Getting into Harvard MBA – Diversity, Work Experience, GMAT & GPA

Harvard Business School is one of the most sought after B-schools in the world. It is also one of the schools with the lowest acceptance rate. While IIMA in India boasts of an acceptance rate of just 0.1%, among US B-schools, HBS has the lowest acceptance rate after Stanford. The rate has historically hovered around the 10-12% mark. The class of 2017 has seen a slight dip in acceptance to 11%, the result of an increase in application volume.

Standing out from 9600 other applicants requires strategic thinking and the power of storytelling. We will teach you how with our essay guide.

Note: When we mention a year, we refer to the year of graduation – the class of that year. The year of admission would be 2 years prior.

Class Size

Over the past 10 years, class sizes have fluctuated from a high of 889 in 2009 to a high of 941 in 2011. The class of 2017 saw 937 enrolled students. Although there are no targets as such, the growth of the class size is three per year.

Diversity

Diversity is not just a buzzword for Harvard Business School. The balance of keeping the international students and US-based minority students within the 20-35% range is tricky.

Nationality

North Americans are the biggest geographic group, followed by Asians and Europeans. The massive number of nationalities tends to vary from 66 to 72, fluctuating every year.

Gender and the US ethnic minorities

Women represented just 11% of the class in 1975, but since have steadily increased to 35% in 2005, and went on to set a record of 42% for the class of 2017. US ethnic minorities have increased representation from 23% in 2005 to 28% for the class of 2017, with International representation remaining at 34% for the past 10 years. If you are an International woman applicant, your chances are much higher.

Undergraduate Major

The long-term as well as short-term trends all point to one thing – decrease in Social Sciences & Humanities intake, with a corresponding increase in Business & Economics majors. The former represented 51% of the class in 1995, but in 2017 has hit a new low of 19%. Since Technology sector has seen a post-MBA boom among Harvard MBA graduates, it makes more sense for the Admission team to accept applicants from Business background to take over Sales/Marketing and General Management roles. Applicants from technology background have been consistently represented at 35-36% over the past 5 years.

Related

F1GMAT's Harvard MBA Essay Guide will show:

1) How you should start the essay knowing that extroversion and passion are valued in Harvard MBA?
2) How you should demonstrate Active Learning?
3) How you should demonstrate confidence in decision-making?
4) How you should demonstrate your succinct communication skills?
5) How you should demonstrate your potential as an effective FIELD team member?

Download Harvard MBA Essay Guide (F1GMAT)

Pre-MBA Industry

Finance has not yet made a major comeback in Harvard Business School. Consulting saw a slight dip but made the 16% second position for the class of 2017. The Venture Capital Industry and Technology completed the top three industries with 18% and 14% respectively. The Government, Education, & Non-Profit sector have shown a consistent representation of 8-9% each year. The pre-MBA and post-MBA industries have a high correlation, affirming our belief that HBS values pre-MBA industry experience over any specific job skills.

Work Experience & Age

Evaluating data from the previous eleven years indicates no clear trend. The average experience fluctuates from 41 to 54 months. The data available for the past three years shows that 27 is the magic age. By 30, you are expected to reach at least one major milestone in your career. So, if you are an older applicant, there should be a valid reason for applying.

GMAT Score

The median GMAT score has maintained its record high of 730 for the past three years. The top GMAT score was again the same over this period – 790. The lowest GMAT score in the class rose from 510 in 2012 to 570 in 2014 with the middle 80% scoring in the 700 to 760 range. HBS has set a high cut off for GMAT.

Average GPA

Harvard has a history of not releasing this data because different undergraduate programs have different standards, but for the Class of 2017, the average GPA score is 3.66 (Based on the data of over 600 candidates, whose grades are marked in a GPA 4.0 scale)

Do remember that: diversity is not just measured in facts and figures. How you position your candidacy will differentiate you from other typical applicants. Storytelling is the secret weapon.

Download F1GMAT's Harvard MBA Essay Guide, and improve your chances. We teach you how to write persuasive essays with elements of storytelling.