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Originally Posted by subodh_iit  Hello Cryo..
I have some more questions that always haunt me regarding the application process to top Business Schools:
1. What are the 3 most important characteristics that Harvard seeks in a candidate?
I will appreciate a specific reply. Normally we get general replies like Demonstrated Leadership. There are n kinds of leadership. What exactly is the kind of leadership Harvard seeks..
2. What are the 3 giveaways that lead to rejection. (b4 the interview stage itself.)?
3. Given the extreme competitive nature of applications, what separate a called-in candidate from a rejected one. I find it difficult to believe that a person with a 740 GMAT and 3.6 GPA is any different from one with 760 GMAT and 3.5 GPA having written similar essays. Yet one is called and other not. What beyond the facts does Harvard seeks?
4. I have heard quite a number of times that your whole application should weave into your complete life story. Yet i somehow feel that the art of storytelling should not be exercised beyond a point because a b School will expect a formal approach from us. Please provide ur comments and feedback on this. |
1. What are the 3 most important characteristics that Harvard seeks in a candidate?
I will appreciate a specific reply. Normally we get general replies like Demonstrated Leadership. There are n kinds of leadership. What exactly is the kind of leadership Harvard seeks..
There is no specific type of leadership that HBS seeks, there are all kind of leaders in this world. Let me give you examples: Mr. George W Bush, Mr. Bill Gates, Mr. Ratan Tata, Mr. Anand Mahindra and Mr. Chidambaram are all effective leaders in their specific field of interest. If I was to say that all 5 had similar leadership styles- I would be grossly wrong- each one of them has specific traits of leadership which make them effective leaders. HBS is not only looking for the next face on the cover of Times magazine, it is looking for people who made it possible for that face to be there.
Leadership does not mean getting onto a podium and blowing your trumpet (that is a style of leadership that generally comes into our mind when we talk about leadership) leadership also means silently working your way to glory. Leadership can also mean selfless sacrifice on enemy territory for a country and people who do not believe and care about you.
2. What are the 3 giveaways that lead to rejection. (b4 the interview stage itself.)?
I am not qualified to answer this, but I would go out on a limb and say- dishonesty, unwillingness to learn and pride as three things that all potential HBS applicants should not have in their acquired skill set.
3. Given the extreme competitive nature of applications, what separate a called-in candidate from a rejected one. I find it difficult to believe that a person with a 740 GMAT and 3.6 GPA is any different from one with 760 GMAT and 3.5 GPA having written similar essays. Yet one is called and other not. What beyond the facts does Harvard seeks?
GMAT’s and GPA’s are hygiene factor. Is Richard Branson the kind of person HSB would have loved to have on it’s roll? Yes!
How much GMAT and GPA would Sir Branson have scored (his personal triumph over dyslexia is well documented)? HBS is not a place for academic geniuses- it is for people who want to bring about change in this world!
4. I have heard quite a number of times that your whole application should weave into your complete life story. Yet i somehow feel that the art of storytelling should not be exercised beyond a point because a b School will expect a formal approach from us. Please provide ur comments and feedback on this.
I disagree- the more open you are with your application the better chances you have of getting into a school that is meant for you. I got selected at ISB, IIMA and HBS… but did not even get a interview call from Stanford (these are the 4 schools I applied to). Does that mean that Stanford GSB did not like me, or I had not done enough in my life to qualify for Stanford? No, it just means that if I had got selected into Stanford by writing a fancy tale- I would have been unhappy in my 2 years there.
Peace!
Sonam
) and bienvenido a Harvard! btw, like Jerry Maguire, thank you for thanking me! (JBS-SBS-ISB thread). Godspeed
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