CS @ HBS

1. What would you like the MBA Admissions Board to know about your undergraduate academic experience? (400-word limit)

This is the place to:

• Highlight significant achievements that occurred during your undergraduate studies – naturally academic ones, but not only:

“while studying full-time for a highly demanding physics degree, I was also able to win $27,384 in the national TV game ‘Who Wants to be a Millionaire’”.

• Describe any academic-related quirks that may help you stand out as someone with a special undergraduate experience:

“One of the focal points of my sociology studies was a subject I was always passionate about – sociology of extraterrestrial planets. This created a synergy with my physics studies”.

In my essay, I talked about my exchange semester abroad, about a concentration of courses I took related to gender studies which also involved some extra-curricular activity, and about the reasons that led me to choosing my majors, as their combination was quite unique.

• Mention any extra-curricular activities related to your undergrad or that took place during that time:

“In addition to studying theoretical concepts about women in underprivileged societies, I volunteered in a shelter for women in distress”.

If you have several points you’d like to mention, organize the essay in several paragraphs, each several sentences long, and dedicated to a specific topic. The paragraphs do not necessarily have to be connected. However if you only have one or two good points, build a good short “story” around each one of them and display each one in more detail. I felt I had several interesting topics I wanted to highlight, so I wrote a few sentences about each one.

In my opinion this is also a good place to explain/justify a not-so-bright GPA – the reasons should try to be sound enough: lots of extra-curriculars, working full-time while studying, etc. However, and that’s a good advice for all essays (and perhaps for life in general…), don’t whine and don’t be apologetic.

Summary

I think this essay is pretty straight forward – a good opportunity to highlight anything you have done OUTSIDE work, that’s related to academy or occurred while you were studying. A good place to add up to the well-rounded, interesting person you’d like to present to the adcom.