As we mentioned earlier today in our MBA news coverage, HBS Executive Director of MBA Admissions & Financial Aid Deirdre Leopold appeared on a Business Week chat this afternoon to field questions from potential applicants to the MBA program. The transcript will be publicly available within a week, but we wanted to take a moment now to comment on a few interesting items from the chat.
Leopold revealed that last year was a good one for HBS, which enjoyed an 11% increase in application volume over the 2005-2006 season. With the increased competition, chat participants were understandably interested in what the school most desires in its students. In response, Leopold stressed the school’s focus on leadership ability, demonstrated quantitative and analytical proficiency, and potential to succeed and contribute in the school’s case-based learning environment.
Some of the most interesting news, though, relates to Harvard’s changing its approach with respect to some issues of application flexibility and information availability. For years, HBS has required prospective students to answer each of six or even seven essays, making Harvard’s one of the more rigid and labor-intensive MBA applications. Leopold reported today that this year, the school will ask only two mandatory questions, and allow applicants to select three more to answer from six options. This model is similar to the one that schools like Wharton and Kellogg have employed for years, and is one that allows an applicant to play to his or her strengths.
Also of note is the school’s planned push toward admissions transparency. Toward the end of today’s chat, Leopold announced her plan to maintain a blog about events in the admissions office and the broader campus, and promised staff and faculty podcasts as early as July. It also sounds as though the school intends to keeps applicants better informed on where they stand in the admissions process at various points in each round. For instance, Leopold mentioned that the school will let applicants know when the majority of its interview invitations have gone out, a subject that has traditionally been a subject of rabid speculation among anxious applicants.
When Wharton moved toward a transparent admissions process several years ago, applicants embraced this as a “more humane” approach given the average MBA applicant’s investment (financial, emotional and professional) in their b-school efforts and eagerness for news about their results. While Harvard’s reputation ensures a high level of interest in its MBA regardless of how the admissions process is run, it’s great to see the school taking this step away from the black box model and planning to keep its many applicants in the loop.
Again, those who missed the chat itself can tuned for the full transcript on the Business Week site within the next week!
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