So I interviewed at Marshall the other day after doing interviews at Anderson and Haas 2 consecutive weeks prior. Needless to say, between what I do professionally and the fact that I was flying from San Jose for the UCLA and Marshall interviews, I was extremely tired. But one thing that was unique about USC that I really appreciated, given that I'm a really weird candidate in regards to background, was how open the lines of communication were. It was energizing. Nirav was very, kind, accommodating, and made me feel excited about the prospects of attending USC, despite me applying to GSB, Haas, and Anderson additionally, tough in state competitors. Leading up to the interview, like 72 hours before, and peaking about 30 minutes before my interview, my personal life was falling apart in all facets. Literally. I didn't know how I was going to interview. But walking into the office, I felt and understood the mystique. Marshall is not as flashy as other facets of USC, but I will say this - you can tell that at Marshall, people just get stuff done. There are not a lot of frills, but you can tell the program is straightforward if you've been on campus or done extensive research. Additionally, walking around Marshall, I was surprised how quiet and peaceful it was. I know it was a Friday afternoon, but for being in the middle of LA, the environment is serene. That helped given what I was going through at the time. As soon as I walked through the office, I felt empowered and calm enough to give at least a not completely terrible interview. The interview was very straightforward, same as all MBA programs - walk us through your resume. One aspect of the interview that appealed to me, that was different from my other interviews was how open and flexible it was relative to other programs. That is neither good nor bad - it's just something to consider when preparing. What I mean by that is when you interview, if you're a person who knows exactly what you want out of life and can articulate it effectively, your interviewer will allow you the space to express that. Conversely, if you're someone who may not be as confident in what you want or not sure what direction you want to go, that will be revealed more in a Marshall interview than at least Anderson and Haas. But if you think about it, it's effectively the same dichotomy with all MBA programs, just variations in the degree to which that dichotomy is engrained in the culture, but not by many degrees of separation. I had a good time. For being a top program, Marshall's admissions staff does a really good job helping you feel confident about your application process from sign up to post interview. To be fair, everything I'm mentioning is just based on single interviews across 3 schools, not a large sample size, but I do think that the overall culture will be reflected regardless of interviewer. Hope this helps!

My interview was with an alumni and it lasted for almost 3 hours. I think the length of the interview really depends on the interviewer so be prepared. But generally your interview will let you know in advance. Mine texted me a day in advance and asked me to prepare my timing accordingly. The interview was really informal and conversational. He let me ask questions along our conversation so it didn't feel like an intense interview. At first I was asked several basic why questions (why LBS, why London, why MBA). Then it was more about my post-MBA goal and my current job. I could tell that he really gauged my interest in LBS since he knew I applied to another school. Additionally, he seemed genuinely interested in my current job and asked a lot of follow-up questions about projects that I have done and how I interacted with my co-workers. The conversation flew by and I was asked to do the presentation part. The interview was in one of his company offices so I had access to a white board and post-it notes. Therefore, I was quite comfortable using all of those to demonstrate my answer. He did not ask any follow-up questions after I presented. At the end, he was really honest and told me that I performed well and promised that he would report back to the school exactly what happened and put in his recommendation. I still keep in touch with him now and plan to ask his advice when I start preparing for my move to London :) The Video Interview: I was super nervous about this as I don't generally feel comfortable looking into a camera. I believe the school does understand that some people feel like me so they won't judge you too harshly on your video performance. I rehearsed my answer to the first question (known in advance) so I think I did ok. The second question was somewhat not a surprise but I think I did terribly. I did not say what I should have said. I think my nerve got the best of me but I at least I did not run over time. My recommendation would be to "Really be yourself". I know it sounds cliche but if you can feel comfortable, believe me, it makes a whole lot difference. For the in-person interview, remember to keep your answers very structured and concise. Imagine that you're trying to help the interviewer to take notes! The more detailed his/her notes on you are, the better chance you have :) Good luck!!!

I had my Fuqua interview today. It was a great talk, I felt really comfortable. Questions being asked: - Why MBA now and why Fuqua? - How do you work in teams? - How would your friends and family describe you? - Which clubs and activities would you like to join/do at Fuqua? - LTG/STG It was really conversational. Hope it helps

She told me that it's a blind interview, so if there is anything from application I would like to add, I can. Walk me through your resume Why MBA Why USC? Have i visited campus and have interacted with students? One Leadership example What is my leadership style? This went on for a few minutes I had mentioned that I have stayed in LA in the past, so she asked what I liked about LA in particular. What do i do in my spare time? Asked about my recent road trips which I had mentioned in one of previous questions. (spoke in length about 5 -8 min, coz she also liked to travel and we had been to some common places in last ne year). Last not the least, if I had any questions for her. Interview lasted 30-33 minutes. She told me college will start sending out decisions after thanksgiving weekend and they did. Hope this helps.

