Attending HBS’s Peek Weekend

If you’re a college student with an eye on business school as a possibility, it’s not too early to start doing some groundwork. An example is attending Peek Weekend at Harvard Business School.

 HBS launched Peek Weekend in 2015 as a way for undergrads to learn what getting an MBA in general, and getting an MBA at HBS in particular, is all about.

 College students graduating in 2018, 2019 or 2020 can apply to attend Peek Weekend (sorry, freshmen). Over the course of the weekend, students live on campus, attend classes taught with HBS’s case method, and interact with HBS students, alumni, faculty and staff.

 Peek Weekend has always emphasized making HBS more visible to students who otherwise might not apply to HBS, or even for an MBA at all.

 It began as an event for candidates from women’s colleges. Later, it expanded to include prospective students from women’s colleges, STEM majors and family businesses.

 Now, all college students are eligible, but the application process gives preference to students who “have not had academic or professional exposure (including internships) to business or business-related fields.” 

So what are the advantages of attending Peek Weekend? Is it worth the $200 attendance cost? 

For one thing, Peek Weekend is a way to learn about HBS. Clearly, Peek Weekend is a marketing tool for HBS and an opportunity for you to find out more about the school. 

But I think there’s more to it than that. If you apply to HBS down the road, having gone to Peek Weekend might turn out to be a plus for your application.

 It’s true that attending Peek Weekend won’t automatically strengthen your case for admissions. But attending Peek Weekend and making a positive impression once you’re there won’t go unnoticed if you do apply. 

After all, on HBS’s application, the school asks which programs (including Peek Weekend) you’ve participated in. If it didn’t matter at all, why in the world would they ask in the application? 

So if you’re able to attend, it won’t hurt (assuming you don’t behave obnoxiously at Peek Weekend, anyway!). It might even give you a little bit of an edge if you do end up submitting an application – and at a school as competitive as HBS, any advantage matters. 

This year’s Peek Weekend runs June 8-10, and the application deadline is April 18. For more information, see the Peek Weekend 2018 web page.

 And if you want to know how your application will stack up at HBS or what other schools might be a good fit, get in touch with us – we’ll give you a free assessment!