Calling all IESE MBA Applicants: 2024 Intake Class of 2026

Same here, got the invitation last minute! Glad I joined

Anyone done with interviews yet? If yes, what kinda questions are generally asked ?

I have not interviewed yet, but I talked with a girl who has, and she shared:
- TMAY
- Typical MBA motivation questions: Why MBA, why now, LT-ST Career Goal
- Employability questions: How did you get your past jobs? How will you prepare for your LT-ST goals?
- TMAT about collaboration / diversity / helping others

Yes I did on Friday.

Questions were :
1. TMAY with key events in life that shaped your personality.
2. Follow up question on few things mentioned in TMAY
3. ST/LT goals. Why MBA? Follow up question on goals.
4. Why IESE?
5. Contribution to IESE?
6. Managing Conflict question.
7. How would your partner define you in 3 words?
8. What would your manager say 2 things about you that requires development/improvement?
9. Which other school applied to and how did you choose schools?
10. Who did you speak to at IESE and what did you learn about IESE that you cannot find in brochures?

Posted from my mobile device

Is it advisable to apply in Round 3 if I also have scholarship in my mind? Or should I wait for Round 1 next year?

Posted from my mobile device

Generally, it's advisable to apply early if you are keen on scholarships. For very strong profiles though, scholarships do get allocated in R3, so if you believe your profile really stands out in some dimension(s), it's worth giving it a shot, else I'd suggest looking at R1

Was this an Adcom person you did the interview with? I think all the interviews are conducted by adcoms, but would just like to confirm once.

Not all interviews are conducted by Adcom members. Mine will be with an alumnus.

It was an alum.

Ohh okay.

Have anyone here interviewed with Tomo? Can you share a debrief? Thank you very much

Has anyone interviewed with Alberto Amoros? Would highly appreciate any inputs and/or debrief

Anyone interviewed with ridhi ? Would appreciate some inputs

Hi everyone! I’m a member of the class of 2024 from IESE, and I’m about to graduate in May. Happy to share some insights if you have any particular questions about the school.

 
­tabish271 -

Thanks for doing this. I've noted below some queries that I typically see from candidates on IESE. It'd be great if you could share your views:

1. How was/ is your experience overall been at IESE?
2. Any unexpected surprises, both positive and negative?
3. How has the recruitment scenario overall been? The latest 2023 employment numbers indicate a good number (49%) transitioning to consulting - any key drivers you see behind this?
4. How has your job/ internship search been - any particular resources from IESE that stood out?
5. Any insights on clubs (academic/ social), career treks (e.g. Consulting/ Finance trek) or fairs? 

Appreciate your inputs.
 

Hi, I just had my IESE interview today. I thought I could share with you to prepare for your upcoming ones 👍
- First thing, it’s not the typical MBA behavioral interview questions
- It starts with the typical “Tell me about yourself” question
- ⁠Why MBA? Why IESE?
- ⁠Then the interviewer asked me to share about a project I specifically put in the CV, essays, and video components
- ⁠Elaborate on my undergrad performance
- ⁠Elaborate on extracurricular activities
- ⁠Elaborate on career choices
- ⁠Then, room for me to ask three questions
To me it was pretty much alike the Emory one
I hope you will have a good interview experience. See you all on Feb 17

How was/ is your experience overall been at IESE?
Barcelona as a city is great. It will help to fit in more if you learn Spanish but it’s pretty international so you don’t need to worry about it too much. They offer Business Spanish Classes in school too so you should be fine. The schedule is very hectic so the dropout rate from these classes are high though, so be prepared for that. Academics is of high calibre and you are expected to devote quite some time especially in year 1 to this. Recruitment for consulting is five-star, for finance is four-star and Diversified Industries (all other industries) is somewhere between three-star to four-star; if I were to rate it out of five.

Any unexpected surprises, both positive and negative?
The recruitment and sponsorship barrier is very high, and will render you ineligible for most European jobs. If you are a non-European or if you do not know any local language (Spanish/German/French) then things get very tricky. The negative.
The positive. The community is smaller in size, which creates much stronger bonds and your classmates are extremely collaborative. The class environment is extremely rich due to the truly international diversity, and this creates a formidable learning experience. So your cohort will play a large part in your enrichment of skills and ensuring of success both academically and professionally.

How has the recruitment scenario overall been? The latest 2023 employment numbers indicate a good number (49%) transitioning to consulting - any key drivers you see behind this?
I believe that the extremely high expansion in the Middle East and the diversification of industries push from Barcelona have both contributed to this extremely high figures of consulting. Moreover, the LATAM market is very hot right now and this provides a large number of opportunities for Tier-2 and Tier-3 boutique firms in consulting to have strong growth numbers and hire well.
Tier 1 - MBB
Tier 2 - think Strategy&, OliverWyman, FTI, Delta Partners, Kearney, etc
Tier 3 - local names
How has your job/ internship search been - any particular resources from IESE that stood out?
I come from a non-traditional background (niche industry+no big name brand) so personally it has been challenging. But the consulting club and the Career Development team of Consulting in IESE are world-class - you’ll have a great learning experience to push you over the line and with the strong emphasis on teamwork, we ensure that no man/woman is left behind!
Any insights on clubs (academic/ social), career treks (e.g. Consulting/ Finance trek) or fairs?

Any insights on clubs (academic/ social), career treks (e.g. Consulting/ Finance trek) or fairs?
Prepare well in advance. Target and be selective of your go-to companies. Networking matters alot. Be prepared to choose only one trek (consulting/finance) as the preparation is very intensive and demanding. It will be unfair to either Club to have you doing both. Very few rare breeds (think people who are already consultants/bankers and excellent at their job) can do both. Be welcoming of non-consulting and finance opportunities too, there are some excellent businesses out there and consulting is not the end game for all.

admitStreet, I have replied to your questions above. If @gmatclub can arrange a video interview or call, I can take many more queries.