For application: Be very specific and realistic with your post-MBA goals. For Video Essay: Be relaxed and confident and practice speaking answers before attempting the video essay. For Interview: Know very well what you've written in your application. Be ready with the STAR format stories representing your Leadership skills, Conflict Management Skills, Teamwork skills, and Innovative mindset. Research very well about the school and highlight the parts of the curriculum that would be beneficial for you and your future career. Overall, the interview was relaxed and mostly work experience related questions were asked.

"Very conversational and a short interview that lasted around 20 minutes, where we even had a bit of informal talk about her visit to India and me travelling to attend the interview" So it was quite short. Questions asked: 1. Walk down through your resume 2. Why MBA? Also she asked me to talk about my business plan 3. Biggest challenge that I thing, I would encounter while pursuing my MBA? 4. Learnings from my professional career? 5. An instance where I differed from my seniors in professional life and how did I convince them? 6. Biggest failure in professional life? 7. MY strength and weaknesses? She kept writing on a notebook while i answered the questions, though it was kind of distracting, but can't help. Overall, it felt like an oxford experience, and was the best of all interviews I had with other b school. (Best not in terms of my answers but in terms of the interviewer's conduct) I wish Indian school could learn from these people.

why mba now? why esade? why Barcelona? imagine yourself in 10 years on the cover of a magazine, what would be the title? which are the most important values considering team work? did you visit the campus yet? do you know any alumni, if so, which one? which achievement in life you are most proud of, name only one? in general i must say the interview was pretty straight forward. i already knew my interviewer from the QS MBA exhibition in frankfurt beginning of the year. in addition i visited an official alumni event in düsseldorf and also have some friends that are currently part of the master of science program. as stated in previous posts, ESADE wants to find out who you are and whether your values are matching the ones of the school. ESADE clearly presents itself on their website under vision & mission which i would highly recommend to read for anybody. moreover i think honesty is the most important value, at least for me. therefore i only told stories about myself that are actually true and how i truly felt in specific situations. i think ESADE also wants to make sure that you already have some knowledge about the school. you should be familiar with their values and also have good reasons why you want to be there. in the end it needs to be an authentic and genuine conversation.

Alum was a graduate from the 2006 batch. She started off with an introduction about her background, her journey after INSEAD and what she does currently. I followed with my introduction. She asked me to explain my career trajectory a bit in detail. Asked me to talk an interesting project I did and what I learnt from it. Moved on to the usual suspects - why MBA, why INSEAD, what other schools did you apply to and what's the order of preference. Had a fairly long discussion on conflict resolution - she laid out the context that in INSEAD you'll work a lot in groups and people will have different opinions. How will you work through that? What role do you play in groups? Are you active or passive? What approach will you take to resolve a conflict with another group member? What will you do if there's a conflict between two other group members? Moved on what I do for fun and a bit of probing into that. Concluded with me asking her a bunch of questions for about 10-15 minutes. Lasted about 45 mins. A pretty casual and chilled out conversation.

Interviewer was an alum from the batch of 2007. Was a very relaxed and chilled out person. He said upfront that the interview isn't a big hurdle and is just to gauge fit. If you have been shortlisted then you tick all the boxes and this is just sort of a sanity check. It started off a bit unexpectedly. He said "Lets do it the other way round. What questions do you have for me?" Discussed in detail about his experience and memories, his learning from INSEAD and about the alumni network. Then went on to discuss about my career to date and my current role. Went through the usual questions - why MBA, why INSEAD, what other schools did you apply to and what's the order of preference. Asked two scenario based questions - a time when you had to overcome language barrier to communicate and areas of weakness you are currently working on. Overall a very relaxed and comfortable conversation.

