I interviewed on Dec. 18th, the last day of exams so there were no classes to visit. Many of the candidates I met were from diverse backgrounds (a reporter, someone who had worked in public school management, alternate energy, etc.) which adds to Yale’s appeal if you aren’t looking to be in a traditional MBA environment.
My interviewer was a second year student who had reviewed my resume quite extensively before I entered. We had some interests in common and we discussed them extensively. Key questions are below.
What I was asked
- Why did you pick your university and later why your major?
- Walk me through your resume
- Why MBA?
- Why Yale?
- What extracurriculars at Yale are you interested in? Who have you spoken to?
- Give me an example of time when you led a group through a difficult period. How did you motivate the team?
- Discuss one of your extra
What I asked
- Tell me about how you got to Yale?
- What do you think of the change in leadership? (SOM had a new dean as of Fall 2008)
- I asked her opinion about changes to the leadership in the Program on Social Enterprise
- What do you like about New Haven?
Overall it was a stimulating and challenging interview. One twist was that she asked me about other clubs on campus beyond the ones I initially mentioned (question 5). I discussed one that I was interested but which I hadn’t thoroughly researched. She was surprised that I hadn’t researched the club and proceeded to mention two people I should get in touch with. I made a mental note to contact these individuals later and mention them to the interviewer in my follow thank you email.
My advice: Come prepared but be relaxed. The interviewers are smart and have personality so just be confident and be yourself.
