. Standing by his principles, he was later acquitted emerging as my inspiration and teaching me values of honesty and integrity.

After 17 years, these values were tested. Early-on in my role as Quality Manager of [Consumer Goods Company] plant, consumer complaints for a particular defect inflicted 10% market-share losses in [Big City]. On probing, I realized that we had overlooked an important data trend during manufacturing that could have averted the disaster. While corporate auditors were preparing a report attributing the occurrence of defect to chance, I presented the true picture, taking full responsibility. It was a difficult decision as our factory had already lost credibility prior to my joining. Our General Manager intervened to manage the crisis and while recognizing my ethics and courage, placed faith on my ability to redeem myself.

Motivated to prove myself, I worked incessantly with my team, ensuring that I drive systemic changes and build a culture of continuous improvement. Within one-year, we achieved benchmark performances, restoring faith in the unit/team. During our annual performance review, our unit was appreciated for data-integrity, reinforcing my belief in my value system.

The third lesson is about impact. I believe true success is achieved when people are guided by a desire to create sustainable impact and make a positive difference in society.

During a factory-visit, I engaged with our CEO, and advocated driving growth by monetizing [Consumer Goods Company] distribution network to service regional firms/startups. Intrigued, he inducted me into his office in the Trade Marketing and Distribution function in a strategic role, a move unheard for any non-MBA engineer. Initially, I engaged with product entrepreneurs to offer them [Consumer Goods Company] distribution for scaling-up. One case was [Company], a [City]-based startup that innovated on cost-effective sanitary napkins. We are helping them reach 60M consumers in [Country], a country where 75% women resort to unhygienic alternatives. Curious to understand their success, I engaged with the founder, [Name]. I realized [Name] was driven by a desire to positively impact the lives of rural women and this motivated him to innovate continuously.

Reflecting on this conversation, I identified how [Consumer Products Company] could play a larger role in adding to consumer-value and go beyond giving distribution access to CPG startups. If tech leaders such as Google, Microsoft could incubate technology startups, we needed to explore similar models in the CPG space. I formulated a strategic investor model to incubate and eventually acquire CPG startups, a first for an Indian CPG firm, and pitched it to senior leadership. They appreciated my vision of synergizing with startups, providing [Consumer Products Company] marketing expertise and product development insights to encourage product innovation, thereby creating an inorganic growth roadmap for [Consumer Products Company] vision of achieving $15B by 2030.

These lessons provide the foundation to succeed and define my professional ambitions. Going forward, I envision energizing the [Country] CPG startup ecosystem, stimulating innovation and strengthening symbiotic relationships with Corporations to deliver high social-impact products, creating sustainable value for 1.2B Indian consumers. While my experiences have created the primer, I see Harvard as the perfect catalyst to transform me into a change leader. Building on my life lessons, I can’t wait to engage with classmates who bring with them a wealth of global experiences and stories!

Sample Essay #3

I remember my hands trembling as I clenched the scissors, and my mother’s gorgeous locks fell to the ground − I was six years old. Compelled to quit her studies after marriage, my mother resumed her masters in [course] after ten stifling years. With my father’s solitary income going into tuition for my mother, sister and me, a proper haircut was a wasteful luxury. My parents shielded us from their struggles, but the gravity of our situation hit home as I cut my mother’s hair.

When my mother finally cleared her examinations, I expected things to change. Instead, she declined lucrative offers to join public-services, catering to marginalized populations through [country’s] public healthcare system. My parents unwavering desire to lead a life of meaning, fuelled my own. Over the course of my journey, I have carved my own path to making a difference – one of spreading my ideas and impact, beyond what I could accomplish alone. I would like to share how three transformative experiences, starting over a decade ago, have progressively shaped this lifelong approach.

At 13, I was devastated to see my sister’s tiny frame shake violently as she coughed from asthma. What affected me most was learning that we had all contributed to these respiratory problems, by making [city] the most polluted city in the world.

