I was invited for interview in December and interviewed on January 8 in SFO. There was a group of students and a group of alumni conducting the interview at the location. A bunch of alumni and students were also present who made us feel very much comfortable and relaxed. Also, there was a panel discussion with alumni and a current student after my interview, which was great.
My interview started off with an extracurricular activity from my resume. My answer brought in my background and my inspiration for making a positive difference on society, which in turn, led to the essential Why MBA, Why Now and then Why Duke? Honestly, there was no specific question other than the first one. After that, it just kept flowing very smoothly from one topic to the next. The interviewer showed very obvious body expressions and also took serious interest in what I was talking about. As long as you are clear and detailed about your own stories, you should be all right.
The atmosphere was especially helpful. The admissions staff, students and alumni were helping us in settling down and ease our tension. “Team Fuqua” brand was very visible. I was totally convinced that I would love to spend my MBA years with these folks.
Please be your self. Based on my experience, they are not looking for a long list of your accomplishments, rather a deeply felt passion for what you do. You should be absolutely confident about the items in your Resume and ready to go into every details about them. Also, allow an alumnus the opportunity to talk about his/her experience at school (mostly through questions at the end, about clubs/activities etc.) – they really love it. I asked a few questions about her experience and we even found some common interests through this.
The entire interview was an enjoyable experience.
