2
Manufacturing
Mktg/Sales
Self-funded
Harvard
MBA
Destination school: HBS
Counselor: Emma Round
For someone like me, with a purely domestic background, the MBA application process was far more demanding than I had imagined. Nevertheless, I was ultimately able to achieve my original goal and gain admission to HBS.
This is often said, but the more “top” a school is—HBS included—the more the deciding factors tend not to be GMAT scores and the like, but rather the essays, recommendations, and interview performance.
I believe that strengthening the quality of my essays and recommendations, and raising my interview capability together with Round One, directly contributed to my HBS admission.
In particular, when it comes to interview skill, I do not think I could have elevated my performance to the level required for admission to HBS without Round One’s support.
One important caveat, however: no matter how strong your counselor is, you are ultimately the only person who can generate the raw material for your essays. A counselor’s role is to refine and sharpen that material.
Therefore, for each essay prompt, it is critically important to use your own thinking to work through the following three points in depth:
Then, bring what you have developed to your Round One counselor and deepen it further through their feedback.
Round One responds fully to a client’s drive and commitment. Looking back as I write this testimonial, my inbox contains 227 emails from my counselor.
Finally, over the course of a long application process, there will likely be moments when you feel like giving up. Please keep believing in yourself, and persevere all the way to the end.
