Entrep. at HBS: the answer to ALL your questions below is YES, they are skeptical, no I dont know any pure entrep. who got into HBS, and not many have (vs. guys w. ALSO BLUE CHIP EXPERIENCE b4 starting some company), age 29 at matric will be deal breaker most likely for anyone but military, docs, PhDs, etc. (maybe a few exceptions) , if you ST goal is also enterp, and you are entrep NOW, why the frig are you applying?  To HBS’ credit, when push comes to shove, they do not actually believe their own BS about making you better leader, etc., so dont give them that –and expect it to work.   Your list of questions below is an excellent outline of why they almost never take pure entrep. Basically, they cannot do much for them, and most enterp who apply are really throwing in the towel, and trying to work for start up or VC or whatever b.c. they are burn outs–you got my symp, dude, but it aint a pretty picture for the school. 

Hi Sandy,

For the career / goals essays at HSW, I had a few qs:-

1. If one has been an entrepreneur pre-B school, and is looking to start another venture post-Bschool (ST goal), is that a disadvantage as an applicant because it means there is an employability issue (related to FIT aspect), and the applicant isnt very keen on placements?

2. If the above issue isnt a problem, is it required to mention specific details about the new venture (ST goal), otherwise the goal doesnt sound well-thought out enough? typically in new venture, things are quite fluid to begin with and the clarity typically comes while / after doing it for 1-2 years.

3. When one mentions entrepreneurial goals in the ST & LT, do these B-schools look at the aspiration in a sceptical sense to question why the candidate needs an MBA at all?

4. Also, as an entrepreneur running a small business (successfully) Vs say a blue-chip consulting candidate from Mckinsey, are both candidates stacked against each other or will have different pools of applicants to compete with?

5. For entrepreneurs running a small business, do schools view the details provided with some scepticism since there isnt a way for the school to verify the details provided? as opposed to say someone who has worked with a well-known firm since working for a blue-chip firm is easier to understand / verify? how can an entrepreneur change that perception while applying? Do you find many entrepreneurs becoming successful applicants?

6. The age barrier you mention when applying to these schools - 27 maximum in most cases - would this hold true for ALL types of candidates - consultant / banker types and others as well. As an entrepreneur, its tough to time B-school as strategically as a consultant would before 27 years, because one is very deeply attached to the company and it is tough pulling out mid-way. I will be 29 when I matriculate.

rgds

HO HO HO! HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, AMIDST WHAT PZZBLY IS A BLOG DONE AFTER TOO MUCH EGG-NOG, BUT STILL CONTAINING  NO NEWS WHATSOEVER, GIVES OUT  XMAS GREETINGS TO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF US (AND CITES D1CKENS TOO)  AND PROMISES TO BE MORE RESPONSIVE NEXT YEAR, EVEN TO PUT HERSELF IN “YOUR SHOES.” [QUITE THE SWITCH FOR HER].

 Speaking for myself, I will try to be more diligent about timely updates about interview invitations and decision notification. I’ve been trying not to over-communicate and just repeat things that are on the website - but I resolve to be more sensitive to those high-anxiety periods.

 HEY HONEY, WHY WAIT TIL NEXT YEAR TO GET GOING ON THOSE RESOLUTIONS? BEFORE DRIVING BACK TO THOSE LEAFY SUBURBS, AND  BECOMING FULLY  SOBER,

HOW ABOUT COMMUNICATING

1. HOW MANY APPS YOU GOT ROUND ONE ?

2. HOW MANY PEEPS ARE ON THE WAITLIST.

FOR FOLKS APPLYING ROUND TWO AND ON THE WL THIS IS A HIGH ANXIETY PERIOD

YOU CAN READ THE FULL XMAS GREETING BLOG RIGHT HERE– ALSO SOUNDS LIKE APPLICATION DEADLINE NEXT YEAR AND ROUND ONE D-DAY WILL KEEP TO THIS SCHEDULE. FOR ALL YOU SUPER EARLY BIRDS.

http://bit.ly/183IGX

Season’s Greetings!

We’re turning out the lights tomorrow and heading home for the holidays. For the first time in recent memory, our admissions calendar allowed for a Round One decision notification before the HBS holiday break. We liked it. It made for a rather frantic Thanksgiving, but we’re looking forward to not being in Dillon House all by ourselves like characters out of Dckens.

