Welcome to F1GMAT’s Ask Atul Jose series. I am Atul Jose. 

In today’s episode, I will share 3 branding strategies for your Harvard MBA Application. When I interact with clients who are serious about getting into Harvard, they initially focus entirely on the Essay. And I often stop them and take them through their professional, volunteering, and extra-curricular milestones. This is because even if you write the greatest Essay, the resume, your recommendation letters, and the first impressions the admissions team have about you - all eventually will contribute towards your admission chances.  

Don’t look at the application as just the Essay. 

Here are 3 Branding Strategies that you must keep in mind for your Harvard MBA Application. 

1) Extraversion

When you think about it, Harvard MBA is the most popular program by application volume. Each year the school receives more than 8000 applications. Imagine the essays, resumes, recommendation letters, and additional questions that a typical AdCom must read. Like in any profession, we tend to develop shortcuts to navigate volume and complexity. If you look at how job portals filter applicants, they tend to value certain keywords. For Harvard, creating a good first impression is essential. And extraversion is the #1 trait.

Despite rapid changes in technology, the ups and downs of the economy, and even the pandemic-related fluctuations in enrollment, the school has stuck with the case study method. And for a typical Harvard MBA, their performance or ability to articulate ideas to a large peer group in class in a succinct manner determines their grade. 

So when you shortlist extra-curricular and volunteering activities for your Harvard MBA application, make sure that you include as many group or collaborative activities as possible. 

2) Balancing Uniqueness with the Typical

The biggest challenge for an admissions consultant like me is in finding a balance between positioning the applicant for uniqueness while including all the skills and qualities that are required to excel in a post-MBA job or function. This requires listing all unusual exposures to countries, functions, industries, team dynamics, and scenarios. Like if your role is only about excelling in due diligence, then how do you stand out? Your ability to stand out then will depend on the complexity of the project. Maybe there is a continuing legal challenge for a merger because the pricing wasn’t great for the business owner. So they are stalling the process through legal means. You might have to find data or insights that finally gave your company leverage to persuade the seller to come back to the negotiation table. These are small but very important details that determine multi-million dollar or multi-billion dollar deals to close. For the post-MBA role that you mention in your goals question, there are typical qualities that are expected, but then it is all about your unique experiences.

The common misinterpretation of uniqueness is about global exposure. Although working with an international team or cross-culturally has huge value, it is not always about working in a global team. I have seen applicants use travel for projects or work in multiple cities internationally in their narrative. But you have to understand that in our global economy,  it will be extremely rare that you have not traveled for work, especially if you are in a Technology or Management Consulting role. But for IB, PE, or VC roles, your experiences will be entirely tied to a region. It doesn’t mean you don’t have any chance to get into a top school. Here you have to include narratives that are product-related, team-related, or if you are an entrepreneur, it should be about the vision of the company.

 3) Work Ethics vs. Vulnerability

Clients who apply to Harvard also apply to Stanford. So I have heard this question several times. Harvard typically had only one Essay. You must figure out the tone, theme, and examples for your Essay. And unlike Stanford, which really looks forward to knowing you, the vulnerable person behind the job, Harvard doesn’t take in too many lines about your feelings or deep fears or deep regrets.

There is a certain balance. And strangely, your work ethic, preparedness, and just the determination to get things done are valued more than a narrative that shows your vulnerability. That is a big difference I have seen while helping applicants customize their Essays for Harvard. I am not saying you can’t show some vulnerability, but when you compare what is accepted at Stanford, Harvard is more about grit, preparedness, evolved problem-solving skills, collaboration, and learning. An insatiable appetite for learning from everything and everyone.

I hope you have a fair understanding of how to position your personal brand for the Harvard MBA Application. 

To start a conversation on our consulting, profile evaluation, school selection, essay review, recommendation letter editing, interview preparation, and scholarship/fellowship application editing services, you can reach out to me . Or you can message me through Skype at F1GMAT. I am Atul Jose. See you in the next #askAtulJose series.