Blog

HBS Interview Invitations Will Go Out on February 3: How to Prepare

Harvard Business School

Harvard Business School

In a January 28 blog post,  Harvard Business School announced that Round 2 interview invitations will go out on Wednesday, February 3, 2021,  at noon eastern time. HBS will send interview updates via the application status page of the program’s MBA Admissions and Financial Aid Portal. All interviews will be conducted virtually via Zoom. Those who are not invited to interview will be released from the process. 

Now is the time to get ready for this crucial step in your application process! Check out these important resources created by mbaMission specifically for HBS interview candidates.

INTENSIVE SIMULATION

Prepare for Your HBS Interview with a Former HBS Interviewer: Devi Vallabhaneni, mbaMission

Prepare for Your HBS Interview with a Former HBS Interviewer: Devi Vallabhaneni, mbaMission

Devi Vallabhaneni, a veteran admissions interviewer with years of experience interviewing hundreds of HBS candidates and who now serves as mbaMission’s Managing Director/HBS Interviewer in Residence, is offering sessions online via webcam to help applicants prepare for the real thing. The live interview simulation includes the following components:

  • Two or more 30-minute interview experiences customized to your application: Before your first session, Devi will spend several hours reviewing your written application, following the same process she used when conducting candidate interviews for HBS. This allows her to target her questions based on what she discovers about you from your application.
  • Personalized feedback: After each interview session, Devi will provide you with targeted feedback, talking you through her impressions and offering strategic advice for improving your HBS interview skills.
  • A reflection period: You will have time between your interview sessions with Devi to internalize the feedback and adjust accordingly before trying again.
  • Post-interview reflection support: Intensive simulation clients who are not already working with an mbaMission consultant can have Devi provide targeted support on the post-interview reflection.

For more information, please visit our HBS Intensive Interview Simulation page. To be added to the HBS Intensive Interview Simulation waitlist, please email [email protected]; you will receive an email containing instructions to sign up after HBS releases interview invitations. 

MOCK INTERVIEW AND POST-INTERVIEW REFLECTION SUPPORT

Another resource to help you prepare is our HBS Mock Interview and Post-Interview Reflection Support service. Through it, you work with an experienced mbaMission Senior Consultant or Managing Director who will have read your entire HBS application and prepared customized questions based on your candidacy. Via Q&A, feedback, and thorough response planning, we will help you improve the content of your answers, your time management skills, and your overall presentation.

HBS asks all interviewed applicants to write a post-interview essay and submit it within 24 hours of their interview. This essay has no word limit, and HBS suggests that candidates think of it as an email they would write to a friend or colleague, rather than as a formal essay.

As part of our targeted HBS interview package, an mbaMission advisor will help you strategize your approach to this special essay. Your consultant will also review a draft of the essay and provide feedback intended to assist you in making it stronger and more effective. Please note that because the HBS Admissions Office explicitly states that applicants are not to write anything in advance or receive outside help with this essay, your mbaMission consultant will not edit your writing but will instead offer detailed strategic direction via comments only.

To purchase your HBS mock interview preparation session, click here!

HBS INTERVIEW GUIDE

Download your complimentary copy of mbaMission’s Harvard Business School Interview Guide today.

In creating our interview guides, we have drawn on countless communications with MBA students, alumni, admissions officers, and applicants, in addition to our vast library of interview reports submitted by current and past clients. Our HBS Interview Guide provides the following information:

  • Insight into what the school is evaluating and hoping to gain from the interview
  • An explanation of the school’s approach to interviewing (e.g., self-scheduled or invite only, blind versus comprehensive)
  • Past applicants’ firsthand accounts of their interview experiences and multiple sample interview question sequences
  • Tips on preparing for and responding to questions that most often vex applicants
  • Help in formulating compelling questions of your own

FREE INTERVIEW WORKSHOP

Find out exactly what you need to do to prepare for your interview during our free “MBA Interview Workshop” webinar on February 18, 2021. Led by mbaMission Senior Consultant Nisha Trivedi, the webinar will cover the following topics: 

  • Best practices to help you prepare for and succeed in your business school interviews
  • The different types of interviews you may encounter
  • What admissions committees are looking for
  • Tips for time management

Enroll for free today

Good luck to all Round 2 applicants! If you believe you can benefit from one of our interview planning services—or would simply like more information on the process—feel free to contact us anytime!




Upcoming Events


Upcoming Deadlines

  • Dartmouth Tuck (Round 3)
  • London Business School (Round 3)
  • Texas McCombs (Round 3)
  • Vanderbilt Owen (Round 4)
  • Berkeley Haas (Round 4)
  • Penn State Smeal (Round 4)
  • Penn Wharton (Round 3)
  • Columbia (Round 3)
  • Northwestern Kellogg (Round 3)
  • Virginia Darden (Round 3)
  • Chicago Booth (Round 3)
  • Michigan Ross (Round 3)
  • MIT Sloan (Round 3)
  • Stanford GSB (Round 3)
  • Yale SOM (Round 3)
  • Cornell Johnson (Round 3)
  • UCLA Anderson (Round 3)
  • USC Marshall (Round 3)
  • Toronto Rotman (Round 4)
  • UNC Kenan-Flagler (Round 4)
  • Georgetown McDonough (Round 4)

Click here to see the complete deadlines


2023–2024 MBA Essay Tips

Click here for the 2022–2023 MBA Essay Tips


MBA Program Updates