TOP business Interview tips

flyingty

INSEAD:

Q: What does INSEAD's application process entail?
A: The application process is exactly the same for the two campuses and includes two main stages. First, we make a selection of candidates to be interviewed from all the applications filed. The second stage is for those who make it to the interview. Out of the 3,000-plus applications we get per year, we send about half of that pool to interviews.

Q: What kind of questions can an applicant expect to be asked during an interview?
A: It's a free format. Interviewers are graduates from the school, from 3 to 10 years ago. Using alumni provides examples to the applicants as to what INSEAD can do for their career. The types of questions are somewhat linked to the questions that you would see in the essays. We want to find out people's motivations for an international career. We want to see the fit with the program.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

I was notified via an email about my interviewers for the INSEAD MBA program. Both alumni lived and worked in London (where I currently reside). While it is sometimes difficult to schedule timely interviews with busy alumni, I was fortunate to receive a quick response from my interviewers and was able to schedule my meetings within two weeks. Both meetings took place at alumni offices and lasted about an hour. The two were very different in their nature, largely driven by interviewers' personalities. The first interview was more structured and felt similar to a job interview, while the second was more relaxed. The questions were largely the ones one would expect, but I would recommend preparing clear examples of your teamwork abilities and examples of your failures (most importantly how you dealt with the situation and what you have learned for it). Just as with any school interview, it is important that you can explain how an MBA fits into your career plans, what you are hoping to gain from it, and what you would do if you were not successful in gaining entry into an MBA program. In addition, it is imperative that you can explain why INSEAD is your top choice and how it fits with or stands out from the rest of the MBA programs you are pursuing. If you are switching your career, be ready to defend your decision, explain the logic behind it and your strategy for penetrating the new field. The most interesting question I was asked during my interview was: "What is your relationship with money?" As with many questions, there is no right or wrong answer to these questions, just demonstrate your logic behind the answer

flyingty

Carnegie Mellon:

Q: Care to shed any light on Carnegie Mellon's interview processes?
A: Sure. We changed our interview policy in 2001. It's now by invitation only. We had trouble getting everyone interviewed before this year. And we would be really challenged this year if we hadn't made this change. All interviews are conducted by members of the admissions committee, and there's a pre-review process.

We invite and welcome people to visit campus, and if they are going to visit, we try to help them schedule an interview. Applicants can interview off campus in the fall when we're traveling for recruiting. We make interviews available for candidates who request them, but before we grant the interview we ask them to submit the first two pages of their application and their resume. We always have more requests than we have interview appointments available.

The interview is straightforward. We want to learn more about the candidate, why he or she is seeking an MBA, why they're interested in Carnegie Mellon, and explore the path they've taken so far. If they've had transitions in their careers, what led to those transitions. Teamwork and leadership experiences, and long-term goals are very important to talk about, too. When we talk with candidates who are international, we get an idea of their comfort conversing in English. The interviews typically last 30 to 45 minutes.

Q: How does the school review applicants for whom English is a second language?
A: The Test of English as a Foreign Language is the first thing that we look at, and we read the essays carefully, as well as the ones written for the GMAT (in the AWA section). We interview international candidates to make sure that they're comfortable talking in English. We look for at least a 600 TOEFL score on the paper exam (250 on the computer).

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

CMU called me to request an interview about two weeks after my application was sent. We played phone tag and finally agreed on a time for a phone interview. My interviewer was Laurie Stewart, the Executive Director of MBA Admissions. [Stewart] was great - very kind and sweet, a pleasure to talk to. I had prepared a bunch of thoughts ahead of time, on paper, using questions that were given in The ABC's of getting the MBA Admissions Edge. Incidentally, this book was a great resource, and I wish that it had been the FIRST book I bought on applying to business school.

