Hbs What More Would You Like Us to Know Essay

• Sample HBS Essay [2020]: Vulnerable But Invincible
• Sample HBS Essay [2016]: The Mechanical Engineer
• Sample HBS Essay [2015]: The Author

I read the new 2020 Harbus MBA Essay Guide wondering what I was going to gain from it. I've been reading HBS MBA awarding essays for 26 years. I've seen what works and what doesn't. I also had read the previous Harbus MBA Essay Guide, and the question Harvard is asking hasn't changed since that one was published.

Withal, while I started The Essay Guide a skeptic, I speedily saw its value, and tin whole-heartedly recommend it to HBS applicants.

Even afterwards having read hundreds of HBS essays, I notwithstanding found information technology worthwhile to read The Essay Guide. For applicants who have preconceived notions of what an admissible essay should exist, The Essay Guide volition open your eyes to 22 successful and different responses. For applicants who are wondering how on earth they should approach their essay, the guide will give them 22 different answers.

For me information technology reinforced several valuable lessons:

1. There really is no template for a successful HBS essay. The diversity of essays that are acceptable — no pun intended, well maybe a niggling intended — to Harvard Concern School is striking.
2. The delivery of almost of the authors to telling their story is too noteworthy. Several said they asked friends to confirm that the essay really mirrors them. Others wrote that they were adamant that the essay nowadays an authentic portrait of them.
3. Most of the students wrote the essay over the grade of months. Give yourself fourth dimension to draft a persuasive, introspective, and authentic essay.

Harvard's question is a fantastic i. It is a probing one. And it requires you to probe yourself and then that you can provide a profound reflection of you as you tell the HBS admissions committee what you actually desire them to know.

A successful Harvard Business organization School application essay [2020]

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus.

Essay: Vulnerable Just Invincible

Dwelling house state: U.s.a.

Previous manufacture: Consulting

Analysis:

The author takes a rather bold approach here. She uses the essay to point to the times when she showed vulnerability in the workplace. This essay presents a potent example of how an essay can be used to complement unlike aspects of your personality – while resume and application can be used to highlight accomplishments, the essay has been intelligently used to show author's capacity to be strong enough to talk about situations when she bankrupt downwards in a professional person chapters, merely took lessons from each of these situations and employed them to her forcefulness.

I have cried exactly four times at work.

The showtime fourth dimension was early in my career. It was 2AM and I was lying in bed struggling with an Excel model. An overachiever my whole life, I was wholly unused to the feelings of inadequacy and incompetence bubbling upwards inside me. After clicking through dozens of Excel forums with notwithstanding no correct answer, I gave up and cried myself to sleep, vowing to never allow myself feel so incapable again.

The second time was a year and a half afterward. I was unsatisfied with my projection and role, and questioning my decision to be a consultant. That doubt must have been apparent to everyone, because my managing director pulled me bated and bluntly told me that my attitude was affecting the entire team. I cried in front of him, devastated that I had permit my doubts bleed into my work.

The third time was merely a twelvemonth agone. I was overseeing a procedure redesign and struggling to balance the many changes needed. The Partner called me into his office to say, "I'thou worried our procedure is non every bit audio equally it needs to be. I demand to know that you care nigh this as much as I do." I nodded, say that I do, then ran to the bathroom to cry, overwhelmed by how much alter I knew was coming.

Each of the first iii times was driven by frustration and acrimony. I had tamped down my emotions to the point where they overwhelmed me. Particularly as a young woman in business, I never wanted to exist viewed every bit a stereotype or incapable. I was aback of my tears and terrified at how others would perceive me.

However, each of those experiences proved to be a turning signal. My tears motivated me to ask for assist when I needed it, pushed me to restructure my mindset and approach, and gave me a moment to breathe, rebalance, and reprioritize. In each example, my work was better for it. I take too used each experience as a learning moment. Each time I asked myself what decisions led me to the point of tears, and what I could accept done differently. I could have raised my hand earlier for help, initiated a chat with my manager almost my uncertainty and dissatisfaction, or involved the Partner more actively in the planning and prioritization. While I can't alter the past, I can learn from it, and am more considerate of such outcomes when I make these decisions today.

