The Managing Director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid at Harvard Business School, Rupal Gadhia, joins us for this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series.
Rupal Gadhia graduated with an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2004. Her post-HBS career began in brand management with Sara Lee and Campbell Soup Company, followed by a move to Booz & Co as a management consultant. Leveraging her passion for brand and consulting, she joined the Brand Union, managing North American strategy and research for consumer and corporate clients and was recruited to Interbrand to lead the relationship for two of their largest clients.
In 2017, she was recruited to Genpact as global vice president of brand and digital marketing and helped guide the company through a brand transformation, leading a global team made up of the creative, editorial, talent marketing, digital, social, and brand groups. In her most recent pre-HBS role, Gadhia was senior vice president and global head of marketing for SharkNinja’s robots and home environment categories, where she focused on bringing new innovations to market. Gadhia re-joined HBS as managing director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid in October 2023.
In this interview, Gadhia shares what to expect from this year’s application process, her highlights of the MBA program, and what sets HBS apart.
Clear Admit: What is one aspect of your MBA program that you wish applicants knew more about?
Rupal Gadhia: Our entrepreneurship ecosystem. Many applicants know that HBS has a strong entrepreneurial community, but they may not realize just how deeply entrepreneurship is woven into the student experience.
Entrepreneurship is both a mindset and a career path at HBS. MBA students begin exploring entrepreneurship through a first-year course, The Entrepreneurial Manager, and can continue through a wide range of electives, startup-focused programs, and experiential learning opportunities. Last year alone, 155 members of the Class of 2025 launched their own businesses directly after graduation.
What stands out to me is how much support exists for students who want to turn an idea into reality. First-year students can participate in Startup Bootcamp, an immersive, hands-on experience where they test ideas and learn the realities of building an early-stage venture.
Students can then continue through programs like the Rock Venture Catalyst, which provides funding, coaching, and mentorship to founders building their ventures over the summer, and the New Venture Competition, where students can showcase promising business and social impact ventures and compete for funding to help bring their ideas to life.
Whether a student hopes to launch a startup, join an early-stage company, or bring an entrepreneurial mindset to a larger organization, HBS provides countless opportunities to innovate and build.
CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision?
RG: We have two application rounds. You can apply by September 9, 2026 (Round 1) or January 5, 2027 (Round 2) to enroll in the fall of 2027. We encourage you to apply in the round that makes the most sense for you and when your application is at its strongest. Once a deadline has passed, we begin our review.
Our process is a very human one. Every MBA application is carefully reviewed by multiple members of our admissions team. We read and reread applications, spending as much time as needed to make thoughtful decisions about each candidate.
The next step is an interview. Beforehand, your interviewer reviews your application thoroughly in preparation for the 30-minute conversation. The interview gives us an opportunity to learn more about you and meet the person behind the application.
The final step is the Post-Interview Reflection, an opportunity to share any additional thoughts following the interview and have the final word in your application. An honest and authentic approach works best.
Once the Post-Interview Reflection is submitted and your interviewer’s feedback is added to the file, we review the application again before making final decisions, which are released on the designated notification date.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read an essay? Are there common mistakes applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing candidates should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
RG: This year’s application includes three essay prompts, each aligned to one of our admissions criteria. While we evaluate candidates across all aspects of the application, the essays provide an opportunity to speak directly to the Admissions Board about the experiences, perspectives, and aspirations that have shaped you. Joint degree applicants will complete an additional essay specific to their program of interest.
The most helpful essays build on the rest of your application and offer insight that cannot be found elsewhere in your materials. As you write, focus on being authentic. The strongest essays clearly reflect who you are and what matters most to you.
This year’s essay prompts are:
Business-Minded: Please reflect on how your choices have influenced your career path and aspirations. (Up to 300 words)
Leadership-Focused: What experiences have shaped how you invest in others and how you lead? (Up to 250 words)
Growth-Oriented: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (Up to 250 words)
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately what percentage of applicants are invited to interview, who typically conducts interviews, and what should candidates expect in terms of interview style and format?