As an aside, I'm used to bringing notes with me to interviews - it's a habit that I formed during internship interviews in undergrad, and although I don't know if it's always a good idea, I know that it makes me feel much more comfortable to have a few key talking points handy, as well as my resume. I don't remember any particularly difficult questions [from this interview] - just the typical questions on why I had chosen to apply to CMU, my career plans, etc.

flyingty

Chicago:

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: Don, since all applicants are interviewed, how important is the opinion of the interviewer among the other items of the application process?
A: Martin: Good question. We interview applicants so we can get to know them in a way that would be more difficult if we only read their application. Part of our evaluation process involves trying to determine a fit between the applicant we are evaluating and our GSB community. I have found that interviews are extremely helpful in this part of the evaluation process.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

Interviewer: Recent Alumni from the IMBA Program / dual degree with Public Policy
Location: At U Chicago
When: Early October
Questions asked: [The interviewer asked] interesting questions. I also felt that since they had my resume ahead of time they tried to match me with someone that had similar interests.
1. So tell me your story (afterwards [the interviewer] told me mine and our backgrounds matched up)
2. How would you rate yourself academically on a scale of 1-10?
3. Why an MBA?
4. Why Chicago?
5. What do you want to do afterwards?
5. Again, [there were more questions] specific to my resume. [The interview] became more of a conversation than an interview. The interviewer was great about giving me objective advice and telling me about himself.

Comments from Student 2:

I had three interviews (one at each of the following schools: Wharton, MIT (Sloan), and Chicago GSB).

Interview Notification/ Initial Preparation:
Upon receiving notification of my first interview (Chicago GSB) I pulled together a list of generic possible questions from various sources (BusinessWeek Online's B-School Forum threads, Montauk's How to get into a TOP MBA Program, and other MBA Web sites -- i.e. Admissions Edge, etc).

I first prepared generic answers for each school and then when preparing for a specific interview I went through all questions and prepared specific answers that highlighted aspects of my application for that school and the story/persona I was portraying (i.e., For Wharton I highlighted my international experiences, for Sloan my creativity, etc.) Although I had similar stories for each school, I emphasized different aspects for certain schools. I also used some other resources for my school specific interview prep research (i.e., the book The ABCs of Admissions, school Web sites, BusinessWeek Online's Admissions Q&As).

The interviews:
Some interviewing highlights follow. I tried to get face-to-face interviews for all my appointments if schedules permitted.

Chicago:
- Length: About 1 hour- Location: Phone interview since I could not schedule a face to face in time
- Interview was with a new graduate
- This interview is part of the application (i.e. you are not selected to interview)
- Some prepared questions, some off the cuff questions
- Interview was blind - interviewer had not accessed my application
- My interviewer had a similar background (educational/professional)

MIT (Sloan):
- Length: About 45 min - 1 hour
- Location: On-campus with an Admissions officer
- The interviewer had previously read my application and asked questions that were very specific to my application
- Questions were tailored to areas of my application where more information was needed
- The interview went very quickly and although it was formal, I felt very much at ease

Wharton:
- Length: 30 minutes
- Location: On-campus with a second-year [student]
- Interviewer already had preset questions that seemed generic, but as the conversation flowed, they were tailored to my background
- I had already visited the campus on a separate occasion and was able to bring that experience into my interview.
- Interview was blind - interviewer had not accessed my application
- Wharton's process of interview notification and scheduling was great!

Here is a list of my generic questions:
General Questions
1. Walk me through your resume, starting with undergrad.
2. Discuss your career progression.
3. Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work.
4. What would you do if not accepted?
5. What are your long- and short-term goals? Why?

Why MBA & Why X Questions
1. Why do you want an MBA?
2. Why School X?
3. Why now?
4. What would X do for you that no other MBA program can?
5. What would you concentrate in at X?
6. What do you want to do after you have an MBA?
7. What clubs and activities would you get involved in at X?
8. What will you contribute to X?
9. Which two qualities would you want me to highlight in the interview report?
10. What would you do at X?

Describe You
1. After your two years at X, what would your classmates remember you by?
2. How would your workmates describe you?
3. How would your friends and family describe your personality?
4. If two managers were discussing you, what would they be saying?

