Do you think there is any point in applying to HSW in third round. I am quite optimistic bout harvard, given the fact that Nitin N is reshuffling, as it seems, the admission process and also looking at the admission outcomes of rd 1, which you have pointed out to be a blood bath for certain traditional people for BS. Some people were also pointing out the DEE l, said “i wished you were working in coal mine”, it seems dramatic enough to apply to rd 3 and be optimisitc. WHAT DO YOU THINK?
I am not your traditional applicant.
Round 3 is always hard, for openers, and w.out knowing your stats and story, hard to specualate. In general, you are better off being a non-trad candidate in R3 than e.g. working in IB or MC or PE, but dont take that too far.
Nor should you take too far Dean Nohria statements or the ‘bloodbath’ for certain trad. peeps in R1, or Dee’s coal mine (actually she said auto plant) allusions. . It may be true that HBS is reorienting its metrics to include more “old” economy companies, and newer MNCs like telcoms etc., and also prob. boosting the international and female stats a tad, but all those chances will take place in very small moves, e.g. 1 or 2 pct pts a year, or even less. E.g. Female enrollment might crank up 1 or 2 pct a year til it rivals Wharton (40pct), it is currently 36–that might happen over 2-3 years, but even if they boosted female admits 2pct per year, that ”only” means ~40 more females out of total female app pool of several thousands!!!! HBS will stil REJECT a whole lotta females, many of them super qualified. Similarly, cutting back on IB/PE cohort might mean cutting back 1 or 2 pct, and they will still take PLENTY of IB/PE types, as they did in round 1.
Also, the more likely roadmap to this is encourage MORE FEMALES to apply, that is why Dee has formed gyno-commando units to perform special ops at places like Women’s Schools and other places (nunneries???) e.g. current female students who will do road shows at colleges urging kids to apply or at companies. Sure, Dee could increase female or any other demo enrollment, w. the flick of a pen, but that is not the HBS way, the make a super big deal out of everything, and budget it, and then yak about it, then form teams, and have retreats and write interrum reports, blah, blah.
Hey, it’s more fun than reading folders.
But anyway, don’t expect any radical changes soon.
Next year’s class is going to look a LOT LIKE last year’s class.
Read the full article: Dee Leopold ordered to get HBS female cohort to 40pct to match Wharton, but not right away