The London Business School 2010 thread

undafry, thanks for the response. What part in the Media business are you looking to do post LBS?

I would suggest you to write a thank you mail for sure. Also add in the mail something unique that you both discussed in the interview or anything that you guys talked on and was interesting.

Had my interview today.

My biggest piece of advice is to be prepared to go into details about your long term vision, and how LBS gets you there.

Gluck to those still interviewing.

3 more weeks until the decision is released on March 25. I looked at the R1 thread, and it appears that the decisions were released very late into the London day -- just like the interview decisions were. So... 3 weeks + a few hours to wait.

Round 2 for me - completed my interview, waiting to hear back on the 26th.

Thanks.

I had my LBS interview yesterday evening.

The interviewer is 2006 passed out, working in the same area within Tech sector where I want to work post-MBA. Nice guy and made me feel relaxed.

We met at the LBS campus. He started with brief introduction of his background, his past work and current work. Tried to make me feel relaxed and mentioned that we would have conversations rather than formal interview.
Started with "Tell me about yourself". I spoke for couple of minutes and then he mentioned that he would throw some challenging questions. He started talking about why not entrepreneurship immediately after MBA rather than doing what I had mentioned as my short-term goal. I gave him explanations. He further added what if I become a successful entrepreneur and find that magic formula to succeed - what then. Explained him again why I think it makes sense for me to do MBA, work before going for entrepreneurship and various benefits of going through MBA and my short-term goals. He then started asking some challenging questions about my short-term roles and the first thing that I would do while working in that role (he is currently working in similar role) and I think he wanted to know if I have done enough research. Again answered him with specific points and things that I would start with in that role. He was very pleased with that answer and said that whatever I said was the first thing taught in MBA classses. Then he started asking about specific course and later asked about just one that I will take if I have only that option. I mentioned which one and why. I think he was fairly convinced and then I further elaborated on the role that I want to work in after MBA.

After almost 30-35 mins of above discussion, he said "Now relax, I would ask few typical questions". Started with "what's unique about me given that lot many from IT apply". I tried my best to bring my diverse background, entrepreneurial skills, team working experiences and how I would add value. He then poked about the cultural learnings and what do I think about it. I gave examples of various cross-cultural team experiences and talked about working in London. He further enquired about anything that I have picked from London culture. I gave him example from both professional and personal point of view. Then we spoke about cultural things for a while. He later asked what if I do not get admitted. Answered that as well.

I was surprised to find out that he never asked me about why now, why LBS, what are your long term goals - the typical whys. Neither were any questions about stories. Also no questions about other schools. Sensing that I won't get a chance to tell my stories, I infused examples of the best stories in whatever questions he asked. But still feel that I could tell him all that I wanted to as there was not much option to relate those. Then came the presentation - fairly easy topic (again about organisational culture). I think presentation was the easiest part of the interview. Had 3 succinct points and he took notes while I presented. He gave feedback and said that I did well and added a comment as well. That's it. There was no more discussion about the topic. It was 1 hr 15 minutes and he finally said that he is done and I could ask my questions if I have any.

I had specific questions about alumni involvement, classes, electives, clubs. I had 2-3 more but I realised that it was 10pm (we started at 8pm in evening) and thought to cut it short. Also tried to tell him more about my background, my research about LBS, the classes that I had attended and about the event that I had attended while visiting campus. I think I tried to speak wherever I can to show him that I have done enough research about the school and my goals.

We finished by 10:15pm and walked together to the tube station. Bid goodbye to each other, gave him my card and then boarded our trains. I came back home, sent him a thank you email and also mentioned one unique point about our discussion.

Overall I felt happy about the interview. Just felt that I could not tell him everything that I wanted to tell as there weren't enough typical questions for me. It's done for me and would wait till 25th to find out how it turns out for me.

Good luck to everyone.

Hi all,

Just had my interview. It was rather conversational and the interviewer was very nice. She is a recent graduate and, I suppose, remembers well being in my shoes. I did have to explain why MBA, why now, and why LBS, and then we moved to more specific questions about why I want to change careers and my accomplishments at work.

I thought the presentation was pretty challenging and my interviewer later said she was not supposed to give me any feedback.

In the end, it was my turn to ask why LBS and otherwise about life and studies there.

I would say that the interview reinforced my desire to attend LBS and I am looking forward to the decision day, however it falls.

Good luck to everybody!

Hi All - What do you wear to your interview? Is suit and tie too formal if meeting at someone's apartment? good luck to all and thanx!

my rule of thumb is based on venue. i went to the dude's apartment, so i knew right off the bat that it would be a less than formal situation. so i wore khakis, a casual dress shirt, and a blazer. i went to my kellogg one at a starbucks in khakis, shirt, tie, v neck sweater, no jacket. but if you are going to his office, i'd would do it up, head to toe. suit, tie, best dress shoes you got, nice watch, etc. you go to a professional place, be professional. you go to a relaxed place, show you can still be professional without the noose around your neck and that you're actual a fun and relaxed guy to hang out with.