General Questions About You and Your Experiences
1. Tell me about a time you faced conflict and how you resolved it.
2. What role do you usually take in a team setting?
3. Tell me about a time when you exhibited leadership.
4. What do you do for fun?
5. How do you work in teams?
6. How would your coworkers describe your leadership style?
7. What would your colleagues miss least about you?
8. What makes you unique?
9. Tell me about a team experience that was a failure.
10. Tell me about a standout academic experience.
11. Tell me an important thing that you learned from your work and school experiences.
12. Tell me about a specific situation in your professional career where you solved an important problem.
13. What do you do outside of work?
14. What do you want to do in your career?
15. What contributions would you make to a group?
16. Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
17. What do you do to relieve stress?
18. How do you define success?

flyingty

Chicago:

Weakness Questions
1. What will the adcom see as your weakness?
2. What areas do you need to develop?
3. What are the weaknesses in your application?
4. What are your developmental needs?

Concluding Questions
1. Do you have any questions?
2. What else should the adcom know about you?
3. Have I asked you everything? What would you want me to ask that I haven't yet?
4. What do you want to tell me/discuss that we haven't covered or you were unable to cover in your application.

Off-Beat Questions
1. If you could go anywhere on a vacation or a holiday for a day and there were no constraints (monetary as well), where would you go?
2. What is an important trend in technology?


Questions to Ask
1. Quote a comment that you read about the school in an article like "X tries to increase the average GMAT". Ask the interviewer about how the school plans to increase the GMAT and what is the rationale behind it (make sure that you ask the question pertaining to that school, don't ask about X if you are not interviewing for X).
2. How strong is the alumni network of the school?
3. What are the events that alumni organize?
4. How strong is the alumni network in your country (if you are an international student)?
5. What kind of partnerships does the school have with other business schools?
6. How strong is the association of the school with the parent University?
7. Can you take courses at other schools in the university (like school of engineering, etc.)?
8. What is the ratio of tenured to visiting faculty?
9. Does the school have chaired professors and centers for advanced studies in topic of your interest?
10. Any tips on housing in the city and things to do outdoors in the area?

Comments from Student 3:

Interview location:
Chicago: On campus
Northwestern: On campus
Duke: In Nashville with a second-year student
Columbia: In Nashville with an alumni
Dartmouth: In Nashville an with alumni

Interview length: 30-60 minutes. Alumni [interviews] definitely go longer.

As a whole, I thought the interviews were very relaxed and congenial - no high-pressure tactics or "grillings". Second-year students are not as schooled in interviewing techniques and, therefore, more likely to ask scripted questions and not interact as much. All of the schools asked the expected questions: "Why B-school?" "Why our B-school?" "What will you do with an MBA?" "Long and short-term goals?" Candidates should definitely be able to answer those questions. Although I'm not a big believer in interview preparation, I would recommend at least thinking through answers to those questions.

My biggest recommendation is to show enthusiasm for the school. I believe the interviewers want to form some sort of bond with the candidate, and they want students excited about going to their university. The worst thing a candidate can do is show no emotion or personality. They have all of your essays and application info., so interviews are the opportunity to show your personality and that you are not a one-dimensional, driven to succeed, boring person. Make sure the interviewer knows you want to go to that B-school. Simple as that sounds, I think it is important that they see your desire to attend that particular school. I think many candidates can give off the air of indifference, probably unintentionally, which will kill an interview. Interview with the same emotion for your third choice school as your first choice school.

flyingty

Duke:

An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: Which holds more weight at Duke: on-campus or off-campus interviews?
A: Our preference is that students come to campus for an interview. However, we recognize that this is not always possible. That's why we offer alumni interviews for international candidates or candidates who are living abroad, or for candidates living in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas. We would like for you to come to campus so that you can get a sense of what Team Fuqua is all about. You can sit in on a class, have lunch with our students, and tour our facility, in addition to the interview. It's a great way to determine if you would want to spend the next two years here.

Q: What types of questions should candidates be prepared for in B-school interviews?
A: An applicant to an MBA program should prepare for an admissions interview the way you would a job interview. Make sure you do your research before you come to campus. Make sure you know why you want a Duke MBA and what you are prepared to contribute to the program. We're not trying to trick anyone with the questions we ask in the interview. It's a conversation about your qualifications, about what you hope to do long term, and what you bring to the table. It's also the candidate's opportunity to ask us questions and find out if Duke is a good fit for them.

