A dream institution for management enthusiasts, Harvard full time MBA program is one of the most sought out programs which every business student desire in their life. Harvard Business School MBA is a 2-year full time program where students from more than 70 countries with diverse backgrounds & ethnicity come together to learn real-world skills. On average, HBS’s MBA batch consists of 35% International students (out of a batch of 930 students). Harvard has given many notable alumni such as Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Bill Gates, Mark Zuckerberg & others.
Ranked #1 among the top business schools in the world by the Financial Times, getting enrolled in the Harvard full time MBA program is not a cup of tea for everyone. Here, the competition & application process is very difficult to pass through. But if you have the zeal within you, nothing can come on your way towards your dream. Here in this article, we will be listing the A to Z information that will give you the clarity regarding everything you need to know to study a full time MBA program from Harvard University.
Course Curriculum at Harvard
Harvard full time MBA program consists of many enthralling courses that help students choose from a wide range of subjects. There is a ‘Required curriculum’ that is mandatory for everyone and which consists of subjects related to finance, leadership, organizational behavior, marketing, technology & strategy.
Along with the Required Curriculum, there is an ‘Elective Curriculum’ in which students can choose from over 100 courses in different fields according to their liking & preferences.
The course curriculum at Harvard is very diverse. Students throughout the year engage in many leadership activities & small team projects that strengthen them and make them ready to face real-life challenges ahead.
Eligibility & Entry Requirements
Let’s get to know about this pointwise.
-Bachelors in any discipline
There’s no specific cut-off for your class 12th & Bachelor at Harvard, but a competitive GPA can play a very significant role in your admission.
From the data mentioned in the HBS website, the average GPA of their batch stands at around 3.7 (that’s more than 9 GPA on a scale of 10).
-Work Experience
To getting enrolled in a Harvard full time MBA program, work experience is a mandatory requirement. Candidates need to have clarity on what they’ve learned from the type of work experience that they have been involved in.)
The average students enrolled at the Harvard full time MBA program have 4.7 years of post-college work experience.
-Exams
To study a full time MBA program at Harvard, a candidate has to take English Proficiency Tests such as TOEFL, IELTS, or PTE.
While there’s no minimum test score to apply, getting a competitive score as mentioned below will help you improve your chances of getting selected.
TOEFL score not less than 109
IELTS score not less than 7.5
PTE score not less than 75
Other than the English Proficiency Test, the candidate has to take GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test) or GRE (Graduate Record Examination). The former option is more popular among students with around 80% of students getting enrolled through their GMAT score. HBS’s median GMAT & GRE score is 730 and 328 respectively, making it very hard for students to make into the Harvard MBA program.
Course Fees
The total cost of the Harvard full time MBA program is a whopping $222,204 (that’s approximately 16,600,000 INR) including everything. The tuition fees alone round up to $74,000 per year (which is around 5,500,000 INR). In addition to this, there are various other expenses such as Hostel & meals, Insurance, Program material fee, Student health fee, Personal expenses, etc. The above number might make you think if spending such a big amount really worth it?
The answer is, absolutely.
An MBA from Harvard is the best investment one can make. The ROI is really great at Harvard. Students get placed at jobs with a median package of $172,090 (that’s approximately 1.3 Cr. INR). We shall be talking about the placement scenario later in detail.
The whooping fees of the Harvard full time MBA program can make anyone overwhelmed. But here comes the fun fact: Less than half of MBA students at Harvard pay the full sticker price.
There are various scholarships which are available for the students who get accepted at Harvard Full time MBA program. The most famous & benefitted one is ‘Need-based scholarship.’ More than 50% of MBA students are eligible for the need-based fellowship.
In addition to this, there are more than 40 different scholarships which are available for students enrolled in any of the universities in the USA/Canada. The average Harvard Business School Scholarship is $42,000 per year (that’s approx. 31,50,000 INR). To apply for the same, students need to fill the HBS financial aid application after getting accepted for the Harvard MBA program.
Placement statistics at Harvard for the MBA program
The placement at Harvard University is one of the top reasons why students from all over the globe dream of studying here. Last year in 2019, the median package for a Harvard MBA graduate stood at $172,090 (that’s INR 1.3 cr.). The sum included a median base salary of $148,750, a signing bonus of $30,000, and other guaranteed compensation of $52,000. If this was not enough, a relatively small percentage of the class (4%) were fortunate enough to land even better-paying jobs with a total median pay of $211,350.
Such high paying jobs & placement statistics of HBS clear out the doubt if MBA from Harvard is worth it or not. The top 3 recruiting industry of Harvard MBAs are
-Financial Services (29% of the class)
-Consulting (21%)
-Technology (20%)
Harvard graduates who opt for Finance or Consulting sector earn more than the rest of the batch. No doubt why 50% of the students choose a placement opportunity in these two industries.
How to apply to HBS’s MBA program
There’s a three-step application process for applying to HBS’s MBA program.
- Written Application:
A student applying for Harvard’s MBA program need to have following things prepared:
—Transcripts
—GMAT/GRE Score
—TOEFL/IELTS/PTE Certification
—Essay
—Recommendations (2)
—Resume
—Acceptance of policies
—Application Fee (of $250)
- Personal Interview
After applying with every document which is required, it gets reviewed by a panel. And based on the review, you may be invited for an interview.
- Post- Interview reflection:
It is one of the particular elements of Harvard’s evaluation process. Here, the student has to submit a written reflection of their interview & submit it within 24 hours to the admissions committee after their interview. The HBS admission panel here looks for how a student makes the best impression within a limited time-frame.
Harvard Essay Tips
According to one of the former HBS Admissions Officer, The essay is a ‘make or break’ point in your application process. So, great care must be taken to make your essay well-curated & well-designed. With no stated word count, students have the liberty to decide the length of the essay. However, it is advisable for the students to not go overboard, rather keep the essay at around 1000 word limit. Since many years, Harvard is posing the same essay question, which is:
‘As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?’ (No word limit)
The above question is advised to answer in a clear language without overthinking, over crafting, or overwriting.
HBS Interview Details
Getting an invite for HBS Interview is a major accomplishment. HBS communicates an interview invitation a month before the deadline. The admissions committee team travels to places such as London, Mumbai, Paris, Dubai, Tokyo, Sao Paulo, or Shanghai to take interviews.
Some important things to remember:
-The duration of the interview is a strict 30 minutes.
-The interviewer has already studied your entire application in depth.
-The dress code of the interview is business formals.
-The questions are related to the candidate’s personal & professional life, major strengths, and weaknesses, on leadership & teamwork, and reasons to do an MBA.
-Once the interview has finished, further details are sent in an email by the admissions office.
Also, a written Post-Interview reflection should be written & submitted within 24 hours of the interview. It is a hectic ride from preparing your application, appearing for interviews to finally getting a place at Harvard business school. The path is full of difficulties & cut-throat competitions. But the keys to reaching your goal lie within you. Just be confident & believe in yourself. If you have it within you, you’ll surely land up at your dream institution.
Subscribe for the latest videos on a variety of careers, study abroad, interview, resume, etc.
https://www.youtube.com/VikingsCareerStrategists
In case you need any assistance in the application process for the MBA programs across the globe, feel free to connect with our experts. Book your free consultation now!
