I interviewed on-campus with a second year student. He was very professional yet kept things conversational and relaxed. The interview lasted approximately 35 minutes and began with the standard, “Let’s take a look at your resume.” I walked him through my educational background – beginning with my choice of undergrad school and major, moved on to my two job experiences since undergrad, and briefly touched upon my long-term career goals (since they tie in with my career choices to date). Here is a summary of the basic questions I answered:
- Walk me through your resume
- Tell me about a time you were a leader and experienced adversity; how did you deal with it
- Tell me about your long term career goals
- Tell me why you’re looking at Wharton
- What can you add to the program?
- Is there anything else you would like to add?
I think he was originally planning to ask more questions, but I spent a significant amount of time preparing and was able to fit some key leadership anecdotes into the interview as we walked through my resume. In preparing, I would recommend compiling a list of key questions listed on websites like this – I found the questions I pulled from websites to be exactly those covered in the interview. Know your application inside and out. I think the last question – “is there anything else you would like to add” – is your opportunity to really stand out from the crowd. I had it at both of my interviews (Kellogg and Wharton) so I would recommend preparing for it. The key is to be excited about the program. Regardless of whether or not it truly is your first choice, know the MBA program inside and out and have thoughtful questions.
I wrote a thank you note to my interviewer – to which I received an e-mail response with well wishes. He was very gracious and helpful. I was extremely impressed with all my Whartonite interactions. I was admitted to Wharton.