For the full version of this Q&A

Comments from Student 1:

I applied to a total of six schools -- NYU, Columbia, Wharton, Harvard, Duke, and Georgetown -- and got interviews with four out of these six (NYU, Wharton, Duke, and Georgetown). I was eventually accepted to three out of four of these schools, NYU, Duke, and Georgetown -- so hopefully I'll be able to provide some helpful insights to prospective students.

In terms of questions asked, some general ones that all four schools asked included:

1) "Walk me through your resume...and why do you feel like an MBA is right for you given your experience to date?" (All schools)

2) "If your friends were sitting in this room with us, what would they tell me [interviewer] about you?" (Duke)

3) "Given your experience/background/personality, what do you think you can contribute to [the school]?" (All schools)

4) "If you had 24 hours to do anything that you wanted, what would it be and why?" (a little strange, but I got this question from both Wharton and Duke).

5) "What are your long and short-term goals post MBA?" (All schools) 6) "Describe a time when you failed -- either a project or personal goal, etc." (Duke)

7) "Describe a time that you had to work with others on a project and what the outcome was. What did you learn from it?" (Duke)

8) "Picture yourself in 20 years, as an alumni of our school. If you were at a reunion function and we were to introduce you, what would you want to be noted for?" (What personal or professional or community achievement?) (NYU)

9) "What are the specific qualities about this school that makes it attractive to you?" (All schools)

The locations and types of interviewers were as follows: Duke: On-campus at the Admissions Office with a second-year student (Class of 2003)
Wharton: On-campus at the Admissions Office with a second-year student (Class of 2003)
NYU: On-campus at the Admissions Office with the Associate Director of Admissions
Georgetown: During the annual World MBA Forum in New York at the Grand Hyatt with a recent MBA graduate (Class of 2002)

Comments from Student 2:

Interview location:
Duke: In Nashville with a second-year student
Northwestern: On campus
Chicago: On campus
Columbia: In Nashville with an alumni
Dartmouth: In Nashville an with alumni

Interview length: 30-60 minutes. Alumni [interviews] definitely go longer.

As a whole, I thought the interviews were very relaxed and congenial - no high-pressure tactics or "grillings". Second-year students are not as schooled in interviewing techniques and, therefore, more likely to ask scripted questions and not interact as much. All of the schools asked the expected questions: "Why B-school?" "Why our B-school?" "What will you do with an MBA?" "Long and short-term goals?" Candidates should definitely be able to answer those questions. Although I'm not a big believer in interview preparation, I would recommend at least thinking through answers to those questions.

My biggest recommendation is to show enthusiasm for the school. I believe the interviewers want to form some sort of bond with the candidate, and they want students excited about going to their university. The worst thing a candidate can do is show no emotion or personality. They have all of your essays and application info., so interviews are the opportunity to show your personality and that you are not a one-dimensional, driven to succeed, boring person. Make sure the interviewer knows you want to go to that B-school. Simple as that sounds, I think it is important that they see your desire to attend that particular school. I think many candidates can give off the air of indifference, probably unintentionally, which will kill an interview. Interview with the same emotion for your third choice school as your first choice school

thinkpador

really helpful! thanks.

muchuan

very helpful.........
thanks a lot.

flyingty

Wharton:

My day started with attending a Macro Economics class at 11:00 a.m. Then I had lunch at 12 noon with the current students. The interview took place on December 6 at Wharton West, San Francisco around 1:00 p.m. I met John Lyon, Associate Director, for about 45 minutes. It was a low pressure interview. It was more of a general conversation. The questions were pretty straight forward. The main questions were:

* Tell me about yourself (John requested a copy of my resume beforehand)* What were the lessons you learned from your startup experience?* Why do you want to do an MBA at this juncure?* How would a Wharton MBA help in your career?

Later I asked a couple of questions. They were:* What was the overall feedback from the first two batches? (We are the third batch of students to get into Wharton West)* What are the major differences of attending Wharton in Philly vs. Wharton West?

He answered them and there ended the interview.

