MBA Success Stories: Sarah

In this series, I shine a light on the success stories of previous clients. Hopefully inspiring others to emulate their success. Today it's Sarah, a techie who secured an admit from Harvard Business School.

Sarah's professional goal was to transition into a bigger tech firm, and crucial to her was the business culture. Long-term she had entrepreneurial ambitions, hoping to launch her own tech company where she can nurture the culture.

Sarah applied to one school only, such was her determination: Harvard Business School.

She scored sub-700 in her GMAT and had an academic background in software engineering and 5 years of experience at a US tech company. Her narrative was tailored around the importance of corporate culture and her determination to smash through glass-ceilings in a male-dominated industry.

Harvard Business School is known for the value it places on leadership, its use of the case method and its distinctive interview style. Sarah had the leadership stories in spades, including a couple of failures. A distinguishing feature of her application was a candid analysis of why she had failed and what she had learned from the experiences, showing the kind of self-analysis and natural leadership ability that HBS is looking for.

Interview preparation was critical. Together we rehearsed her narrative until she knew it inside out, back to front and adapted her interview style to a world of zoom interviews.

In one of the most competitive years in MBA history, Sarah secured an offer to Harvard Business School. Sarah’s message to female applicants shooting for the stars: "Give it a shot and don’t undersell yourself!"

This review has been fully verified by Poets & Quants, who contacted the applicant independently for their testimonial. Only names and identifying information have been adjusted for privacy. See Sarah's testimonial here.

Another HBS Admit

Sahil also got admitted to HBS. We recorded a video interview together here, where we talk about his journey, and he shines a light on the tricks he used to get admitted to HBS with a $20,000 scholarship.

Work With an HBS Graduate

Zack Hoyt is a graduate of Harvard Business School. He also worked with McKinsey and before that was in the US Navy. In this interview, we discuss his winning recipe for MBA applications to HBS.

We help determined applicants get admitted to top business schools. Get in touch if you want to strengthen your MBA application. Book a chat here.