Round Two is also slightly modified this year: The deadline isn’t until January 19 and that means we’ll be back on the job in plenty of time to answer last minute application questions. In prior years, the deadline was right after the New Year… which probably caused a fair amount of frustration and anxiety when we weren’t around to answer phones or email every day.

Here’s a preview of what you can expect as we come up to the Round Two January 19 application deadline. We don’t start reading applications until after the deadline - so there’s no advantage to rushing to hit the “submit” button. That said, server traffic can be heavy on the day of the deadline, so it’s smart not to wait until the final few hours. Everything always works out, but there can be some very anxious moments. It’s probably a good idea to make sure your recommenders are very mindful of the deadline. Right after January 19, we’ll be able to give you a pretty good idea of when interview invitations will be released and when the actual interview period will be.

If you’re thinking of visiting HBS, you’re welcome to come during the month of January, but the campus is very quiet until the third week. Students are on break…and many are on Immersion Experiences (IXPs) or student-led trips and treks. However, we will have information sessions - and the lines for lunch in Spangler will be considerably shorter! Class visits will resume in February - watch the website for sign-up details.

We hope that the holiday period gives you a chance to be both celebratory and reflective. Here in Dillon we’re making our New Year’s resolutions. I know one: It’s important for us to carve out time to do the exercise of putting ourselves in your shoes. I always think we should be listening more and talking less. This can only lead to improvements in how you experience both the application process and Harvard Business School. Speaking for myself, I will try to be more diligent about timely updates about interview invitations and decision notification. I’ve been trying not to over-communicate and just repeat things that are on the website - but I resolve to be more sensitive to those high-anxiety periods.

Sending you all good wishes for a safe and happy holiday season and looking forward to 2010!

HRH DEE DEE LEOPOLD

UPDATE–AFTER BELOW  WAS POSTED, HBS RELEASED DATA IN ITS MATRICULATION MATERIALS TO ACCEPTED STUDENTS THAT SECTION SIZE WOULD BE 92, MEANING CLASS SIZE OF 920.  MAKE OF THAT WHAT YOU WILL.  

HBS CLASS SIZE THIS YEAR–BACK TO BASE CAMP?????

well, more gossip about HBS that vibes over there  this year is “recessional” and “get back to basics,” that wld mean in outlook and class size–so plans for one new section are in back of fridge if not icebox, and more imptly, class size this year will cert not go north of last year (~942-936 depending when you read their numbers, maybe some younger kids missed mommy and got picked up early???) and that it might float back down to 900. That wld be BAD news for current applicants, of course, but the missing piece is total number of apps, gossip unclear about that, H.R.H likes to have some secrets, for a while anyway.

Thanks for all your posts sofar. You’ve probably answered this question before, but let me ask once more
What percentage of class at H &S is filled through R1 and how much through R2 ? (and R3 should be negligible)

2. THEY ALREADY KNEW ROUND 2 NUMBERS AND HAD SOME RUFF IDEAS OF QUALITY, SINCE D-DAY WAS AFTER R2 APPS WERE DUE –NOT THE CASE THIS YEAR. 

SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO…………AS SUGGESTED BY HER MAJESTY, THEY WILL PROB TAKE FEWER KIDS ROUND ONE, PUT MORE THAN USUAL NUMB ON WL, CHECK OUT ROUND 2, AND THEN USE WL ACCORDINGLY.

MY GUESS IS STAN PERCENTS ARE SIMILAR.

DUNNO ABOUT MIT

I have a theory that any last minute S invites (I’m not expecting one) are much more likely to get in than the early ones.  My rationale being that at this point, they’re trying to round out their selection.  Sandy, thoughts?

