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phyandrew
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Last visit: 18 Jun 2012
Posts: 26
Given Kudos: 1
Schools: Wake Forest (A) Kenan-Flagler '14 (M)
01 Jan 2012, 18:33
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AshForGMAT
There are several things you need to understand about yourself / career goals before going into the MBA interview: what you want to do, why you want to do it, why an MBA will help you achieve those goals, and why specifically an MBA from XXX school. Furthermore, you need to be able to articulate answers to each of these questions in an intelligent manor.
Answers to the questions above will be different for every person, depending on goals etc.
Why an MBA? You should have a well laid out plan, or at least a flexible guideline for your career that depends on you achieving an MBA. Maybe you want to switch careers from Engineering to Marketing and you need the MBA to give you the toolset and ability to make the jump. Maybe you're climbing corporate ladder at a tech company and you need additional business sense on top of your engineering degree and experience. etc... Whatever your case here you should have some plan that requires you having the additional education; but make sure you truly believe in the plan adcoms hear these stories everyday and will point you out quickly if they think you're just throwing buzzwords at them.
Why KFBS? Each MBA program will work this question in somehow. Regardless of where you go in say the top 25 schools you'll get a great education from some VERY impressive / smart people. But, and this is a big but, not all programs are created equal with regard to other aspects. Some schools, like Harvard, teach exclusively using case method (KFBS is mostly case, but not all) while others are light on the case approach. Some schools are HUGE i.e. lots of students, Harvard / Wharton, and some are small, Tuck. You have to figure out what type of atmosphere is right for you; some schools are more competitive while others are more collaborative team based. Additionally, maybe one school has a professor that studies something you're interested in, one of the KFBS profs studies airport business models. Finally, don't forget about location, that varies a lot with the different business schools. Regardless of your answers for these questions you should definitely have done research on the B-School you're getting ready to interview and know a lot about it, and why you fit in and want to go there etc.
Short term and long term goals will factor into your answer to the "Why an MBA" question. Usually short term is within the next 5 years and long term is after that, i.e. if you could pick out a final job in your career what would it be. Be careful spitting out an answer of say CEO, your answer should be well thought out and follow a logical progression from short term to long term.
I hope this helps!
Andrew
phyandrew
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Last visit: 18 Jun 2012
Posts: 26
Given Kudos: 1
Schools: Wake Forest (A) Kenan-Flagler '14 (M)
01 Jan 2012, 18:37
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AshForGMAT
The team question is meant to figure out exactly what it asks. When you're put into a team environment what role do you usually play. You should sit down and ask yourself "Do I always take the leadership role?" & "Am I ok with taking orders from someone on a team" & "Can I follow the direction of a team even if I don't agree with it?"
You don't have to have lead a team or had the title "Team Lead" to answer this question. You collaborate everyday with people at your work towards achieving a common goal, you should be able to draw from this experience what you need to answer this question.
AshForGMAT
01 Jan 2012, 18:49
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Thanks a lot Andrew!
Posted from my mobile device
Posted from my mobile device
