Did you apply to Harvard Business School in the second round? If so, today is a big day for you!

You could be one of the lucky candidates who will receive an interview invitation. Dee announced in her blog that the first wave of interview invitations will be extended today and the second wave of invites on February 3.

Here are three simple things you must be clear on before you walk into your interview.

Know your application cold.

After reading through your application, the HBS adcom will generate a set of questions based to a large extent on the materials you submitted in your application.

Don’t be blindsided by the adcom by not having your application fresh on your mind before you go in for the interview.

For example, you should know what your recommenders said about you. You should proactively identify the holes in your application; every applicant has an Achilles heel so know yours and be ready to address it.

Know HBS!

Many applicants think they know the school. And yes, many do at a superficial level. But to really “get” the brand called HBS you have to drill deeper.

It’s more than reading their websites, watching a few videos, and even attending a class.

Ask yourself this question: “How will you define HBS people?” “What words come to mind when thinking of the students and alumni?”  “What does HBS value?”

Remember, the school’s mission is “To develop leaders who care about the wellbeing of society”. That’s probably a good place to start.

Impacting the world regardless of sector, industry, geography is what the school cares about. They want to know that you have the leadership potential to leave a mark. They also want to know you care—that you are not in it just for yourself.

Keep these two things in mind when answering your interview questions and you will be fine.

Know why you are a fit for HBS.

You must be clear why you are a fit for HBS. And by fit I don’t mean the generic statements that most applicants spout when addressing this question.

Think long and hard about exactly what you want out of life, the kind of career you wish to have. The kind of impact you want to have in the world.

Then ask yourself what’s missing in your life/career right now that is preventing you from going off and having the type of impact you wish to have.

Then share how HBS is uniquely and specifically positioned to help you achieve that vision. The more honest you are the more effective you will be in connecting with your interviewer.

Keep these three simple things in mind as you prepare for your HBS admissions interview and you will increase your likelihood of success with your interview. For more interview help you can sign up for our free Interview Guide.

You can also take advantage of our EXPARTUS interview prep service.

I wish you success with your HBS interview.