Interviews

Are you getting ready for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD)? We’re excited to bring you a bonus podcast episode to review this year’s prompt and to help you excel in this step of the admissions process. In this episode, Clear Admit’s co-founder, Graham Richmond, and resident admissions expert, Alex Brown, dive deeper into this year’s prompt (ICYMI, you must also listen to their overall key advice about the TBD here). The exercise for the 2019-2020 admissions season focuses on Tangen Hall (pictured), Wharton’s first on-campus space dedicated to student entrepreneurship and innovation activities. The TBD prompt for 2019-2020 is: Read more

I had my Yale SOM interview with the Adcom in Tokyo. It was a busy day for the Adcom as she also organized the info session before we met. The interview was very short, but very conversational. I thought it would not be blind as it was an Adcom interview (though usually, Yale interview is blind), but it was indeed a blind interview. The questions that we discussed include: 1: Why do you come to Japan (from China)? 2: Tell me what you are doing recently at work. 3: What’s your biggest accomplishment? –> Why do you regard Read more

As MBA candidates for University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business prepare for their interviews, we’re taking the opportunity to round up useful advice from the Clear Admit Interview Archive, as passed on by interviewed candidates themselves. Before we dig into the key takeaways from prior lucky invitees, here are a few basics about the structure of the interviews at Booth. MBA candidates who interview with Booth may interview on-campus with a second-year student, or off-campus with an admissions officer or alum. On-campus interviews generally run from 30 to 45 minutes with time at the end of the interview for questions. Alumni interviews can be more varied, in terms of time. Either way, it’s important to prepare thoughtful questions for your interviewer. All interviews are blind, meaning that your interviewer may have access to your resume, but you should still make sure you bring copies to your interview. Booth interviews are generally considered to be very straightforward, in a reasonably relaxing atmosphere, as the following excerpts from interview reports attest. Interview Logistics This candidate thinks there might be an advantage to schedule your interview early in the day, if you are interviewing on-campus: “The organization of the interviews was excellent. I would recommend to schedule your interviews for an earlier spot — my interviewer, while attentive, was already a little worn off.” This candidate noted the advantage of doing the campus visit, before the interview: Read more

The interview was very structured and the interviewer was extremely friendly. Questions: – Walk me through your resume – Greatest success at work – Failure at work – Why MBA? – Why now? – Why Yale? – Why did you select your quote? How will that impact your contribution to Yale? (We were requested to submit a quote beforehand.) There weren’t any surprises. Yale SOM is such a friendly school. They make an effort to ensure that you feel comfortable throughout the interviewing process by explaining the questions very clearly and laying Read more

The interview took place on campus in the MBA admissions office. The interview was led by a second-year student who had a copy of my resume and likely had reviewed it shortly before the interview itself. The interviewer had not read my application. The interview was laid out in a pre-printed form and we stepped through questions one-by-one while the interviewer took notes on my responses. Overall questions were straight-forward and expected for an MBA interview. These questions included: – Walk me through your background/Introduce yourself – What is an accomplishment/success you are proud of? – When was Read more

As interview invitations roll out, we wanted to remind MBA hopefuls that Clear Admit can help with the final hurdle to acceptance: the interview. The Clear Admit Interview Archive is a repository of first-hand accounts shared directly by MBA applicants after they have interviewed with one or more of their target top-tier business schools. The details shared in these reports—from the questions asked to what the applicant would do differently if he or she had it to do over—provide invaluable information as you prepare for your interviews. 1. You Won’t Find a More Robust Resource Anywhere With more than 2,000 MBA admissions interview reports, the Clear Admit Interview Archive has you covered no matter what type of interview you’ll be facing. In some cases, your interviewer will be familiar with your entire application; in others, just your résumé. Candidates who’ve encountered both scenarios can tell you how best to prepare for each. The wide range of interview accounts also includes advice on how best to prepare based on who you your interviewer will be, whether a second-year student, alumnus, or adcom member. Read more