Comments from Student 2:

[I was] invited to interview. The interview was scheduled online and held in San Francisco. [I was] interviewed by an admissions officer who said that she had not read my file. Shedid have a copy of my resume. The atmosphere was comfortable. She had the standard [questions], "Why business school?" "Why Wharton?" "What are your post-business school plans?" She did listen very very well and had some good/challenging follow-up questions. She was also quite helpful, putting me in contact with current Wharton students with whom she thought I might share some common interests. I left feeling very enthused about Wharton, [however, I'm] not sure the feeling was mutual since I ended up on the waitlist.

Comments from Student 3:

I applied to a total of six schools -- NYU, Columbia, Wharton, Harvard, Duke, and Georgetown -- and got interviews with four out of these six (NYU, Wharton, Duke, and Georgetown). I was eventually accepted to three out of four of these schools, NYU, Duke, and Georgetown -- so hopefully I'll be able to provide some helpful insights to prospective students.

In terms of questions asked, some general ones that all four schools asked included:

1) "Walk me through your resume...and why do you feel like an MBA is right for you given your experience to date?" (All schools)

2) "If your friends were sitting in this room with us, what would they tell me [interviewer] about you?" (Duke)

3) "Given your experience/background/personality, what do you think you can contribute to [the school]?" (All schools)

4) "If you had 24 hours to do anything that you wanted, what would it be and why?" (a little strange, but I got this question from both Wharton and Duke).

5) "What are your long and short-term goals post MBA?" (All schools)6) "Describe a time when you failed -- either a project or personal goal, etc." (Duke)

7) "Describe a time that you had to work with others on a project and what the outcome was. What did you learn from it?" (Duke)

8) "Picture yourself in 20 years, as an alumni of our school. If you were at a reunion function and we were to introduce you, what would you want to be noted for?" (What personal or professional or community achievement?) (NYU)

9) "What are the specific qualities about this school that makes it attractive to you?" (All schools)

The locations and types of interviewers were as follows:Wharton: On-campus at the Admissions Office with a second-year student (Class of 2003)
NYU: On-campus at the Admissions Office with the Associate Director of Admissions
Georgetown: During the annual World MBA Forum in New York at the Grand Hyatt with a recent MBA graduate (Class of 2002)
Duke: On-campus at the Admissions Office with a second-year student (Class of 2003)

flyingty

Wharton:

I had three interviews (one at each of the following schools: Wharton, MIT (Sloan), and Chicago GSB).

Interview Notification/ Initial Preparation:
Upon receiving notification of my first interview (Chicago GSB) I pulled together a list of generic possible questions from various sources (BusinessWeek Online's B-School Forum threads, Montauk's How to get into a TOP MBA Program, and other MBA Web sites - i.e. Admissions Edge, etc).

I first prepared generic answers for each school and then when preparing for a specific interview I went through all questions and prepared specific answers that highlighted aspects of my application for that school and the story/persona I was portraying (i.e., For Wharton I highlighted my international experiences, for Sloan my creativity, etc.) Although I had similar stories for each school, I emphasized different aspects for certain schools. I also used some other resources for my school specific interview prep research (i.e., the book The ABCs of Admissions, school Web sites, BusinessWeek Online's Admissions Q&As).

The interviews:
Some interviewing highlights follow. I tried to get face-to-face interviews for all my appointments if schedules permitted.

Wharton:
- Length: 30 minutes
- Location: On-campus with a second-year [student]
- Interviewer already had preset questions that seemed generic, but as the conversation flowed, they were tailored to my background
- I had already visited the campus on a separate occasion and was able to bring that experience into my interview.
- Interview was blind - interviewer had not accessed my application
- Wharton's process of interview notification and scheduling was great!

Chicago:
- Length: About 1 hour- Location: Phone interview since I could not schedule a face to face in time
- Interview was with a new graduate
- This interview is part of the application (i.e. you are not selected to interview)
- Some prepared questions, some off the cuff questions
- Interview was blind - interviewer had not accessed my application
- My interviewer had a similar background (educational/professional)

MIT (Sloan):
- Length: About 45 min - 1 hour
- Location: On-campus with an Admissions officer
- The interviewer had previously read my application and asked questions that were very specific to my application.
- Questions were tailored to areas of my application where more information was needed.
- The interview went very quickly and although it was formal, I felt very much at ease.

