How to get into Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School is one of the most prestigious and well-respected business schools in the world. It can be credited with establishing the world’s first MBA program in 1908, which also makes it one of the most sought-after business schools in the world. However, this popularity also makes its admissions process highly competitive. For Harvard’s MBA Class of 2024, 8,264 candidates submitted their applications and 1,015 candidates enrolled. That is an enrollment rate of 12.2%. So, how do you get into Harvard Business School keeping in mind the competitiveness? Keep on reading to know more in this blog post.

Let’s first see what makes Harvard Business School so popular among MBA applicants. There are several factors that contribute to HBS’s reputation and popularity:

1. History and reputation: Harvard Business School has a long history of producing successful business leaders. Its graduates have gone on to hold top positions at major corporations, start their own businesses, and become influential figures in their fields. This reputation has made the school a sought-after destination for aspiring business leaders. Famous Indian alumni from Harvard Business School (HBS) include:
   • Ajit Narain Haksar (first Chairman of ITC; MBA 1948) 
   • Rahul Bajaj (former Chair of Bajaj Group; MBA 1964) 
   • P. Chidambaram (former Finance Minister of India; MBA 1968)
   • Adil Zainulbhai (former Chairman of McKinsey India, MBA 1979)
   • Rono Dutta (CEO, IndiGo; MBA 1980)
   • Anand Mahindra (Chairman of Mahindra Group, MBA 1981) 
   • Naina Lal Kidwai (former Country Head of HSBC India; first Indian woman graduate of HBS; MBA 1982)
   • Jayant Sinha (former Minister of State for Civil Aviation; MBA 1992)
   • Ravi Venkatesan (former chairman, Microsoft India; MBA 1992)
   • Manish Kejriwal (Managing Partner & Founder, Kedaara Capital; MBA 1995)
   • Ashish Dhawan (founder, ChrysCapital; founder, Central Square Foundation; MBA 1997)
   • Abhijit (Bobby) Bose (head of India, WhatsApp; MBA 2000)
   • Neera Nundy (cofounder and Partner, Dasra; MBA 2002)
   • Rishad Premji (Chairman, Wipro, MBA 2005)
   • Naveen Tewari (founder of InMobi and Glance; MBA 2005)
   • Nishant Sharma (cofounder and MD, Kedaara Capital; MBA 2006)
   • Radhika Piramal (former MD, VIP Industries; MBA 2006)
   • Nisaba Godrej (Exec Chairman, Godrej Consumer Products Ltd.; MBA 2006)
   • Anand Piramal (Executive Director, Piramal Group; MBA 2011) 
   • Parth Jindal (MD, JSW Cement; MBA 2016)
2. Teaching Pedagogy (Case Method): Harvard Business School is famous for its teaching pedagogy i.e. the case method. Imagine being in a class with about ninety other students going through an intense discussion based on a 10-20 page case that you read in advance and come to class prepared to discuss. Ahead of the class, you get together with your discussion group, comprised of peers from diverse backgrounds, which helps you prepare for the case discussions. Discussion groups comprise five to six people and meet from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. prior to the first class at 9:00 a.m. In the first year or the RC year as it is known, discussion groups are assigned by the school. In the second year or the EC year, you get to pick your own groups or continue with the previously assigned groups, as you all deem appropriate. As you head into the class for the discussion, the faculty member leads this discussion and you want to come in prepared as it could be the day that you get cold-called or asked to kickstart the case discussion. By putting yourself in the shoes of the protagonist in a real-life situation faced by a real company, you make decisions and come to the class ready to defend those very opinions. It often happens that the very protagonists that you read about may be sitting in the class and you get to hear from them about how they thought about things. It may also happen that through the evolution of the discussion, your own perspective may be molded and reshaped. This is the power of HBS’s case method where you gain from the diversity of perspectives learning from the brightest classmates from all over the world. Through your two years, you study some 200 cases, which gives you a lifetime worth of decision-making ability and arms you with the ability to lead your company through change. 
3. Faculty: The faculty at Harvard Business School is world-renowned, with many experts in their respective fields. The school also attracts visiting professors and lecturers from around the world, further enriching the educational experience. Some famous professors include Michael Porter and Clayton Christensen.
4. Curriculum: The school’s MBA program is highly rigorous and focuses on providing a well-rounded business education. It covers a wide range of subjects, including finance, marketing, leadership, and strategy, and requires students to complete a number of hands-on, experiential learning opportunities. 
5. Alumni Network: The school’s strong alumni network is another factor that attracts students to Harvard Business School. Its graduates are well-connected and this provides access to valuable career opportunities and mentorship to students and alumni. Some famous HBS alumni include George W. Bush, Michael Bloomberg, Jamie Dimon, Sheryl Sandberg, Stephen Schwarzmann, and Ray Dalio. 
6. Location: HBS is located in the heart of Boston – a vibrant and innovative city that is home to many top companies and organizations. Boston is also closely situated to New York City which is the home to many Fortune 500 companies. This provides students with numerous opportunities to learn from and interact with industry leaders.
7. Brand: Finally, Harvard Business School has a strong brand and reputation, which can be a powerful asset in the competitive world of business. The school’s reputation for excellence attracts top students and employers, and its graduates are highly sought after by top companies.

