I met my interviewer, an alum, at Starbucks on Friday February 13th (not the most auspicious of interview dates!) at 1 PM. He was about 1 minute late and for this he apologized, which I thought was very polite. He also offered me a drink, but I had already bought an orange juice. I was dressed business casual and so was he. The interview was very conversational and he was very forthcoming; he told me that he would be evaluating me on five dimensions: my intellectual ability/curiosity, my reasoning for wanting an MBA, my reasoning for wanting an MBA now, my long and short term goals, and my “Why Chicago.” (I think those were the five dimensions.)
- First he asked me about the economy and my take on the future of the real estate sector in the city where we live (this has been a common theme in all of my interviews; not sure if it’s because of the specific sector in which I work or if all applicants are getting these questions in light of the economy) (intellectual curiosity)
- Then he asked what I saw myself doing right after graduation considering what I had just said about the future of the sector (short term goals)
- Then he asked what I saw myself doing in the grand scheme of things (long term goals)
- He asked how I saw an MBA as part of that process (why MBA)
- He asked why I wanted my MBA now (why now)
- And why I wanted to go to Chicago specifically (why Chicago)
- He really probed on the “Why Chicago;” over the course of the interview he asked three times in three different ways, so prepare this one, I sort of floundered because, truth be told I like Chicago as much as I like any other program I’ve applied to, but I don’t think that’s what you want to emphasize!
- He asked if I had any questions for him, then we talked a bit about his background, how he chose Chicago, how he had liked the experience, etc.
- Then he asked me about an ethical dilemma and how I dealt with it
- Then he finished by confirming all of my answers to the big five questions
- He said, we just had a sector specific conversation about the economy, you seem switched on, I understand why you want an MBA now and how that’s going to help you 5, 10, 15 years from now, but I just want to make sure I understand why you want to go to Chicago
Then we sort of chatted and I tried to do some business development for my company (we work in related industries.)He seemed receptive but I guess I shouldn’t necessarily be wheeling and dealing during an interview! Then it was over!
He was a nice guy and we got along well, he gave the impression that he wasn’t trying to catch me out, but just have me answer thoroughly and sincerely all of the questions that Chicago wants to understand about its applicants. So hopefully on March 25th I will receive good news!
