In response to complaints it receives each year about the anxiety its invite-to-interview process creates, Harvard Business School (HBS) has decided to make some changes this year in the way it does things during Round One, Dean of Admissions Dee Leopold shared in a post to her blog this week.
Leopold went on to outline the schedule for Round One, noting some important shifts. October 1st is the deadline for receiving online applications, and candidates who are invited to interview will receive invitations via email between October 15th and November 3rd. But this year, on November 3rd, all candidates not invited to interview will receive either a decision that HBS is unable to offer them a place in the Class of 2013 or an invitation to join the waitlist. Those candidates who are invited to interview can do so both on and off campus between November 1st and 21st, and all interviewed candidates will receive a decision notification (admit, deny or waitlist) on December 14th.
“While no one applies hoping for a ‘deny’ decision, we have heard you say that the worst case is the uncertainty which can extend from October through mid-December,” Leopold wrote. Instead, her team will be making decisions faster this year, which she hopes will allow denied candidates to re-direct their energy toward Round Two applications to other schools.
Leopold assured prospective candidates that her team has enough resources to thoroughly review all applications before it renders any decisions, even on this accelerated schedule. ”All applications will be reviewed at least twice before any decision is made. Our Admissions Board is fully staffed and able to implement this new model,” she wrote.
Candidates who are invited to join the waitlist in Round One are those who HBS would like to “further consider,” according to Leopold. These waitlisted candidates should expect to receive a final decision by the Round Two notification date in late March, she continued, noting that HBS would understand completely if such a candidate opts instead to withdraw his or her application.
“I promise that all letters will clearly communicate a candidate’s status!” she pledged, adding that HBS will replicate the new system in Round Two provided that it works well in Round One.
Read the full article: Harvard Business School Announces Modifications to Round One Admissions Procedure