I refused to remain a silent spectator and started an environment club, [club], at school. Digging-up compost pits and conducting tree-plantation drives, our team explored every opportunity to make our premises greener. The efforts of our small 10-member team indicated to me the potential to spur larger change by motivating all 1500 students to step-up. Our idea to achieve this, by integrating environmental-awareness within our curriculum, was dismissed by the administration for lack of resources. Undeterred, I started writing applications to garner financial support, and within months, led our team to the first place in a national competition. The $15K we won infused both resources and enthusiasm to implement our eco-friendly curriculum.

Juggling my graduation-examinations and endless hours of organizing activities for the entire school, we grew [club] five-fold. Students stepped-up to expand our efforts, from transitioning our school to using solar energy to organizing large-scale zero-waste campaigns. ‘Exponential’ was no longer just a graph I studied, I could tangibly see my impact multiplying by mobilising individuals around me.

Eager to replicate our success beyond school, I initiated environmental workshops for children from urban-slums in [city].

“Boys don’t need to save money for dowry, do they not have to conserve environmental resources either?” asked 11-year old [name]. Half-way into my first workshop, my analogy of saving money to explain the concept of conserving environmental resources, had derailed my session-plan.

Having witnessed the consequences of gender-disparity in my own childhood I started my non-profit [non-profit], during college, to promote holistic life-skills education to uproot such evils. I was happiest spending weekends in community-centres and public-classrooms, with my team of student-volunteers, conducting activity-based workshops for hundreds of children. I vividly remember when, beaming with pride, [name] told me that she had saved enough money to buy her house. She not only grasped complex concepts of banking and savings, but acknowledged herself as a financially-independent female – albeit in a game of Monopoly!

By graduation, we grew to a 20-member team and reached 1,000+ children. However, once I moved to join Investment-Banking, our student-volunteer model disintegrated and fundraising for a full-time team seemed impossible. While struggling to sustain momentum, I saw a class-teacher enthusiastically taking initiative to support our program, during a workshop. Watching her, it struck me that scaling-up [non-profit] was not the only way to further impact.

‍ "Over the course of my journey, I have carved my own path to making a difference – one of spreading my ideas and impact, beyond what I could accomplish alone."

Restructuring our workshops into a comprehensive curriculum, we showcased it to the state academic department. Winning their support, we trained 100 public-school teachers and principals to deliver the program. Within two years, these teachers extended our program to 10,000 children and even co-opted their colleagues. Their efforts reaffirmed my conviction that enabling change-agents at a systemic-level could accelerate impact at scale.

To steer my journey in this direction, I decided to quit my investment-banking job in [country] and return to [country]. Forgoing the financial comfort I was finally providing my family weighed on me, but I chose to follow my heart. I joined [foundation], a philanthropy focused on driving systemic change to tangibly impact India’s education landscape.

Innovative, low-cost teaching-aids developed by [company], my [foundation] portfolio-organisation, drastically improved learning for children in rural classrooms. However, their low-monetization potential generated minimal funder interest, threatening their existence. Their question, “How will we serve these children, when we can barely stay afloat?” echoed my own struggles at [non-profit].

Collaborating with the [state] government, I helped [company] reduce costs through subsidies and extend their program to 40,000 students. I was leading large-scale projects with public systems at [foundation], but I realized that empowering social-enterprises such as [company] to drive systemic change could create ripple-effects throughout the ecosystem.

My ten-year-old self wouldn't believe just how far I have come – my hands no longer shake when I take decisive actions, whose outcomes I cannot always predict.

Today, non-profit social-enterprises in India fail to reach their potential, owing to lack of financial and strategic support - the largest remains 1/100th the size of its global peers. So, I took on the mandate to launch an Accelerator within [non-profit], to ensure this support, even though this meant leaving my team and starting out alone. My path was uphill, given [non-profit’s] strategic shift towards working directly with governments − the initiative was peripheral for every decision, be it budget-allocations or team-building.

The eagerness of portfolio-organizations in leveraging every support opportunity kept me going. Months of co-creating monetization strategies and facilitating government meetings paid off, in one instance, enabling immense expansion for the portfolio-organization to reach 800,000 children. Such successes helped evangelize our potential and we are now raising an independent fund to support 30 entrepreneurs to help transform education for 5M children.