"Panel: Adcom member and a 2nd-year student. At first, they told me that the interview will last for 45 minutes approx and they have read my full application. (They will have their questions ready and as you answer the questions they will make notes so don't don't bother about it. Just keep answering.) Q-1) General question to relax the environment. (anything out of the blue , maybe something about you) Q-2) Why MBA and why now ?? (general) Q-3) WHY WP Carey? (General) Q-4) Behavioral questions about team work experience Q-5) Behavioral questions about cross functional communication experience Q-6) Behavioral questions about Ethical Dilemma Note: while answering the behavioral question Keep your focus on Example and learnings Q-7) Which Post MBA Career and Why? Q-8,9, & 10) Case Study: General Small Case. you are allowed to make notes and I also suggest you do that. It will help you remember the names and situations. Straightforward simple questions which will force you to think on your feet. Type of question can be: what information do you need to understand the problem and solve it? Then another scenario for the same case and again how would you solve that? Note: There are no wrong answers to these questions. Different people think differently influenced by their experiences. So its all about your point of view. Q-11) Which other schools you have applied to and how will you make your decision? Q-12 Any question for us? Point from My side: I did not prepare for the interview but I remember the situations and their association with different behavioral questions. This helped me a lot. Please do not make things complicated. Keep your answers short, to the point and structured. Above all Be truthful and Relax, Relax, and Relax, I hope it helps. If you have any questions please feel free to contact me anytime (Please PM).

Round 1; Spet 2019 intake; Location: Bangalore, India. 1. Walk me through your resume. Tell me more about your company. 2. Why MBA? 3. Why ESADE? Why Spain? 4. Why now? 5. What are you career goals? 6. Do you know specific roles and how it works to get into your target area? (As it was quite niche i.e sustainability consulting. It made my career goals part a risky area! I had to give solid backing that there are opportunities at companies that come to recruit at ESADE).

Then, she started giving suggestions (on a serious note) on loans, scholarships, learning the language (considering my short term goals), and to join the career acceleration program that ESADE offers (she said I was qualified for it basis my GMAT score). 
 7. Have you spoken to current students or alumni? 8. Tell me about your international exposure and experience. 9. How are you planning to fund your program in case you don’t get a scholarship? Also ESADE aids only up to 50% of fee waiver through its scholarships (I had mentioned in the form that I need 60% scholarship!) 10. What other schools are you applying and why? 11. What if you get in all the 3? How will you choose? 12. What if you end up coming back to India? (I had mentioned that I’m looking for settling in Europe in the short term). Regarding my answers, I made sure I stick to the responses given in my essays and gave a “life” to the voice in the essays. I consider it very important. I also brought in points that were not covered in my essays. Overall, I made my interests and goals sound organic and realistic. I gave a lot of background and recent instances/specific examples on my NGO activities and work experience at my previous/first company where I worked for the most part. Surprise element: 1. Imagine you're in my position and I'm in yours. How will you sell the program in one minute? She offered me the time to think and I sold the points which she did not cover till then. I said, I'll tie the background and interests of the candidate to the program. Hello Sara, considering your background in leadership in college associations, you can consider the MBASA and clubs. As you haven't worked in large teams, opportunities like the MBAT will give you a real world experience in working with big teams. But yes, quite a few colleges offer this opportunity, but you'll be part of one of the most active teams, the ESADE's.  You'll connect with a lot of students and young leaders. You'll be abreast with the happenings in the industry through the Careers office. ESADE is increasingly focussing on social impact and innovation. Like it's recent participation in CERN, hosting the Model UNCFF etc. There are notable personalities like Ramon Laguarta who are into sustainability/sustainably developing companies. Electives in Sustainability and Eco Efiiciency will be a great fit.  2. How will you interview a candidate for the program? I'll test the analytical ability and creativity in the first place (a small mention of past hiring experience), EQ level. Also, simulated tests on candidate's soft skills in a multicultural environment and how they prioritise the opportunities provided by ESADE, considering their goals. I also gave a general suggestion on how they could connect us with the current students. I got a student ambassador brochure from HEC. She made a note of it. When it came to questions for the interviewer, I asked her experience in ESADE and how the student trends are. Also what's the number of Indian students in the current batch. 18/187! She said Indians lead in almost every club and events. *Proud moment*! Positives: - She appreciated the pay hike (100%) that I got through my job shift and my surprise element answers. - Suggestions on funding and offering to connect me with the alumni and current students. - Also appreciated my NGO side of things. I followed up for the alumni/current student connection. She put me in touch with a current student from India. Another surprise: in the start of my first call with the student, she said, “besides answering your questions about the school, we’ll also have a short evaluation as the interviewer wanted a feedback on your profile!” It was to gain more perspective and insight on my profile and goals. I was not prepared for this! Guess it went fine. All the best :)

