John Byrne, the founder of the Business Week rankings and the newest MBA community, Poets and Quants, landed a coup of an interview with Harvard Business School’s managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid Deirdre “Dee” Leopold, an interview which posted late last week. While there was nothing earth shattering about the interview, Leopold, who saw 9,524 applicants to HBS this year – the most since 2004 and the most of any admissions officer period – chatted with Byrne about the evolution of the application process, from hand-written applications to online applications, the latter of which she says makes a less personal impression. Leopold cedes that the essays have become critical in terms of understanding the personality of MBA candidates, but cautions against applicants who feel that they are in “an essay-writing contest” and consultants who tell candidates “what a business school wants to hear” (as does mbaMission!) She notes that the most common mistake candidates make is overstating their importance and taking too much credit, for a billion-dollar deal, for example. She says that many applicants worry too much about standing out and that it is crucial “simply to tell your story.” We agree…
Read the full article: MBA News: Tips and Trends from Harvard Business School’s Deirdre Leopold