As reports of Stanford GSB interview invitations continue on LiveWire, we’re taking the opportunity to round up useful advice from the Clear Admit Interview Guide, as passed on by interviewed candidates themselves. Before we dig into the key takeaways from prior lucky invitees, here are a few basics about the structure of the interviews at Stanford. Most Stanford MBA interviews are conducted by trained GSB alumni, but the school says that an adcom member may also serve as an interviewer. In any case, Stanford interviews are “blind,” meaning that the interviewer will only have had access to the résumés of invited candidates, not their entire files. Stanford admissions interviews are behavioral in nature, with the school seeking to understand applicants’ past actions and responses in certain situations. That being said, candidates should still be ready for the basic questions such as “why an MBA,” “why now,” “why Stanford,” etc., as some applicants have reported being asked about these topics. Go With the Flow As interviewers try to dig deeper for details, candidates can expect a particular style of interview: “All questions were followed by a lot of in-depth questions asking for more details, like: what did I do or say at a specific moment, how did I started the conversation, step-by-step description of how I acted, etc. And after answering each question, I was asked to talk about the outcomes of my actions/decisions and if I could quantify them.” “The whole thing was comfortable and conversational, though not informal, and the format really doesn’t let you get away with general statements. After he asked questions, a few times I had to take 15-30 seconds to think quietly before I started to answer, which was totally fine. It was better to take the time than to start an answer that I wasn’t prepared to provide specifics for, because he would definitely ask for specifics.” “He explained that he had a certain set of questions to ask me and he had to identify certain behaviors, so not to be surprised if he needs to interrupt me while speaking.” “The interviewer ‘interrupted’ casually many times along the way to ask for details or follow-up questions.” “He asked behavioural questions and wanted situations where I exhibited a given behaviour (i.e., tell me a time when you look on a leadership position). He then started to deep-dive on specific moments and the actions and decisions that I made. It was very specific and detailed to uncover my motivations and underlying values.” “After each response, my interviewer continued to probe into how I felt and what I said and did. She went into much greater depth than my previous b-school interviewers had.” Others offered insights into the content: Read more

The prompt for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) is below.  The exercise for the 2019-2020 admissions season focuses on Tangen Hall (pictured), Wharton’s first on-campus space dedicated to student entrepreneurship and innovation activities. “Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the forefront of Wharton’s focus for the future of the school. Last year, the University of Pennsylvania announced a $25 million gift that will spearhead construction of a transformative new building. Tangen Hall is the first-ever dedicated space for Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship and other student entrepreneurship programs across the University. Here students will Read more

As LiveWire lights up with interview invitations from the Wharton Admissions Committee, we wanted to help the latest crop of candidates by sharing tips from those who have experienced the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) and personal interviews first-hand. Wharton introduced the TBD a few years ago and considers it to “model the highly collaborative nature of the Wharton MBA environment.” Five to six candidates are grouped together and asked to develop a presentation around a specific prompt, which invited applicants are sent in advance of the interview. After the group exercise, candidates have about 10 minutes one on one with an interviewer—usually a trained second-year student, but sometimes a member of the adcom. Many candidates report that the TBD gives them insight into Wharton’s atmosphere, but can feel difficult to prepare for. The Clear Admit Interview Guide for Wharton feature more personal experiences of several interviewees. Below, we’ve compiled some of the best insights from recent Wharton candidates as reported in the Clear Admit Interview Archive. Show That You Are a Team Player Several candidates recommended arriving with enough time before the TBD to get to know the other members of your group and settle in a little: “Since no one knows what to expect in the team-based discussion (TBD), it is a good idea to arrive early in order to know the people in your group.” “I highly recommend arriving 15-20 minutes before your interview, as the time spent in the waiting room chatting and getting to know the other applicants in the same TBD group was useful, so you can get a handle of the various personalities early on.” Another candidate remarked that it’s not always easy to determine your team members, but it still makes sense to arrive early: Read more