My ten-year-old self wouldn’t believe just how far I have come – my hands no longer shake when I take decisive actions, whose outcomes I cannot always predict. Striving to continually widen my impact has helped me progress from empowering school-students to supporting social-entrepreneurs, towards enabling an entire ecosystem of social change-makers.

Battling one constant challenge throughout, that of inadequate resources, has highlighted how social-finance could be the ‘driving-force’ towards my goal. Most importantly, I have learnt that beyond individual efforts, by spearheading thought-leadership and global alliances, I can mobilize the entire ecosystem, catalyzing robust social-investment markets in India.

My friend [name] described how assimilating diverse perspectives through the case-method at HBS helped him understand nuances of business across cultures, while the vibrant community provided access to global networks. HBS equipped him to launch and grow his company across eight emerging economies, through partnerships with local entrepreneurs. Similarly, I am convinced that the ideas, experiences and relationships built at HBS will help me realize my vision where every [club], [non-profit] and [company] can go on to create the change it aspires to.

Mistakes to Avoid in Your Harvard Business Essay

1. Show Don’t Tell

If you use your essay to outright explain what you’re trying to show the admissions committee about yourself, you run a much higher risk of losing readability and taking your application from an opportunity to a plea. Instead, demonstrate your takeaways, your best qualities, through your story and its examples. 

The reader is far more likely to be compelled by the conclusions of your essay if they feel like they came to them themselves. By not explicitly explaining the point of your essay, you come across more sure in the topic you’ve chosen and its ability to reveal the point. ‍

2. Avoid Lackluster Anecdotes

Your essay will be bolstered or weakened by the intrinsic quality of the experiences about which you write. Only include anecdotes that you’d be just as comfortable and confident about retelling to dinner guests or friends at a bar. 

Obviously, the formality of those situations and the Harvard Business School MBA application differ starkly, but the gist of this statement is that if you’d feel awkward telling a story to your friends, it’d be hard to make it sound good for an unseen admissions committee reader. 

If it’s a story you’ll enjoy writing about, it’ll stand a better chance of being enjoyable to read. ‍

3. Don’t Narrate – Craft a Compelling Story

Ensure your topic flows seamlessly through relevant experiences and lessons. Establishing clear cause-and-effect relationships among different events not only maintains the reader's interest but also justifies each inclusion in your essay. While coherence is essential, be cautious not to force connections between unrelated experiences or anecdotes; instead, strive for a well-integrated narrative with a cohesive beginning-to-end structure."

4. Don’t Do This Yourself

Utilize guides and blog posts about the undertaking of applying to an MBA program, getting as specific to Harvard Business School as you can. 

Reviewing a concise guide about applying to Harvard Business School can be the best way to ensure that your application is sound, not just for any MBA program, but for Harvard Business School’s MBA.

 Many resources, like Final Application Reviews, will focus heavily on your essay, but will also provide insight on every aspect of your application so you feel best about your attempt.

If you still have questions about the HBS essay, check out these frequently asked questions. 

1. How Can I Best Edit My Essay?

To best edit your essay, focus on refining syntax, word choice, and common mistakes in MBA application essays. Research prevalent errors, specifically addressing them to catch the admissions committee's attention. Utilize tools like Grammarly for a comprehensive review, increasing the likelihood of submitting an error-free essay.

2. How Long Should My Essay Be If There's No Word Limit?

In the absence of a specified word limit, aim for conciseness while conveying your message effectively. Generally, one to three pages or around 500-1000 words is a reasonable guideline, allowing you to present a comprehensive narrative without unnecessary information.

3. Is the Essay Portion Different If I’m Reapplying?

No, if you're reapplying to Harvard Business School, the essay portion remains the same as for first-time applicants. There is no distinct essay prompt for reapplicants.

4. Can I Use the Same Essay If I’m Reapplying?

HBS does not explicitly prohibit this, but, intuitively, it’s probably a better idea to write a new essay. You would have no way of knowing that your essay and the topic you chose played no role in your initial rejection. 

