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Top MBA Program seeks applicants from all industries and backgrounds. Minimum requirements: demonstrated leadership potential, high standard of academic achievement. Must be able to lead through others and guide an organization through change. Risk-taking a plus. No minimum age or work experience required.
This year MBA Admissions has launched a new initiative to attract potential applicants who might not automatically include HBS in their career plans. Targeted to reach alumni, colleges, and companies worldwide, the effort seeks to expand the pool of qualified applicants in order to build an MBA class profile at HBS that more closely reflects the increasingly diverse global business environment. Specifically, MBA Admissions is reaching out to women, underrepresented minorities, candidates outside the United States, and current college undergraduates.
"Although we've always been able to attract and enroll outstanding students, we also know that many future leaders don't think of HBS as one of their options," says Jill H. Fadule, managing director of MBA Admissions. "We need to reach people who may not realize the positive impact an MBA degree can have on their careers."
Something Old, Something New
Traditionally HBS has met prospective students at networking events such as open houses hosted in various locations by HBS alumni clubs as well as on campus by MBA Admissions. The current strategy builds on this existing strength by expanding open houses to cities in Latin America, Europe, and Asia, with the significant involvement of alumni clubs worldwide.
In addition, MBA Admissions has launched new efforts that leverage the School's strong alumni network, such as formalized referral programs in which alumni (as well as current students) are asked to refer outstanding candidates to admissions. Student and alumni organizations - including the Network of Women Alumnae, the Women's Student Association, the African-American Student Union, and the European Club - are active in this effort. Referred candidates also have the opportunity to speak with current HBS students with similar backgrounds, experience, and interests for an additional perspective on the MBA Program.
Dispelling the Age Myth
In another new initiative, MBA Admissions has begun visiting universities to encourage undergraduates to include business school in their plans for the future. This effort in particular attempts to dispel the myth that top business schools (including HBS) only seek candidates with extensive work experience. As a result of this misperception, many people wait longer than they normally would to apply to business school; the average age of HBS applicants (currently 28) and students (currently 27) has increased by more than a year since 1993.
"What we truly value at HBS isn't the length of work experience but the content, quality, and impact of that experience - along with personal qualities, leadership characteristics, and academic ability," says Fadule. "We need to explain this to potential applicants while they're still in college, so we can 'plant the seed' before they receive conflicting messages from other schools." In addition to meeting with alumni and visiting colleges throughout the United States, MBA Admissions recently released Leaders for a New Millennium, a Web-based brochure (www.hbs.edu/about/leaders) for college students - particularly nonbusiness majors. The brochure describes the exciting aspects of business, explains how individuals can wield positive influence through organizational leadership, and offers advice on early career planning and applying to business school.
HBS Outreach
While it's too soon to measure these specific initiatives, the overall philosophy behind outreach to young leaders is clearly working. For years, MBA Admissions has held an on-campus Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP) for minority college students, which often leads them back to HBS for an MBA. "Being young and interested in business, I found the program extremely valuable," says Jaja Jackson (HBS '99), a current HBS student and former SVMP participant. "SVMP gave me a real sense of the texture of the educational experience offered at HBS, and meeting professors and other potential MBA students helped make Harvard my first choice when the time came to apply to graduate school. I also think my admissions application was stronger as a result, since I could articulate aspects of the HBS learning experience that particularly related to my own educational and professional development."
The combination of worldwide open houses, alumni and student referrals, and undergraduate outreach has significant potential for attracting students who otherwise might not apply to HBS. The strategy will continue to expand, and alumni are encouraged to look for HBS events in their areas and to keep those referrals coming.
For more information or to refer potential applicants, contact MBA Admissions at 617-495-6128.
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