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Package Description:
Full-service application support for Harvard Business School, designed for candidates who want every piece of their HBS application strategically positioned and rigorously executed. The work centers on building an application that's coherent, specific, and unmistakably you - not a generic admissions formula. The engagement begins with a comprehensive intake and narrative discovery session. We work to surface the through-line in your career: the story that ties your accomplishments together and points clearly toward where you're going. From there, we develop the strategic positioning specific to HBS: where your story aligns with what HBS evaluates, where it needs sharpening, and how to frame the moments in your career that will land with an admissions reader. The HBS essay gets the depth of attention it deserves. We work iteratively through multiple substantive drafts (typically 5–8 rounds), refining structure, voice, and impact until the essay is genuinely strong. Beyond the essay, the package covers a polished resume crafted specifically for HBS, strategic recommendation letter guidance (choosing the right two recommenders and briefing them effectively), the activities and short-answer sections, and the post-MBA career goals framing. If you're invited to interview, full HBS interview preparation is included. We do thorough mock interviews, work through your specific story arc, and prepare for the kinds of questions HBS interviewers actually ask. The post-interview reflection is also fully covered. Throughout the engagement, you have direct messaging access for time-sensitive questions, and we meet live for strategy work and substantive drafting sessions across the application cycle.
What you'll get from this package
A comprehensive narrative discovery process that surfaces the through-line in your career and positions you specifically for HBS
A polished, finalized HBS essay through multiple iterative drafts (typically 5–8 substantive rounds)
A strategic positioning document tailored specifically to HBS — what they're looking for and how your profile fits
An HBS-optimized resume crafted to highlight the markers HBS specifically evaluates
Strategic recommendation letter guidance — choosing the right 2 recommenders, briefing them effectively, and ensuring their letters work in concert with your application
Activities and short-answer sections optimized for impact
A locked-in round strategy (R1 vs R2) based on your specific timeline and profile
Full HBS interview preparation including mock interviews, story refinement, and HBS-specific question coverage (when invited to interview)
Post-interview reflection support — fully covered within the package
Direct messaging access throughout the engagement, with same-day or next-day response during peak season
Additional details
Coaching delivered via live sessions and .
This package combines live 1-on-1 video sessions with asynchronous review of essay drafts, application materials, and direct messaging access throughout the engagement. We meet live for strategy work, substantive drafting sessions, and key inflection points in the cycle - typically every week during the lead-up to the application, stepping up to weekly or more frequent sessions as deadlines approach. My approach is structured and direct. On the HBS essay specifically, I work iteratively rather than trying to "fix" drafts in two passes - most candidates go through 5–8 substantive drafts before the essay is genuinely strong. I'm honest in feedback, but I'm also a real partner through every round. I also serve as an alumni interviewer for Columbia Business School admissions, which gives me a current, first-hand perspective on what selective adcoms are actually evaluating in candidates, perspective that informs how I coach HBS candidates through both essays and interviews. The candidates I work best with for HBS are professionals with real career achievements, a clear sense of where they're going, and the willingness to do the iterative work that elite MBA essays actually require. HBS rewards depth, specificity, and authenticity, not generic admissions formulas. The candidates who treat the work seriously are the ones who produce applications that stand out.
Engagement timeline: This package is designed to be completed across approximately 3–5 months, ideally beginning 4–6 months before your target round deadline. Earlier starts produce stronger essays and a more strategic application. Later starts can be accommodated for candidates with imminent deadlines, with adjusted timeline expectations. School scope: This package covers the Harvard Business School application only. Candidates applying to additional schools should consider Multi-School MBA Application packages (3 schools or 5 schools) or layer additional school packages onto this engagement. Live sessions: 1-on-1 video sessions are scheduled at mutually convenient times via my calendar, typically 60–90 minutes each. During peak season (the weeks leading up to round deadlines), session frequency increases as needed. Cancellations require 24 hours notice; no-shows or late cancellations count toward the engagement. Response time: I respond to messages within 24 hours on weekdays and within 48 hours on weekends. During peak season, most responses are same-day. Essay revisions: HBS essay revisions are unlimited until the essay is final. There is no cap on draft rounds — my commitment is to keep working until the essay is genuinely strong. Interview support: Full HBS interview preparation is included if you are invited to interview. This includes mock interviews, story refinement, school-specific question preparation, and post-interview reflection support. If you are not invited to interview, the interview prep portion of the package does not transfer to other use. Final review: A final review of the complete application is included before submission. Refunds: Refunds are available on a pro-rated basis for unused hours within the first 30 days of engagement. After 30 days, this package is non-refundable. Unused hours remain available throughout the application cycle.
Services included:
Recommendations
Interviews
Ding Analysis
Waitlist Strategy
School Selection
Secondary Review
Application Strategy
Essays
Resume
Supplementary Materials
Editing
Talk to a team member
Schedule a call with a Leland team member who can help you explore your options.
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More packages from Simi
Custom hourly · $300/hr
Get help with Recommendations, Interviews, and .
Offered by Simi K.
Joined February 2024
Admissions Expert | Columbia MBA | 15 Years of M7 & Top School Admits
I've spent the last 16+ years helping ambitious applicants get into the world's most competitive MBA programs, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, MIT Sloan, Yale SOM, and Booth. Across 200+ MBA clients, 95% have been admitted to at least one of their top-choice programs, and over half have received scholarship money. I graduated from NYU Summa Cum Laude with a double major in Economics and English, and earned my MBA from Columbia Business School in 2020, where I focused on Strategy and Entrepreneurship. That gives me a current, first-hand perspective on what M7 adcoms are actually looking for. My career in this work started in Singapore, at a test prep and admissions firm I helped expand into Shanghai, running tutoring and admissions consulting in both markets before coming back to New York to found my own practice. That international background means I'm equally comfortable working with US candidates and applicants from Asia, Europe, and beyond, particularly the kinds of candidates who often have the strongest stories but the hardest time articulating them: finance professionals reinventing themselves, engineers making a pivot, non-traditional career switchers. My work focuses on coherence. Most applicants arrive with strong but scattered material: a real career, real accomplishments, but no through-line. My job is to help you find the narrative that ties it all together, build a school list that's strategic (not aspirational), and turn essays into the strongest part of your application instead of the most stressful. If you want a structured, results-focused partner, let's talk.
$6,500
25h–35h of coaching