I had my interview recently and thought I'd post my debrief for the benefit of others.
This was my second trip to the Booth campus. My interview was in the afternoon. I got into Chicago the night before and stayed at a friend's place in a suburb which was about 40 miles from campus. This was not a good idea since it took me almost two hours the next day to get to Booth by car - I-90 was packed bumper to bumper. So although I left at 6:30 AM, it was 8:30 AM by the time I got to campus. Parking at that time is a nightmare. Fortunately, I had enough time on my hands, but I would strongly recommend staying close to the campus. Once there, I attended a class, took a tour and grabbed a bite to eat.
I got to the waiting room in the admissions office about 15 minutes before my scheduled time. A couple of other applicants who had chosen the same slot were waiting there already. I think the adcom folks had arranged for some first year students to come and speak to us as we waited. That was awesome. It really helped relax and gave me a chance to get a current student's perspective.
At the allotted time, my interviewer came to get me from the waiting room. She gave me some background on the interviewing process and some information on to expect. Then we dove right into the interview. Some questions that I can remember were:
1. Why do you want to get an MBA?
2. Why do you want to get into the field of your choosing?
3. Why do you think you'd be good there?
4. Why not a different degree?
5. Why Booth?
6. What do you like to do outside of work?
Pretty standard for the most part. I'm sure I answered more questions based on my earlier answers but I can't remember them now. After she was done in 20 minutes, she gave me 10 minutes to ask her questions. I already had some prepared and brought those up.
Overall, I think I did alright. My interviewer was very friendly and professional. Had I not known that she was a second year student, I would have easily thought she was a member of the adcom. She took notes the whole time which she had said she would do in the very beginning. That was good since I'm sure she interviewed many applicants that day and this allowed her to capture my specific details. After the interview, I sent her a thank you note later that day to which she promptly replied back. I took that as a positive sign. I figure at least I did not totally come across as a total moron. If I get in, it won't be without her recommendation. So she'll be one of the first people I'll let know that I got in.
Another cool thing from this trip - I met with rhyme. I had an awesome conversation with him about Booth and his honest take on its offerings, the student life and some activities he's involved in there. Couldn't meet kwam due to a scheduling conflict.
I would really love to go to Booth. On both my campus visits, I got a very positive vibe from all the students and the environment. After the visit, I feel very comfortable about going there, making best use of so many resources, and fitting in. Keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.