Emotions are an inevitable part of the human experience, and as such, an inevitable part of the role. Rather than keeping them at bay, I have begun embracing my emotions to be a better manager and leader, and build more authentic connections. Every bit a manager, I understand my team as people, not just colleagues. I have regular conversations with each of my squad members to understand their individual goals and motivations, so I can take those into consideration when building the squad structure and delegating responsibilities. As a leader, I invest in traditions and events that foster esprit and high morale. I am the proud founder of [Name OF Role Plan] in the role, a honey tradition that is now an integral part of the function and that I hope will continue fifty-fifty after I get out.

The fourth time I cried was at the rollout of a process redesign I oversaw. This was our get-go time demo-ing the new process end-to-end for the residual of the squad. As the demo progressed, I felt the team'due south energy turn from nervous anticipation to dawning excitement, and finally to sheer awe and amazement. As the demo ended, i of my teammates turned to me, and asked in a hushed vocalisation, "Are you crying?" And I was. This fourth dimension, I cried not with frustration or anger. This fourth dimension, I cried with joy for our success and with pride for my squad. Embracing my emotions allowed me to show that tears are non shameful and don't need to exist hidden in the workplace. I am no longer ashamed of my tears, and I am proud to demonstrate that a strong leader can exist businesslike and emotional all at once.

Discussion count: 705

Author's annotate:

"I started early on my essay (~ 3 months before the submission borderline) considering it was of import to me to iterate and be thoughtful. I started by laying out potential themes and stories for my essay, and while in that location are a lot of similarities, the core message inverse quite a bit. Don't get too attached to any 1 story or theme and allow yourself to let go of a draft if it'southward non the right 1. What I establish most helpful was having 2-3 close friends that I trust wholeheartedly review multiple drafts, considering they were able to provide continuous feedback and help me combine pieces from multiple drafts. None of them had ever gone to or applied to business schoolhouse, but were experienced in writing and advice (e.g. one is a screenwriter) which helped me focus on communicating MY story more than so than what is the story that HBS Admissions would most like."

A successful Harvard Business concern School application essay [2016]

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus.

Essay: The Mechanical Engineer

Author's home country: United states of america

Author's previous industry/profession: Operations consulting, operations direction

Author gender: Male

Analysis:

The writer focuses his essay on 2 themes – his professional experience as an operations consultant and an experience which motivated him to go for an MBA. Through the essay, the author is able to highlight his professional skills, achievement besides as requite a clear picture of his long-term career plans and his reasons for doing an MBA.

I'm [Applicant'Southward FIRST Proper noun] and I have journeyed hither from the hallowed grounds of [Applicant'S U.S. NEW ENGLAND HOMETOWN], where I spent my determinative years amongst wild dreams of achieving greatness by setting globe records and winning the Olympics. As I've hung up my [OLYMPIC SPORT'Due south TRADITIONAL SHOES] in favor of business shoes, those dreams have evolved into a want to achieve greatness in a different arena. Today, my dream centers on helping companies leverage technology to propel their operations into the future, providing unparalleled customer service and delivery, with an operational efficiency to lucifer.

I graduated with a BS in Mechanical Engineering in [GRADUATION Yr] and spent my beginning 3 years out of college working as an operations consultant. It was my task to walk into a manufacturing institute and drive significant operational change – for instance, I once spent 3 months walking the viscous floors of a milk plant in [MID-SIZED U.S. SOUTHEASTERN City] helping establish management heave throughput by 30% in order to take on a new customer. Nosotros achieved this goal with naught capital spend, a feat many had believed was impossible. In our projects, the biggest challenge was nigh always convincing managers to reach for that extra tad of unseen opportunity hiding within the performance, considering oftentimes it was very hard to wait beyond the daily struggles that plagued their operations. I worked directly with 5-8 person "rapid results teams," coaching them on how to remember about operational improvement, motivating them to sprint towards information technology, and leading them through the analysis required to capture it. I left those milk, water and oil sands plants with many enduring friendships and inspiring operational victories borne from our journey from ambitious goals to concrete results.

<< READ: What is HBS Looking For? >>

I've spent the past two years working in supply chain management at a private industrial goods supplier. I chose direct management because I wanted to drive these same inspirational improvements in an operation I endemic. My role was to manage and better the operation, and through my experience, I learned the basics and bolts of the supply chain manufacture. However, my dream of innovating supply chain operations pushed me to consider transitioning to an organization with an ambitious, transformative purpose. In fact, last year I had a unique opportunity to reverberate on what type of impact matters to me. This opportunity was my beginning ever trip to [NORTHWEST AFRICAN REGION], the place of my family unit's origin.