3 days after submitting the application, I got a mail which asked me to appear for a KIRA interview. One has to appear in the KIRA interview within 5 days from receiving such mail. From what i read about KIRA interviews of various universities, i got an impression that it would be basic and easy. But I found the KIRA to be tricky. There were 4 video questions, in which you got about 30 seconds time to prepare for the answer and almost 90 seconds to record your response. After such 4 video questions, there was a timed essay where you get 8 minutes to write an essay on the question you get. Yes, its true that all the questions were as such basic and very much answerable, but for me the tricky part was that there were too many sub questions within a question. So answering all the parts in those 90 seconds, i.e. starting the answer, summarising it, concretising it and ending it in the given timeframe is a tough task. Basically you got to show that you have the skills to analyse and touch upon all the aspects which they ask in the question. For instance, one question was like "Tell us about a recent time when you made a presentation. Was it a group or solo? What steps did you make to prepare and do the presentation. What was the outcome. If you look back, do you feel you could have done anything differently". Now as such question is not hard, but in 1 question they have asked further sub questions and the question will disappear after the prep time. So you got to keep in mind what all he asked and you need to touch on all the aspects. My KIRA was assessed within 5 days, consequent to which I got call for final interview. The Skype interview time slot and date was designated by them and you could mail them if you want to change. They send a link to webinar which you can watch before you appear for the interview. It consists of information on the whole course structure. The skype interview was friendly. It consisted of lots of behavioural and situational questions. Some questions could focus on the coop aspect. Try to keep it like a friendly conversation and not an interview. Be calm. Be yourself. Be humorous. I had my interview on 5th, at 7pm IST and I got final admit at 1am, within 6 hours. Please let me know if I could be of any more help.

Two members from HKUST interviewed me, one from AdCom and the other was a current full-time MBA student. The interview started with them asking you to introduce yourself and why you want to pursue an MBA in HK. Next, they asked if there were specific companies or industries you wanted to work after your MBA. It ended with me asking them a couple of questions related to securing an internship and if there were challenges to job hunting. Overall, it was a very straight forward and relaxed conversation. As long as you've thought through your goals and motivations in pursuing an MBA and can articulate it well then there should be no problems. It was just one round of interview for me and the interview lasted about 30 minutes.

I read the interview was supposed to last 30 minutes but mine was shorter than 20. It started on time, the interviewer asked me questions for 15 min and then it was my turn. Felt short and smooth, no surprises: 1. Tell me about yourself 2. Why MBA and why Oxford/Said, what do you expect to get out of your MBA experience 3. Your goals 4. A time you overcame a challenge 5. Why do you want a one-year MBA vs a two-year one (this one threw me off a little bit) 6. Explain to me this specific bullet point of your CV 7. Explain what do you plan to do from now until you start your MBA

--Interview Tips Shared by Former SDA Forum Moderator-- Be yourself, know your profile in depth (ie, strengths and weaknesses) and get ready to support the story you unravelled in your essays. Engage your interviewer, make the interview as much interactive as possible (but remember to be polite and professional). Dress properly, as MBA interviews have their own dress code. Bring your CV with you, as well as a copy of your application. Remember that the adcoms want to know that you can both make it through the program, which is very demanding, and become an important asset for the school - in other words, succeed in your post-MBA career. As long as your answers help the interviewer understand that you are such a person, you'll be fine.

Guys and gals here goes my interview debrief. Sorry for posting late. I have lots of excuses but won't make those and continue with my post. :lol: I was interviewed by Mrs. Brunner on 17th April,2014 by a Skype interview. The questions that I was asked in the interview were Why MBA ? Why Now ? Why Europe ? Why Italy ? Strengths and weaknesses ? Career Goals ? Tell me about your country Tell me about your place Backup plans ? Where else you applied ? Where will you join and why ? Which specialization ? Why that specialization ? Why do you want to work in Italy ? Favorite subjects in undergrad and why ? Not favorite subjects in undergrad and why ? Those are the questions I can recollect from that day. I don't really know how the interview went. Hope I'll be able to make through. As of now, it is waiting time. :roll: Cheers.

Just had my interview yesterday on campus. It was amazing, and the questions were somewhat similar to what was mentioned above. I attended Booth Live and that was an incredible event. Based off the mock Entreprenuerial Selling class, I can tell that I would enjoy my academic experience at Booth, if I am admitted. This was my first time visiting Chicago and I must say that downtown Chicago is amazing. I went to the soundbar and had a great time turning up to Fetty Wap. I can't wait to see what happens within the next couple of weeks. Good luck everyone!

