Attention Class 2009!

Attention Class of 2009! This information has been forwarded by an alumnus, and it sounds very interesting.

-June

- -

HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL LAUNCHES NEW HBS 2+2 PROGRAM™

Groundbreaking deferred admissions approach seeks undergraduates who may not have considered business education

BOSTON - Harvard Business School (HBS) today unveiled HBS 2+2, a first-of-its-kind deferred MBA admissions program designed to reach qualified college students, especially those who may not typically consider business as a career path or business education as a future option.

This unique program will give 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. Some of the world's leading organizations such as Google and Teach for America have signed up as recruiting partners, receptive to hiring 2+2's for the work experience component of the program.

Harvard Business School will reach out to high-achieving college juniors 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.

Undergraduates will be eligible to apply to the HBS 2+2 Program by July 1, after the conclusion of their junior year of college. They will be notified of the School's decision in September of their senior year.

"Young men and women today enjoy a far wider array of educational and career options than ever before," said Professor Carl Kester, Harvard Business School's Deputy Dean for Academic Affairs. "With this program, we want to reach a new group of applicants and encourage them to see the versatility, value, and opportunity provided by a Harvard MBA degree as they set out to make a difference in the world."

"Many undergraduates underestimate the versatility of an MBA and the positive effect it can have on many careers. In reality, MBA graduates, and HBS graduates in particular, are working in a wide variety of positions in many diverse fields," said Kester. "Students who come through the HBS 2+2 Program will get real life experience, an understanding of business, and the critical thinking skills taught at HBS that will help them be influential leaders in whatever field they choose to work."

The notion that prospective MBA students must have worked for five or six years before applying to business school has become almost accepted wisdom. But Harvard Business School believes that there is no single profile for the successful MBA applicant, and that by reaching this group of talented and younger students sooner, HBS will be able to have an even greater impact on their lives and their careers.

"College students are at an important juncture during their junior year," said Andrea Kimmel, who directs the HBS 2+2 Program. "HBS 2+2 will help to open their minds to a host of new career and education options available to them as they set forth on their journey of exploration after college."

A unique feature of HBS 2+2 is that admitted students will receive assistance from the School in finding a job for the two years between their college graduation and full-time matriculation at HBS. As many as 100 organizations, including Google, Teach for America, The Clorox Company, and McKinsey & Company, are expected to serve as recruiting partners to facilitate the job search process.

"Google believes that attracting diverse and talented employees is key to our continued growth and innovation," said Kim Scott, Google's Director of Online Sales and Operations. "This program will give us another channel to find people with broad talents and skills who might not traditionally look at either a business degree or a tech company, but can be highly successful here."

"Teach For America is pleased to partner with HBS 2+2 in recruiting our nation's most promising future leaders -- individuals who will ultimately hold leadership roles across every sector from business to policy to medicine to education and related social sectors -- to our mission of ending educational inequity," said Wendy Kopp, Teach For America's CEO and founder. "Our growing alumni force provides important examples of the impact that individuals with training in business can have in effecting education reform and social change, and we are excited about partnering with HBS to make that training all the more accessible to those who commit themselves to lives of civic and educational leadership."

During their two year-work experience, students accepted through HBS 2+2 will participate in on-campus summer academic programs that will allow them to experience HBS classes taught by HBS faculty as well as meet their fellow classmates.

HBS 2+2 admits will have a dedicated career coach and access to strategic career coaching advice through the self-assessment on-line tool CareerLeader-College™ (developed by HBS). They will also be able to use a dedicated website to connect with both current HBS students and their program peers.

HBS anticipates that the 2+2 Program will grow to about five to ten percent of the 900 member incoming Harvard MBA class over the next several years.

Applications for the first group of HBS 2+2 candidates are due by July 1, 2008. Interested students can find more information at www.hbs.edu/2+2 or contact 617-495-6128.

About Harvard Business School
Founded in 1908 as part of Harvard University, Harvard Business School (www.hbs.edu) is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Using the case method of instruction, an interactive approach that presents students with the kinds of real issues and decisions managers face every day, the School's world-class faculty offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 70 Executive Education programs. For almost a century, HBS professors have drawn on their research, their experience in working with organizations worldwide, and their passion for teaching to educate leaders who have shaped the practice of business around the globe.