- Started out past, present, and future. Why your college, Why your majors, Why you first employer, Why your second employer.
- What does a typical day look like at your present job in terms of your time spent on activities?
- What do you want to be doing shortly after graduation? 10 years out?
- What will you do if you can not do that?
- Why do people want to get into Private Equity (my career goal)? What about it is attractive?
- How will you learn at HBS?
- Who do you want to learn from at HBS?
- Tell me about a time things did not go well for a team.
- Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned.
- What advice would you give back to superiors make sure you did not fail again (because I used a work example).
- A leader you admire.
- What drives/motivates you?
- When did some one have to depend on you for success when you had no vested interest in the outcome?
- What will be your biggest challenge at HBS?
- Tell me about a weakness you have.
- She did not question anything specifically in my essays other than the “Why college, first job, and second job.”
Overall, I was watching out for my tempo (don’t talk too fast) and don’t say “Umm” too much. I was aware of those 2 tendencies and I think I successfully avoided them (for the most part.) The interview was supposed to be about 30 minutes and actually ran about 40 minutes (I think).
As far as the visits go, Wharton and Harvard were surprisingly different. Many students at Harvard were in business casual clothes and overall the place was much more grown up. (Didn’t have undergrads running around like Wharton) They are both beautiful facilities. I echo the advice below: “My advice for interviewees is to be relaxed and conversational and focus on communicating a message that is consistent with the application that got you to that point.” Good luck!
I was admitted and will be a part of the class of 2008.