Now that you know what makes Harvard Business School one of the most sought-after business schools, let’s see what kind of candidates find a place in its class. Let’s take a look at the HBS MBA Class of 2024.

Harvard MBA Class of 2024

Here are a few important metrics of the latest class of HBS Class of 2024. These numbers will help you understand where you stand currently as compared to people who made it to Harvard Business School. 

For example, the average GPA of the Harvard MBA Class of 2024 is 3.7. Is your current GPA comparable to this GPA? Are your GMAT/GRE scores and work experience comparable to the averages? 

As you compare yourself, you should also note that these are only quantitative factors. Qualitative factors like leadership, teamwork, quality of work experience, essay, and letters of recommendation will also play a key role in determining your chances of getting into Harvard Business School.

That being said, these quantitative factors can help you compare your candidacy more objectively.

Enrollment

Applications Received by Harvard Business School – 8,264

Total Enrolled – 1,015

Enrollment rate – 12.2%

Test Scores, GPA, and work experience

Average work experience – 5 years

Average GPA – 3.7 on a 4-point scale

GMAT Score

• Median GMAT – 730
• GMAT Range: 540-790
• Median GMAT Quant – 48
• GMAT Quant Range: 34-51
• Median GMAT Verbal – 42
• GMAT Verbal Range: 29-51

GRE Score

• GRE Range – 297-340
• Median GRE Quant – 163
• GRE Quant Range: 150-170
• Median GRE Verbal – 163
• GRE Verbal Range: 147-170
• Applicants submitting GRE Scores – 30%

Undergraduate Major

Undergraduate Major	Percentage of HBS class of 2024
Engineering	28%
Business/Commerce	24%
Economics	19%
Math/Physical Sciences	14%
Social Sciences	10%
Arts/Humanities	5%

Pre MBA industry

Pre-MBA industry	% of HBS class of 2024
Consulting	16%
Venture Capital/Private Equity	16%
Technology	14%
Financial Services	10%
Manufacturing/Industrial/Energy	9%
Consumer Products/Retail/E-Commerce	9%
Health Care/Biotech	8%
Nonprofit/Government/Education	6%
Media/Entertainment/Travel	4%
Military	4%
Services	3%

Now, are there any specific skills or traits that Harvard Business School looks for? Yes, there are.

What does Harvard Business School look for in applicants?

There are 3 characteristics that HBS looks for during the admissions process:

1. Habit of Leadership: HBS is interested in people who take ownership at school and work. HBS is looking for evidence of an applicant’s leadership potential. Why? This can help them predict future success and an applicant’s ability to become a future global leader. Given HBS’s mission to educate leaders who make a difference in their world, this is one of the most critical characteristics that they care about. 
2. Analytical Aptitude and Appetite: HBS relies on the case study method in imparting business education and therefore, it wants its candidates to have the ability to assess, analyze, and act upon complex information and articulate them in a lively class discussion.
3. Engaged Community Citizenship: Collaboration is the essence of whatever you do at Harvard Business School. HBS wants its candidates to be ready to share their experiences and support their colleagues and in turn, be ready to learn from them.