5. Are There Bad Topics to Write About?‍

Yes, some topics are best avoided in your essay. Steer clear of overly controversial or sensitive subjects and refrain from solely highlighting academic or professional achievements unless they contribute to a broader, more personal theme. 

Also, avoid repeating stories already addressed in recommendation letters to provide the admissions committee with new insights. Choose an original and unique topic that reflects your character, emphasizing its personal significance. 

If you struggle to justify your topic's importance, consider opting for a more compelling subject for your essay.

6. Can I Over-Edit My Essay?

Excessive editing can make your writing sound stiff and fragmented. The concept of "over-editing" suggests a misuse of time better spent on other tasks. It's challenging to determine the perfect editing point, but if changes result in minimal, unclear differences, you may be over-editing. 

Recognizing this, it's advisable to ease back on editing efforts, especially if changes are made simply because they come to mind.

Conclusion‍

Harvard Business School's MBA program is highly competitive, and the HBS essay is your chance to stand out. Choose a topic that excites you and reveals your unique experiences. Use organizational resources and time management for effective essay development. 

Simplify the process with outlined steps, ensuring authenticity and enthusiasm. Maintain confidence in your chosen topic and writing style for a more assured essay. This is an opportunity to showcase why you're applying to Harvard Business School, so approach it with confidence and purpose.

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Hbs application: 3 new essays announced for incoming harvard candidates.

Among the world's most prestigious business schools, Harvard announced a change to its HBS application essay ©HBS FB

Harvard Business School has replaced its open-ended essay question with three specific essay prompts 10 weeks before the first application deadline. Find out about the new HBS application essay

Thu Jun 27 2024

This change at the M7 Business School was announced on June 25th, just 10 weeks before HBS’s first application deadline on September 4th, making it a two-month tighter time frame than applicants typically get to prepare their essays. 

The new managing director of admissions and financial aid Sudal Gadhia took to the Harvard Business School website to explain the change: 

“We have refreshed the criteria on which we evaluate candidates. We are looking for applicants who are business-minded, leadership-focused, and growth-oriented… This is your opportunity to discuss meaningful or formative experiences that are important to you that you haven’t had a chance to fully explore elsewhere in your application… Be authentic, be yourself.”

What to look out for with the new HBS application essays

The three new HBS application essay prompts—introduced for the class that will begin in fall 2025—ask applicants to address each in turn. The wording of each prompt is as follows: 

- Business-Minded Essay : Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

- Leadership-Focused Essay : What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

- Growth-Oriented Essay : Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

These three prompts have been created to give candidates the opportunity to show off their journey with examples of how they developed and applied business and leadership skills, how they have grown, and their future ambitions.

While the essays ask candidates to give specific examples from their past, those experiences are not enough by themselves. Candidates should make clear how these past experiences have changed their business mindset in the present, how they will make them an asset at Harvard Business School, and the goals they are driving towards. 

How these prompts differ from the previous HBS application essay question

This year's prompts offer more guidance compared to the previous open-ended instruction used in the HBS application essay, which simply asked: “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?”

This guidance might take some of the pressure off students considering the shorter time frame, as with these more detailed instructions they may find it easier to stay focused and on topic. 

Additionally, the shorter word limits are designed to help answers stay concise and clear. The "Business-Minded Essay" has a 300-word limit, while the essays focused on leadership and growth are capped at 250 words each.

Another key change is the specific inquiry about business. Last year's prompt allowed applicants to choose any topic they deemed important for HBS to consider. This often led to uncertainty about whether to emphasize business experience or personal life. The "Business-Minded Essay" still encourages a personal touch but specifically asks candidates to reflect on their own career.

This new structure may also make it easier for the admissions committee to compare essays across applications while still allowing for significant variation in how HBS aspirants address the prompts.

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Harvard business school announces 3 new application essays.

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Harvard Business School.

Harvard Business School announced a surprising departure from its single, open-ended application essay to three short essays with specific prompts. The HBS website sums up the kind of applicant the school is seeking: “We are looking for future leaders who are passionate about business, leadership, and growth.”

