Interview scheduling:
I am based in the Middle East. Surprisingly, there was a Haas alumna in my country. However, both of us had very busy schedules for Feb. I ended up scheduling it on the last day for all interviews (which was 5 days away from R2 deadline). Interestingly, the interviewer was traveling from her city to the city where I am based for a business meeting. Location was a café in a hotel. I wore a business suit without a necktie.
Questions:
Small chit-chat about the interviewer’s business trip. Handed in an updated copy of my resume.
- Tell me about yourself.
- More about the non-profit organization that I co-founded.
- Short-term and long-term goals. (I included the answer for why MBA)
- Tell me about a challenging leadership situation you faced. (Probed deeper on what my exact role was)
- Tell me about a time when you were in a team that failed. (Probed deeper on whether we overcame that failure)
- Tell me about a time when you met with resistance in a professional setting, either with a team or a person.
- Why Haas?
- What do you bring to Haas?
My questions for the interviewer
Overall pretty standard. There was considerable probing with the behavioral questions though. Berkeley was my #1 choice in a lot of aspects, and I think my research and campus visit helped me nail the ‘Why Haas’ and ‘What do you bring to Haas’ pitches.
RESULT: Admitted! Most likely matriculating at Haas.