I interviewed with an Alumni off campus. We met up at his office at noon. Overall, the interview experience was a very good one. He was very friendly and well prepared with questions. The interview included the typical MBA interview questions (Why an MBA, Why Booth, Career Plans, etc.) plus some specific "fit" questions (Hardest decision, biggest failure, etc.) However, I felt like the whole interview was aimed to test fit with the program and what the candidate can bring to the table. Make sure you have some very specific questions that show your interest in the school and the research that you have done. Overall, if you are very interested in Booth, know how to convey your past experiences, and are a reasonably personable guy/girl you should be just fine. Nothing in this interview is meant to be technical, it is a matter of fit mostly.

interviewed with 2nd year on Monday, went really well I'd say. Nothing surprising. Resume walk through Post-MBA Goals Why MBA, why now. Why Booth? What is special about Booth's culture? Tell me about a failure. Tell me about a time you influenced someone. 3 strengths, 1 weakness 3 things a friend would say about you.

Had my interview today on campus. Overall it was very conversational and pleasant. 1. Tell me about yourself 1a. This essentially was my resume walk-through. My interviewer had a lot of followup questions that came out of this one, especially around a small business I started and a genre of fiction I listed in my personal interests 2. Why MBA 3. Why Now 4. Why Booth 4a. Every person I talked to said this was the most important question. My friend who is a 1st year, as well as four people I met during my class visit all told me to sell this point, and two actually asked me to walk them through my planned answer and gave me some feedback which was really helpful. My interviewer asked me this then followed up with a tangent question so I ended up asking if we could get back to this point b/c I felt like I hand't gotten enough of an opportunity to talk about what excited me at Booth. 5. What has your performance feedback told you to improve on in your job? 6. ST and LT career goals 7. My questions Hope that anyone who has yet to interview finds this helpful.

Had my interview last Friday, my interviewer was really friendly. Questions Tell me about your personal interests Tell me about what you do at work How do you persuade people at work How do yo negotiate with other senior guys in these deals? What are some of your techniques? Tell me about a time when you worked in a team when people didn't get along? Why Booth? Any questions for me Hope it helps,

Had my interview last Thursday with an alumna here in Sao Paulo. The interview last ~ 45 minutes and the questions were pretty standard: Walk me through your resumé Why MBA Why Booth How will I contribute to the community/learning teams ST goals and my plan B Strengths and weaknesses Tell me about your hobbies Any questions? Cheers

I had my interview last Friday (Oct 31st). It was off campus. Questions he asked me were: - Resume specific (like why did I pick my undergrad school, my career path, what my work function is, etc) a huge chunk of time was spent here. - What do I find challenging about my job? OK this kind of stumped me for a while since he said he wasn't 'convinced' that the answer I gave was challenging enough. We also spent a bit of time discussing this - What are my STGs and LTGs? - Why MBA? Why now? - Why Booth? - What classes do I plan to take? - What is my greatest professional failure? - Any questions for him? The interview took an hour more or less. But I honestly found it tough because I had a hard time connecting with him. I talked a lot about social impact, because that's really my story, but he didn't seem to be interested in that. He also kept grilling me on all my answers (he kept pushing back on my answers and asking 'why' more times than I can count). So different from the interview I had with Kellogg. I handled it the best way I could though. I only hope he had a good impression of me. :| Oh! And the interview was supposed to be at 5, but he pushed it back to 5:45, but then he couldn't get out of a meeting so he had me go back to his office at 9 pm (!)

Interviewed on Saturday. Everyone was very nice and chatty. All the applicants were even very supportive of one another; overall great experience. I got really nervous in my interview and I'm hoping I didn't blow it - one of those cases where you're worried you rambled, or said something silly, or something, but can't pinpoint any specific thing. So I guess that might just be nerves. Questions I had: Tell me your story. Why an MBA? Tell me a time about when you worked through something difficult on a team. Tell me about a team you worked on that had conflict or was difficult to work with. Tell me about a team you worked on that was a great team to work with. Tell me about a time when you showed leadership. How will you contribute? Any questions for me? Also, an important thing to note, they didn't even ask the "Why Booth" question. I spoke with someone who interviewed right before me who said they didn't ask him that, so he made sure to fit it into the "Why MBA" question. Maybe it's because we addressed that question already, but I would recommend fitting it in so that you're not left trying to sell yourself over it at the end.