Strengths:

The level of detail that was put into the mock interview process was phenomenal.

Would make the product better:

Nothing- It was an absolute pleasure working with mbaMission and Jessica

I believe without a shadow of a doubt that Jessica is the best in the business. I got an interview and knew, based on my past shortcomings in expressing clear and coherent thoughts in interviews, that I was ill-prepared for my upcoming interview. So going into the interview process, I decided that I couldn’t take any risks and needed to work with the best person I could find. This led me down a rabbit hole of YouTube videos through which I found Jessica.

I did a mock interview with Jessica in preparation for the actual interview. Based on the pre-mock interview materials I received, I knew right away that I had found the best person for the job. I really liked her strategy of emphasizing that I do not rehearse answers to common questions over and over again (which could have made me sound robotic), but to practice using tools she provided to help answer questions clearly and concisely no matter how differently the question is posed or how unexpected the question is.

I also got some additional guides and interview tips after my mock interview with Jessica and those were a boon. She really paid attention to the details including reviewing the application I had already submitted and tailoring the mock-interview to reflect what the actual interview could be like. In effect, there weren’t any questions I couldn’t have answered during the actual interview, which is huge considering the fact that I have lost some pretty big chances in the past from failing miserably at interviews. If you are considering Jessica, take my word, she is the best out there. I know this because I have worked with other consultants and none of them come close. Good luck!

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Interviewing always felt like the most daunting part of the MBA application process, so I signed up for coaching sessions with Katy primarily to prep for the notorious HBS interview. Not only did Katy ask questions that closely resembled my actual interview, but crucially she helped me perfect my answers and gave me the encouragement I needed to enter the real thing with total confidence!

Given Katy’s personal experience as an HBS alum, she was especially helpful in articulating exactly what makes HBS special, what the adcom is looking for, and how someone with a non-traditional background like myself (tech industry) should present their story. I really appreciated the thought Katy put into crafting a series of questions tailored to my application and her detailed feedback after each mock. Katy successfully demystified the HBS interview and truly transformed me as an interviewee! Beyond the practical help, Katy is simply lovely to work with – she is encouraging, super sharp, extremely knowledgeable, and genuinely connects with her clients.

The skills I honed with Katy didn’t just prepare me for HBS, they carried over into my GSB interview too, and I was ultimately accepted to both programs!! I could not have done it without Katy and I recommend her wholeheartedly to anyone prepping for interviews. She puts in the time, truly cares, and knows exactly how to elevate your game to the next level!

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Although I am not a fan of making absolute statements, I can tell you that Katy is by far the best MBA consultant you can work with. She has a truly informed perspective and "insider view" of how MBA admission committees think, is extremely generous with her time, and genuinely helped me prepare as best as I could for my interviews with both Wharton and HBS given her extensive experience. Unlike other consultants I interacted with before making a decision on who to work with, Katy's approach felt very personalised (she was always there to calm me down when I felt overwhelmed) and thorough which I really appreciated given my background from a small country such as Greece. Is it expensive? Yes. Is it worth every penny to maximise your chances of getting in? Also yes. In a journey such as this it is critical to work with someone who knows the ins-and-outs of the admission process. Trust me, work with Katy and you won't regret it.

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I reached out to Katy to prep for HBS 2+2 interview after seeing glowing reviews online, especially for deferred admissions. She did not disappoint. She is the best deferred admissions coach to work with and had a lot of knowledge and insights to bring to the table. For the mock interview, she also thoroughly reviewed my application and created a list of questions that were centered around my profile. I was extremely nervous initially and she even offered to have a second short warm-up session before my interview which made me feel more prepared. After the interview, she took the time to chat with me about my choices. I highly recommend Katy to any applicant out there hoping for the best shot at their dream schools.

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The answer is YES! When I got the HBS offer finally, there were too many people I want to say thank you. Among them, I think the critical person is my HBS mock interviewer Devi Vallabhaneni. I feel so lucky to know her from another HBS alumni, who also got huge help from Devi. He told me that Devi is very effective and sharp. I booked Devi’s mock session immediately. Although I only had one week left to my HBS interview, Devi still helped me arrange two mock sessions with qualified interval for me. I extremely enjoyed the mock sessions with Devi and her mock questions did happen in the real interview. One of the answers that Devi guided me also impressed my real interviewer of HBS because the real interviewer sent congratulations letter to me and mentioned that answer. Without Devi’s help and encouragement, I cannot improve so effectively and quickly. Devi told me the secret of interview. I felt so satisfied and happy after my real interview because I prepared almost every question and I knew my answer was sharpened by Devi’s professional advices. It’s Devi that helped me perform well and got HBS offer!
If you see this, trust me, Devi is the best and the highest ROI investment in your MBA application journey!

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What started as a mentoring-mentee relationship turned into almost a friendship at the end. Devi truly connected with me to learn more about my background and how that can help me in my interview. Every step of the way, she encouraged me to be my true self, and guess what, it worked!
Her tips are priceless. Her advice on your story is second to none!
What started as a mentoring-mentee relationship turned into almost a friendship at the end. Devi truly connected with me to learn more about my background and how that can help me in my interview. Every step of the way, she encouraged me to be my true self, and guess what, it worked!
Her tips are priceless. Her advice on your story is second to none!