The prompts for the class that will begin in fall 2025 instruct applicants to address each topic in turn.

• Business-Minded Essay : Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)
• Leadership-Focused Essay : What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)
• Growth-Oriented Essay : Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words)

The prompts ask applicants to go beyond simply asserting their allegiance to the ideals of business, leadership and growth. Each of the three questions asks for evidence: “experiences,” “experiences” and “an example,” respectively.

The prompts do not expect a straightforward list of what happened in the past. Rather, they encourage reflection on how these experiences affected present realities and future goals.

Applicants are asked to reflect on past, present and future as an ongoing process of becoming who they are now and who they wish to become. Even the “Business-Minded Essay” is about past choices and future impact; it also assumes you “plan to serve.” The “Leadership-Focused Essay” does not ask applicants to recite a list of titles, but to discuss who they are and how they relate to others; not what title they aspire to, but “what kind of leader you wish to become.”

Perhaps the most surprising essay prompt is No. 3, which asks about curiosity. It opens the door for applicants to discuss a more personal aspect of their candidacies. The prompt asks not about end result, but about the process of change. Once again, the emphasis is on “growth.”

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In short, the prompts ask about person and process.

How The 3 New Prompts Differ From Last Year’s Single Question

This year’s prompts give applicants more direction than the previous open-ended instruction, which was: “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?”

Applicants may find it easier to follow these more detailed instructions and to stay on topic. They no longer need to face an open question and a blank page.

Another aid is the shorter word limit. The essay on being business-minded has a limit of 300 words, and the essays on leadership and growth through curiosity are limited to 250 words each.

A third difference is the specific inquiry about business. Last year’s prompt allowed candidates to choose anything they thought would be important for HBS to consider. Some applicants struggled to decide whether to focus on business or something beyond work. While the “Business-Minded Essay” is still personal, it does ask applicants to reflect on their careers.

One might also speculate that the new, more directive prompts makes it easier for the admissions committee to compare essays across applications, while still leaving room for considerable variation in how applicants choose to address the essay prompts.

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Harvard University

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Want to see your chances of admission at Harvard University?

We take every aspect of your personal profile into consideration when calculating your admissions chances.

Harvard University’s 2023-24 Essay Prompts

Diversity short response.

Harvard has long recognized the importance of enrolling a diverse student body. How will the life experiences that shape who you are today enable you to contribute to Harvard?

Intellectual Experience Short Response

Briefly describe an intellectual experience that was important to you.

Extracurricular Short Response

Briefly describe any of your extracurricular activities, employment experience, travel, or family responsibilities that have shaped who you are.

Future Goals Short Response

How do you hope to use your Harvard education in the future?

Roommate Short Response

Top 3 things your roommates might like to know about you.

Common App Personal Essay

The essay demonstrates your ability to write clearly and concisely on a selected topic and helps you distinguish yourself in your own voice. What do you want the readers of your application to know about you apart from courses, grades, and test scores? Choose the option that best helps you answer that question and write an essay of no more than 650 words, using the prompt to inspire and structure your response. Remember: 650 words is your limit, not your goal. Use the full range if you need it, but don‘t feel obligated to do so.

Some students have a background, identity, interest, or talent that is so meaningful they believe their application would be incomplete without it. If this sounds like you, then please share your story.

The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?

Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief or idea. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?

Reflect on something that someone has done for you that has made you happy or thankful in a surprising way. How has this gratitude affected or motivated you?

Discuss an accomplishment, event, or realization that sparked a period of personal growth and a new understanding of yourself or others.

Describe a topic, idea, or concept you find so engaging that it makes you lose all track of time. Why does it captivate you? What or who do you turn to when you want to learn more?

Share an essay on any topic of your choice. It can be one you‘ve already written, one that responds to a different prompt, or one of your own design.

What will first-time readers think of your college essay?

MBA Essays That Worked At Harvard & Stanford

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What does a successful MBA essay look like at Harvard Business School and Stanford Graduate School of Business?

