Welcome to Harvard Business School
By Ashley Daniels
Ashley Daniels, MBA Prep 2014, and recent Harvard graduate shares her words of wisdom for the current MBA Prep class, as they prepare for the upcoming Pre-Application Seminar hosted by MIT Sloan and HBS this month.
Hi MLT MBA Prep Class of 2016!
Welcome to the Pre-Application seminar at Harvard Business School!
My name is Ashley Daniels and I graduated from Harvard Business School (HBS) a few weeks ago (I still cannot believe it!). I am excited you all have an opportunity to visit our beautiful campus! Prior to attending HBS, I lived in Philadelphia and worked in the Human Capital consulting practice at Deloitte. I’m passionate about talent management in organizations and truly believe a company’s people are its greatest asset. I decided to pursue my MBA to broaden my skillset and understanding of what it takes to lead and succeed at the highest levels in business. During my school research process, I focused on general management programs that were academically rigorous, emphasized leadership (theory and practice) and would force me to stretch myself on a daily basis – intellectually and socially. HBS checked all of these boxes for me and much more.
While at the seminar, I encourage you to do the following:
- Ask Plenty of Questions
Although campus will be fairly quiet with current students scattered around the world for their summer internships, take this opportunity to actively engage with faculty, staff and admissions officers and get answers to all of the questions you have about Harvard’s MBA program and community. If I remember one thing about my school search process, it was never losing sight of whether I could fit and thrive in a specific school’s culture and community. Take this opportunity to really explore HBS – the magic behind the case method, the section experience, FIELD, iLab resources and so on! Prior to the seminar, consider reaching out to MLT alum or others in your network to see if there are current HBS students in Boston for the summer. Request coffee chats or time with them to learn about their experience.
- Network!
If you have your eye on a few schools already, try to maximize your time getting to know and building or sustaining a relationship with admissions representatives from those schools. If you are still exploring your options, be open to speaking with representatives from schools that you are less familiar with. And of course, continue to build connections with your fellow MLTers. Use this seminar as an opportunity to get to know other fellows who may not be in our cohort but have similar school interests as you.
- Be Attentive and Contribute
Take the mock interviews seriously but try not to let them stress you out! They really are a time for you to practice. Be confident and support one another as much as you can during this process. While I found the feedback I received from the admissions officer very helpful, I really appreciated the insightful feedback I received from my fellow MLTers. So listen carefully and be ready to receive and offer feedback.
- Explore Boston/Cambridge
Boston is a very historic city that is beautiful in the summer. If your schedule permits, go off campus and visit the surrounding areas – Harvard Square, Central Square, Downtown Boston, etc. Start to evaluate whether it is a place you could see yourself living for the next two years. Although there are many benefits to being in a city for business school (usually larger programs, more resources, greater access, etc.), a smaller program in a more suburban/rural area may be a better fit for many of you. Give Boston/Cambridge a try while you are there and see if it would work for you.
- Think Beyond The Seminar
Be fully present at the seminar but take time to reflect on your next steps. For some of you all, interactions you have during the seminar may change your outlook on and approach to the application process – that is totally okay! Leverage every opportunity you have with your coach to discuss your game plan moving forward.
I am excited for all of you and I am now officially nostalgic about my MLT MBA prep days. I know there is a lot of work to be done in the coming weeks and months, but I do hope you enjoy the upcoming seminar and the rest of your summer!
All the best!
Ashley