Of my interviews thus far, MIT was by far the most rigorous and thorough. They hold true to the “behavioral” interview model, where they spend most of the time asking you about a situation from your past where something happened and you need to say what you did. Note that they want stories that have NOT appeared in your essays. It sounded like they didn’t mind if the stories were from my personal or professional life (I asked) as long as they were relevant.
The interview was conducted by a member of the admissions committee. It is exactly like a job interview and, while not necessarily pressured, is much more intense then my Tuck, Kellogg or Wharton interviews. The interviewer was cordial and friendly, but there was almost zero small talk.
The major questions I was asked:
- What exactly do you do? What have you been doing in your position recently?
- Tell me about a time when you were overwhelmed and asked others for help
- Tell me about a time when you mentored someone
- Tell me about a time when you butted heads with a co-worker/client/employee
- Tell me about a time when you were part of a team that had poor dynamics/didn’t get along well (say what you did, of course)
- Tell me about a time when you had to deal with someone who wasn’t pulling his/her weight
- Why an MBA, why Sloan (although only briefly and at the end)?
I was then asked if I had any questions. You’ll really only have time for one, so make it a good question that shows you’ve done your homework and will help you evaluate the school. I asked about how hard it was to get into classes, as this has come back as the most universal complaint I’ve heard from current top b-school students (Wharton especially).
My advice (along with others who have posted here) is to review the list of Sloan questions we’ve all posted and think of two or three stories that could work. If you do that, you’ll have a good 30-40 stories that could be applicable for any question the interviewer might ask.