This collection of 50 successful HBS and GSB essays, with smart commentary, can be downloaded for $60

The answers will vary greatly from applicant to applicant, just as the essay prompts for these two schools differ dramatically. Harvard asks applicants the following: 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?

Stanford’s prompt is among the most iconic MBA essay questions in admissions: What matters most to you, and why?

Both prompts are notoriously challenging. Even if these schools had more generous acceptance rates (currently 10% and 6%, respectively), their essay prompts would still vex candidates with both their simplicity and open-ended nature. How do successful applicants respond to these prompts and, more importantly perhaps, how do they adopt their narratives to fit each school’s requirements? (see  She Applied To Harvard & Stanford With These Two MBA Essays ).

Here are four recent examples from successful MBA applicants who shared their essays with us for What Matters? What More? , a unique collection of 50 successful essays written by applicants to either Harvard, Stanford, or both business schools. Published by Poets&Quants with mbaMission and Gatehouse Admissions, the guide is instantly downloadable , at a cost which is less than $1 an essay. Accompanying each essay is expert commentary from mbaMission founder Jeremy Shinewald or Gatehouse founder Liza Weale on the strengths and sometimes weaknesses of each one, even including detailed footnotes to highlight key passages in every single essay.

If you plan to apply to Harvard Business School or the Stanford GSB or any top MBA program, this digital book is a must-have resource. You can access the book here.

Despite all we had been through in recent years, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I asked my mother one summer evening in Singapore, “What role did I play during those tough times?”

In 2014, a pulmonologist in Singapore, where my parents live, told my father he had three months to live. The only solution was to undergo a complete double lung transplant in America—a precarious, logistically complex, and financially burdensome procedure. Despite the daunting news, I sprang into action and spent weeks researching options. I channeled my inner Product Manager and delegated aspects of the research and planning to different family members, creating dozens of spreadsheets detailing our to-dos. We then waited patiently for the call.

After months of nervous anticipation, I received word from the hospital that a matching donor lung had been found. We hastily grabbed our “go bags” and rushed to the hospital. The 10-hour surgery, though harrowing, was a stunning success. Assuming my work was done, I flew home to San Francisco with an enormous burden lifted. In the subsequent months, though, my mother would call me almost every day crying. Sometimes she was upset that my father—struggling with his recuperation—wasn’t appreciative or, worse, was harsh with her; other times she was stressed by the body- and mind-numbing labor that goes into postsurgical care. I listened and would tell her that everything was going to be alright, but no amount of reassurance seemed to make her feel better. To be honest, I had to wonder if it actually would be; there was no clear end in sight, and everyone’s patience was running thin.

There’s a saying in Chinese: “Amongst the hundreds of virtues, filial piety is the first in line (百行孝 為先).” I had been there for my father and did not want exhaustion to prevent me from supporting my mother, who had given up her career and dedicated her life to raising and supporting her children. One evening, I stumbled upon an opportunity to volunteer at Helping Hands, a suicide prevention hotline that focuses on providing emotional support. I knew that helping strangers would be rewarding in itself but also thought the program could expand my own perspective and help me guide my family through this emotional crisis, so I signed up on the spot.

I had never encountered any experience as intense, rigorous, and grueling as Helping Hands. Helping Hands volunteers go through an active listening boot camp, with dropout rates higher than the Navy SEALs. After all, there is no room for error when you’re taking calls on a suicide hotline. After months of relinquishing all weekend hours to training, I took my first call: a teenage girl who just wanted to “be a kid and go to school” but had to work to financially support her chronically ill parent. My first instinct was to respond with phrases like, “it’s ok, don’t worry,” but training taught me that platitudes prevent the caller from feeling heard. Instead, an active listener must validate the callers’ feelings and ask open-ended questions, empathetically steering the conversation “towards the pain.” Rather than avoiding sensitive topics, active listeners get to the root of suffering through deliberate dialogue.