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I partnered with Jessica during my reapplication process to prepare for the HBS interview and post-interview reflection. Her contributions were critical in me getting admitted to HBS.

I first spoke with Jessica when I was putting together my essay for HBS reapplication. While I came to the 30-minute free consultation with multiple, half-baked ideas, Jessica quickly grasped the essence of the story I wanted to convey and shared a couple of powerful narratives to shape my story better. She cut through the noise and helped me find the central theme for my essay. As a reapplicant, I had a bunch of questions that she answered extremely patiently and more importantly, candidly.

I reached out to Jessica again once I got invited to interview with HBS for interview preparation. During the mock interview, Jessica's diligence and preparation were visible as her questions covered the depth and breadth of my application. She has a great pulse of the admission committees’ though process and some of the mock interview questions came up in my final interview! Her feedback was well-rounded, focusing on the content of my answers as well as the softer aspects of communication. Thanks to her I felt confident walking into the interview.

However, the thing that stood out the most for me was Jessica's "at-cause professionalism". In a process that can be stressful due to tight timelines, she ensured timely discussions and delivery of deliverables. Even the one instance where she was unavailable, she let me know months in advance and ensured that I was tagged to another consultant for support. Jessica always went out of her way to share material/suggestions, irrespective of whether I was working with her or not.

While we worked together for only a few months, I wish I had come to her in my first year of applications. She is a wonderful thought partner to have by your side as you navigate through B-school applications.

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Katy did a terrific job of helping me discern what to highlight on my MBA applications. She took the time to understand my background and aspirations, helping me grasp the cultures of the programs to which I was applying. She was incredibly responsive throughout the application process. I wrote her a panicked request for help when one of my programs scheduled an interview for a mere three days down the road: Katy responded within 30 minutes and offered me a selection of time slots for a mock interview with her the next day. She gave me the confidence I needed to represent my genuine self on my MBA applications.

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Summary: I had a convoluted story and worked with multiple mock interviewers to prepare. Devi was by far the most prepared, gave the clearest and most actionable feedback, and seemed truly invested in my success. The HBS interview isn’t “hard” in the sense that the interviewers are warm and friendly, and generally don’t ask trick questions. During my preparation, I spoke with several people who had interviewed, both admitted and rejected; almost all of them said that they thought it had gone well. Also, most people who get an interview, especially from finance and consulting, already have experience with difficult, lengthy processes and have developed above average interview skills. That’s why it’s so important to prepare to a level far beyond what you think is necessary - the competition is not average.


HBS was my dream school, and I don’t think I would have got in without Devi. After receiving an invitation to interview, I thought that I could adequately prepare on my own. I’d made it through demanding, multi-round interview processes in investment banking before, and I figured that through extensive solo practice and preparation, I could get through the HBS interview successfully as well. After spending many hours watching videos, reading articles, writing out every example I could think of in the STAR method and practicing out loud, I still didn’t feel confident enough, and decided to work with Devi.

I approached my first session with Devi as if it were the actual HBS interview (suit and tie included). I was struck by how specific Devi’s questions were, and how intimately familiar she was with my application – there were no superficial or “fluff” questions. Some might have overlapped with things that I had seen in HBS interview guides, but Devi asked them in the context of my application in a way that I hadn’t thought of myself. When she asked me for my impression of the interview, I said that despite some wordy answers, I thought it had gone well. I’d certainly felt more confident about my performance than I had about successful banking interviews.

Devi disagreed, and provided me with very candid feedback on my approach to answering, and the depth of my answers. I had some uncommon professional experience and it was difficult to convey everything I’d done in my current position, so my natural inclination was to talk at a high level and not offer specific anecdotes. Devi taught me how to adapt my style to give a brief, high level answer, support it with multiple brief anecdotes, while making sure that I didn’t lose sight of the original question in my conclusion. It took multiple sessions to get to a point where I had truly internalized this approach, but there were substantial improvements in my performance between each successive session. It’s important to start as early as possible after receiving your interview invite so that you can properly space out the sessions and actually incorporate Devi’s feedback – it’s usually not minor advice that you can tweak at a moment’s notice!

Even if you can only do two sessions with Devi, it’s an incredibly accurate reflection of the actual HBS interview, and the feedback is invaluable in preparing. Devi is very invested in her clients’ success, and I can’t recommend working with her strongly enough, especially if your dream is HBS.

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I booked a mock interview session with Jen to prepare for my interview in Dec and the experience was far beyond my expectation.

Jen is knowledgeable and dedicated. I turned to Jen almost the last minute before my interview, but Jen still kindly booked a weekend session with me to fit my tight schedule. The Q&A part at the beginning of the session was full of insights, and in the following mock interview part I could clearly tell that Jen reviewed my application in detail and prepared for the mock interview carefully beforehand. We covered all the common questions and the tricky ones specific to my school, and Jen provided very meaningful feedback to each of my answers. The mock interview last longer and was more thorough than I had expected. I was impressed by the session not only because I was technically prepared for the interview, but also because I was emotionally ready. Jen effectively reduced my anxiety and cheered me up.

I would like to give my special thank you to Jen because even though I only booked one mock interview session, Jen gave me so much support during the two stressful weeks between my interview and my offer email. Thank you Jen for being a tremendous consultant and a trustworthy partner!

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