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Published: January 31, 2021
UVA Darden Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Zoom
The interview was just like I had expected based on other interview reports! It was conducted blind (she had not even seen my resume), so make sure to convey everything you would want to from your resume and give background behind things (ie. they won’t even know when you graduated or how long you’ve been working). 1. Tell me about yourself, your family, where you went to undergrad and what brings you here today. She said that she might interrupt me with questions in the middle, but she didn’t really, she gave me free rein to speak. 2. Tell Read more
Published: January 26, 2021
UVA Darden Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
My interviewer came across as warm and friendly, and eased into the actual interview with some small talk beforehand. The questions went roughly as follows: 1.) Tell me about yourself; include your educational/professional background, why you want an MBA, and why you chose to apply to Darden. The interviewer followed up with some clarifying questions about my atypical work history. 2.) Tell me about a conflict you had with someone, how you handled it, what you learned from the conflict, and how you’ve applied these lessons to other situations going forward. 3.) Tell me about your leadership style; Read more
Published: January 17, 2021
Dartmouth Tuck Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Felt pretty informal. My guess is that these interviews are largely assessing fit, since fit is a huge deal for Tuck and the 2nd-year students conduct them. I got the sense that this was more about “can I imagine you sitting next to me in class” than “will you crack under the pressure of IB recruiting.” 1. Tell me about yourself/walk me through your resume. 2. What are your short-term and long-term goals? 3. Why MBA and why Tuck? 4. Tell about a time you received feedback; how did you handle it? 5. Reverse: tell about Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
I was surprised how conversational the interview was. She clearly had just read my application and thus it felt very natural to speak about my goals and plan. She absolutely had a few questions she wanted directly answered, but there was a flow to the conversation vs. Q&A, Q&A, Q&A, which I greatly appreciated. Read more
Published: January 13, 2021
Yale SOM Video Essay: Round 2 / Video Essay Component / Online
After signing in, I got the opportunity to test my computer and prepare two sample questions. For the real questions, there would be a video of an Admission Officer saying the prompt and the text below it. After the video ended, a timer would start with time to prepare the answer. Then, the recording would start. The questions were as follows: 1. Why an MBA and why now? (20 seconds to prepare, 60 to present) 2. Talk about a difficult situation you have experienced at work. Explain with details. (30 seconds to prepare, 90 to present) 3. Some Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview was super fast, 20 minutes Interviewer showed up about 5 minutes after scheduled time (it was the first time slot on a Monday) and seemed to be in a hurry. I never saw anyone introduce themselves so fast. It seemed I had hit the 2x speed button. But I tried to keep calm. First thing interviewer explained how interview was gonna be. -Tell me about your new job (changed during application) -Tell me about your data visualization (started to overlap with question 1, bc it was about my new job) -Tell me about a recent accomplishment at Read more
Published: January 10, 2021
HBS MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview went very smoothly, the interviewer set a welcoming and warm atmosphere which made me feel much more comfortable. I also loved that almost all questions were straightforward about specific things from my application, so I basically knew how to answer them. Questions/talking points -Specific thing about my essay, family background and how it relates to my background and goals -Why did I go to my first job at a Big 4 and how it related to my goals -How did I handle the fact that my college education hadn’t provided me with the basics to work with audit, valuation Read more
Published: December 27, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
Interview was very light, conversational, lasted around 30 minutes. I had heard that interviews were very serious, however felt lighthearted. The interviewer was genuinely interested in getting to know me past the information on the application. Asked about my hobbies, what I liked to do for fun. Did not ask me any questions about the interview essays. Also asked typical questions: – Why MBA/Why Now/Why Sloan – Biggest accomplishment at work – Time you had a conflict at work & how you solved it Received admissions offer with $$. Read more
Published: December 7, 2020
HBS Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom + Observer / Zoom
The interviewer was very friendly and started off the interview by giving an overview of what to expect in the next 30 minutes. She informed me that she had reviewed my application in detail, and there would likely not be any time for questions at the end. The atmosphere was very relaxed and was more application than resume-based. Below are some questions she asked: Why did I double major with Psychology? Personal traits (why I described myself as X and Y). What trends to I expect to see in the manufacturing space? (I am from a less traditional industry so Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Relatively casual, friendly, informational environment. Interviewed with a second-year student who had similar interests/career experiences to mine — I’m not sure if that was on purpose or coincidence. He asked very “typical” questions: Tell me about yourself Teamwork example Leadership example Influencing another individual example Career path Why Kellogg Any questions for me? ( I came prepared with 5 questions to ask the interviewer and we talked through all of them) Altogether the interview lasted ~45 mins. The conversation felt as if it was mostly a “screener” to ensure I had basic social skills, could articulate my goals, and could Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Dartmouth Tuck Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
1) What are your short-term and long-term goals? 2) How will Tuck help you reach your goals? 3) How will you contribute to Tuck? 4) Tell me about an example when you went outside your comfort zone. 5) Tell me about an activity/cause that you are passionate about. 6) Is there anything you wished I had asked you? The interview was 45 minutes. The second-year student was very kind and present throughout the interview. They really care about making sure you feel comfortable during the interview, which I appreciated. Read more
Published: December 3, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Zoom
– Tell me about yourself. – What are your short-term and long-term goals? I’m interested in corporate social impact, so I had a follow-up question on how the pandemic has impacted corporations’ social responsibility. – Why Kellogg? – Questions about Kellogg? The entire interview was 30 minutes and the alumnus was very kind. He explained why he chose Kellogg, how it led it him to his current career, etc. Very positive interview experience! Read more
Published: December 1, 2020
Northwestern Kellogg Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Alumnus / Video