On the second twenty-four hour period of the trip, I journeyed to [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN Boondocks], a pocket-size town nestled next an enormous agile volcano that is surrounded by a broad expanse of rich volcanic soil, which is used to brand wine. This wine is sipped by run a risk-seeking tourists relaxing later on a long day on the volcano, and thus the boondocks's 2 major industries, wine and tourism, are sustained. When we arrived at the town, I was shocked to see it buried by an avalanche of volcanic rock from an eruption [A FEW YEARS PRIOR]. As our guide lamented on the dreary prospects of the Page ii of 2 town, I was amazed to see merely how important these two industries had been to its development.

Through this real globe example, I was able to clearly visualize the impact businesses can have on their broader environment, an understanding that had not been as evident to me while working in the larger, more complex American economic system. For case, I had spent hours walking among the battered buildings speckling the warehouse commune in Cleveland, but just after my trip did I connect them to the decline of the Midwestern manufacturing manufacture. Upon my return, armed with this broader perspective, I decided my adjacent step would exist to attend business schoolhouse. There I would gain the technical, operational and leadership skills to brand my transition to an organization whose goal was to drive change in its broader industry and community, as those vino and tourism companies had washed in [LOCAL NORTHEASTERN AFRICAN TOWN OF FAMILY'S ORIGIN].

So, that is how I arrived in front of you today. My goal is to humbly learn as much as I can from our department, our professors, and our experiences. I am excited to get to know you, and will always do my best to support our department intellectually and athletically (we will exist the time to come department Olympics champions!).

How about yourself?

Give-and-take Count: 711

Author'due south comment:

While the initial typhoon of my essay did non have more an hr or 2, it was the revision process that I spent a meaning corporeality of time on. I think the most important part of the essay writing procedure is to ensure that your story and personality come through – and this is mayhap the most difficult part! To aid with this, I had individuals who were not as familiar with my story and why I wanted to go to business school provide me with feedback in add-on to those with whom I worked closely.

Linda's comment:

I would hate for whatsoever of you to read this essay or any of the other essays inThe Harbus MBA Essay Guide, which I recommend, and think "This is a keen template. I'm going to tell a story just like this one!" Bad idea. Wrong response.

The one take-away from this essay and the other successful essays in this volume is that the reader feels a little like s/he is meeting the writer – not someone else and not some masked existence.  Individuality is the common thread in those essays; it isn't brilliant prose or incredible writing. It's authenticity and humanity. And yep, the author is accomplished too.

I chose this essay from the Harbus drove because I know there are many engineers applying. Some — both in and out of their field — think of the profession as boring or common. Just this essay is neither irksome nor common. I loved it considering the author comes to life, and his passion and personality shine through. He doesn't get bogged down in technicalities, industrial jargon, or an alphabet soup of acronyms. He tells his story with free energy and clarity, from his perspective, and with a focus on his impact.

Now that'southward an case you lot can follow: Tellyour story with energy and clarity, fromyourperspective, and with a focus onyourimpact.

Check out what recent applicants have to say about working with Accepted:

A successful Harvard Business concern School application essay [2015]

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus.

You lot're applying to Harvard Business School. We tin can come across your resume, academic transcripts, extracurricular activities, awards, post-MBA career goals, test scores, and what your recommenders have to say well-nigh y'all. What else would you like united states to know as we consider your candidacy?

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus.

Essay: The Author

Author'south Background: Finance & Media

Analysis:

The author sets the stage for the rest of the essay by first presenting a notable accomplishment of hers and then explicitly illustrating the entrepreneurial drive and diligence she used to see information technology through. More importantly, the author's opening introduces a theme – storytelling – that is consistently interwoven through different stages of her life. The reader is atomic number 82 through the author's childhood, professional and extracurricular experiences, along with accomplishments, all the while existence reminded of the integral role storytelling has played. Across highlighting her souvenir, or passion for the fine art of storytelling, the author goes on to connect this theme with her future career ambitions, as well as describe how this could besides serve the HBS community.

In 2012, I realized a life ambition – I completed my first novel, all while working full fourth dimension at [Acme U.S. Investment Banking company]. I could not wait to share it with the world and eagerly went in search of a literary agent. But each agent I contacted declined to represent my novel.

