osc wrote:
Glad you found it helpful Kunzi!
I had one pre-application meeting and one interview. You may not have to do the pre-app meeting but definitely take them up on it if it is offered. For international students the pre-app might be via phone or skype but mine was in person. It was friendly and warm but make no mistake - its an interview! Bring your A game. I got to ask any questions I needed to about my particular app prior to pulling the trigger. At that meeting we discussed what would happen next and I made my preference for an in-person interview known, assuming I made it that far.
I got an email a few days later to confirm an in person interview and a pre-interview phone call to discuss the content of the interview. I believe most interviews are done via Skype but they graciously accommodated my request for in-person. They weren't sure who my interview would be with even on the call but the content was explained - it would be a member of career management and topics would center around that type of stuff.
Interview itself lasted for about 45 minutes. Interviewer was an adcom member who I had introduced myself to at one of the events. That introduction wasn't the easiest because they were being hounded by students but it definitely paid off come interview time. I knew them and they knew me and things were more relaxed as a result.
There was a mix of non-scripted chatting about who I am, my background and that sort of thing. Then there were formal questions on which your answers would be compared to others. They have a large bank of questions they can ask about 4 categories. I forget the names of them but the point here is that everyone will get asked a different combination of questions, though still 1 from each category. The only question I recall was actually the same as the #2 essay question.
My advice for preparing for the interview would to have good clean answers for Why Ivey?, Why an MBA? and What are your career plans after Ivey?. While these weren't asked directly, it was important to be very comfortable with those answers as they all came up in conversation some way or another. Another thing I found helpful is to make a list of notable business experiences you've had since graduating. Have some interesting stories / scenarios to draw upon. I found it helpful to write these down beforehand. You won't know what questions will be asked but you can apply your experiences to the answers for sure.
2 other points I'd suggest is that if you're doing an interview by Skype, make sure you're on a good connection and the room is well lit and reflects well on you (ie. no clutter in the background, you look professional on camera). Had to do this method for Queen's and took a little work prepping to make sure things looked proper. Also don't be late and don't be too early!
Otherwise just be yourself. If you get to the point of an interview you should know your story, why you're doing this and be able to articulate that in a conversation. That's really what its about - they aren't trying to trick you, just making sure you know what you want and that Ivey and the MBA degree fit into that plan properly.
Great advice! thanks alot. OSC, could you please share you GMAT score?
I will be making it just in time for the last deadline in January. My GMAT is due in December, and the prep is not all that great. Although Im studying every evening, work totally drains me out. Ivey is my first choice though! Really hoping I nail this.
Does anyone else have app or interview tips? Please share!