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Laura MacLean Reviews

Company: Gatehouse

Laura is a graduate of Harvard Business School (HBS)—and a former gatekeeper of the highly-selective program itself. During her 13 years as a member of the HBS Admissions Board, Laura reviewed applications from candidates from a wide range of backgrounds and conducted more than 1,000 interviews. For three of those years, she lived in the San Francisco Bay Area, where she not only interviewed candidates but also supported the school’s marketing efforts to attract the very best applicants on the West Coast. Laura started her career at Morgan Stanley in its Investment Banking Division. After graduating from HBS, she transitioned into strategy and marketing through roles at Gap Inc., a Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical company and Gillette. She then joined HBS’s admissions team and used her broad set of experiences to evaluate competitive HBS candidates. More recently, Laura tapped into her passion for baking by launching a home-based French macaron business. Now, baking is just one of her many interests, in addition to skiing, tennis, and volunteer work.

5.0 /5 Average Rating
Based on 4 reviews
March 07, 2024
ep1236

Joined: Mar 07, 2024

Posts: 0

Kudos: 0

5 Stars for Laura!

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Background: Mid-20s female, based in Boston, worked in healthcare private equity and then operations at growth-stage healthcare company, went to Colby College for undergrad, Spanish and International Relations double major, Economics minor, 3.8 GPA, 161V/162Q GRE.

Result: Attending HBS Fall of 2024 and admitted to Wharton

Working with Laura was an absolute dream. Laura’s firm, Gatehouse, came recommended to me through a former coworker who also had great success working with Gatehouse and is currently at HBS. I was given the option to “interview” a few consultants before choosing who I would work with throughout the process but I only needed 30 minutes with Laura to know I wanted to work with her. Between her background of working in HBS MBA admissions and also having been in my shoes at one point in her life as an MBA applicant, I was confident she was going to ensure that my application was as strong as possible and that I was over prepared for interviews and navigating the process in general.

What struck me most about working with Laura was her organizational skills and holding me accountable to our timeline. Laura gets straight to the point which I really appreciated. There are so many different work streams that overlap during the lengthy application process that it would be easy to get lost without someone with excellent time management skills guiding you through it. Her expertise in interview prep made me feel confident and prepared walking into my interview, and all of her advice paid off. I never had to worry about not knowing what was going on or feeling confused about the process because Laura had either thought ahead and prepared me with detailed documentation and materials or I knew I could reach out to her at any time with any question.

I am so thankful to have worked with Laura throughout the MBA application process. She was with me every step of the way. I would recommend Laura (and already have) to anyone applying to business school.

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September 15, 2023
PEClassof25

Joined: Sep 15, 2023

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Laura MacLean -- Highly Recommend

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I cannot say enough positive things about Laura. She was instrumental in helping me put my best foot forward and tell my story in a way that stood out despite no obvious "hook" (HBS / GSB admit as a white / Asian male from large cap PE). Laura is intelligent, knowledgeable, organized, empathetic, and refreshingly direct. I was a huge fan of both her substance and style, and would recommend her if you're looking for someone who will be upfront and candid with you while working tirelessly to help you put your best foot forward in an increasingly competitive applicant field.

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May 03, 2023
dolphins1357

Joined: May 03, 2023

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So Prepared for Interviews! (HBS/Wharton Admit)

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Background: late 20s female, ~5 YOE in STEM field, sub-700 GMAT & below average GPA for schools I was applying to.

Results: Admitted to HBS (attending) and Wharton

I worked with Laura primarily for interview prep for my top two schools and preparing an additional application for a later round in the event that I was not admitted. The preparation Laura gave me going into my interviews made all the difference! The mock interview we conducted for HBS in particular was a highlight -- she took the time to review my application in detail and asked a lot of questions in a short time period, just like the real HBS interview. I was also able to participate in a mock Wharton group interview that her colleagues were hosting. These experiences in particular made me feel incredibly prepared and I was able to go into each interview with confidence. Despite my lower stats, I was able to receive an offer of admission from both of my dream programs!

Laura was great to work with! Thanks to her advice, encouragement, and quick feedback throughout the busy process, I was able to go into each next step (including juggling interviews with additional application prep) with ease and confidence. I highly recommend working with Laura; I had a great experience!

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May 31, 2022
Tinnedsardines123

Joined: May 31, 2022

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HBS Interview Prep

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I worked with Laura on mock interview/general interview prep prior to my HBS interview. She was extremely helpful and thoughtful. My mock interview with her was nearly identical to the actual interview, and her feedback was constructive and insightful. Furthermore, it was clear that she had done significant work to prepare for the interview and was well up to speed on my entire application. With her help, I was accepted!

For background context on my profile - I graduated with a 3.9 gpa from an ivy league undergrad and worked in big 3 consulting then PE investing, and had a 730 GMAT score.

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