Q:
Dewey: The application has several components -- transcripts, recommendations, essays, the résumé, the description of work experience, outside activities. All of that is in the application, so it's reviewed by a member of the admissions board.
It gets reviewed again by another member of the admissions board. Then, for the strongest candidates, the evaluation process can include an interview. We take [the interview] into account and make the final decision based upon all the information that we have from each of the reviews.
Q: Is there a specific process, or are members of the admission board able to vary the ways in which they review people?
Dewey: People have different styles. But what we're trying to do is look at all the information in the application in order to get a strong sense of who the candidate is and the strength of that candidate on three things.
The first is academic ability. We look at transcripts, the Graduate Management Admissions Test (GMAT), rigor of work experience, and the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), if applicable.
Second, we try to assess the strength of a candidate's leadership experience. That can be from outside of work, in informal or formal roles.
The third criterion is your personal qualities and characteristics.
Q: And that comes out in the interview?
Dewey: From essays, recommendations, through the applicant's voice, perspective, and insights. Also from the interview, if we do one.
Q: HBS interviews all admitted candidates, with the help of about 80 alumni interviewers. Do you have sense of how much of your applicant pool gets interviewed?
Dewey: We don't have a target for how many people to interview each year. So it really depends on the quality of the applications. As we review the applications, we determine who are the strongest candidates, and interview them.
Q: So last year, what percentage of applicants got an interview?
Dewey: I don't know off the top of my head. But of those who were interviewed, I'd say at least half were offered admission.
Q: Leadership gets a distinctive emphasis at
Dewey: We could talk at length about this. I don't think there's one set definition of a leader or of leadership. But certainly I think that there's an element of initiative -- desire to have an impact on the communities that you're involved in. Motivation. Empathy. Sense of humor.
Q: Deana, what stands out to you about the leadership qualities that you see in some of your classmates?
Menkes: Leadership isn't something that's always exhibited in a professional environment. I've been able to interact with folks who have experience in leading hikes up the major mountains of the world or have taken active roles in nonprofit organizations or even started them up. The application of leadership skills is not always just in the workplace.
Q: Many applicants to
I see and read and talk to people about great examples [of leadership] in a context where they aren't leading the deal, the case team, or the project. But when they're faced with challenges, and have to work with other people and be strong individual contributors, they do it very effectively. They have some tremendous insights about why they've been successful and how they could be more effective.
They also have been in situations where they've had role models who were both successful and less successful leaders. Those have been great learning experiences for them and have helped them develop their capabilities.
Q: Another element you stress on your application is essays, seven of which are required. You ask applicants to describe an ethical dilemma they've faced. How long has HBS been asking that question?
Dewey: We have asked that question many times in the history of
We also want to hear from recommenders about a candidate's ethics and behavior in the community. That's new for us -- specifically asking a question to a recommender: "Please comment on this person's character, conduct, and how they are as a member of your community."
Q: Has anything you've heard from recommenders surprised you?
Dewey: One of the things that has pleasantly surprised me is that recommenders say they're happy we've asked that question and flagged ethics as something that's important to us.
Q: Given that we've seen so many examples of ethical lapses in the business world of late, are applicants reacting differently to this question than they did in years past?
Dewey: I certainly think that given recent experiences, there might be more for people to think about. But each candidate answers differently. Ethical dilemmas can exist one-to-one, or on a one-to-very-many, organizational level.
We're really not looking for a right answer. We want to learn about how people think about the question.
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