Smith (University of Maryland)

"1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA ? Why Now ? Why Smith? 3. Tell me about the most satisfying part of your current job 4. Tell me the least satisfying part of your current job 5. Post MBA Goals . Any Alternate paths if your goals do not materialise. 6. Which other Business Schools did you apply to ? 7. Questions"

"UMD Interview Review: The interview was quite relaxed, mostly to get to know you as a person. The interview lasted for 45 mins. Brief Introduction of the Interviewer, then to the following questions Question 1: Tell me about yourself, professionally and personally (Briefly walk through your resume) Question 2: What are your short term and long term goals? What is your plan A, B, and C? Question 3: Why an MBA, why Smith in particular? Question 4: What was your greatest challenge, and how did you overcome it? Question 5: What other MBA programs are you applying to? Question 6: What are your target industry and any specific companies? Question 7: Do you have any questions for me? Edit: Admitted with a generous scholarship and GA"

"Hi, I had my interview through Skype on 20th April 2020 for about 22 mins. The interviewer was very casual but I was very formal as I prepared too much and I couldn't suddenly tone it down ( uff, I know ).So it was the same set of questions Why MBA? Why smith? Why now? then transitioned to things I said in my essay and things I wanted to do post MBA (stick to what's written). I'm an Indian living in the U.S, small discussions on difficulties in securing a job post-MBA(try to contribute something here - if not h1b, what other options you have) also Plan A, Plan B. What other schools have you applied to? Why? And did you hear back from them? What if you get admitted in all the schools you applied to, which one will you choose? (Really? Oh WOW )How will you contribute to smith? Any questions for me? (Pay attention to the answer because by this time I started to retrospect few of my answers and was off to my worry land). Overall: Chill and casual. Converse and convey your thoughts well - laugh, chat. All the best guys! PS: have kept it as real as possible. If I get admitted, I will share my answers as well! :)"

"It straightaway started with "So, Why Smith?" Followed by Goals and backup plans. Then I was asked a bunch of behavioral questions: Tell me about a time when you had to make a decision without having enough info, What is unique about you that's not there on paper, Tell me about a time when you had to work in a team. And finally, How will you contribute to Smith? and Any questions for me? The length was 23 minutes."

"I interviewed on campus with Maria Pineda, the Senior Director of Admissions. It was actually a pretty tough interview, she asked the general "why mba, why Smith, why now" questions but also asked questions regarding what I wanted to do post-mba, my second option, and my THIRD option. Another question she asked was how I would contribute to Smith during the MBA as well as afterward, which I thought was a great question and enjoyed thinking through. She also asked some standard behavioral questions, so just be prepared and speak slowly and clearly. Know your goal and why UMD fits into that picture. Good luck!"

"It was a pretty comprehensive interview. The skype call came in sharp at the decided time. Apart from the basic questions like Why mba, why smith, you could expect some out of the box questions as well. They stress a lot on Plan-B question and what options do you have in mind once you graduate. Which companies have you figured out where you could work and what will you do in order to get in touch with them. They also ask you about other schools where you have applied and what made you apply there if you were already applying at Smith. Apart from this, some behavioural and case study based questions. Keep your calm, speak slowly and clearly, and keep the conversation alive. Don't make it like a Q&A session."