Welcome to F1GMAT’s #askAtulJose series. In this episode, I will cover the essay tips for the Harvard MBA Application - 2024 Entering class and share 5 quick tips to approach the application.
The school has continued with the same essay as last year. The question is, “As we review your application, what more would you like us to know as we consider your candidacy for the Harvard Business School MBA program?”

The word limit remains the same at 900 words.

Before you start drafting the essays, here are 5 quick tips for your Harvard MBA Application

1) Personal Branding and Application Questions

For your personal brand to stand out, you have to include narratives about Leadership, Quant Skills, Eagerness to Learn, and Community Engagement. I have seen applicants writing the essay and then coming back to the application and filling out other questions. This is counterproductive and could lead to a number of rewrites and rephrasing.

A better approach is to find all the narrative options in the application.

For instance, you can include a small narrative for the post-MBA goal, cities/countries you have lived, and the employer section where there are three sub-sections on the accomplishments, reason for leaving, and the most significant challenges. If you are the first person to attend college, there is a space to expand on the challenges in the Family information sub-section.

There is also an additional information section. Don’t use it as an essay. Only use it if your career transition is unusual or you have gaps in employment or education.

If you need help with your Harvard MBA Application, reach out to me Atul Jose at or you can Download F1GMAT’s Harvard MBA Essay Guide where I have gone in-depth into tackling multiple aspects of the application, including creating authentic narratives.

2) Resume

Typically a Harvard MBA candidate has a lot of extra-curricular and volunteering experiences that might not fit into a 1-page resume. With the HBS application limiting Employers and awards to 3 each, the resume becomes an important tool to highlight your career and personal journey. Don’t sacrifice uniqueness/competence for meeting the 1-page MBA resume. If you have genuinely accomplished in the top 5% across multiple extracurriculars, include them in the resume, even if it crosses the 1-page limit. If your volunteering had a measurable impact across communities and beneficiaries, include them as well. Harvard is open to the idea of reading a 2-page resume over a resume with tiny fonts. Keep that in mind while planning your application.

3) Test Scores

For the 2024 Entering Class, Harvard Business School does not accept the GMAT Focus edition as the new version will be live by the next year. For 2+2 applicants, the school is open to accepting scores from the new version of the GMAT.

4) Recommendation Letter

The school has clearly stated that they are open to the idea of the applicant sharing talking points with the supervisors, including draft essays, but the admissions team has clearly warned against writing your own recommendation letter. I advise against sharing drafts because supervisors will be really busy, and they might accidentally borrow phrases from your essays. It will look like you have written the recommendation letter.

5) Essays

For essays, you have to start early. It typically takes 2 months of iterative writing and editing to reach a version that captures your uniqueness. If you need help in guiding you with the writing process, reach out to me Atul Jose or you can Download F1GMAT’s Harvard MBA Essay Guide at  where I have written extensively about storytelling for MBA Application essays.
Always remember, don’t polish your essay too much. Keep the narrative authentic. Schools are not looking for a professional writer.

I am Atul Jose. See you in the next #askAtulJose series.