Oh my gosh - I am so sorry to hear about your experience! Honestly, this would be a turn-off about Kellogg for me (though the other students / alums I've interacted with have not acted this way). There are so many thoughts I have about your interviewer, but I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt and think that he is trying to help you get in... All in all, whatever happens after you get your decision, I would let the Admissions office know about this experience. I don't know if they get feedback on their alum interviewers at all, and based on my experience as an applicant and an alum interviewer for another school, regardless of your resume, I don't think Kellogg would endorse this type of interviewer behavior.
Best of luck to you!!!! I don't know how much weight is actually placed on the interview. Your interviewer doesn't have access to the rest of your application, so he could be totally wrong about your chances of getting in!!!
This user wants to stay Private wrote:
**BIG YIKES**
I had my interview with an Alumni off-site in LatAm. We coordinated to meet at a Starbucks at 8 am for a 30-45min interview. It lasted around two hours. I bought his coffee and got myself a green tea. As I sat down, he opened his laptop and started working, saying he had some essential emails to send. I sat still and didn't go on my phone while I waited. He then lowered his screen and asked me:
"Ok, so I barely read your resume. Can you talk a little bit about yourself and walk me through it?"
As I started to talk, he interrupted me and decided to introduce himself first. He spoke about his education, work experience, travels, family, and current ambitions for the following ten minutes. I made a couple of jokes trying to engage in his narrative, but he dismissed them quickly.
He then received a call from his wife and spoke on the phone for two min and continued to send emails. Once again, I sat there politely without checking my phone, just sippin my tea.
Finally, It was my turn to speaks:
-Could you walk me through your resume? A bunch of follow-up questions about my previous work experience. It turns out his wife used to work at my last company. He made me go into detail about my life post my COVID-Lay off.
-Why do you want to get an MBA now?
-Why Kellogg? Follow up question: What clubs and activities do you plan to join?
-What is your dream post MBA, and how will Kellogg help you achieve it?
-What are your immediate goals post, Kellogg? Follow-up: do those companies recruit Kellogg students?
His wife calls again. He doesn't pick up but starts texting and prompts me to continue speaking as he could "multi-task." He then opened his computer to take notes and mentioned he would skip some questions because I had already answered them. Up until then, I thought He was a little rude, but we were vibing. He was smiling and commenting positively on my responses. We continued:
-What was your GRE/GMAT score? Why did you get that score?
-Please give me an example where you made a mistake.
-Please give me an example of a time when you demonstrated leadership.
-Any questions for me? I asked him 3-4 questions about the Kellog culture, life as an alum, and what he considers a "successful" student. He barely answered them and then...
He said, listen, I will do my best, but frankly, there is not much I can do with what you gave me today. He asked if he could be acid with his comments, and I obviously agreed. For the following 45min, he started lecturing me on how I was not the right candidate for Kellogg:
-How I lacked confidence in my untraditional background.
-How he hoped my essays were better than my resume.
-How He had to study for two years for the GMAT before he got the score he wanted.
-How he doesn't care to understand ADHD or dyslexia, but on how she was sure if I made a little bit more of an effort, I could get a higher score and overcome MY disabilities.
-He commented on my appearance and said I looked terrific.
-He said that my resume did not display my wholeness as a person/applicant.
-He recommended that I withdrew my application and retook the GRE/GMAT so that I had a better chance of getting in next year.
-How he thought that I should work on my start-ups more before going to business school (bruh, that's why I am trying to go to business school)
-He told me that I had wasted my time applying. He said if you want to go to Kellogg, withdraw, give me a call next year, and I can help you with your essays. I hope you will have something more to show by then.
-He flexed that out of the 18 applicants he interviews per year, at least seven get in.
He made me feel like the smallest person in the room. I had to contain myself from crying. He was ranting so hard, everyone around us kept looking at our table. I continued to smile and agree with every stringent comment he made about me. SUPER TOUGH.
Finally got a text from his wife again saying she needed to borrow the car. I was so relieved it was over. He stood up, we shook hands, and He left.
I emailed him that night, thanking him for his time and for being so sincere with his comments. The thing is, I really want to go to Kellogg; I had to be nice. My hopes are not high anymore...
I hope this post serves as a consolation for anyone who feels they bummed their interview. LatAm applicants, hmu/comment if you haven't interviewed yet. I won't disclose my interviewer's name, but I can confirm if this guy is yours. Best of luck to y'all out there!
17 Jul 2020, 20:16
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