Inside MBA Admissions
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| Dewey: a focus on character. Photo by Justin A. Knight |
On the personal side, an interview is now required of top candidates prior to admission. No one is accepted without one. “Interviewing has been a big investment for us, but we think it’s worth it for two reasons,” Dewey explains. “First, it helps us as part of the evaluation process. Second, I think it’s really important for candidates to meet someone from HBS before deciding to come here.”
The personal touch doesn’t stop there. Dewey calls or e-mails every newly admitted MBA student. “It’s important to reach out to let them know we’re glad to have them and to answer any questions,” she says.
On the technology side, the entire application process is now on the Web. “The only paper we get is from recommenders who don’t feel comfortable using a computer,” notes Dewey. Even decision notifications are sent via e-mail.
The new Web-based application process arrived just in time to rescue the Admissions staff from drowning in a flood of paperwork. An all-time high of 10,382 applications arrived for the Class of 2004. Dewey characterizes that number as a spike influenced by poor economic conditions that unleashed pentup demand. The Admissions Office received 8,526 applications for the Class of 2005. Of 993 acceptance notices, 895 admits said yes, pushing “yield” for the first time past the 90 percent mark. This is the highest yield of any U.S. business school.
Every application is read by at least two people in Admissions and evaluated on the strength of three key factors: academic ability, leadership experience, and personal qualities and characteristics.
The average Graduate Management Admission Test (GMAT) score for the class entering in fall 2003 was 708. However, the range of GMAT scores is very broad, and there is no minimum score requirement. The Admissions staff also considers factors such as an applicant’s course of study as an undergraduate, and the intellectual and quantitative rigor of a candidate’s work experience.
Leadership potential is assessed by looking at each candidate’s leadership experiences and accomplishments, as well as through recommendations.
Understanding a candidate’s character is a critical element of the evaluation process, says Dewey. The Admissions staff carefully evaluates answers to essay questions focusing on ethical challenges and looks for character in the comments submitted by recommenders. It is this area in particular where one-on-one interviews also provide insights into a candidate’s character.
The fact that HBS lands at or near the top of the various business-school rankings doesn’t mean that the Admis-sions staff sits back and waits for applications to pile up. In fact, Dewey’s office conducts a far-flung marketing and outreach program. Last year, MBA Admissions hosted 28 events in fifteen cities in the United States, with several aimed specifically at women and minorities. The office also hosted events at more than thirty colleges to connect with the “early career candidate pool” in an effort to counteract the mistaken conventional wisdom that candidates must have several years of work experience before applying.
Outside the United States, MBA Admissions hosted recruiting events in forty cities in 32 countries. The School’s recruitment efforts have led to “a richer mix of students” on campus, says Dewey.
The Class of 2005, for example, is highly diverse: 35 percent are female, 33 percent are international representing 73 countries, and 21 percent are minorities. The median age is 27. Such diversity is essential to prepare MBAs to live and work in a global economy, Dewey explains.
For all the change she has presided over, Dewey stresses that the goal of MBA Admissions remains the same: “To recruit and develop outstanding business leaders who will make a difference in society.”