Storytelling is my lifelong passion; it saw me through a difficult childhood. After my father left, my mother raised me equally a unmarried parent in [U.South. Urban center/Country], a rural Bible Chugalug town two hours s of [U.Southward. Country]. We did non have much money and that coupled with my bookishness made me a target for bullies. Books and writing were an escape; they gave me an avenue to articulate the feelings of abandonment and powerlessness I otherwise did non want to express. Writing made me happy and the more I wrote, the more my talent blossomed. I began to win awards and my piece of work was published in youth literary journals. These experiences fabricated me more than confident, a fundamental part of my success later in life. It all started with a pen, a notebook, and my imagination. Yet, I was passionate about my piece of work and was determined to put it into readers' hands. In true entrepreneurial fashion, I self-published my novel through the digital platforms Smashwords and Createspace. I worked with a promotional expert to organize a month-long volume tour to promote the book to prominent book bloggers and their readers. The result? My novel has received multiple 5-star reader reviews, from Amazon to Goodreads, and was a semifinalist for the Amazon Breakthrough Novel Laurels.

Stories are an integral part of the man feel. They uplift and inspire, give us permission to dream and to visualize what could be. Storytelling has been an integral office of my career, from edifice financial models at [Top U.S. Investment Bank] that illustrated my expectations for the companies that I covered to delivering a presentation to [International Daily Paper] 's chief revenue officer explaining why reducing advertisement prices for tender house advertisers would not lead to an increase in revenue.

My passion has also informed my growth as a leader; I believe my nigh impactful expressions of leadership have been my efforts to help others write the narratives of their own lives and careers. At [Top U.S. Investment Bank], I created an breezy mentorship program for female and minority interns and first-year analysts in the research division and led a "soft skills" course to help new analysts handle hard interpersonal situations. For iv years, I've mentored a young Hispanic adult female through Educatee Sponsor Partners, a nonprofit that gives low-income students scholarships to individual high schools. Being a mentor gave me the privilege of guiding another first generation college educatee along what I know tin be a lonely, difficult path. This autumn, she started college with a total scholarship.

Storytelling will be a part of my future career path; as an MBA graduate, my goal is to obtain a position in strategy and business development at an entertainment visitor that specializes in pic or tv set. Long term, I desire to offset a multimedia and merchandising company with a publishing arm (books and magazines) as well as film, Tv, and digital operations. Using strong, fictional heroines and informative lifestyle content, my visitor's goal will be to educate and inspire women to get their best selves. My particular focus is creating compelling, multidimensional characters to inspire young women of color, who are constantly bombarded by negative images of women who look like them in media.

I'thou pursuing a Harvard MBA because I want to become a better business strategist and strong full general manager. Also, I desire to further develop my leadership and presentation skills as I will manage professionals on the content and business side; information technology will be my task to unite them behind a shared strategic vision. Specifically, I want to learn how to motivate teams and individuals to perform at their highest level, and to become more adept at persuasion and generating "buy-in" from others. Harvard's unique approach using the example method and accent on leadership evolution will challenge me to grow in both these areas. I also feel that I have much to contribute to Harvard'southward community. My varied background in finance and media has given me a unique perspective that will be valuable in classroom discussions and team projects. I desire to share my passion for the amusement industry with my classmates by chairing the Entertainment & Media club and planning conferences, career treks, and other opportunities.

My background gives me the chapters for fearless thinking that is needed to meet the challenges of the amusement industry'south shifting mural. A Harvard MBA will strengthen that foundation and aid me to become the kind of dynamic leader who can bring the vision for my own company to life and be at the forefront of entertainment's structural shift.

Time & Effort: "It was virtually half dozen or vii drafts. Not sure on the hours."

Give-and-take Count: 805

This sample essay is from The Harbus MBA Essay Guide and is reprinted with permission from Harbus. Nosotros highly recommend the volume!

If you would similar advice on responding to this yr's HBS essay question, (which is dissimilar from the 2014-15 prompt) please read our Harvard Business School essay tips.

Linda's comments:

Bottom line: You lot want your readers to feel similar that they are coming together you — not someone else, non a scripted piece of shallow PR devoid of personality and humanity, and non some phony philharmonic of you and the writer of an essay in a guidebook or on a website. They really and truly want to meet you!

Then call up nigh your story.

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Related Resource:

• Get Accepted to Harvard Business organization School, a free webinar
• Harvard Business organization School MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
• What is HBS Looking For:  Belittling Aptitude and Appetite, The Habit of Leadership, Engaged Community Citizenship
• M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know in 2022
• More sample MBA application essays

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Source: https://blog.accepted.com/sample-essay-from-admitted-hbs-student/

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