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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Stop wasting your time on forums and Youtube videos that claim to reveal the secret of the HBS interview. Work with Devi!

After receiving the HBS interview invite, I spent hours reviewing countless articles and videos to prepare and decided to buy coaching sessions with Devi. I came to the 1st mock with Devi as if it was the real interview and was really confident. I was ready as I asked several friends to review my material and did multiple mock interviews. I thought I did well, but the reality was cruel... the performance was terrible.

Devi went straight to the point and gave me feedback and tips to improve, and most importantly what kind of structured answers I should give. I was using the STAR method but my answers were either lacking details or too long.

Because of her help, I improved over time (she always gave me homework after each session) and really knew how to approach the interview. She imparted practical knowledge to me, and eventually I became more confident and ready to answer any questions I would be asked.

Thank you Devi for being a tremendous coach!

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During the mock interview, Nisha walked us through every single step of the process, which made the real thing much less daunting! Her tips were clear and applicable for the real interview. She also takes time to provide everyone with personal feedback, and you've got time to ask her all your questions as well. The mock is a great way to test your strategies for the interview and see what works or doesn't work, as well as what can be improved. The group interview can be daunting, so this is a great way to lower your stress level on D-day!

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When I received an invitation to interview at my dream school (HBS), I was in shock. On the one hand, I was proud for surviving the toughest filter in the application process. On the other hand, I felt very anxious figuring out how to nail this interview (especially since I had already failed the interview at other three top-tier business schools).

Today, I am happy to report that I was admitted into Harvard Business School. I owe this accomplishment in great part to Katy Lewis, who became my mentor throughout the interview process, and prepared me to crush it. More specifically, Katy helped me in three ways:

1. We did 2 mock interviews before my real interview at HBS. As a Latin American candidate, who speaks English as a second language, these mock interviews helped me to relax and get comfortable telling my story in English.
2. Katy knows very well how HBS admission officers conduct their interviews, and what kind of questions they like to ask. Therefore, practicing with her helped to reflect on the answer to several questions that were actually asked in the real interview.
3. Finally, Katy provided me with very detailed feedback at the end of each mock interview, pinpointing the answers in which I had an opportunity for improvement. I really appreciate how honest and direct she was. In some cases, she helped me to strengthen my wording in order to communicate my story in a more crisp and clear manner. In other cases, we restructured my entire answer because the message I was conveying was not helping me to build up my case.

Overall, I am thankful for finding Katy and being able to work with her. Before our sessions, I was tired of reading over and over again about the importance of “being myself” and “enjoying” the interview process without actually understanding what these clichés meant. I regret not having Katy’s guidance throughout my first three interviews with other schools. I am glad that I met her just in time to get into my dream school.

I highly recommend her!

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I worked with Katy to prepare for my R1 HBS interview and I can't say enough about the experience. She's extremely knowledgeable about the application/interview/admissions process and knew exactly where to push me in my prep. We did two mock interviews where she drilled me on my professional experience, extracurricular activities and post-MBA goals. The mock interviews closely resembled what my actual HBS interview experience was like, with several questions / themes resurfacing during the real thing. She gave detailed advise as to how I should position myself given my background and professional experience (white male, private equity, etc.). I especially appreciated the fact that I never felt like I was "on the clock" with her - she genuinely wanted me to succeed and was willing to do whatever it took to help me prepare. Overall, Katy was extremely helpful in my MBA application process and I would highly recommend working with her.

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Katy not only read through my whole application to prepare for the mock sessions but also provided me with a great number of extremely helpful tips about selecting schools and reapplication. Katy also generously gave me a 20min call after I received my offers to help me make my decision.

Katy sincerely cares about me as a person and she is always there for me. I will definitely come back to katy if i decide to reapply to HBS and Stanford in the future! Honestly my biggest regret for my past application season is to not meet Katy early enough to have her as my admissions consultant.

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Profile:
Male, Caucasian, 730 GMAT, Top-40 Undergrad College
Accepted: Stanford
I worked with another mbaMission consultant for most of the application process (Liza Weale—she was absolutely amazing!), but in order to get an additional perspective going into my Stanford interview, she connected me with Jeremy. Jeremy went above and beyond the call of duty helping me prep for this interview. Not only did he make time to do a mock with me while he was on a family vacation, but he also offered to talk with me a second time the night before the interview to make sure I felt fully prepped going into it. He was straight up with me, offering both encouragement/praise and opportunities to get better (with suggestions of little tweaks to come off stronger). He gave me the confidence that I belong at the table of somewhere like Stanford (something I had a bit of self-doubt about) and helped me feel ready and excited going into the interview. I came out of the interview feeling as though it went as well as it could have and I can’t thank Jeremy enough for his help making this happen.

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I had trial consultations with three other firms and wasn’t satisfied with their processes or their overt salesmanship. Katy was the first admissions consultant who took the time to fully read and digest my resume and story of why I wanted an MBA without trying to push a package. She understood me and my non-traditional story immediately and had first-hand experience with the schools to which I was applying. So, after I was invited to interview at Berkeley Haas, I purchased a mock interview specifically with her. One of the greatest things about her is that she remembered speaking to me 3 months prior during our trial consultation and was genuinely excited that I got an interview.

She sent me prep work before our mock interview to help me understand the intricacies of the Haas interview as well as general b-school interviewing tips from her own experiences. During our mock interview, she took the time to ask me many more questions than my real interviewer would, ensuring no stone was left unturned. She actively took notes and gave suggestions on how to improve answers and what to stay away from. After the mock interview, she sent me several pages of extremely detailed notes on my own responses and all of the critical talking points we spoke about that I needed to hit. My real interview with Berkeley Haas went fantastic thanks to her prep and I was accepted to the program (as well as UCLA Anderson). I strongly recommend Katharine Lewis to anyone who needs help figuring things out or someone to practice interviewing with. She’s a true professional who actually cares about your success. I will be attending Berkeley Haas in the fall thanks to her!

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Katy went above and beyond helping me prepare for the interview process! As someone who previously did not have a great deal of interviewing experience, I sought out Katy before my interviews - it was the best decision I made in 2018! She systematically went through question after question with me, helping me frame my answers. She helped me understand the interview process from the admissions committee’s point-of-view, and she gave me confidence in my answers. I cannot express how much her help meant to me. When you work with Katy, she treats you like family. She cares tremendously for the success of her students! Katy is outstanding in every way!

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