RG: The interview is our opportunity to get to know you better. After applications are reviewed, a subset of candidates is invited to interview. While an interview is a positive indicator of interest, it is just one component of our holistic evaluation process.
An HBS interview lasts 30 minutes and is conducted by a member of the Admissions Board who has reviewed your application. Candidates may interview on campus, in a domestic or international hub city, or virtually via Zoom. If you choose to interview on campus, we encourage you to spend the day exploring HBS through a variety of activities and opportunities to engage with our community.
Because the interview is a conversation about you, it is tailored to your experiences and application. We may discuss your professional experiences, leadership examples, career aspirations, or topics raised elsewhere in your application. Through this conversation, we hope to learn more about what has shaped you, how you lead, and the impact you hope to make in the organizations and communities you plan to serve.
Our advice is simple: relax, be yourself, and be prepared to talk about your experiences and aspirations.
CA: Conversations about MBA value often center on jobs, salaries, and ROI. What are some of the other ways students benefit from the MBA experience that may be harder to quantify upfront?
RG: One of the most valuable benefits of the HBS experience is the development of judgment.
At HBS, we help students build the confidence to navigate complex decisions when the stakes are real and the information is incomplete. We do not teach our MBA students what to think. Instead, through the case method and interactions with classmates, faculty, and leaders from around the world, students learn how to weigh competing perspectives, make decisions amid uncertainty, and understand the human consequences of those decisions.
We think of leadership as a muscle that is strengthened through practice, and the case method gives students the opportunity to build that muscle every day. This becomes even more important in the age of AI. As technology becomes increasingly capable of generating information and recommendations, leaders will need to exercise judgment about which questions to ask, which tradeoffs to make, and how decisions affect people and communities. The specific challenges leaders face will evolve over time, but the ability to exercise sound judgment will remain valuable throughout a career.
CA: Are there any trends in the applicant pool, admissions process, or MBA experience that you are particularly focused on right now?
RG: Artificial intelligence. It is difficult to think of a trend that is having a bigger impact on business, leadership, and management education right now. What excites me most is the way HBS is preparing students not only to lead effectively in a world being transformed, but to understand and leverage AI.
At HBS, AI is integrated throughout the MBA experience. Every first-year student takes Data Science and AI for Leaders, and students continue exploring AI through cases, electives, experiential learning opportunities, and conversations with faculty and practitioners at the forefront of the field. For example, students can participate in AI Project Show & Tell events, where they showcase AI projects they have built, receive feedback from peers and mentors, and learn from one another’s experimentation and innovation. We want every student to graduate with the technical fluency to understand AI’s capabilities and limitations, as well as the judgment needed to navigate the opportunities and challenges it creates. As technology continues to evolve, our goal is to prepare leaders who can harness these tools responsibly while helping their organizations adapt and thrive.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about your MBA program or admissions process?
RG: If there is one thing I would like prospective applicants to remember, it is this: don’t count yourself out.
One of the most common things I hear when I travel is that someone is interested in HBS but is not sure they are a competitive enough candidate. What many applicants do not realize is that we are intentionally building an MBA class composed of people with a wide range of professional, academic, and lived experiences. There is no single background, industry, or career path that defines an HBS student. If HBS is a place where you believe you can learn, grow, and contribute, I encourage you to apply. Have confidence in the perspective you would bring to the classroom and community.
I also know that the cost of an MBA can feel daunting. We do not want finances to stand in the way of talented students pursuing an HBS education. Nearly half of our students receive need-based scholarships, and the average recipient receives approximately $100,000 in scholarship support over two years. Beyond tuition assistance, HBS offers resources such as summer fellowships and career support to help students pursue opportunities that align with their goals. An MBA is a significant investment, but it is also an investment in yourself, your leadership, and your future. We are committed to helping students understand their options and making HBS accessible to every admitted student.
