My interview took place in Mumbai, India. I had applied to Stern in Round 1, but their policy is to interview all R1 and R2 candidates in India at one go in March. The interview was perfectly timed to 30 minutes.
My interviewer was a member of the admissions committee, and told me that she had read my application. She was very cordial and objective.
Questions
- Choice of pre-MBA career; reasons and motivations for it (I have worked in the real estate industry, which includes a stint with a coworking space startup)
- Why MBA? Why now?
- What skills do you think you currently lack, and how do you plan to gain them during the MBA
- Why Stern?
- Tell me the biggest challenge and the biggest opportunity in your current industry
- What career path do you intend to follow post MBA?
- If your intended career path does not work out, what is your backup plan?
She then left 7-8 minutes for me to ask my questions.
Conclusion
I felt that the interview was extremely fair and objective. The interviewer talked about Stern passionately, when I asked her Stern-related questions. The same interviewer conducted all the 40-odd interviews for the Indian applicants, so I feel there would be a good amount of consistency in the decision making process, unlike alumni interviews. At the end she handed me a folder which had information about Stern, and also an NYU Stern t-shirt. All in all a very pleasant experience.
PS – I received an admission offer a week after my interview!
Clear Admit Resources
Preparing for your NYU / Stern MBA admissions interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources:
- Clear Admit NYU / Stern Interview Guide: Strategic tips for approaching NYU / Stern’s interview questions, and more.
- Interview Archive: More firsthand accounts from Stern MBA applicants themselves
- Understanding the MBA Admissions Interview: Blind vs. Non-blind Interviews
- Podcast Episode 23: 5 Most Common MBA Interview Questions You Need to Ace