haha, too clever by half, it is not like they say, “We need a Central European w. tech background” and then go find one or two  in the maybe pile, and pipeline an inter. + accept for one or both.  The “round out the class” mantra is often convenient BS to avoid having to address anything they dont like talking about, either micro or macro, like the  importance of grades, pedigree and gmats–so when explaining themselves, or giving individ  feedback (wh H and S sometime do), they always default to that gumball as a way of avoiding any nitty gritty (but real)  explaining why they took very similar guy w. 3.9 vs. your 3.65 or who worked for “A” grade  firm versus your B+ firm, b.c., well, grades and ranking firms are ikky. “Round out the class” is also  the BS adcoms  always give to WL kids who ask if WL is ‘ranked’, “Oh no, no such thing, ranking people? here? you gotta be kidding, why would we do that???? No, no, no little puppy, the WL is used to round out the class, it exits like cloud computing, in some inchoate form, we dont even know where it is, and in fact, there is no actual ‘list’ –what happens is vibrations set off from a pile of the accepted resumes are sent by fax machine to heaven, or wherever the Wait No List is kept, and then we get a fax back, with the names  of who we will take off the Wait No List–its mystical, but is  all driven by class rounding. ”

Giggle, giggle. I’d believe that, except I personally know MANY white boy IB/PE types who get in off WL, even very late WL, and they aint rounding out anything except a beer tab.  

 Also, a REAL LARGE PART OF REAL  LATE INTERVIEWS (like those given out now)  ARE WIRE JOBS, SOMEONE MAKES A CALL to dean or adcom. Now those invites  can result in courtesy interview, followed by courtesy WL, or can result in ACCEPT depending on WHO makes the call, and how tightly adcom has to hold its nose. 

           DEE-CEMBER SONG

            Apologies to  Maxwell Anderson & Kurt Weill

Well, it’s a long, long time

From May to Dee-Cember

But the days grow short

When you pass November

And my empty In Box

Turns my hair to gray.

And I haven’t got time

For the wait list game.

And the mails dwindle down

To a precious few . . .

September . . . Dee-Cember

And these few precious days

I think of you.

These Dee-Cember days

I think of  you.

Wharton Letter  (seperate from a letter of reco)- one of my colleagues is on the Wharton Board of Overseers, assuming respectable stats (i.e. 700, 3.5 GPA, 4 years MM PE) what kind of weight would a phone call or letter carry? 

COULD BE DETERMINATIVE IF HE IS WILLING TO PUT ANY PERSONAL CAPITAL ON THE LINE, AND SAY OR SUGGEST, “THIS IS IMPORTANT TO ME’ –OF COURSE, NOT IN THOSE WORDS, BUT THAT IS THE SUBTEXT. BELIEVE ME IF DUDE IS ON THE  BOARD OF OVERSEERS, HE KNOWS WHAT TO SAY. WELL, I TAKE THAT BACK, SOMETIMES REAL HEAVY HITTERS PROVE TO BE INCOMPETENT AT THIS (I’VE ACTUALLY COACHED A FEW BY PROXY, E.G. TOLD THE APPLICANT WHAT MR. BIG SHOULD SAY), BUT ANYWAY, THEY ARE USUALLY PRETTY SAVVY.   REAL SIMPLE TEST W. BIGFEET: HAVE THEY EVER DONE THIS BEFORE? HAVE THEY EVER MADE THE CALL, AND GOTTEN A POSITIVE OUTCOME (AS FIRST TEST). MORE SIG. HAVE THEY EVER SHOOK STUFF UP –VIZ. GOTTEN SOMEONE OFF WL, LIKE REAL FAST, OR EVEN REVERSED A NO INTERV. TO AN INTERVIEW, ETC. (IT HAPPENS, ALTHO RARE, BUT IT HAPPENS).

Harvard Letter - similar question, former college roommate is at HBS and I have good relationships with two Harvard professors…would letters from any of these individuals help? ROOMMATE AT HBS IS JUST ANOTHER BRICK IN THE IVY WALL, UNLESS A SUPERSTAR AND/OR  DEE DEE FAV. (THAT SOMETIMES HAPPENS BUT ALSO WAY RARE). TWO HARVARD PROFS? HARVARD COLLEGE? NOT LIKELY UNLESS WE ARE TALKING SUPERSTAR PROF [SANDEL, SKIP GATES, IN THEIR TIME, SUMMERS & WEST, NICE TO PUT THEM TOGETHER LIKE THAT ]. IF B SCHOOL PROF, RECORD IS MIXED, DEPENDING ON STATUS, AND WILLINGNESS TO SPEND ON YOU.