Calling all HKUST MBA Applicants: (2018 Intake) Class of 2020! : MBA Archive

woohoo, just done 2nd interview with Adcom , now it is in god's hand

My application timeline was :
Oct 14 Campus tour with Nol, Anita and Mridul
Nov 8 submited application and fee
Nov 14 got invited to interview
Nov 25 1st interview with a current student ,Jan
Dec 6 2nd interview with adcom

They mentioned I am one of the last students they will inteview in R1, and result should be out in couple weeks before Xmas
Good luck to everyone

Interview debrief - R1 candidate (admitted)

My first interview was with a current student. It was a normal conversation. He asked about work profile. Reason to do MBA. Plans post MBA. Why HKUST and what do you intend to gain from the program. Just basic Q & A and you can use the opportunity to get answers to any queries that you may have. The interview lasted for ~25 mins.

The second interview was with two AdComs. Normal Q&A. Your professional journey so far, why MBA, why HUST, why Hong Kong, post-MBA plans. The interview lasted for ~20 mins.

Overall it was a pleasant experience. Be thorough with your past work ex and where you want to go post-HKUST and how HKUST will help you achieve your professional goals.

Since I am not from HK, I just had the option to pick up the skype interview dates. If you want to opt for a one-one interview, you can get in touch with the adCom.

Good luck with interviews and if there is anything you may need help with, do get in touch.
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1st Interview: My interview today went horribly. The interviewer was not only egoistic but also racist (both I and him are Indians). The whole point of this conversation he told me at the start of the interview was to gauge me as a potential classmate. Unfortunately, he completely forgot that I would also be doing the same. Sample this: the interview scheduled for 2.30 pm started at 2.45 without much ado from his side, he stopped the interview in between to take a personal call, and I kid you not send a chat reply. Throughout the interview, his intention was only somehow to show the flaw in my reasoning and thinking. If you think his intention was to grill me, then that was also not the case because, after my response, he would give his views and move on to the next question without allowing me to revert. He was extremely condescending about the companies I have worked in as he had no idea about their workings. When I explained about the niche products these companies had developed and their revenues streams, his response was "huh..ok". I am not kidding; this was happening in my MBA interview, I simply could not believe it and was left flabbergasted. I somehow kept my composure and at the end came the time for me to ask questions. I asked him about his experience so far at hkust, and he answered this query for a total of 12 mins without giving me the chance to intervene. These 12 mins covered such unnecessary sub-topics as how people in his old company could not believe that he went for an MBA because he was earning big time. Also included were topics like how European students enjoy their weekends partying and he did not approve their behaviour. Also, his feeling about the Indian batchmates was that he just could not believe that those people were Indians because of their behaviour and so on. At this point, if you are thinking huh??, then just imagine my state of mind when I was going through one of the most important interviews of my life. To keep this message short, I am going to skip talking about his opinions on my goals and the FT ranking of HKUST!

The interview went on for 47 mins, and at the end of it, I was left thinking whether I should just withdraw my application before the next interview on the 6th of Feb. I am not exaggerating; it was a horrendous experience. The interviewer is the vice president of a prestigious club at HKUST, and if he represents the students there, I am wondering if I should even consider joining such an institution.
Do not get me wrong. I am no superstar candidate who the colleges are lining up to take in and in fact, have no offer on my plate currently, but still I am seriously considering withdrawing my application. It pains that this stupidity had to happen at such an important institution as HKUST.

2nd Interview: Just had my 2nd interview an hour ago. Contrary to my interview with a current student, this interview with 2 ad-com members went very well.
It was a friendly but very thorough interview that lasted for half an hour and more than made up for my bad experience in the first interview.

In addition to the standard MBA interview questions, an unusual and unexpected question asked was: "Describe the product that you conceptualised and your role in the start-up to an eight-year-old. " The question had me stumped, and I made two attempts to ans the question. My first attempt was the usual description of my role, and all of us knew that I had not answered their question correctly.
At this point, we had a big laugh, and I asked them to give me another opportunity to ans the same, and they did. The interviewer's response at this moment is why I say it was a good interview because they could have very easily given me a bad feedback for this ans and gone ahead or grilled me for my fallacy. Instead, they gave me a chance to make amends.

At the end of the interview, I had to tell them that I have an offer from NUS and have to accept it by the 15th. So, I requested them to kindly let me know the result of my application by then. The panel told me that they are interviewing a lot of candidates during this period, but they will update the ad-com of my situation.

Overall, to all prospective candidates (some of whom have pinged me and were concerned about their interviews because of my bad experience in the 1st interview) - Do not worry and just go into the interview with an open mind and put in your best effort. Everyone's experience is different; this two-round interview process is considerably fair and gives us an opportunity to come back if things do not go according to our plans.
Best of luck, do well!

I had my first interview with a current student on Saturday and the second interview with two ad-com members yesterday. My experience of both these interviews was positive. I had met this current student before the interview, during a coffee chat in Mumbai and I found him to be very friendly and helpful. Both the ad-com members were also very pleasant to talk to.

While in the first interview I was asked typical MBA interview questions, the second interview had some variation. I was asked to explain what I do, at the leadership magazine I work for, to an eight year old. I was also asked for my response to a hypothetical situation of conflict between two of my team-mates. At the end of the interview, I was told that they will get back to me with a decision in two weeks.

Wish you all, the very best with your applications.

I just finished my 2nd interview, with the Adcom. There were 2 members on the panel, but only one of them was asking all the questions. I don't think it went very well as I was a little anxious. She started by asking about my interaction with the student a week back and asked about the things that we had discussed. Then she went on to ask the normal questions (Why HK, why HKUST, future goals). I was also asked 2 unexpected questions that had me stumped:

1. Explain your role, past experience and work profile to an 8 year old.
2. How would you describe a consulting profile/business to an 8 year old?

I don't think I answered the 2nd question very well. They said they would get back with a decision in 3-4 weeks.

Hello everyone,

I was interviewed by the current student recently (2/6/2017). I received the interview invite on 1/16/2017. My first interview (with Adcom members) happened on 1/26/2017.

The Part A (with the student) interview happened in a very relaxed environment. The questions were mainly about my work experience, and how my past experiences would align with the post-MBA goals. The student who interviewed me was very cordial. The whole interview was conversational, and we spoke about our lives and work. The first interview (Part B) was conducted by adcom members. The questions were mainly traditional (Why MBA, Why HKUST, TMAY, Cultural Diversity, etc.).

So with this, I have taken both my interviews, and my experience so far has been brilliant. The way HKUST has handled the process has been professional. Everything happened in a time bound fashion. The way a college goes about its business, too, has its impact on the decision an applicant eventually takes. In my case, experience has been really good.

Wish everyone all the luck (we all need tons of it

)!