Interviews

Keep up with our most recent interview reports, and build your skills with our interview tips.

Published: March 16, 2014

USC / Marshall MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype

The following USC / Marshall MBA Admissions interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 2 applicant. Good luck to them! The interview took place over Skype with an Adcom member who only had my resume. While Skype can be a little awkward, it felt quite comfortable. The coversation lasted approximately 40 minutes and I was asked relatively standard questions about my short-term and long-term goals, working on teams, why MBA, why Marshall, etc. I was asked about the biggest misconception about me, an interesting question, but no real curveballs. The Adcom member was very nice and explained what would Read more

Published: March 11, 2014

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

My interview was in London with a team of 5 others. I got there 45 minutes early and was the first to arrive. Gradually other team members arrived and we got along talking really well, laughing and getting to know each other. I noticed when the ADCOM member came in--I don’t think others did. She dressed casually and hung back from us for about 10 minutes, most likely eavesdropping on our conversation. I had met her twice on her trips to my country, but instead of going to introduce myself I rather focused on making sure my name came up a few times and was noticeably conversational. The TBD (Team Based Discussion) commenced, and it was quite obvious from the get-go how everyone had prepared for this. There were 3 guys and 2 ladies: 2 from investment banking, 2 from consulting and 1 from IT. The IT guy who is a project manager got off the block quickest and tried to ensure that we followed a structured approach to the discussion. We had nametags so didn't need to write names down. The first person didn’t really follow the 1-minute requirement, probably spoke for 3 minutes and her topic wasn’t clear either. After the first round, I felt my topic was the clearest and had the strongest base to be built up on but I didn’t overly push it. Instead as the discussion progressed, I reiterated why my topic was sound but Read more

Published: March 10, 2014

Duke / Fuqua MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Second-year Student / On-Campus

I was fortunate enough to receive an interview and met with a second year MBA student. The interview was very relaxed and when we had strayed too far off topic, he brought the conversation back to the main questions. Truthfully, I was only asked three questions in actual question form as the others were brought up casually during our conversation. Be yourself, that’s what they’re looking for. Good luck! 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why MBA? Why Now? 3. Why Fuqua? 4. Tell me about your international experience. Is there any particular thing you Read more

Published: March 9, 2014

Cambridge / Judge MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

The questions asked were easy and normal. It went on for around 30 minutes or so. 1. Walk me through your resume 2. What are your career goals? Why do you want to do an MBA? 3. What has been the biggest achievement in your life? 4. What is your management style? 5. Describe a time when you failed in a team. 6. What do you think are your weaknesses? 7. Any questions you would like to ask? Overall the interview went well. Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

Berkeley / Haas MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

I am currently an American living internationally, so my interview was abroad with a local alumnus who graduated about 11 years ago. It was in the middle of downtown at his office. He hadn’t done interviews for a few years and it kind of showed. He seemed like he had read my resume but didn’t have many questions prepared so it seemed a bit rambly. But, he was very polite and made me feel like he was on my side. 1. Why did you move abroad? 2. What accomplishment on your resume are you most proud of? Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

Stanford GSB MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

The interview was conducted in the Adcom member’s office and lasted for approximately 45 minutes. Some of the questions asked were: 1. Tell me about you personally and professionally 2. Tell me about a leadership experience 3. Tell me about a time you could’ve taken the lead but instead contributed more as a team member –> this was perhaps the question that stumped me a little 4. Tell me about an international experience 5. What is one good piece of advice you’ve received from a leader, mentor or role model? 6. Tell me about Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom + Second-year student / On-Campus

1. Healthcare portion I interviewed for the health care major, which involves an interview with the director of the program. I already have a healthcare background so we just discussed my previous steps in more detail and my motivations going forward. It was a logical conversation. It wasn’t explicitly told to me, but I get the feeling that post-MBA job placement marketability is important to them (does your background/profile match with the type of jobs you’re trying to get?) 2. Non-healthcare portion (Team-based discussion) The team-based discussion was pretty anticlimactic and still baffling to me on its utility. Two 2nd Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

London Business School MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

Interview duration was roughly 2 hours, of which I was being interviewed for between 60-70 minutes. Questions included: -Tell me about yourself -Why LBS -Career goals -Define leadership -Example of your leadership -Strengths/Weaknesses from perspective of a friend -Alternative short-term career goals Was also presented with a series of case-type questions, including questions related to my response to difficult group members (multiple follow-ups here), and what leadership traits I’d target for a start-up firm and for a more mature organization. Presentation: I was given 5 min to prepare and 5 min to present. Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

