HBS: About Round 2

Harvard Business School (HBS) Director of Admissions and Financial Aid Dee Leopold, in her blog post answered the frequently asked question that Why doesn't HBS send out denials at the same time when it issues interview invitations?

Answering the above question, Dee said, "We don't send out final decisions until the notification date because we need to see the results of the interview process before we extend offers to join the waitlist. After we've finished interviewing, we want to make sure we are still considering enough candidates from certain profiles - which include nationality, gender, industry background, leadership styles...and other dimensions - to compose the overall portfolio of next year's class. This is why it is important for us to keep EVERY round 2 applicant under consideration until notification day. I know this process isn't perfect, but I am absolutely certain that it's thoughtful and thorough"

Read here: http://www.hbs.edu/mba/admissions/blog.html