Here is a list of my generic questions:
General Questions
1. Walk me through your resume, starting with undergrad.
2. Discuss your career progression.
3. Describe an ethical dilemma faced at work.
4. What would you do if not accepted?
5. What are your long- and short-term goals? Why?

Why MBA & Why X Questions
1. Why do you want an MBA?
2. Why School X?
3. Why now?
4. What would X do for you that no other MBA program can?
5. What would you concentrate in at X?
6. What do you want to do after you have an MBA?
7. What clubs and activities would you get involved in at X?
8. What will you contribute to X?
9. Which two qualities would you want me to highlight in the interview report?
10. What would you do at X?

Describe You
1. After your two years at X, what would your classmates remember you by?
2. How would your workmates describe you?
3. How would your friends and family describe your personality?
4. If two managers were discussing you, what would they be saying?

General Questions About You and Your Experiences
1. Tell me about a time you faced conflict and how you resolved it.
2. What role do you usually take in a team setting?
3. Tell me about a time when you exhibited leadership.
4. What do you do for fun?
5. How do you work in teams?
6. How would your coworkers describe your leadership style?
7. What would your colleagues miss least about you?
8. What makes you unique?
9. Tell me about a team experience that was a failure.
10. Tell me about a standout academic experience.
11. Tell me an important thing that you learnt from your work and school experiences.
12. Tell me about a specific situation in your professional career where you solved an important problem.
13. What do you do outside of work?
14. What do you want to do in your career?
15. What contributions would you make to a group?
16. Name three words or phrases to describe yourself to others.
17. What do you do to relieve stress?
18. How do you define success?

Weakness Questions
1. What will the adcom see as your weakness?
2. What areas do you need to develop?
3. What are the weaknesses in your application?
4. What are your developmental needs?

Concluding Questions
1. Do you have any questions?
2. What else should the adcom know about you?
3. Have I asked you everything? What would you want me to ask that I haven't yet?
4. What do you want to tell me/discuss that we haven't covered or you were unable to cover in your application.

Off-Beat Questions
1. If you could go anywhere on a vacation or a holiday for a day and there were no constraints (monetary as well), where would you go?
2. What is an important trend in technology?


Questions to Ask
1. Quote a comment that you read about the school in an article like "X tries to increase the average GMAT". Ask the interviewer about how the school plans to increase the GMAT and what is the rationale behind it (make sure that you ask the question pertaining to that school, don't ask about X if you are not interviewing for X).
2. How strong is the alumni network of the school?
3. What are the events that alumni organize?
4. How strong is the alumni network in your country (if you are an international student)?
5. What kind of partnerships does the school have with other business schools?
6. How strong is the association of the school with the parent University?
7. Can you take courses at other schools in the university (like school of engineering, etc.)?
8. What is the ratio of tenured to visiting faculty?
9. Does the school have chaired professors and centers for advanced studies in topic of your interest?
10. Any tips on housing in the city and things to do outdoors in the area?

Comments from Student 5:

Wharton sent me an email to sign up for an interview time through their Web site. I chose an on-campus interview. The attire was suit and tie, and the location was at Huntsman Hall in the admissions office. Before the interview, several other candidates sat outside with me, all in their dark blue or black suits. Wearing my grey suit, blue shirt, and red tie combination, I did not think that I fit the mold. One of the current Wharton students, who I assume worked at the admissions office, came out and pulled me into an office. He had not read my application, so we spent some time introducing ourselves. The interview lasted exactly 30 minutes, and I had the last ten minutes for questions.

flyingty

UCLA:

I interviewed with a second-year student in a conference room in the Admissions office. The second-year had a pre-set list of questions and did not have access to my resume or application prior to the interview. Interesting questions included: *One of your teammates has not completed his/her assigned task for your group project, which is due in two hours. How do you handle the situation? *Describe a situation in which you took a leadership role.