Harvard MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

For me, I was nervous about all the random potential questions I could be asked. I prepared for a lot of them, but my interview was mostly (90%) resume-related topics. Not in sequential order… 1. Why don’t you take 2 minutes to introduce yourself. 2. What was it like going through this highlighted situation on your resume? (lots of back and forth) 3. Challenge at current job. 4. What could you have done better at previous job? 5. How did you get these positions? 6. What is the biggest misperception people have about you when Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

London Business School MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-campus

Most questions in my LBS interview were similar to the ones you find here. Some that stood out were: 1. Did you ever take a risk? 2. Did you ever have to convince someone? Because I’m interested in consulting, my interviewer did an extra case on this. It was a typical consulting interview case, but shorter (10minutes). My interviewer presented a situation in which sales were not as expected, and I had to ask him questions in order to find out what the reasons for this could be. The structure of my reasoning and the questions I asked were what Read more

Published: March 6, 2014

Duke / Fuqua MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

The following Duke / Fuqua MBA Admissions interview report was submitted to Clear Admit by a Round 1 applicant. Good luck to them! My Fuqua interview was very long. She made me feel nervous. Questions asked were basic: 1. Checked resume 2. Asked about previous qualifications 3. Asked about my hobbies 4. Again asked me to go through the resume and asked about the things she was unclear or doubtful about 5. Asked about my professional aims and goals The interview overall went well and they basically want to know the basic information about students. Preparing for an upcoming Duke / Read more

Published: March 4, 2014

Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

I flew in and out the same day from NYC, and I’m not sure whether I would recommend that. It was pretty exhausting. As soon as I landed, I went straight to the admissions office and signed up to attend a class, have lunch with a student and then have the interview. I had the interview with an Adcom member and was prepared to answer all the regular questions. It was blind, so I walked her through my resume. She noticed a date was off and called that out. I panicked, but she redirected the interview and got it back Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

Overview: Conversational interview with an Admissions Fellow on campus. The interview ran about 40 minutes though we had actually scheduled a full hour. The Admissions Fellow asked basic questions including: 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA? 3. Why Booth? 4. Why now? 5. Short -term and long-term goals 6. Clubs at Booth? 7. Specific classes at Booth? 8. Free time – what do you do with it? 9. What do you wish I had asked you about? 10. Any questions for me? Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

MIT Sloan MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub

I interviewed with an adcom member in Los Angeles. It was an application-based interview. We met at a hotel. There were no surprises in this experience. 1. “Have there been any changes in your application/experience since you submitted?” I used this as an opportunity to break the ice and share something fun I’d done recently. This also let me gauge her attitude/mood. 2. She introduced the format of the interview and that it was for me to help the committee get a better sense of who I am beyond the paper file. She explained the format of behavioral questions. 3. Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

I interviewed with an alumnus of the class of 2013. The interview was blind; he had my resume a week before our meeting. We met at a coffee shop near his office. He ran me through his background before Booth, a few thoughts on his time there, his work since then, and then introduced the format for the interview. He said he would open the floor for me to walk him through my résumé and we’d go from there. He said he’d stop me for questions as needed. I had prepared for this, so I introduced three themes that run Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Stanford GSB MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-Campus

The interview was with an alumnus in his office, and overall very conversational and informal. I was asked fairly standard behavioral questions for the first ~45 minutes, and then we spent another 15 minutes talking about his experiences at Stanford. There were no curveball questions, but he definitely dug deep into each experience and was especially interested in my thought process. As previous posts mentioned, the best preparation is to reflect on your experiences and come up with 5-6 examples that you can discuss in detail. It’s really important to think about how you handled tricky situations and interpersonal dynamics. Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Wharton MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Off-Campus Hub – Singapore

I arrived an hour early to avoid rush hour traffic. This gave me time to get settled and converse with all my group mates. It made me less nervous since I already knew everyone and their backgrounds before stepping into the room. The group session was a bit scattered, since everyone was very diplomatic but everyone wanted their own idea to move forward so ideas just kept multiplying. I and another group mate would occasionally moderate the session by summarizing and suggesting a process to move forward. Our proposal eventually came together, but I suggest that other groups don’t force Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Cornell / Johnson MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / Skype

