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Published: March 22, 2020
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / Adcom / Skype
The interview was quite short. The interviewer started off with small talk. She was very friendly and casual. She asked about an undergrad experience, my thoughts behind each career transition, why now, how to achieve my post-MBA goal, what surprised me. She also took a couple of questions from me. The whole conversation ended in 20 mins. Received the offer after two weeks. I think the key is to show that you are clear with what you want to do after graduation and what Stern can offer to help you achieve that goal. There were no trick questions. Hope this Read more
Published: March 22, 2020
UNC Kenan-Flagler Interview Questions & Report: Open Interview Period / Adcom / On-Campus
Adcom member was very friendly, not intimidating. She started off by informing me that this was a blind interview and that she only had my resume to go off of. Asked me the typical questions I was expecting (resume walk-through, why MBA, what professional accomplishment are you most proud of, why Kenan-Flagler). No questions that had me stumped. Was very conversational, 20 mins or so. Read more
Published: March 21, 2020
UPenn Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
With the COVID-19 impacting interviews across schools, I wasn’t sure if Wharton was going to cancel the on-campus interviews, especially after hearing that the Tokyo sessions were cancelled, but I was able to get to campus and participate in the other events as well. Scheduling I scheduled for the 3:30 pm time slot so I could participate in the events (a mock lecture with lunch and a campus tour) beforehand and have some time before the TBD to do last-minute prep. Pre-Interview Events I enjoyed the mock lecture and the campus tour, but there were many people, so Read more
Published: March 21, 2020
UT Austin McCombs Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
I had my interview on campus with a current student on Feb 14, 2020. It was one of the “Discover McCombs” day and there were about 50 prospective students. I arrived 15 minutes before my interview at the admissions office. My interviewer arrived with only my resume, and after exchanging greetings, I was escorted to a “group study” room down the hall. He gave me some background about himself and explained straight away that it was a blind interview, that he had a set list of questions, and that he’d be making notes throughout the interview. Here are most of Read more
Published: March 21, 2020
UT Austin McCombs Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
Interviewer had a sheet of paper with questions and was filling them out as I went along. Second-year student had my resume, but interview was blind other than that. Overall, I didn’t really connect with my interviewer, but he was very nice and didn’t make me repeat answers to questions I had already answered just for the formality of it. The questions were relatively generic, but definitely make sure you have questions ready for your interviewer because that was 10-15 minutes of time at the end. Most of the questions were generic (Why McCombs, why an MBA now, how many Read more
Published: March 21, 2020
UNC Kenan-Flagler Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus
I interviewed on a Friday, which was a little bit odd considering there are no classes on Fridays. This meant that there was less activity and buzz within the school, but overall I still had a really positive experience. My interview was a blind interview with an adcom member. It lasted about 45 minutes and was very conversational. My interviewer was super nice and chatty, which broke the ice immediately. First, she asked me to walk her through my resume. She stopped to ask a few follow-up questions throughout. We then moved onto talk about “why MBA, why now, why Read more
Published: March 21, 2020
Georgetown McDonough Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / First-Year Student / On-Campus
I had an on-campus interview with a first-year student. The interview was held in the MBA admissions office, which was a small suite of offices in the impressive McDonough building. The check-in process was quick and easy, and everyone was incredibly kind and helpful. The interview lasted a little over 30 minutes and was very conversational. It was a blind interview, so we started with the basic “why MBA,” “why Georgetown,” and future career goals questions, which took about half of the interview time. There were a handful of behavioral questions like “name a time you worked with a team Read more
Published: March 17, 2020
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / Adcom / Skype
The interview went just as what the reports on Clear Admit said. It was very conversational and had a lot of questions about the working experience, career choice and recruitment strategy. And it was not a blind interview. Ice breaker, about pack six (essay). Working experience, the reason of career switch. About project experience on my CV and any particular challenges. How many subordinates do you have? Describe your typical day at work. Why PE/VC? Target company? Recruitment strategy, backup plan? How to get an internship in the dream industry? Geographic preference after graduation? What do you do in your Read more
Published: March 17, 2020