These 3 characteristics are essential to showing your potential to the HBS admissions committee to get into Harvard Business School. So, what steps can you take to make your profile stronger and worthy of getting an admit to HBS?

7 Steps – How to get into Harvard Business School

Getting into Harvard Business School (HBS) is a competitive process, and the school looks for a diverse group of highly qualified and exceptional applicants. It’s a good idea to apply as early as possible, preferably in Round 1. This will give you a better chance of getting accepted and receiving a scholarship, as the school will comparatively see more applications in Round 2.

Here are seven steps you can take to increase your chances of being accepted:

Step 1 – Do your research

The first thing that you want to do is research what the admissions committee at Harvard Business School expects to see in its candidates and what factors HBS takes into account while creating a diverse set of class.

Start with the HBS website and research the class, clubs, and committees and try to find where you stand and where you fit in. Knowing about HBS is paramount. Next, reach out to a few HBS alumni on LinkedIn and ask about their admission experiences. Remember, they are people with busy schedules. Therefore, talk to them at least 6 months before the application deadline.

You can also attend MBA admissions events hosted by the HBS admissions committee. These events are a great opportunity to ask the right questions about the admissions process.

You can also dig for information on detailed background information of students admitted to Harvard Business School. For example, this article on Poets and Quants talks about nine applicants who secured admission to HBS’s class of 2024.

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad University	Last Employer
Jaye Aster Broder	Ardmore, PA	Penn State University	Mondelez International
Hannah Henderson	Green Lake, WI	University of Wisconsin-Madison	Walgreens
Wale Lawal	Dallas, TX	US Air Force Academy	US Air Force
Ramprashanth Mohanasundaram	Chennai, India	Indian Institute of Technology Madras	WestBridge Capital
Isaac Mungai	Nairobi, Kenya	University of Nairobi	International Finance Corporation (World Bank Group)
Carolina Romeo	Calgary, Canada	University of Calgary	Shell
Amrit Sandhu	Birmingham, United Kingdom	Kingston University	British Army
Yina Sun	Bar Harbor, ME	University of North Carolina	NextEra Energy
Yağız Yıldız	Bursa, Turkey	University of Michigan	Dell Technologies

This will give you an idea on the kind of accomplishments and diversity HBS is looking for.

Step 2 – Achieve a high GPA

HBS looks for applicants who have excelled academically, so you should aim to have a high GPA preferably from an institution of repute. This is evident from the average GPA of 3.7 for the class of 2024. 

Not only does your GPA matter but also the kind of courses you take matter, the difficulty level of the courses matter, and how you do in the courses matters. In case you have Ds and Fs you should explain the reasons behind them.

Step 3 – Score high on the GMAT or GRE

HBS requires all applicants to take the GMAT or GRE as part of the application process. You should aim for a score higher than the average score of the latest incoming class. In this case, it’s the class of 2024. The median GMAT score is 730 and the median GRE score Quant and Verbal scores are 163 each. Scoring above these scores on these exams will increase your chances of being accepted.

Step 4 – Write a strong application essay, create a stellar resume, and allocate adequate time to the application form

Your application essay is your opportunity to tell the admissions committee about yourself, your goals, and why you want to attend HBS. 

Demonstrate leadership experience in the essay. HBS values leadership experience, so it’s important to have a track record of leadership roles in your academic, professional, or personal life.

Also, show your fit with the HBS community. HBS is looking for applicants who will contribute to the overall community and culture of the school. Therefore, make time and effort to craft a well-written, thoughtful essay. 

Now, what does HBS ask applicants in its essay prompt? Like previous years, for the 2023 admissions (class of 2025) Harvard has asked to write an essay on one prompt, “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?”

