HBS grad. CEO of Zumper.

HBS is like a Venture Capital fund. They make 900 bets a year, and hope that 5% of them will go off and change the world. They back big-thinking risk takers. Be one of them. In a sentence, you have to differentiate yourself in your essays and interviews. The single biggest skill I learned at HBS was how to make good decisions in the absence of perfect information. If you think about it, the HBS admissions board are in this very predicament themselves. They get to read your essays and then perhaps interview you for 30 minutes, but they'll never enjoy perfect information about you when they make their Yes/No call. And so, when you write your essays and attend your interview, do not hold back on how aggressive and world-altering your ambitions are. Be one of the 5%.