Team Based Discussion:
Received interview invite on October 28th along with the discussion prompt (not allowed to disclose details of the prompt). I scheduled my team discussion for mid-November. I studied the prompt and prepared a few ideas and my 1 minute pitch before the interview.
I was able to join the Skype link for the team based discussion about 10 minutes early. Casually chatted with the other participants as they joined over the next few minutes. 2 adcoms joined the call promptly at the scheduled start time and gave us instructions (nothing new from what was described in the materials given to us previously). The adcoms then started the timer and turned off their cameras so my group could start our discussion.
We shared our pitches 1 by 1. We all had different ideas, so we had to come together to pick an idea to move forward with. We ended up combining 2 of our individual ideas. We talked through the details of the ideas and came up with a plan for our final 5 minute presentation. We completed our presentation with 10 seconds to spare. It was good that we kept track of our time, it goes by a lot faster than you’d expect. The adcom complimented our timekeeping and said that many groups run out of time.
Overall, I think my group performed well since we finished on time. Everyone talked a fair amount with no one dominating the group or staying too quiet. If acceptances were based on the TBD alone, I wouldn’t be surprised if the whole group was admitted (but I know more goes into the decision than just the TBD).
1 on 1:
I had a 10 minute discussion with one of the adcoms who observed my TBD. He casually asked me how I thought the TBD went, but didn’t linger on this subject long. He said my group did a good job. Then he asked “Why an MBA and why Wharton?” I gave him my answer in about 4 minutes. He asked a follow up question about one of the details I shared in my answer, but nothing out of the ordinary.
Then he asked me what I planned to get involved in at Wharton. I reiterated the topics I had mentioned in one of my essays and he seemed satisfied. I had 2 minutes at the end to answer him questions, so I had time for only 2 questions.
Overall, my interview experience was positive. The TBD is an interesting experience since it is so different than normal work meetings (short time frame, no formal team structure, etc.). I am glad that I prepared beforehand, that boosted my confidence going in. Also, I am glad that I studied before the 1 on 1 interview and had a good pitch for Why MBA and Why Wharton. With only 1-2 questions in the interview, you will want to make sure you have clear answers prepared. There is not time to meander.