My interview was semi-blind, meaning that the interviewer had my resume and notes from an adcom member who had reviewed my profile. Pretty standard questions: 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Describe a time when you had to manage people. 3. Tell me about a time you did something innovative at work. 4. What are your post-MBA plans? 5. What do you think is a weakness in your application? She then proceeded to ask application-specific questions. Also, be sure to prepare intelligent and relevant questions. It would also be helpful to review your application for Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Oxford / Saïd MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 3 / Faculty / On-Campus

Just had my interview last week, and it was a very pleasant experience. The interviewer had clearly read my application and even quoted a line from one of my essays. I was extremely nervous going into it because I have a background in humanities (art history), scored very low on the GMAT (610), and have only 3 years of work experience (Oxford average is 6 years). However, the interview was relaxed and friendly, all the staff at Saïd were generous and kind, and it felt very positive afterwards. A few years ago I started a relatively successful social enterprise in Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Cornell / Johnson MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 1 / Adcom / On-Campus

My interview was pretty straightforward. It didn’t take much time and ended in just 15 minutes. The environment was relaxing and not as tense as I thought it would be. The interviewer looked experienced, but he asked things nicely and in a friendly way. First of all he was interested in knowing about my background even when he had my resume. He wanted to hear it from me. He asked if I had a job and if so, how my interactions were at the job I had. He wanted to know why I had left it and what my future Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Kellogg MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

I visited Chicago for the interview. The interview was blind and was conducted by the Assistant Dean of Admissions. She made me feel very relaxed during the initial phases of the interview. The questions asked were pretty normal and conversational. It went on for around 45 minutes or so. 1. Walk me through your resume 2. What are your career goals? Why do you want to do an MBA? 3. What has been the biggest achievement in your life? 4. What is your management style? 5. Describe a time when you failed in a Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Harvard MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

I had my HBS interview with Adcom members on campus last week. It felt super conversational, and they were smiling and laughing throughout with me, which was nice but unexpected. Hopefully they thought it went well too. They asked a number of questions about my career choices. We talked a lot about my work in equity research and what I enjoy about it, how I got there, my background, etc. They had specific questions about the retail industry that I cover and asked me to pitch them a company, which I did. We also talked about my long-term career goals Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

USC / Marshall MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-campus

The atmosphere was casual. I was expecting something more structured and formal, but it ended up being a 45 minute barrage of why get an MBA and then 15 minutes of questions. I thought this was pretty unusual, and I couldn’t get a good read on the Adcom. The interviewer seemed to have read my application as he targeted my future goals right away. I was thrown a bit by how much persuading I had to do with just why an MBA because I felt at some point, we should’ve moved on, but he kept at it. But there’s nothing Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Chicago Booth MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Alumnus / Off-campus

It was very conversational. Lasted about 45 minutes. She didn’t ask me the “walk me through your resume” question, but she did ask specific questions about my resume. 1. Why MBA and why now? 2. How did you became interested in Chicago? 3. How will you contribute? 4. Talk to me about some highlights during your undergrad. 5. If your friends had to describe you in three words, what would they say? 6. What attributes do you think a leader should have and which ones do you have? 7. 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses Read more

Published: March 3, 2014

Emory / Goizuetta MBA Admissions Interview Questions: Round 2 / Adcom / On-Campus

I interviewed with the Director of Admissions. The interview went really well. In fact, I thought the questions they asked may have been the best of any school I have visited so far. She asked a couple of behavior interview questions: (1) Describe a time at your job when received constructive feedback and how you responded to it (2) How would your co-workers describe you. She also asked me a few questions from their application: (1) What is your immediate short term goal after graduation from Goizuetta, and what are you going to do if that Read more

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MBA Applywire

November 20, 2024 9:42pm ET

Applying: Babson / Olin, , Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Emory / Goizueta, Rice / Jones, Rochester / Simon, SMU Cox, UCI Merage, Washington U. / Olin

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Technology - Entrepreneurship

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Entrepreneurship

GRE: 333

GPA: 2.56

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Lagos

Notes:

I just got rejected for WashU Olin and I have an interview invitation with Questrom. GPA continues to bother me but I addressed it in my supporting essays.

