theyankees86 wrote:
Apologize if this is already clear to others, but I wanted to understand the interview style adcom/counselors conduct.
The Sloan interview preparation guide asks interviewees to be prepared to talk about past experiences influencing others, building professional relationships, and exhibiting drive. Given that the guide only mentions to focus on our prior experiences, are we not expected to answer questions like "why MIT?" or "why an MBA" during this interview? I guess I want to know if this interview is strictly related to my professional background and detailed stories of leadership, team work, mentorship, etc. or should I expect general questions on what I want to do at MIT and why I am drawn to the school?
Any insight will help. Thanks guys!
First up, congrats on landing the interview!
Sloan is a huge proponent of the 'Behavioral Interview' - an interview style wherein the questions are not really about what you want to do in the future, but what you have already done. As they keep saying, 'Past experience is an excellent indicator of future performance'. So they take situations that you are likely to face in business school, and ask you not what you would do in that situation, but what you did when were faced with it. The distinction is subtle but clear - Sloan expects you to have experienced that situation already. A common example would be - 'Tell me about a time when someone in your team was not performing to his/her potential".
A common thread across all Behavioral Interview questions is the way the question is framed - its almost always "Tell me about a time when..." or "Describe a time when.." or "What did you do when...". This lends itself to a very clear answer structure called the STAR method - Situation, Task, Action, Result. What was the situation, what exactly did you need to do (Task), what did you do (Action), and what was the outcome (Result).
But I digress... To answer your question - Sloan usually asks for detailed leadership experiences, and does not worry about Why MBA and Why Sloan. However, you should be prepared with an answer in case they decide to surprise you with it
. Better yet, you could weave it into one of your responses.
(FYI - There are multiple sites where current students have posted transcripts of their interviews. Check last year's thread - am pretty sure I saw some there)
All the best!
MBAWanderlust