It’s an open-ended essay that has to be written in at most 900 words. Remember the three characteristics that HBS is looking for? This is the place to highlight those characteristics. Think about at least one anecdote from your personal and/or professional life that shows evidence of each of these characteristics in you. Also, your essay should not just be a collection of anecdotes. Weave your experiences into a story vs. just listing your resume chronologically. Think about who you would be known as by the admissions committee. Would you be Mr. Healthcare? CPG Girl? Someone else? The admissions committee is looking to shape a class full of people who will have a perspective of value to others. What kind of leadership experiences have you had? Do you know what it means to get people on board with an idea that has been really hard in the past? This potential to shape the world is what the HBS admissions committee is looking for. They want to know that you are curious, you have a bias for action, and you are interested in people, that you aren’t involved in things just for yourself. 

To create a stellar resume, it is important that you highlight your leadership and community initiatives. We strongly recommend that you look at our resume tips and also look at the video with advice from Sarah Lucas at HBS.

An oft-ignored part of the application tends to be the application form, which most candidates defer until the submission is due. However, this section can also contain important information that provides admissions officers with important details about your employment, post-MBA goals, activities, and awards. Therefore, it’s important to allocate sufficient time for this section as well. 

For tips on the essay, resume and application form, take a look at these videos by Sarah Lucas, Director, Evaluation, MBA admissions.

Harvard MBA essay tips

Employment History

Post-MBA goals

Extra Curricular Activities and Awards

Step 5 – Gather strong letters of recommendation

HBS looks for recommendations from people who can speak to your character, work ethic, and potential as a business leader. Choose recommenders who know you well and can speak to your strengths and accomplishments. Ideally, your recommender should be the immediate supervisor in your current organization.

Also, make sure that you ask for the recommendation letter in advance by requesting it personally or online. This will help you convey why you want to attend Harvard Business School and what makes you a right fit for the school.

This will also give you an opportunity to remind your recommender of your accomplishments and the kind of impact they made on the business or workplace. 

HBS has multiple components to its recommendation letter. This includes the recommender’s contact information, a leadership grid, and two essay-type questions. You can get detailed information about the same from our article on MBA letter of recommendation.

Step 6 – Prepare for the Interview

The HBS interview is a non-blind interview. It means that the interviewers have studied your application in detail and are aware of the minutest detail mentioned in your application. Remember, that the HBS application is comprehensive in nature. It captures details such as personal information, geographical information, family information, education, employment, awards, activities, and test scores. In the employment section, you will be asked to fill in employer description, role, the reason for leaving/changing organizations, key accomplishments, and most significant challenge.

Therefore, be on top of things as far as your application is concerned because the interviewers will be.

If you are prepared with all the information you will feel confident and this confidence will eventually show you in a positive light. It will be a 30- minute interview with 25-30 questions, and chances are that you will find yourself in uncharted territory and that is by design. Your interviewers will want to see if you could articulate confidently when dealing with complex situations/questions which is also the essence of the case method, the teaching style at HBS.

Therefore, comfort with responding impromptu will be a major asset during your HBS interview.

Step 7 – Prepare post-interview reflection

Once your interview is concluded you’ll be asked to submit a post-interview reflection within 24 hours. To do this task effectively make sure you take notes of your conversation immediately after the interview ends. Think about what things you wanted to speak about but didn’t because the conversation moved on or you simply forgot. 

Once you’ve jotted down your notes, think about which points you want to expand on and how ‘this point’ makes you a good fit for the school. Once done, craft your post-interview reflection, Begin by thanking the interviewers and highlighting what you enjoyed during the conversation. Expand on a few topics and add your perspective to those topics that highlight your fit for the school. Conclude with your takeaways from the entire application process.

Remember to keep it short and sweet, and full of positivity. 

Final Thoughts

Overall, the key to getting into HBS is to present yourself as a well-rounded, highly qualified, and accomplished individual who is ready to take on the challenges of business school and make a positive impact in the world. 

Since the application process is highly competitive, getting into Harvard Business School requires hard work, grit, and perseverance. It’s also a time-consuming process that requires an iterative approach. If you are unclear about any aspect of the process take the help of an MBA admissions consultant. We can help you get into Harvard Business School with our decade-long expertise and experience in admissions consulting. Get in touch with us to get started.