November 19, 2024 12:51pm ET

Applying: Berkeley / Haas, Cornell / Johnson, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, INSEAD, Michigan / Ross, MIT Sloan, Northwestern / Kellogg, U. Chicago Booth, UPenn / Wharton, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Tech in government

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Entrepreneurship Companies: Bain , McKinsey

GRE: 319

GPA: 2.9

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

I got cancer when I was undergrad that's why my undergrad GPA is low. After MBA I want to work in consulting then make a social impact in Africa through entrepreneurship

November 19, 2024 12:06pm ET

Applying: Duke / Fuqua, Harvard Business School, Michigan / Ross, Northwestern / Kellogg, Stanford GSB, U. Chicago Booth, U. Washington / Foster, UNC Kenan-Flagler, UT Austin / McCombs, UVA / Darden

Pre-MBA Career: Wealth Management and Military

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Asset Management, inc. HF, Other Companies: Bain , BCG , Deloitte , McKinsey , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Asset Management , State Street , Vanguard

GPA: 3.80

Years of Work Experience: 7

Location: San Diego

Post MBA Location: Chicago, Seattle, Minneapolis, Charlotte

Notes:

UG Degree: BBA Financial Markets at an Accredited Institution.

Civilian Work History: 3 years as Wealth Advisor under an RIA in Minneapolis and Denver. Total AUM of ~$350-400M, served as a salaried advisor in a primary and secondary capacity. Holistic services to include investment management, estate planning, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, etc.

Military History: 4 years as a supply/logistics officer heading efforts for air/ground mobility, defense contracting, supply and procurement, and fiscal budget management while located at various bases within CONUS and multiple forward deployed locations.

Professional Certifications: Obtained Certified Financial Planner designation (2022) and Series 65 (2019).

November 18, 2024 12:50am ET

Applying: Columbia, Dartmouth / Tuck, Duke / Fuqua, Emory / Goizueta, NYU Stern, UNC Kenan-Flagler, Yale SOM

Intake Year: 2025

Pre-MBA Career: Consulting

Post-MBA Target Industry: Investment Banking Companies: Bank of America , Barclays , Citibank , Credit Suisse , Goldman Sachs , JP Morgan Chase

GRE: 323

GPA: 3.32

Years of Work Experience: 7

Notes:

Education:
- Combined Major in Economics and Statistics
- CFA Charterholder (passed all three levels on the first attempt)

Professional Experience:
- Manager at a Big 4 firm Specializing in capital projects and infrastructure, with a role similar to investment banking
- Seven years of experience, mainly in financial services in Ghana

Extracurricular Activities:
- Pro bono capital-raising services for SMEs
- Aspiring to run a full advisory firm for SMEs in the future
- CFA exam coaching and tutorial classes for candidates
- Founder of a travel and tour club offering affordable trips to explore beautiful and historic scenes in Ghana

Will being 32 years old affect the attractiveness of my candidacy?

November 17, 2024 9:24am ET

Applying: Columbia, , Georgetown / McDonough, Harvard Business School, INSEAD, NYU Stern, Oxford / Saïd, Stanford GSB, UCLA Anderson, Yale SOM

Pre-MBA Career: Higher Education

Post-MBA Target Industry: Consulting, Technology, Investment Banking, Venture Capital, Private Equity, Media, Undecided Companies: Bain , BCG , McKinsey , JP Morgan , Morgan Stanley , JP Morgan Chase , Apple , Google , Microsoft , Andressen Horowitz , Charles River , Sequoia Capital , Blackstone , KKR , 21st Century Fox , Comcast , Walt Disney

GPA: 3.97

Years of Work Experience: 5

Location: Denver, Colorado

Post MBA Location: New York City

View or Submit Entries

MBA LiveWire

November 23, 2024 7:37am ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 21, 2024

GPA: 6.42

GMAT: 760

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: India

November 23, 2024 12:41am ET

Accepted to SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via email November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.6

GRE: 331

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Marketing

Application Location: Delta, Nigeria

November 22, 2024 11:09pm ET

Accepted to NYU Stern

Round: Round 1

Received via portal November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.65

Program Type: One Year Program

Target Career: Technology

Application Location: NY

Note:

Submitted on 9/1, interview invite on 10/8, interviewed on 10/30. No phone call but portal updated on 11/22 around 1pm est. No scholarship..

November 22, 2024 8:42pm ET

Accepted to SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via phone November 22, 2024

GPA: 3.9

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Mississippi

November 22, 2024 8:34pm ET

Rejected at SMU Cox

Round: Round 1

Received via portal on November 21, 2024

GPA: 3.89/4

Program Type: Traditional Two-Year

Target Career: Consulting

Application Location: Asia

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