HOW MANY APPS A DAY DO HBS ADCOMS READ?????? POSTER SAYS 16, SK SAYS PROB. MORE

[POSTER] I’ve done some rough calculation here…Let’s say HBS has received 4500 applications in R1 and 20 staffs to work on screening for 8 hours per day, 7 days a week.Then, the Adcom needs to review approximately 321 applications per day, which means 16 applications per staff. In other words, each staff has to review 2 applications per hour. If they could apply IF(AND(GMAT<650,GPA<3.0),”Fail”,”Pass”), they could probably sort out  some % of applications… Then, spend few additional minutes to review “quality” appplications…?Hmm… perhaps they are really operating under bankers’ hours for these two weeks…?

At Wharton, where they have student adcoms review applications, they give em piles of 20 to do over a week-end, and these  are PT employess who ALSO have  school work to keep up with. 

Duh, I dont know what you think is so hard about reviewing an app. The essays are 1800 wds long, and you soon get into a real fast glide path of going thru part A. Recs can be read at about 4,000 wds per minute and DUDE you get the idea. Sure, every once in a while you slow down to figure something out, or scrutinize a transcript. 

I do mock interview prep for HBS (ABOUT 150 A YEAR)  and read the app., and recs (if available) b4 the interview. Folks, I can do that in an amount of time I am not going to admit to b.c. it would blow your mind.  (read the app, alas the actual interview takes an hour or more) AND I DONT MISS A FRIGGIN THING.  OK, I dont have to write up anything,and if there is something that bothers me, well, I am going to interview the kid and seek clalification, sooooooo, but still.  The real time sink in reading apps is not reading them, it is doing some reqd prelim write up. The faster app readers are not nec. fast readers, THEY ARE FAST TYPISTS.  Another quality that separates the chicks fr. the Hens in app reading is just what your stamina is–sure, anyone can plow thru the first 5 apps of the day, real fast, but how many then take a walk, or surf the net (just like you) or go over to Spang for coffee as Her Maj notes, and then whoa!!!! IT is one hour later!!!! Then you sit down to do five more, and gal in next carrel pops over to  read you hysterically stupid answer  fr. her app pile and you are both cracking up, and WHOA, another 30 minutes shot, and JEEPERS it is time for lunch and you have read a total of 6 apps.   Kids, trust me, adcoms are reading this and saying THE GUY KNOWS, HE DEEPLY KNOWS.

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HBS adcom says interview invites will trickle out versus

dam bust of last year:

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HBS ADCOM  PALACE UPDATE–DEE DEE CRACKING UP

1. ADCOMS DRINKING COFFEE, READING APPS ALL OVER CAMPUS

2. NO BIG PUSH ON GETTING OUT MAJOR INVITE BLAST  BY  OCT 16TH–JUST A FEW WILL DO

3.  APPLICANT S WILL JUST HAVE TO SUFFER DEATH BY THOUSAND CUTS

4.  INVITES WILL STREAM OUT LIKE LITTLE FELLA PEE PEE (WELL NOT HER WORDS, WHICH IN FACT WERE more like a not-scientifically-measured stream BUT STILL

5.  DEE DEE SEEMS FRAZZLED, USES WORD “REALLY” 4X IN A ROW PRE-EMPTIVELY TO KEEP AWAY NUDGES ASKING WHEN INVITES ARE GOING OUT. 

FOLKS, BLOGGING AND TWITTERING  HAS TURNED THIS LOVELY, WELL COIFED, AND CORPORATE/REGAL   WOMAN INTO SEMI-RAVING TEEN, TO WIT: . We really (really, really, really) don’t know how many will go out on any given day. If you call and ask, we will say exactly that.

This is what happens when you take on reading 5k apps in 16 days and have to deal w. Stanford already sending invites just to spite you, and increasing levels of bar banging by the application asylum nutcases and phone cranks.

Round 1 Update

Date: October 09, 2009

Greetings. We’re already deep into round 1 applications. As the leaves begin to turn colors (shameless plug for our spectacular foliage in New England) our board members burrow into their offices or study carrels in the library and we’re drinking lots of coffee in Spangler in order to keep us on schedule.

We expect to begin sending out interview invitations on October 16. This year we may not be trying to send as many out on one day as we did last year… maybe more like a not-scientifically-measured stream until December 15. We really (really, really, really) don’t know how many will go out on any given day. If you call and ask, we will say exactly that.

Interviews will take place during the month of November in Boston and in other hub cities. Detailed instructions to candidates about how to sign up for interviews will be included in their email invitation from us.

Don’t worry about whether our email will get lost and we’ll give away your interview spot. We don’t do that. We’ll find you. We’ve been doing this for a long time and we haven’t lost anyone yet!

I will post updates whenever I think it would be helpful and others in our office will keep you current through Twitter and Facebook.

And I’m hoping that I can devote one post each week to answering your questions.

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B school apps POP!!!! last year: 7536 vs. 6575 yr before, enrolled class 385 vs. 370:  http://bit.ly/ Go

St

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Stanford Adcom sends out first Round 1 interview invite: let the nail biting begin: #MBA http://bit.ly/d6UwK

Hi Sandy The Stanford blog says that they have already sent an invite out before the official Round 1 deadline!!

Your thoughts?Well, I suppose I believe them, altho a bit unusual, since most adcoms say they dont start reading apps til the deadline (a position that always struck me as odd, you could sure start eliminating doofus apps before the deadline, and also cull obvious winners, and save yourself some time, so maybe Stanford is just being honest about prior practice). As Stanford letter to submitted applicants confirms,
printed below, Stanford is now, and has been, the most loosey-goosey of HSW adcoms, viz: We hope to interview between 800 and 1,200 applicants this year, and offer admission to between 400 and 500 candidates. That 800-1200 number is one they have put out their for the past 5 years and is a just a way of saying –WE AINT SAYING MUCH WHAT WE ARE DOING–since the 800 figure wld lead you believe your chances post interview are pretty darn good (given 430-460 offers) while the 1200
number makes you a little more cautious. The big picture is, they can do, and have done, whatever they want, and they do carry out the interview window and the WAITLIST WINDOW longer than most schools, esp. H and S, and a bunch  of Stan interview invites  actually do come in late Nov and Dec. WAY more than H. W has firm window for invites,
see post above. As to Stan WL –I think there STILL may be kids on WL–and no fooling there were two kids on the WL until late Aug, both of whom lived near school, the actual requirement for being the last two WLers, no kidding!!!!) They are also less transparent about nubmers.
As to admit 400-500 kids, well the 400 number is patently absurd since the the enrolled number  of kids this fall is  385 (see next post for stats) , and they typically lose 40-60 kids to other schools, or drop outs, VISA problems etc. Also note, Stanford interviews are done by alums (vs. adcoms mostly at H and W), are in part a marketing ploy by Stan to keep alums involved in the process, and DONT COUNT MUCH, as Bolton admits in his  more honest or ‘lively’ moments.  BUT SURE, THE
FACT IS, NO INTERVIEW INVITE, NO ADMISSION. So even if the inter. dont count much, you gotta get the invite.   
 

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Wharton gets 60% of all R1 apps in last 24hrs. But  W will be way behind HBS in sending out interview invites. Since HBS gossip says they will be sending out invites beginning week of Oct 19th while Wharton official letter (printed in full below) says Oct 22nd. Well sorta the same but HBS will prob release 90 pct of invites that day, while Wharton spreads it out. Letter below   (more…)

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Top 10 #MBA grads make 2x other grads & even late in life, execs automatically eyeball edu part of resume.  http://bit.ly/106C85

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