Harvard Business School has been implementing  many new changes that all focus on collaboration.  Every admitted student is given a face-to-face interview with the admission committee to get a better idea who they are as people, and how they work with others.  Collaboration is ultimately the tool to making a difference in the world.

HBS MBA classes are always diverse.  There is no ideal HBS student.  The admissions committee is looking for students from a variety of backgrounds to present a host of perspectives and get students thinking creatively. Sure they will share common traits such as strong analytical skills,and good leadership qualities.  But the important thing is that the students can work well with each other and bring their own unique perspective to the table, ultimately creating a more comprehensive and beneficial program.

New Initiatives at HBS

Harvard is encouraging undergraduate seniors to apply to HBS throughout the year instead of the usual just during the summer now that Harvard 2+2 Program is up and running.  In keeping with these new changes, Harvard has added new course requirements for first year students emphasizing small group collaboration and hands-on application of the material.  The new course series, called The Field Immersion Experience for Leadership Development (FIELD) is detailed in the 3 Modules below.

1) Leadership Module

The Leadership Module emphasizes small group work and close collaboration with the faculty to provide insight into the best leadership qualities.

2) Module 2

Module 2 will place new student in 14 different cities in 11 emerging economy countries to receive hands on experience in product development exercises.  THe 11 countries will include China, South Africa, and Vietnam, among others.

3) Integrative Exercise in Entrepreneurship

In this module, the student start their own companies, focusing on marketing and customer service.

HBS Financial Aid Information

Harvard Business School encourages all undergraduate students to apply no matter their financial standing.  Financial Aid is not applied for until after the acceptance of the student. Further, the Harvard Alumni have been very receptive to supporting new HArvard students and their education.

Some Quick HBS Admissions Facts

• Harvard looks at their prospective student holistically, never using a point system or structured formula to judge the quality of the student
• Harvard Business School class is about 39 percent women
• About one-third of the class members are non-U.S. citizens

For more details, please also read our Harvard Business School Admissions Tips.

Simple, Direct, Precise, Alive, Concise, Coherent, Convincing! Those are your targets.

1. Reduce Sentence Length to establish strong, clear meaning.
2. Order Words for Emphasis.
   • Put strong words at the beginning and at the end of a sentence.
   • Space out key words. Do NOT repeat a distinctive word unless you intend a specific effect.
   • Put odd and interesting things next to each other. Help the reader learn from contrast.
   • Do not be afraid of using small words. Big words are not always the best or most useful for getting your points across to the reader.
3. Avoid Needless Words or Stuffy Language.
   • No excess prepositional phrases
   • Use words in replace of phrases
   • No redundancy; minimize repetition
   • Watch for unnecessary adverbs such as very, really, quickly
   • No vague qualifiers, e.g. some, kind; avoid “it is”, “whether or not”…
4. Use Strong Verbs. Use passive verbs to highlight the receiver of an action.
5. Emphasize Results, Concrete Figures. Use concrete and specific details that appeal to the senses.
6. Establish Impressive Overall Style.
   • Form a pattern in your writing, but then give it a wrist to add variety.
   • Vary sentence length to set a compelling pace for the reader.

Summary:

• Convey clear, complete thoughts.
  • Do not couch too many ideas in one sentence.
• Choose every word carefully.
  • Make sure they are precise and most appropriate for the context.
• Minimize redundancy. Strive for effectiveness.