I interviewed with an alum who also works in consulting as I do. He only had my resume. It lasted a little over an hour. The interview was fairly ‘standard’ interview questions, e.g., what challenges did you face at work? Tell me about a rewarding experience? What was a piece of advice you recently received? He gave me time at the end for me to ask questions. The tone of the interview was cordial. I would advise candidates to prepare for a couple of ‘challenge’ / ‘failure’ type of experiences. The interview went pretty much how I’d expected based on Read more
Published: November 17, 2020
Dartmouth Tuck MBA Interview Questions: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA? 3. Why Tuck? 4. What are your short- and long-term goals? 5. Tell me about a time where you had a conflict and how you handled it. 6. Tell me about a time when your boss gave you feedback and how you reacted to it. 7. How would you contribute to the Tuck community? 8. Do you have any questions for me? Read more
Published: November 1, 2020
Michigan Ross Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Interview was very casual and over Zoom. My 2Y student was very conversational, seemed interested in what I had to say, and was taking light notes while I was speaking and asked a couple follow ups after each question. Interview was broken up into 3 parts, which she explained the format of before we started. Interview lasted ~45 minutes. Part 1: Core Questions 1) Walk me through your resume. 2) Why MBA / Why Now (she did not ask about my goals, so had to weave that in here). 3) Why Ross? Part 2: Behavioral 1) Read more
Published: October 29, 2020
UT Austin McCombs Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
The McCombs application submission and interview scheduling were a bit of a mess this year. When scheduling, you are able to pick a time slot. Within the time slot, you are shown your interview. After checking the LinkedIn, I selected an interviewer with a similar background to mine. When I opened the interview, a different Second Year interviewed me. This threw me off, but overall it was a good, conversational interview. It was scheduled for 45 minutes, but was made clear to me that the whole hour was booked if I had more questions (I got the feeling it was Read more
Published: October 29, 2020
Chicago Booth Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Interview lasted 50 minutes. First five or so was just small talk about WFH, COVID, etc. Then she got into the questions (I only remembered 3/4 of them, a few I forgot): – Tell me about yourself. – Why MBA? – Why Booth? – Tell me about a leadership situation you had? – What was challenging about it? (follow-up question) – How did you overcome? (follow-up question) – What are your short-term plans after Booth? – What is your ideal working environment and what role do you play on a team? – Read more
Published: October 27, 2020
Rice Jones Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Zoom
Very informal and laid back. My interviewer was very down to earth and made me feel comfortable right of the bat. He started the interview by telling me about his background, why he chose to attend Rice, and what his plans are post-MBA. He stated that he did view my resume prior to the interview. The questions I can remember are below. The majority of the interview was spent on behavioral questions. 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Tell me about a time when you had a disagreement in your professional career. 3. How did you react Read more
Published: October 26, 2020
UCLA Anderson Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-year Student / Zoom
Short interview, ~25 minutes 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Why MBA? 3. Why Anderson? 4. How would you contribute to the Anderson community? (e.g. clubs) 5. Tell me about a time you contributed to your team’s success. Read more
Published: October 14, 2020
USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Adcom / Zoom
As a preface, this is my first and only interview for Round 1 of the Fall 2021 intake. I did two MBA interviews last year and ultimately deferred to this cycle, so I do have some experience. With that said, the interview was friendly as Grace Kim, the director of admissions, is a great interviewer. It is noticeable that she is at least using a mental list of questions if not following a prompt, which makes the interview less conversational, but she did work in a good amount of personal questions as follow-ups to my answers. The interview lasted 39 Read more
Published: October 5, 2020
Oxford Saïd Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Career Consultant / Zoom
Interview was with a career consultant who had worked in the same industry as my post MBA goal as a recruiter. Interview lasted around 35 minutes and was mainly focused on why I wanted to do an MBA, my post MBA goal and what research I had done on it and some competency based questions. Following were some of the questions asked: 1) When did you decide on pursuing an MBA and what would you like to gain through an MBA program? 2) Which other schools have you applied to? 3) Why Oxford? 4) Have you Read more
Published: September 29, 2020
Vanderbilt Owen Interview Questions & Report: Round 1 / Second-Year Student / Virtual
My interviewer was a second year student who was a fellow veteran. The tone was very conversational and the interviewer noted that all he knew about me was from the resume I included in my application. Questions included: Introduction (elevator speech) What is your post-MBA/short-term career goal? Why pursue an MBA now? If you were to get into every school you applied to, why Owen? What skill do you want to develop while in school? What value can you bring to your class? Describe a time you had a difficult professional relationship and what you did to resolve the issue. Read more
Published: September 20, 2020
UVA Darden Interview Questions: Early Action / Second-year Student / Skype
As expected, the interviewer gave me 15-20 minutes to run through my life story, resume, why I am seeking an MBA. Additional questions asked were regarding diversity. “Provide me with a time you worked in a diverse environment?” “Why is diversity important?” Interviewer provided 10 minutes at the end to answer questions about her background/experience at Darden. Read more
Published: September 20, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Early Action / Second-year Student / Skype
Interview started with the standard “run me through your resume,” “why MBA, why now.” As expected, the interviewer then proceeded to ask 8-10 behavioral questions. To list a few: Tell me a time you had to win over a colleague on your viewpoint. How would you describe your communication style to those at your level versus those above you? Tell me about your greatest professional achievement. Tell me about a conflict at work and how you overcame it. Describe a time you led a team. Describe your leadership style. Interviewer also asked how I would be involved at Fuqua and Read more
Published: July 8, 2020
USC Marshall Interview Questions & Report: Round 5 / Adcom / Skype
I was interviewed by Elaine. Very similar experience as what has been reported here. She was very nice, and the interview was casual and straightforward. The questions she asked me took about 15 min, then I filled up the remaining time with questions to ask her. I would prepare 5 – 7 questions to save for the end. She was happy to hear that I had connected with current students, so definitely try to do that prior to interviewing. Questions: Tell me about your undergrad/ Why did you choose your undergrad major? Resume walk through. Why MBA? Read more