Everything I've read said to approach interview in a formal way. I wore a suit. (no tie though - I'm female )

at the risk of being redundant, here's my own interview experience, which may help other people...

had it just yesterday, which is relatively late in the process, because 1. the admits committee took awhile to contact me, and 2. when they finally did, they gave me an interviewer I knew personally (classmate from school a few years back). I had to tell admits committee, and they said they'd look for another alum.

the interview was very relaxed indeed, much like most others' experience here. the usual gamut of questions were there: why LBS, why now, etc. what other schools did you apply to?

here's where i think i differed slightly. in between those "standard" questions, he'd ask random questions about the country's economy, my country's current presidential election period, environmental issues, george bush's stand on iraq and afghanistan, MBA grads' roles in precipitating the crisis, etc.

it's a good thing i actually read a lot, and i was able to answer those questions fairly well, with a good deal of cogent analysis. can't imagine what would have happened otherwise... but those kinds of questions don't seem to be standard for other interviewers. anyway, heads up - it could happen, so best brush up on current events, if you aren't abreast of issues.

i felt like i did rather well throughout the interview: it felt like a conversation - though admittedly one sided - than an interview. then again, we will never know until the 25th, i guess. good luck to all of us. nothing to do now but wait until the 25th.


poch

I second that; unless your interviewer specifically instructs you otherwise, business formal is your safest -and expected- approach.

This is a little late but here's mine

Met my interviewer - British citizen now living in Asia - at his office for around 75 mins. He heads a non-traditional niche consulting firm - relating to both my immediate and long-term goals. So the bulk of the interview was a conversation around that. He was very down-to-earth and friendly and did not really stick to any of the standard questions. The interview weaved in and out of topics - in hindsight I should've actively controlled it better and injected more stories and anecdotes to boost particular points. Much more of a converation than a formal interview. I explicitly asked him about the dress code in my email - "business attire" was the code and I went in a suit minus the tie. He was dressed in casual business attire.

Most of the conversation as I said hinged on his sector and we discussed how it differed globally. Rather than talk about the finer points which won't really be relevant to others, I thought I'd point out key points you can look out /prepare for that I realised I could've done better:
1. Control the conversation - make sure you have points/areas/anecdotes/examples you want to highlight and weave them in even if you are digressing here and there. It will help throughout.
2. The presentation - Mine required me to place myself in the position of a CEO. Be ready for a scenario where you'll have to respond as a very senior official - corporate or government (I remember seeing "Sarkozy" in the text of a question) This was something I wasn't really prepared for. The other thing is that I spoke and gave my opinion and then asked for feedback to open it up. He merely smiled and said this was just a one-sided presentation and not really for debate. In hindsight, I should've gone into more detail. My advice is to go into as much detail as you can - think out aloud for every step.
3. Team leadership experience and extracurricular - Had one question on each and sufficed to talk about my resume experience.

Overall I think it really helps to go in the frame of mind of the experience being a conversation than an interview, even if it turns out to be very structured.

I'm sure you guys will do really well. All the best and let's all meet up in LBS!

So I am done with mine too couple of hours back.
My interviewer changed the venue when I was travelling but it was just 15 mins away from earlier decided one so it was ok. She was in totally casual attire but I obviously went in a suit to be safe.

Questions asked in my interview:
1. Why MBA/LBS/Now
2. About team work and leadership. 2 or 3 on each. How I lead, how a lead one successful project, how will i contribute in team in LBS. Most difficult question for me was what I want my team member at LBS to help me on. I really couldn't come up with a great answer on it but blabbered something after thinking on it.
3. International experience. What I have learnt and more about it.
4. About current industry news and what you think about it. What is happening in the world et al.
5. Why you think you should go for your long term goal. What makes you think you can do this.
6. Why LBS is better than other schools.
7. What I do for fun. My extra curricular activities.

So more or less whole interview revolved around above 7 points. I think I did ok but could have done better as I came up with better answers while coming back home and missed out on few points I should have highlighted. Anyways all out of my hands now. Lets wait for the final result.

Oh and my presentation topic was I think same as 4test one. And I think I just escaped from goofing it up as in 5 mins presentation prep I just could not think on anything for it. Literally just didn't have any point to say for it but as I started everything came in my mind and I think I did well in that part in the end.

All the best to all and thank you guys for sharing your experiences and helping.

Has anyone on this thread gone through the MiF interview as well?

I was browsing through the forum and couldn't find MiF candidates interview experiences.

Round 1 Admits: Who are confirmed attending LBS MBA 2012?

Ladies and gentlemen,

I chose to applied R3, but one of my recommenders submitted after the deadline (on the same day, though). Are any of you aware of how strict LBS is with late recommendations? Will I be moved to R4?

Thanks and best of luck to all of your R2ers, but don't forget to leave some room in the class for me!

baxter

baxter,

If I read your post correctly, one of your references submitted a few hours after the dealine. Personally, I doubt that such late submission, especially considering that the portion of your application submitted late was a reference (mostly beyond your control), and not your core application (exclusively within your control), would exempt you from Stage 3 evaluation. Even the strictest of MBA Admissions Committees are flexible enough to apply discretion.

Of course, the best way to clear this up is to call the Admissions Office. They're quite helpful.