<p>I have a special situation, although likely not a unique one. I didn't give highschool 150%. I went to an independent study charter school, and was homeschooled before 9th grade. I was about a 3.7 of 4.0 GPA, I tested out when I was fifteen, and spent the rest of my time in community college figuring out what I wanted to do. During community college, I really didn't do great. I was a general B, with one or two C's. I left when I was 17.</p>
<p>Honestly, I really just didn't know what I wanted yet. I "jumped the gun" and skipped highschool before I was ready. I did not utitlize my time properly.</p>
<p>Well, now I am 18, and I do know what I want. I want to go to Harvard Business School. I know I would fit in there. In fact, I have 15-20 friends who go/have gone there. They are constantly telling me how much they appreciate the education they received, and telling me that I should do everything I can to get in. I know I can do it, and no one can tell me that I cannot. I am prepared to wait, if that's what it takes. Honestly, I cannot see myself fitting in anywhere else. I am perfectly prepared for the workload, as I particularly don't burn out when I'm doing what I love most.</p>
<p>My current plan is to go to another university for a year or so, and do my best there. I want to show that I do have endless passion for business and finance. I know I can get in, and I WILL get in. I'll do whatever it takes, because this is the perfect school for me. I'm an excellent people person, and I would love nothing more than to make myself and my partners more successful. I can do as much for Harvard as Harvard can do for me.</p>
<p>What I need is advice. Should I throw this plan out and take a completely different approach? Obviously, I'm not looking for any specific holy grail of Harvard, but a little guidance would be nice.</p>
<p>People can tell you that you can't, you know. Free country and stuff :) Honestly, you're setting yourself up to be devastated if you think your life will be over if you don't get into Harvard.</p>
<p>Get Real. There are thousands of kids trying to get a spot, and you think you can go in there with a worthless past, one year of intense studying, and get accepted? HBS is a life-long endeavor.</p>
<p>you don't have to go to Harvard undergrad to go to HBS. it may increase your chances, but if you get a bachelors degree and come out with a good GPA, some good internships, and a great GMAT score, then HBS is definitely a viable option</p>
<p>:-) That's the best thing I've heard all day. Thank you.</p>
<p>Has anyone heard of Liz Murray? She was born into a drug-addicted family, and was homeless at age 15. She went back to school, got her diploma, and got into Harvard.</p>
<p>I don't know if you've heard this before, but</p>
<p>Undergrad doesn't matter at all if you plan on going to grad school. it's what you do with your time as an undergrad that matters.</p>
<p>If I were you, I would stick with your plan of transferring to a nationally accredited university (i.e. not community college). From there, study hard and get internships, possibly cofound a business or whatever you business type majors do.</p>
<p>From what I've read, most students at the B school have been in the work force for a few years before they go to graduate school. The B school wants students with post undegraduate work experience, so getting that will be important, not just doing well as an undergrad.</p>
<p>there are many nontraditional applicants to HBS. unlike other graduate schools, there is not one particular skill set that is absolutely necessary to apply and so, though H may write on its website that a bachelor's degree is required for admission (i don't know if it is such or not, but it can easily be checked) this is not necessarily true, you can get into harvard business school without having graduated from college, there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule.</p>
<p>keep in mind that it is actually the rarity these days to go to business school directly after college. many, if not most, work for a few years before they apply to business school, in many cases an employer will pay for your education. thus for these applicants their time spent after college is well scrutinized by the admissions committee. if, as you say, HBS is the perfect place for you, then you probably have an entrepreneurial personality and spirit. you ought to start a company and see what you can do for the next few years. (getting a job with a firm that later feeds its employees into HBS for training is probably out of the question because they will be recruiting college grads, not you - unless you have connections). but, if you can start a business and show that you are good at it, not having a college degree wont matter. if you can't do that then perhaps you should pursue a more traditional route to HBS.</p>
<p>you don't need to get into harvard. there are plenty of great MBA programs across the country. Harvard is slightly better in academics but has prestige. the starting income is not even that different
the top 25 schools are all 100-117k a year. Not that big of a difference considering that true income comes from what you do with your position. If you plan on making that say figure for the rest of your life than God help you. You can do amazing things out of any state university if you truly have ability.</p>