Georgetown McDonough Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype
List of interview questions Tell me about yourself. Why MBA and why now? Why Georgetown? Tell me about a time you dealt with a difficult person. Tell me about a time you faced an issue at work. What are your thoughts on diversity? Any questions for me? I haven’t received my admission decision yet, they said they’ll give it out on the 19th. The interview went very well. The interviewer put me at ease and even discussed the interesting things the international alums are doing. There were no surprises. It was pretty straightforward, but I was also a little sleepy Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
UNC Kenan-Flagler Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus
Started a couple minutes late, but relatively informal in the adcom member’s office. The interviewer had not read my essays. I mostly ran through my background, talked about what led me to an MBA and why Kenan-Flagler. I was positioning myself for tech and got some follow-up questions on why I couldn’t get where I wanted to without additional schooling (I currently am an analyst at a start-up), so I’m glad I had prepped with some very specific reasons. Honestly it wasn’t my best interview ever, but I did receive an offer. Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
Wharton Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
Everyone knows Wharton uses the “Team-Based Discussion” (TBD) format for their interviews, so if you are invited to interview you will be given a prompt with some deliverables that you *should* prepare some thoughts/answers to before arriving. No need to do extensive research, but be able to justify your ideas. At least this year they permit you to bring in notes, which again takes some pressure off. They are less concerned about what you say versus how you say it while interacting with the other members of your interview group. I scheduled my interview first thing in the morning (1.5 Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
UT Austin McCombs Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
The interview was very straight forward. We walked to a room in Rowling Hall and my interviewer had a sheet with questions. We first went through my resume before I got asked a series of standard questions – nothing out of the ordinary. I then had an opportunity to ask questions of my own, which turned into a very productive and insightful conversation. Overall, the interview started off a little stiff, but loosened up as it progressed. Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
UVA Darden Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype
Interviewed with senior adcom member at UVA Darden in late February. The interview lasted for a duration of 30 minutes. Questions asked were: Walk me through your resume, Why MBA and Why Darden? I was allowed to speak for 10-15 minutes with minimal intervention from the interviewer who was mostly taking notes. Tell me about a time you worked in a diverse setting at work. Tell me any feedback you have received at work and how have you acted upon them. Any questions for me? Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus
Interviewed with alum in India in early Feb, 2019. It was a blind interview where the alum only had access to my resume. The total duration of the interview was 45 minutes. Questions were mostly centered around behavioural types, my career goals and fit with Team Fuqua. Walk me through your resume. Why MBA and why now? Why Fuqua? How are you evaluated in your organisation? What is your most important accomplishment at work? Describe a time when you worked well in a team setting? What were the key takeaways? What were the key takeaways from your discussions with Fuqua Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
Dartmouth Tuck Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / Skype
The interview was blind and the interviewer had me walk him through my resume. Questions included: Why MBA? Why now? Why Tuck? What are your biggest strengths and weaknesses? What is your greatest professional achievement? Tell me about a time when you had to help someone achieve something. I told him my thoughts about the motto of the school and that seemed to surprise him as he had not even considered it.  The interview process was fairly generic till I asked the interviewer personal questions about his experience, at which point he became really interested. Read more
Published: March 15, 2020
UVA Darden Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-Campus
The interview was very open. The interviewer started with “Tell me about yourself.” I quickly brought up my upbringing, college experience, etc., but focused most of the answer on my resume. The interviewer periodically asked me questions, but nothing related to behavioral questions. He genuinely wanted to get to know me better. I went through it all in about 20 mins and then after he said, “what else?”, which threw me off guard. I started talking about my hobbies and things I did outside of work. The interviewer wasn’t taking any notes, so it was really about if I was Read more
Published: March 12, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype
It was a very conversational interview. Since Sloan does non-blind behavioral interviews with admissions committee members, they are already familiar with your application and ask more targeted questions that allow you to frame your answers in ways that make sense to your story. Questions asked: Tell me about your background and how you ended up where you are today. Tell me about a challenge you faced in your current role. Tell me about a positive impact you had on a team / organization. Tell me about a time you had to convince someone of your idea. Why MBA / why Read more
Published: March 10, 2020
MIT Sloan Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype
Questions: 1. Are there any new updates to your application you’d like to inform the committee about? 2. Tell me about a time you dealt with conflict. The rest was specific to my resume, and industry. Read more
Published: March 9, 2020
Duke Fuqua Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Second-Year Student / On-campus
I did my interview on-campus on a Saturday. They had the option to sign up for various sessions before and/or after your interview. Since my interview was at 10AM, I signed up for a career management session, led the by the director, that began at 9AM, and then a tour of the building with lunch post-interview. The career management session was helpful, as it provided detailed/helpful information about what Fuqua students do post-graduation. The tour was short, but nice to see the school nonetheless. The interview itself lasted about 45 minutes. We sat in small room, and a second-year student Read more
Published: March 5, 2020
NYU Stern Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / AdCom / On-campus
I interviewed on campus with a member of the admissions team. Flew in the day before so spent time around campus before the interview. I highly, highly, highly recommend getting to campus for your interview or before to get a feel – and this is especially true for Stern, which has a different vibe being in a big city. Interview was very conversational. You can tell they are truly trying to validate fit with the school more than anything else. A question that caught me off guard was: 1) What will your recruitment strategy be for internships? Other than that, Read more
Published: March 3, 2020
UT Austin McCombs Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / 2nd-Year Student / On-Campus
The interview was very scripted. The interviewer refused to shake hands due to germs (corona-virus is currently going around for those who read this in the future). She had a checklist of questions and took notes of some of what I said. She did not record my entire answers, presumably only what she felt was necessary to write up her report. Despite the scripted format, she was very friendly and the interview was somewhat conversational. She had not seen my application, and questions were all relatively straightforward: work experience, behavioral questions, why McCombs, goals, etc. As a re-applicant, I noticed Read more
Published: March 1, 2020
INSEAD Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / Alumnus / Off Campus
Had two alumni interviews in Toronto. One was at the alumni’s office, the other at a hotel lobby nearby the others office. Both interviews were laid back and conversational. Both began with tell me about your career path so far, your reasons for doing an MBA, and your intended career trajectory. Both also asked ‘why INSEAD over another school?’ While both these lines of questioning were expected, I was surprised there weren’t any technical or situational questions. This led me to believe that INSEAD would rather qualitatively get to know their candidates in the interview process and have already vetted Read more
Published: March 1, 2020
Cornell Tech MBA Interview Questions & Report: Round 3 / Faculty / Skype
Was given a case study 48 hours prior to my scheduled interview. (Typical Product Management Problem Solving) During the first ~10 minutes of the interview, I was asked to walk through my case study and explain my reasoning/line of thought and defend some of my points. During the 2nd half of the interview, was asked: -What I intended to do post-mba -Why Cornell Tech -What my management style was -What questions I had for the interviewer Atmosphere: -Friendly -Light-hearted Read more
Published: February 26, 2020
Cornell Johnson Interview Questions & Report: Consortium Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus
I applied through the Consortium to Cornell Johnson. Standard behavioral interview. Prompts include: Walk me through your resume. Tell me about your leadership style. Why Johnson? How will you contribute to our community? The interviewer will have a list of questions about potential weaknesses in your application, and ask you about them. It was pretty laid back, but professional. Read more
Published: February 24, 2020
INSEAD Interview Questions & Report: Round 2 / Alumni / Off-Campus
I have two interviewers that were scheduled on 2 separate days of a week. They were both very friendly. The first one is in the industry (consulting). that I would like to get into, the second one works in an industry that is completely different (retail). Some basic questions were asked: my background, my MBA goals, what do I do outside of work, … Both interviews were relaxing. I also had a chance to ask questions about their MBA experience, and what advice they would give to me to achieve my goals. 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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