MBA Livewire

November 15, 2024 4:36pm ET
Accepted to NYU Stern
Round: Round 1
Received via phone November 15, 2024
GPA: 3.5
GMAT: 760
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: United States
November 15, 2024 3:55pm ET
Interview Invite to UVA / Darden
Round: Round 1
Received via email on October 27, 2024
GPA: 3.01
GRE: 319
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Other
Application Location: New York City
November 15, 2024 3:38pm ET
Accepted to Toronto / Rotman
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 15, 2024
GPA: 3.6
GRE: 331
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Marketing
Application Location: Nigeria
November 15, 2024 2:27pm ET
Rejected at Columbia
Round: Round 1
Received via portal November 15, 2024
GPA: 7.6/10
GMAT: 695
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Non Profit / Social Impact
Application Location: India
Note:

Did anyone else also receive the following in their decision letter?

Thank you for your application to Columbia Business School. Unfortunately, the Admissions Committee is unable to offer you a place in the August-entering MBA Class of 2027.

Please know that we did not reach this decision easily as we were impressed by your professional accomplishments, academic success, and personal attributes. Indeed, your profile and stated career goals may be a good fit for our January-entering MBA program (J-Term).

The J-Term, which has the same core curriculum and elective offerings as the August-entry MBA, allows students who do not need a summer internship to achieve their career goals to earn their degree in only 16 months. It’s ideal for students who wish to remain in the same industry after graduation or pursue entrepreneurial interests.

Although there is no guarantee of admission, we encourage you to learn more about the J-Term. If interested, contact us at [email protected] and we will connect you with an admissions officer.
November 15, 2024 2:20pm ET
Waitlisted at Columbia
Round: Round 1
Received via email November 15, 2024
GPA: 8.5/10
GRE: 317
Program Type: Traditional Two-Year
Target Career: Finance
Application Location: México
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