Harvard University’s undergraduate newspaper, The Crimson, offered some interesting information on HBS’s “2+2” program, which is entering its second year. The program—which, despite significantly increased interest from prospective applicants, will admit only 100 students next year—allows undergraduates to apply to HBS after their junior year of college and be admitted to start the MBA program two years after they have graduated.
Contrary to popular assumption, the program is not designed purely for traditional business students, but, according to Dee Leopold, HBS’s Director of Admissions, “as a way to attract students who might not otherwise think of business school as an option. Some of the benefits of 2+2—such as access to an HBS career coach—were meant to appeal to students whose colleges do not have high-caliber career services offices.”
Leopold and her staff have visited 58 schools this year and are focusing on science and engineering undergraduates by showing the relevance of a business degree to those fields.