HBS has introduced a new 'deferred MBA admission program', called HBS 2+2, where college students can apply straight from their college. Once selected, they will work for 2 years at select companies like Google and McKinsey and will then be admitted to HBS MBA class.
According to HBS, one of the main reasons for HBS launching this programme was the misconception in US that HBS and premier B-schools admit students only with 5-6 years of work experience.
A total of 106 seniors from 52 colleges have been admitted to the HBS 2+2 program, which was designed to reach a diverse group of high-achieving college students, studying in the fields of science, engineering, healthcare, government, and public service, among other disciplines, as they begin to explore career and graduate school opportunities. After two years of work experience, they will begin the Harvard MBA program in 2011 as members of the Class of 2013.
The 2+2 program gives undergraduates a guaranteed place in a future Harvard Business School MBA class, contingent upon their graduation from college and the successful completion of two years of approved work experience. As many as 76 organizations, including Google, Teach for America, The Clorox Company, and McKinsey & Company, serve as recruiting partners to facilitate the job search process; and HBS 2+2 admitted students receive assistance from HBS in finding a job for the two years between their college graduation and full-time matriculation at HBS.
During their two year-work experience, students also participate in on-campus summer academic programs that allow them to experience HBS classes taught by HBS faculty as well as meet their fellow classmates. In addition, HBS 2+2 admits have a dedicated career coach and access to strategic career coaching advice through the self-assessment on-line tool.
"We are delighted with this inaugural group of 2+2 students," said Deirdre Leopold, Managing Director of Admissions and Financial Aid. "The Harvard MBA degree offers a wide range of options after graduation - from startups to giant corporations, businesses to social enterprises, hospitals to the halls of government. HBS 2+2 enables undergraduates to understand that flexibility early in their education. It also contradicts the conventional - and incorrect - notion that prospective students must have worked for five or six years before applying to the School. As far as we're concerned, there is no single profile for the successful applicant to HBS."
HBS selected 106 students from the 630 applicants. These candidates come from 15 countries, and their average GMAT score is 718. Almost half of the selected candidates come from Humanities and Social Sciences areas.
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 140 open enrollment and custom Executive Education programs.
