Olin (WUSTL) Class of 2016 Calling all applicants!

Submitted for R3. Waiting game begins.

Got an interview invite today. There's still hope guys.

(I withdrew my application in light of a better offer)

Got an i/v call too...woot!!
Indian R2 applicant
just to repeat linzhouu's question.... any tips for the interview..
I know my interviewer is a 2014 batch student.. wonder what they ask!!!

Submitted for R3. await begins

Hi all, I am a first time poster, but I wanted to give everybody an update -- acceptance calls are coming!!!!! I received a call this afternoon from the Dean with the good news. In terms of financial aid, I have not heard anything on that front and I did not want to broach that topic in the middle of a pleasant admissions call.

Applicant Profile:
Age: 27
Work Experience: about 6 years (much of which is blue collar and some of which is in political campaign management)
Education: NAU (Political Science) and Georgetown Law (law school)
GMAT: 720 (Q47 V42)
Hometown: Phoenix and All Over
Career Goal: External Consulting
Other Exciting tidbits: former student athlete, leader of a bunch of clubs, jolly volunteer type, and lover of all caffeinated substances

Good luck to all. For all those still applying and looking forward to interviews my advice would be very simple -- just be yourself. I've had a few interviews with schools where there wasn't a great connection, but I got the impression right away that the Olin staff was looking for reasons to accept a student rather than reasons to not. For example, I am pretty modest despite having accomplished a lot over years (probably too much so), but when I was telling stories and answering questions my interviewer said at numerous times, "so you'd say that you were a leader in that effort, weren't you" or similar statements. It just seems like they have a good bunch of people there who want you to succeed in the interview. So, don't worry, be respectful, and just enjoy a pleasant interview.

The most important question that they will ask you, by a mile, is why are you applying and why you want an MBA? Do not, by any means, try to dodge this question. For me, I faced the precursor question specific to my background -- why did I go to law school, first? As an aside, this shows you that the questioning is somewhat spontaneous such that, I would prepare and practice, but beware of being scripted because the discussion will likely move off script.

Back to that question, it was particularly challenging for me because, frankly, law school was a mistake in many regards or at least not the best choice I ever made. But, we never want to present a weak face in an interview. So, I explained the rationale leading up to that decision and placed myself back in time to where I was when I was making that decision -- 24 years old, a fancy school, coming from a lowly ranked school with a liberal arts degree, and with a pretty good scholarship. Thus, in that light and at that time, it made sense. I was then asked what was important to me when I was applying to law school -- I responded, "rank and money whereas today, in applying to business school, I am looking for a smaller and more intimate program with good job placement -- hence, my application, here." I also pointed to the fact that a legal background has some supplemental utility in my career choice of consulting. However, I explained, in a very matter of fact fashion, that my law school decision was a mistake, but that I learned a lot in the process and thankfully didn't rack up too much debt.

The other questions are related and common: (1) What is your goal after graduation (be specific in terms of where you want to end up and about what questions you have unanswered in the process); (2) what is your goal five years later; (3) give an example of a time you faced a challenge; (4) give an example of a time you took on a leadership role... and there was plenty more, but that is all that I remember... oh, I think they ask about hobbies as well (mine are running, writing poetry, and arguing about things over coffee... kind of lame, but turns out there is a Coffee and Conflict group on campus... they are really nice people).

You can't do bad on the interview. Just be as honest as possible and try to avoid being too polished. Also, don't worry about awkward pauses in the conversation either... this happened early in the interview until I got on a roll and I just said... "my mind hit a blank, can you say more about the question you just asked." Again, regular conversation -- don't worry about being perfect.., don't worry at all. Have fun.

Just had my interview..
quick ques : how do you define that you screwed up an interview for a B school.. ?

Had very basic question .. walk me through ur resume .. why mba ... why olin .. why now .. some explanations in between about the points i had written in resume...

got stuck in finding the right words at a few places.. gave ample examples what we I did.. ..

Still no reply from Olin, guess I'm out of this game

Bro, sounds like it went solid. Remember that the admissions committee works off the notes that are taken from the interview so if you provided tangible explanations of what you've done in your work history then excellent. Sometimes all the words are there and sometimes they aren't -- they realize that this is a high pressure situation.

That said, I can sympathize. I had one interview... prior to my one with Olin... that just went horrendously. First, it was a Skype interview because I was in the middle of finals. Second, Skype stopped working and I had to do it as a full phone interview. Third, the lady was just mean and was looking for reasons to ding me (again, this wasn't Olin). Anyhow, I walked away from that interview realizing it was for the best -- I withdrew my application from that school within a few hours. So, the answer to the question of whether you can fail an interview -- it isn't possible. One of two things happens, instead: (1) you just get a case of the nerves and know you need to practice interviewing a bit more; or (2) you figure out a place isn't a good fit.

In your instance, it sounds like the first which, frankly, is nothing to be concerned about in my opinion.

Woooooo!!! People... I just retook the GMAT today -- I wanted to try with a better prep that the holiday afforded -- 770. Wooooo!!! Seriously having such an awesome week.

Congratulations!
That's a phenomenal score and should definitely open up a lot of doors for you.
All the best.

That was comforting ... thanks a ton baggins ..

and 770 ! whoaaa.. thats freakin awesome .. congrats !! send an update to universities man .. will definitely improve your chances.. !

Word!!!

Received my interview invitation today, R2 applicant. I almost lost hope.

Hey,

Just submitted the app. I loved the Entrepreneurship track at Olin. Hope to get an interview invite.

Thanks,
Prodizy

abc123

Can any R2 applicant who has completed with his interview with a current Olin student share his experience?