Interview Date: Saturday, February 21 2009 Location: NYU Admissions Office Interviewed by: Alum Interview Length: 30 minutes Status: Accepted, Round 2
The interviewer greeted me with a firm handshake, quickly detailed his background (HR at Goldman Sachs, graduated from Stern 3 years ago), mentioned that he had taken the time to look at my file, and promptly began the interview:
- So, why are you here? – This question threw me a bit off, as it was definitely not how I expected the interview would begin.
- What do you think the qualities of a good leader are? – Described how a leader is someone able to build consensus and offered an example.
- How would your friends describe you? – Described myself as diligent, approachable and team oriented, offering an example of each.
- Why an MBA? – I used this as an opportunity to transition into my present skill set, my short and long-term goals, and how Stern’s resources would enable me to achieve my goals.
- Why Stern? – Spoke in detail about Stern’s Entertainment, Media & Technology (EMT) specialization, clubs, culture, and my past experiences visiting.
- What other schools are you applying to and why? – Quickly rattled off my list of schools and a reason or two for why I was applying to each.
- Is Stern your #1? – I made a joke that, within this context, Stern is everyone’s #1 (he laughed), and then proceeded to reiterate the points I made when asked “Why Stern?”.
- Is there anything else you’d like me to know that we haven’t discussed? – Addressed the quantitative courses I’ve recently taken, discussed my decision to leave my last job, and spoke about my passion for the business side of media.
- What questions do you have for me? – I first asked about the growth of the EMT specialization over the last several years. I then asked what he attributed Stern’s collaborative nature to. I also asked what steps he suggest I take to prepare myself for the academic rigor of the program.
We shook hands, I asked for his card, and I promptly e-mailed him a three line thank you note, reiterating the answers he gave to my questions.
