REACTIONS TO HBS ADMISSIONS DECISIONS: THE HBS DING (Part 1)
This past week is one of those weeks on the calendar that tends to stop everyone in their tracks and dominates the headlines. It’s all about the final HBS Round 2 notification deadline. HBS interview or HBS ding? Rather, interview or ding or deferral? Seeming as that appears to be a popular option too. Let’s make sense of things and offer some advice on how to respond from here.
This will be part one of a series of three discussing these three HBS responses: the HBS ding.
DINGED?
If you’ve been dinged from HBS, I am honestly very sorry. HBS has had an astounding number of applications this year. Keep in mind that the school roughly received 42% more applications this year than last year. It’s difficult being rejected even when you felt you’ve really put yourself out there in the application. That said, there is a game plan for this as well:
Remind yourself of what you knew when you started
You knew that HBS is the second-hardest school to get in to by the numbers and arguably, the hardest. HBS is often the dream, but it’s very rarely the reality. Here at Amerasia Consulting, we have been blessed to see a lot of clients get admitted to Harvard over the years, but there are still those HBS dings we get in the mix – and those being some of the top people we truly believe in. It unfortunately, is just the nature of the beast. Don’t let yourself feel victimized by this result, nor should you take it personally. Also, refrain from playing the “I can’t believe I didn’t at least get an interview” game. HBS only interviews about 18% of the application pool – which, by the way, is the acceptance rate at Wharton.
2. Don’t waste any time trying to diagnose a “reason”
Maybe you were too old? Or your GPA was too low? Could it be your work experience that did not indicate enough leadership? Maybe this? Maybe that? Maybe something else? Honestly... Who cares! It doesn’t matter anymore. After this, there is a very low chance that you will reapply to HBS and if you do, you won’t be able to for another 11 months. There is no use trying to figure out a “why” because there is nothing to do with that information. But if you do want to find a true reason why, then be sure to engage someone who knows exactly what they are doing. Stay tuned for the updated ding analysis blog post in the coming week.
3. Keep your head up
The most important step? To not let the HBS ding impact your overall strategy about how you feel about the road ahead. There is no time to give someone a quick pep-talk to get them to finish applying to the rest of their schools confidently. Luckily, all the clients we’ve worked with have proven themselves to be mature, resilient, and resourceful. Just keep your head up! Each school is uniquely its own thing. So, your chances at Booth, Kellogg, Wharton, Stanford or even INSEAD have zero to do with a decision rendered by HBS. Stick to your plan, stick to your guns and see the whole thing to completion.
If you really need a pick-me-up, read the MBA Resource post, on "Happy Ambition" ... who knows, maybe HBS isn't even the right school for you.
Hopefully the above advice will prove helpful regardless of what camp you find yourself in. Stay tuned for tomorrows advice on the HBS deferral.