In this episode of The mbaMission Podcast, mbaMission Senior Consultant Harold Simansky and Founder Jeremy Shinewald speak with Shari Hubert, associate dean of admissions at Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, about evaluating applicants’ readiness, character, and capacity to contribute to the MBA program’s collaborative learning environment.
Being invited to interview with one of your target MBA programs is a real achievement. Most top schools extend invitations to only 8%–33% of their applicant pool, so reaching this stage means that your written application has already cleared the bar.
The goal of your admissions interview is not to be flawless but to be authentic. Admissions committees are evaluating whether you are self-aware, can communicate clearly, are able to offer specifics, and match the candidate they read about in your application.
In this post, we lay out our ten-step interview preparation system, including concrete answer frameworks and a practice plan you can use in the week before your interview.
At mbaMission, we emphasize the need for effective written communication. Indeed, gaining admission to your target business school involves no real “trick”—earning that coveted letter of acceptance depends on your ability to tell your story in a compelling way and in your own words. But is good grammar vital to good communication? And if so, will your recommender’s bad grammar be detrimental to your chances?
Whether you are getting ready for business school, looking to change jobs, or wanting to excel in your current role, we think you will appreciate these recent career-related articles that caught our attention.
Two applicants apply to Harvard Business School (HBS) with near-identical test scores, GPAs, and career trajectories. One earns an interview invitation. The other does not. More often than applicants expect, the recommendation letter is what separates them.
Your recommendation letter is the only part of your application where someone else speaks for you, and when it is done well, it can be the most persuasive document in your entire file. For the Class of 2027, HBS admitted just 11.3% of applicants—943 candidates from a pool of 9,409. When two applicants look nearly identical on paper, a detailed, credible recommendation letter is often what tips the balance.
A first-of-its-kind, on-demand MBA application experience that delivers a personalized curriculum for you and leverages interactive tools to guide you through the entire MBA application process.
Click here for the 2025–2026 MBA Essay Tips
