I interviewed on campus in conjunction with a campus visit. My visit day began with the interview. I checked in at the admissions office and waited with other students as second years came in to meet their assigned interviewee. Once I met my interviewer we walked to our assigned room. There were many students interviewing that day so we walked to one of the on campus dorms and sat in a study room. It took us about five minutes to walk to the room so we had some time to talk casually before the interview actually began. I had driven to Hanover the day before so I was able to mention that I had seen some of the town and campus the day before and had dinner with a few current students that night. My interviewer was very friendly and the interview, while consisting of structured questions, had a somewhat casual/conversational feel. After my interview I attended a class (Managerial Economics), had lunch with other applicants and current students, and went on a tour of the campus.
As Tuck allows applicants to interview prior to submitting an application, my interview was only based on my resume. If you have not yet submitted your application however, be sure to keep everything consistent between what you say in your interview and what you include in your essays, especially with regards to career goals.
Interview questions:
- Tell me about yourself
- What are your short and long term career goals
- Why an MBA and why Tuck
- What kind of leader are you
- Tell me about a time when you worked with a challenging team member and how did you handle that
- What would your three biggest contributions to your study group be
- What ways do you plan to get involved with the Tuck community
- What other questions do you have
Overall I had a good experience with the interview although I have heard from current students who work with admissions that Tuck generally tries to make sure everyone has a great experience visiting campus so I don’t think many people have a bad interview. The student I interviewed with was very friendly and as the interview progressed it became more conversational. He took quick notes during some responses but was generally very engaged. After asking him questions about what he is involved with on campus we ended up having a quick conversation about running and books we had both recently read. This is certainly a school that values applicants who do their research, so be prepared to name specific course in which you are interested or research certain professors have done that is of particular interest to you. Also be prepared to discuss what organizations you want to join and even the specific role you would like to take on. Also, mention names of current student you have connected with (if you don’t know any current student, email student leaders in the organizations that you would join, email addresses are listed online and I found everyone was very responsive and enthusiastic about connecting with potential applicants). With the small size of the program, your interviewer will likely know these people so it gives you a stronger connection to the program. If you are going to campus and participating in any other activities (such as a class visit) I think it is best to schedule your interview last. This way you have more things to discuss in how you have tried to learn about the program and you can mention specifics about the class you sat in on or what you thought of the tour or lunch with students.
Interview length: 45 minutes