Comments from Student 2:

Simply getting an interview at UCLA was a challenge. Applicants needed to sign up online, and search for earliest available dates and times. Slots were so scarce that I actually scheduled a time a month before I turned in my application.

The day of my interview, I arrived early and waited in the application office, alongside about a dozen other applicants. When our time slot arrived, we were marched en masse across the courtyard into the career office. After a few minutes, were led, one by one, into individual interview rooms -- tiny, windowless, and fluorescent, they were like the interview rooms on every MBA school campus.

Soon after, I was joined by my interviewer. He was a polite, somewhat bleary eyed (it was, after all, 10 a.m. on a Saturday) second-year student who, frankly, seemed younger than I was. I don't remember any of the specific questions I was asked, simply that they were very similar to the application essay questions. I definitely recall that my interviewer seemed extremely inexperienced, and very pleased with all my answers. Combine that with the fact I was denied admission, I really have no idea how I actually "did" in my interview.

Comments from Student 3:

I scheduled the interview online - anyone can interview. UCLA releases open interview times somewhat randomly, often I checked and it said there were no spots, then I would check a week later and there were a lot, so keep checking!

The interview was held at UCLA with a current student. I interviewed before I applied, so I just gave her my resume when I arrived. It was probably the most intimidating interview I had. It was conducted in a very business-like format and did not give me a great feeling about the students at Anderson. She was not so friendly. She asked the basic questions plus others such as, "How would a manager describe you?", "What is your management style?", "Why do you want to live in Los Angeles?", and the hardest question I got in any interview: "What specific courses do you want to take?" Needless to say after that I studied the course offerings before an interview. It was another short interview, about 30 minutes.

Comments from Student 4:

I ended up interviewing with four of the five schools I applied to: Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and Emory. The Emory interview was with an admissions officer on-campus, the rest were off-campus with Alumni (mainly because I live in Germany). Regarding locations, MIT and UCLA were in the Washington, D.C. area over Christmas break. Harvard was by far the most organized with their Alumni interviews and the most international - they were able to set up my interview a few blocks away from my apartment in Hamburg, Germany! On top of that, the man that I interviewed with was a top executive and on the board of one of Germany's largest and most successful companies (very motivating for an aspiring MBA student).

For all of my Alumni interviews, I found the Alumni to be professional, friendly, and open to speaking with me about their school. For Emory, the admissions officer was just fantastic, making me feel comfortable right away, asking insightful (she read my application) questions and answering all of my questions about the program.

The interview questions were amazingly similar between all of the schools and I did not find that they asked me any out of context or trick questions. The questions were focused on me and my experiences. In the case of Harvard, it was more of a behavioral interview than the others, trying to gather information about how I react in certain work and life scenarios. Most of the interviews included questions like, "What brought you to Germany?" "How did you end up getting a job abroad?" "What are your career goals?" "Why business school?" "Why now?" "Why this school?" At the heart of it, they all seemed to be trying to figure out what made me tick, what I could bring to their program, if my goals and personality seemed consistent and aligned with the way I presented myself in my application, and whether I would be a good fit with their program. Many of them also asked me questions that were similar or an extension of my essay questions. For example, if I wrote an essay about an ethical dilemma at work, they would ask me how it was resolved in the end or to provide them with additional details about the scenario.

As far as advice for preparing, the best preparation is completing the application for the particular school before interviewing and then reviewing the essays just prior to the interview. Applicants should have a clear idea of why they want an MBA, their career goals, why this particular school, and what they can offer the school. These questions were consistently asked on essays and in interviews. I used my interviews as a chance to openly discuss and expand on what I considered my weak spot -- my undergraduate GPA. This turned out to be a good approach, not just because I got accepted into my top choice school, but because it let me explain the situation and how I overcame the weakness in a more personal way then what was possible on an application.

Comments from Student 5:

I was interviewed by a Chilean UCLA Alumni in Santiago, who is now CFO of a huge cable company.

Questions asked:
- Why study in the States?
- Have you been there before?
- Do you speak English?
- Will you come back to Chile?

Words of wisdom:
If the interviewer is a fellow countrymen, be sure to let him/her know that you will give a good impression of your country in the Stat