As Round 1 interview invitations from The Wharton School roll out, we wanted to make sure you’re ready for their MBA interview.  In this episode, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond break down Wharton’s group interview – the ‘Team Based Discussion’ (TBD) – and offer a wealth of tips and background to help applicants ace their Wharton admissions interview. Alex and Graham, who both formerly worked in admissions at Wharton, discuss the history and purpose of this interview format.  They also provide sage advice on how to deal with different personality Read more

My interview was blind with a GSB alum. Received an email matching me with my interviewer ~7 days after receiving my invite (I’m in the southeast U.S.A and there aren’t as many alumni here to support as there are in NY, Chicago, Boston, west coast). I was extremely pleased with how strong of a match the AO was able to make with my interviewer. We worked at the same company pre-MBA. He had the same post-MBA goals as I do, and we had very similar interests in our personal lives. ~15 minutes before my interview was scheduled to start, I Read more

The interview was fairly standard and conversational. The interviewer was an admissions committee member and had not viewed my application before. He appeared to be given a packet, of which one page was my resume, which he did not appear to have reviewed ahead of time (this was evident when I began my “tell me about yourself” answer and mentioned something and he interrupted asking where on my resume it was). Questions that were asked were (in order): – Walk me through your resume. – Can you tell me about your day-to-day responsibilities in your current role? Read more

Since we know some of you may be waiting anxiously in the next few weeks for MBA interview invitations, we wanted to remind you about two key resources that can help you through this busy—and often stressful—time: MBA LiveWire: Live reports from real candidates throughout the admissions process. Find the profiles of other applicants who applied to your target schools. Get live updates of those who have received an interview invitation or an admissions decision. Sort by school, admissions round, and the status of each entry to find the information you’re looking for. MBA Chats: Chat Read more

If you’re among the many candidates in receipt of an interview invitation, you won’t want to miss what past candidates learned from their Yale SOM interview experiences. You can thank us—and them—by paying it forward and submitting reports of your own after you interview. How Big Is the Window of Opportunity? Yale SOM invites many candidates—60 to 80 at a time—to visit campus for a full day of events in addition to interviews. Several past interviewees report that Yale stuck to a set schedule and format for their interviews… “The interview with Yale SOM was super structured. She had a list of questions, which she mentioned were the same for everyone. Ran for about 30 mins. She was super friendly and made an effort to make me comfortable.” “Yale keeps interviews pretty standard, with 30 minutes time limit almost on the dot. The interviews are blind so the interviewer has your resume as their only reference of your application.” “Adcom stated that all interviews would be standardized to about 6 questions across all applicants interviewed.” “[The interviewer] was very nice and explained to me before we began that she had not seen my file, that she will be asking me preset questions, and that she will be busy writing her comments and so I should not expect too much eye contact. She had a form with printed questions and answer boxes for her comments.” “They took notes while I gave my answers and checked their watch every so often to keep track of time.” “When I entered the room, the Admissions associate introduced herself and then told me that the interview would be 30 minutes and 6 questions.” …while others had a different experience: Read more

The adcom was super nice and started off the discussion by reviewing the overall process and next steps from today. The overall flow was: walk through your resume, provide behavioral examples, short / long term goals, life outside of work, why do you need an MBA, why Kellogg specifically (looking for a lot of emphasis on team work throughout the discussion) Specific questions I had (40 minutes): – Tell us about your path to (my firm) – What do your current responsibilities look like? – Can you tell us about a project you have been on where Read more

I was invited to interview on 09/23 with a recent alum in my city. I reached out to the alum by email and scheduled the interview one afternoon (about 1 week after receiving the invite) at a local coffee shop, which was quiet given the meeting time. The interview was blind, and the alum only had access to the resume that I sent him via email. Overall, the interview was very relaxed and conversational, and it was clear that my interviewer was very passionate about Kellogg. We talked a bit about his background and my recent visit to Kellogg before Read more

