Getting into Harvard Business School: For Filipinos, by a Filipino

The Harvard Business School — established in 1908, is the first institution in the world to grant a Master's in Business Administration. It has led to countless number of graduates thriving in the business world. To name a few, known figures are individuals like George W. Bush, Meg Whitman, Michael Bloomberg, and the like. Intimidating? Yes, definitely.

Since the establishment of the main Harvard University in 1636, this alone has been known to be the home of the elite. From a Filipino perspective, should we even bother in applying?

Thankfully, an MBA Information Session with Harvard Representative Kurt Piemonte was held last June 22, 2017 at the Manila Golf Club. Going beyond than just explaining the basic application process, the information session also shared with its attendees the priceless experiences the program has to offer.

The information session managed to pinpoint this ‘priceless experience’ by involving 3 Harvard graduates namely; Luis Abad (MBA 2015), Edouard Delvaux (MBA 2016), and Oliver Segovia (MBA 2010). Each graduate shared how their journey that started in the University led to help them reach where they are now. Other graduates who attended the session were also able and willing to share their experiences as well.

Personally, one of the highlights would be the fact that Mr. Piemonte kept emphasizing how applying for HBS shouldn’t be a daunting task. Filipinos, myself included, are always quick to think that they’re already at a disadvantage based upon their nationality. Wrong. Harvard encourages diversity, by means of not only through the blood that runs within our veins, but also through the state in which our career is at.

Right before the session, I managed to squeeze in a one on one ‘mini consultation’ with Mr. Piemonte, and I couldn’t help but ask him, “Do I have to work in a bank or a big financial institution prior to applying? Because working as the administrator of the club here in the Philippines, I’ve noticed almost all members have previously worked in those sectors prior to getting into Harvard.” Mr. Piemonte then quickly responded, “These days we look beyond that and we actually do encourage individuals from all different sectors to apply!”

Mr. Piemonte also shared that the University doesn’t just rely on grades or past work experiences. In fact, they consider three more points: your habit of leadership, your analytical aptitude and appetite, and the quality of engaged community citizenship.

If this isn’t enough encouragement, along with the University being known for being a bit steep when it comes to costs, once admitted the University offers need based fellowships. From there, as shared with the three graduates, the whole Harvard experience entails a whole return on investment as you graduate with on hand learning experiences through case studies, countless career opportunities presented before you, and a wide range of connections.

For the past five months as the administrator for the HBS Club of the Philippines, I’ve met an array of graduates — all working in different industries with different stories of how they’ve come to be where they are now and each never fail to amaze me on how they embody leadership, that certain drive to succeed, and that sense of embodiment in community citizenship.

So if you’re an average Filipino like me, or even a CEO of a big corporation, looking into graduate school, we shouldn’t be afraid of this institution of higher education. Instead, we should look forward to what experiences it has to offer. See you there, future classmate!