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Your goal is admission to a top program.
But the application journey is important too, an exercise in self-reflection and opportunity for personal and professional growth.

Harvard MBA admissions: 2025 essays

HBS shocked the admissions world one beautiful day in June 2024 by announcing that it had abandoned the “what more would you like us to know?” prompt after eight venerable years and switched to a much more conventional admissions essay format. However, do not be deceived: this is Harvard, and the questions are far from conventional. Read each one carefully. Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (300 words) With this essay, and the next HBS prompt, working backwards may be the most helpful approach. You will want to start by making a list of your aspirations. What are your career goals? What led you to choose these goals? What were your primary influences in the past? Who will benefit from the work...

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Families: can you write about them?

26 Feb 2024

After seeing an old post of mine quoted on Reddit, I wanted to clarify a point about families. In my Stanford guidelines, I suggest not choosing "families" as the topic for What Matters Most. That's not...

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Waitlists

21 Jan 2024

You submit your application. You receive an invitation for an interview and you ace it. And then...you wait. If you're lucky, when decisions come out, you're admitted. If you're less fortunate, you will...

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Round 2 2023 comes to an end

11 Jan 2023

With only Stern and Sloan left to submit, the most chaotic round in recent history* comes to a close.

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Stanford: minor revisions for 2023

29 Jun 2022

Stanford What matters most, and why? (650 words) (Don’t forget the “why”).

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