My interview was blind and very straightforward. The admissions officer gave a quick introduction (~2 min) and then asked me to ‘tell my story’.  I talked for about 40 min starting from childhood while the admissions officer mostly listened and interjected once or twice for clarification. There was time at the end to ask a couple of questions. Overall I enjoyed this interview more than others as it was clearly more about fit than hard skills.  I was admitted in the EA round. Preparing for an upcoming UVA / Darden MBA Interview? Check out Clear Admit’s other resources: Clear Admit Read more

I had my interview with the alumnus in a hotel lounge, which lasted for 1 hour. The interview was pretty conversational, and most questions were very typical. I handed out my printed resume to her as she didn’t bring one though she said she has one on her PC which she used during the interview. She listened to my answers very carefully, and asked some follow-up questions about my thoughts and learnings regarding my accomplishment, while keeping typing on her PC to make notes. We went into the questions directly after her brief introduction. Some questions that I still remember: Read more

Conducted on-campus interview the day before the Women’s Preview Day. The interviewer was a first-year student. The student was accompanied by an admissions office staff member who seemed to be training the interviewer. The interview took place in the admissions staff member’s office. Both of them had reviewed my resume beforehand and had it on hand, but they hadn’t seen other parts of my application. The interviewer had a series of questions he needed to get through, but the interview felt informal, more like a conversation. Both the interviewer and the admissions staff member took notes during the interview. The Read more

There were frequent connection difficulties during my Skype interview, but the interviewer accepted responsibility for these on her end and had even briefed me before the interview started that the difficulties may be encountered. Questions: Why an MBA? Why Kellogg? Why now? Walk me through the last 3 years of your resume What are your short term / long term goals? How would an MBA help you reach these goals? Could you reach these goals without an MBA? What are three terms your coworkers would use to describe you? Recount your greatest accomplishment Recount a time you failed Clear Admit Read more

I was picked up from a classroom where other interviewees were mingling for a bit. Highly recommend chatting with other prospective applicants prior to getting picked up because it really calms your nerves. I was totally expecting a second year student to pick me up but it was a Adcom member. We went to a quiet classroom after a ~5 minute walk and we made small talk about how my visit was going etc. At the tail end of the walk, the interviewer asked me what other schools I was applying to. Once in the room, the interviewer pulled out Read more

The Darden interview was very unique and conversational. The interview started with the second-year student telling me that the structure would be 15-20 minutes of sharing my story, 5 minutes for Why MBA? Why Darden? and lastly 5 minutes to ask questions of the interviewer. After that, it was me telling the interviewer my story with minimal interjections to ask for clarification on something or further detail. Overall, the interview felt like a conversation. As long as you know your story well and can concisely tie all your decisions together into one, coherent narrative that highlights your skills and leadership Read more

1. He walked through my resume and made a couple of questions about it. 2. Where did you learn English? 3. Why did you choose your college major? 4. Why an MBA? 5. Why Fuqua? 6. What are your short and long term goals? 7. How do you intend to grow as a leader in Fuqua? 8. What is your plan for the first 6 months in Fuqua? 9. Why should we “hire” you? 10. Do you have any questions for me? Clear Admit Resources Preparing for your Duke / Read more

The interview was very conversational and was truly an enjoyable experience. The interview covered the typical topics: walk me through your resume why MBA why now why Kellogg time you worked on a team with diverse perspectives All of the above questions arose naturally out of the conversation. The interview was interactive and it heightened my belief that Kellogg has a very user-friendly admission process and really puts the effort in to try to get to know all candidates. After the interview, all of the prospective students seemed to agree that they had positive processes and were impressed by how Read more

The interview was with a second year student, and was very relaxed. There were a few behavioral questions, and it seemed much more fit focused than resume focused. It lasted 30-45 minutes and was not very stressful. I was actually surprised the interview wasn’t a little more rigorous. I was asked the following: 1) Tell me about yourself 2) When was a time you were challenged, how did you overcome it? 3) Why B-school and why Fuqua? 4) How will Fuqua help you achieve your post MBA goals? Clear Admit Resources Preparing for your Duke / Read more