65 Successful Harvard Business School Application Essays: With Analysis by the Staff of the Harbus, the Harvard Business School Newspaper

there are other books that tell you the whole process of applying and preparing your apps. you should get one of those but also get this one. this is one of its kind. it's a small book with some really great essays. exactly what i needed. it's easy to get confused in the whole process of preparing apps; selection of schools, school visits, selecting and talking to recommenders etc. and if you start reading tips of what to write and what not write in your essays, you can easily spend weeks just browsing the internet and taking notes. this book will give you a good headstart for your essays.

This book has several example of essays that really help you to create your winning aproach not only for Harvard but also other BSchool

Different from other essay collection books, it straightly starts with real sample essays & analysis, and both sample and analysis are great. What I like most of this essay, it removes the boring parts of some general direction on "how to write essays." Instead it has analysis of each essay, and it helps me to design my essay greatly. However, if someone needs the guideline of writing essay by each topic, he or she may need one more book.

This book shows you application essays of people who have been accepted to HBS. The editors also comment each essay. Overall, I'd say the book offers a pretty good overview, it may trigger some thoughts and give indications as to 1) what the application office might be looking for, 2) the characteristics of a typical HBS student. I like the fact that the editors comment both strengths and weaknesses of each essay. Some 'issues': 1. The book is created by the Harbus news corporation, an independent nonprofit entity, not the Harvard Business School. Since the essays were not chosen/commented by the admissions office, the sample may not properly represent typical entries (perhaps only the 'best ones', perhaps only ones by students/friends who the editor personally knows etc), nor the factors that actually determine admission (for sure they show factors that _the editors BELIEVE_ are important for admission). 2. You will not see any examples of how NOT to write your essay. Such a contrasting view would have been useful for figuring out exactly what the admission office is looking for, what they want to learn about you as an applicant/potential member of the community. 3. You will not see examples of essays of ppl who were accepted to other comparable schools, hence it is difficult to figure out exactly what make HBS students different from typical students at i.e. at Kellogg, Stanford, Wharton. Usuage: I'd have a look at this book before writing my HBS apps, then contrast my impression of HBS students and the HBS community with what I have learned about the students and community of other schools, following which I'd use this knowledge to properly design essays that match my impression of what the adm office wants to learn about me. With some drafts at hand, I'd show my essays to an alumni/discuss with him/her how to go about/tweak the application.

This book is an absolute must for anyone who is attempting to apply to Harvard. It will not only show you the caliber of essays you must write, but it will also show you the kinds of people you'll be going up against in the application process. The book gives you sample essays for each type of essay question on the Harvard Application.