Harvard Business School (HBS) offers applicants to its 2+2 program 900 words with which to take control of their narrative and share their character and values. Yes, you can find ways to present those aspects of yourself in your resume or short answers, but those avenues are inherently limiting. In your essays, you have a lot of latitude with which to convey your best stories and qualities, especially with the program’s first two prompts—one on life experience and the other on curiosity. We encourage you to be thoughtful about your approach and brainstorm your ideas, considering the full spectrum of all your experiences. These essays do not have one “right” answer that HBS is expecting to know and deliver (if there were, HBS would just ask you to write on those “right” topics).
Instead, you need to identify the narratives from your life that you believe would both resonate with a stranger and illuminate your values. Then, you must ensure that with each new essay, you keep the admissions reader learning about you. In the process of determining which stories to write about, ask yourself, “What will the admissions committee learn about me that they do not already know?” If you continuously offer new information with each story, and you follow the “show, don’t tell” approach when writing your essays, you will have given yourself your best shot to connect with the veritable stranger at HBS who will be evaluating you. Be thoughtful about every single word to ensure that you are both thorough and affecting.
Essay 1: What experiences have shaped how you invest in others and how you lead? (Approximately 300 words)
Ask yourself what experiences—both positive and, yes, even negative—have truly catalyzed your development and defined your life. You will need to demonstrate a clear cause-and-effect relationship between the inflection points or circumstances of your emotional and personal development and where you are today. Again, your story does not need to be all positive—after all, every good story needs a conflict—but take care not to dwell on the challenges of the past. Focus instead on showing how your past has informed the person you are today and what kind of leader you are. Be mindful that you cannot simply say, “This experience taught me to be a more bold leader!” You need to reveal not just that you can recognize your key formative experiences but also that they have empowered you and that you understand how they have manifested a certain style or approach you now use. To effectively achieve this, you need to offer clear examples. Yes, examples, plural, and all in a mere 300 words.
For this essay, you will ideally use the first 150 or so words to present an anecdote from your past and reflect on its inherent power and influence on you; then, present a second anecdote from the more recent past that reveals an obvious cause-and-effect relationship between the two situations. For example, maybe you had an important mentor early on in your life who helped you recognize your potential. You would need to explain what your mentor did to accomplish this and then reveal how you are now emulating their example by investing time into others. Prioritize stories that are compelling on their own, and then make sure that you are showing, rather than telling. If you do these two things, you will no doubt produce an essay that will grab the admissions reader’s attention.
Essay 2: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (Approximately 300 words)
Where does your sense of curiosity manifest itself most strongly in your life? Through a hobby? An intellectual interest? A personal practice? The key with this essay is conveying the enthusiasm and vigor with which you have pursued your personal interest—the level of commitment you have shown in satiating your curiosity about it! For example, you might have been drawn in by veganism and a desire to master the art of meatless cuisine; you might have become enticed by your family’s history and gone down the genealogy rabbit hole; maybe learning to play an obscure instrument has become a preoccupation for you; or you could have even become absorbed by an idea as abstract as “understanding yourself.” Take a step back and truly reflect on times when you have been insatiable in your quest to learn more and grow, and focus in particular on areas for which you can offer the admissions committee clear examples that bring your quest to life. Your success with this essay will not lie in the topic you choose but rather in the way you demonstrate your inordinate pursuit of knowledge about or mastery of it.
So, if you merely state that you are a coffee aficionado, that will not tell the admissions committee much about your character or soul. However, if you discuss how you have travelled to numerous coffee farms around the world to learn firsthand about the techniques they use to produce the finest beans, or how you have filled multiple journals—or perhaps even your Instagram feed—with copious notes on the years of espressos you have enjoyed in different cities across the country, you will succeed in conveying that you have an extreme sense of curiosity—one that is not truly just about coffee. You could thereby demonstrate how you appreciate nuance or enjoy exploring niches, or maybe that you admire the development of expertise or the observance of tradition in the world. Whatever the focus of your passion is, you need to fully understand what motivated you to embark on whatever journey you have pursued, because you must explain to HBS how it has influenced your growth. Where else have you applied your intense level of commitment? Again, you want to show a cause-and-effect relationship, sharing how your passion manifests itself in your lived experience and other pursuits.
Essay 3: How do the plans you shared in the Career section of the application fit into your current long-term career vision? What skills and/or professional experiences do you hope to obtain in the deferral period that will help build the foundation for your post-MBA career? (Approximately 300 words)
This question was a welcome addition last year, because most early-career applicants feel they must explain their purpose (i.e., give the admissions committee a sense of where they are going), because this aspect of their profile is often not terribly clear when they are still in college or completing a master’s degree. Although HBS gives you 400 characters within the application to present your post-MBA career goals, that equates to only about 60 words. So, having an additional 300 words with which to offer more context and detail is certainly welcome!
This question is about as straightforward as they come. You should start by briefly contextualizing your short-term career goals, basically explaining why they are a fit for you. Then, you can choose one of two approaches. You might immediately connect your short- and long-term goals—and we emphasize connect, because the latter must flow naturally from the former—and then explain how you intend to develop your skills so that you are prepared to advance along that path. Or you could start by contextualizing your goals and then discuss your career development expectations, which would lead into a discussion of your long-term goals; again, these need to represent a natural extension of your professional growth.
But let us offer a word of caution: be thoughtful when discussing your professional experiences. Avoid using generalities and clichés from your industry, and instead, show the admissions committee that you truly understand how you will develop. Compare the two following statements:
“I am excited to join my consulting firm full-time, because this will expose me to a breadth of global clients and enable me to solve problems with business leaders…”
“I am excited to rejoin the Boston office after graduation, because the managing directors, who are in the office five days a week, take an active role in helping analysts develop. I view the coming three years as an apprenticeship, where I will learn from others through observation and practice. In particular…”
The first statement simply repeats basic industry clichés, but the second reveals an individual who fully grasps the value of the experience and feels a sense of purpose in reentering the field. Of course, this are just examples, but you have to make your essay truly yours. It needs to be tailored to your desired experiences and developmental needs. Your goal is for the admissions officer to read your submission and think, “Now that is a plan!” If you feel you are not yet able to formulate a clear path for yourself, we suggest conducting informational interviews with people in your chosen field to ensure that you will be able to write with the proper level of sincerity and authenticity. The admissions committee is aware that you might change your mind about your career path over time, but for now, you need to show conviction!
If you have any questions about how to best position your candidacy or approach these challenging prompts, we encourage you to take advantage of a free, 30-minute consultation with one of our experts.