Taking over 500 calls at Helping Hands, I learned how judgment and excellent listening skills are incompatible, especially when the other person holds views or values that are completely diametric to yours. 2 For example, I will never forget the call from a serial pedophile who had nobody to turn to except for us. Helping Hands requires operators to treat every caller equally and with empathy, no matter how you feel about them. So, I cast aside all presumptions and focused on talking to the caller like an old friend, listening to what he had to say and unraveling the struggles he was wrestling with. By helping him get troublesome thoughts off his chest, I could only hope that I helped reduced the chances of him reoffending. Practicing empathic listening with these callers enabled me to understand and connect with humans who are vastly different from me.

Working with Helping Hands also taught me the importance of knowing my own emotional limits, so I learned to practice self-care as a means to engage others. I started journaling regularly and became far more open to being vulnerable. Having inherited a stoicism from my father, I had to take an honest, critical look at myself in order to manifest this shift. When I allowed myself to truly unmask my feelings, I started to find real strength and resilience within.

As I came to these realizations, I began to incorporate them into phone calls with my mother. I withheld advice and simply listened actively, validating her feelings and allowing her to unpack her emotions. Slowly but surely, brick by brick, she began to piece her own life together in her own way. She allowed herself to leave my father’s side and instead to focus on her own well-being. She picked up yoga and made new friends at her local church. A year later, she even took a solo trip to the UK to attend a retreat at a monastery.

Since my time volunteering at Helping Hands and supporting my mother, I’ve also incorporated active listening into my professional life. When I discovered that a teammate was struggling to keep up with her programming tasks, instead of jumping to conclusions, I put my active listening skills to use. She confided in me that she felt her manager had neglected her and that she had been struggling with personal issues outside of work. After talking through her concerns, we made an action plan that would allow her to get back on track. I followed up with her consistently and supportively, and a year later, she was nominated to become a technical lead.

In another instance, two executives with disparate opinions on our fraud management strategy kept talking past each other. One believed that Square should fight fraud using internal resources, while the other wished to leverage multiple external vendors. When the conversation reached an impasse, I used my active listening skills to paraphrase each person’s position so both executives felt heard and followed up with open-ended questions to ensure the issues at hand were sufficiently explored. I steered the conversation out of the stalemate, and the executive team reached a multilateral solution— to conduct a time-bound test of the potential systems before choosing a path. The following day, the CTO commended me on my approach and my diplomacy. Active listening allows me to work and understand people at a level that is simply unattainable if all I do is listen passively or speak without thinking.

So, with this new perspective on personal growth, I found myself one quiet evening chatting with my mother, looking back at how far we had come from those trying times. She briefly pondered my role amid our family crisis. Against the sounds of cicadas in the humid Singapore air, she looked at me and replied, “you were my lifeline through my darkest times, listening to me day after day without fail.” In the end, the best way to support my mother had been to provide her with the scaffolding from which to reconstruct her own life.

Jeremy Shinewald, founder of mbaMission

Commentary by Jeremy Shinewald of mbaMission: Many applicants have preconceived notions about how a great HBS essay should read. A candidate could be forgiven for thinking something along the lines of “HBS wants to see ferocious, unyielding leaders who achieve the impossible,” but the idea that most applicants would fit this mold is unrealistic. Reading this guide should prove that point! In this essay, which is one of our absolute favorites, the applicant writes about a superpower that effectively plays directly against the aforementioned perceived HBS “type.”

Rather than being the kind of leader who raises his fist and screams, “After me!,” he listens and is continuously improving his ability to listen, while developing an enormous well of empathy in his dealings with others. In managing a complicated family dynamic, he realizes the importance of truly paying attention to what someone is saying, and he adroitly hones this skill through challenging community work, which itself equips him to solve personal and professional problems. Throughout, the applicant creates a narrative that is deeply thoughtful and calming. His voice in the essay gives the reader the sense that he is a fundamentally introspective person who draws power from reflection. But do not try to simply replicate his voice in your essay. What is critical is finding your own.

ORDER: WHAT MATTERS? WHAT MORE? 50 SUCCESSFUL MBA ESSAYS TO HARVARD & STANFORD

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