The class profile is now posted on our website. Please note that this is PRELIMINARY as of today, July 1. Any changes will be reflected in the FINAL profile, which we will post when classes begin in September.

Apologies for being such an infrequent blogger or "updater" or whatever I am trying to do here. I offer only three excuses. The first is that most of our efforts these days have been directed towards nailing down the entering class and figuring out who's coming, who's not, etc. I really do hope to be able to post a profile in the next couple of weeks. The second is that we're already in "outreach" mode for the Class of 2012. I was in Shanghai in mid-June hosting a reception for prospective candidates and connecting with the new admits who will be joining us this September. The third is that last week we welcomed the first cohort of 2+2 admits to their summer program on campus and I wanted to spend every possible moment getting to know them individually and watching them interact in the HBS classroom sessions. Enough excuses.

When are we going to launch the application for the Class of 2012? Answer: July 10. The actual application will go live on that day but the essay questions are posted on our website already.

Look for another message soon about our outreach calendar, telling you what you can expect at an HBS event and what to do if you are unable to attend one.

Here we go... the essay questions and application calendar for next year's season are up on the website.

Please note that the Round One application deadline is October 1 — a bit earlier than last year — and notification is in mid-December. We've also pushed the Round Two application deadline back to January 19 while keeping the notification date in early April. Both of these moves are attempts to shorten the wait time for candidates... we really do understand how hard it is to wait.

More about outreach events and summer activities on campus later.

Beginning with the Class of 2012, HBS will accept only the Internet Based Test (IBT) version of the TOEFL or the IELTS as tests of English as a foreign language. The TOEFL or IELTS is required of applicants who did not use English as the language of instruction in their undergraduate education. In our discussion-based, case method classroom, we have found that speaking ability (along with strong listening, reading and writing skills) is critical to success. Therefore, we need to see speaking scores in order to evaluate applicants appropriately; both the IELTS and the TOEFL IBT have speaking components. The IBT version of the TOEFL is available in all testing centers.