I had my interview with Sharon Barrett (Ad-com) at ITC Maurya, Delhi and lasted for close to 25 mins. The interview was conversational and an attempt to understand the candidate. The following questions were asked: 1. Why Mccombs 2. Any challenges you faced in your work place and how did you overcome that 3. Favorite place you have travelled to 4. One trait which you wish you had 5. What were the challenges faced as a leader in your project and how did you overcome them 6. How will you add value to the school- any specific group you would want to be a part of 7. What is that one question you wished I had asked you but I didn’t 8. If you could teach the class one thing, what would that be 9. How did you hear about McCombs 10. Any questions?

3 member panel: 1. Tell me about your roles and responsibilities in company. 2. What your client is trying to get out of this project? 3. Tell me about your career progression in your current company. 4. Did you face any conflict in the project? How did you handle it? 5. Why MBA now? 6. What did you do to giveback to the society in your professional career? 7. If tomorrow I give you 5 cr INR, will you start your venture or will you pursue MBA? 8. What are the 5 entrepreneurial ideas you had in recent past? 9. What are the steps you think are required to start the venture? 10. What are some challenges you think you can face? 11. What are the operational challenges you think you can face? 12. Any questions for us?

Hi, guys! Had my interview last night via Skype. It was pretty conversational; the interviewer was nice and made me feel relaxed and comfortable. Questions were straightforward and standard: talk a little bit more about this work experience, why you made some career choices, what's your leadership style, how do you deal with conflict, have you ever visited LA, why MBA etc. It lasted 30 minutes sharp! She told me I will hear back from them by the end of the year; they're working hard to release decisions earlier, but we never know. I have a good feeling about this one! USC Marshall is a great school that makes total sense for me and my career goals! Fingers crossed! Good luck to you all! :)

Some notes on my interview. This was a blind interview, the adcom only had my resume. It was very conversational. The adcom spend a considerable time talking up Kelley. Questions I was asked 1. Why do you want an MBA? Why now? 2. Why have you chosen this career path? 3. Why Kelley? 4. What is something positive your colleagues or manager would say about you? 5. What is something they would say you need to work on? 6. What is something you would change about your professional journey? 7. Do you have any concerns about getting an MBA? 8. Anything else you would like me to know? 9. Questions for the adcom

I had my HHL interview today with Prof. Vivek Velamuri. The questions were all generic: Why MBA Why HHL Why Germany Career goals With a 720 GMAT you can get many top-ranked schools, then why HHL? I see from your PDF score report that you applied to these 5 colleges, HHL doesn't compare to them, why are you applying to HHL now? How will you fund your MBA? In the end my interviewer told that he will send the positive recommendation to AdCom. He also told that the final scholarship decision will be made by AdCom. However, he opined that my profile (score, experience, etc) will get around 5%-10%.

Just got done with my interview with an admissions officer on campus. It was very laid back and the interviewer asked me the following questions. 1. Have you gotten in touch with any students or alumni from USC Marshall? 2. Walk me through your resume post undergrad. (She further asked some specific questions about my current job based on the impact listed in my resume) 3. What are your short time goals, and what kind of company would you like for post MBA. 4. What do you like to do for fun? 5. Who’s your favorite artist and why? (This was based on my prior experience as an entrepreneur in entertainment) 6. Do you have any questions for me? The interview took about 45 minutes, and it was very conversational. I came straight from the airport to campus to attend the interview so she made me feel comfortable and gave me suggestions on where to go and what to see after the interview.

Lead Engineer, Samsung, 40 months 730, Q50 V38 NIT Rourkela, CSE, 7.08/10 I left early, due to the fear of Bangalore traffic, reached the hotel 2 hours early *sigh*. It was lunchtime and unfortunately, my interview call came an hour late. P1 came to call me around 3 PM (slot was at 2 PM). When he asked me how I was, I gave an honest reply, “Extremely hungry!”. He apologized and gave reasons for the delay. Anyway, here is the debrief to my interview: P1: Man, Co2010 P2: Woman, Alum, much younger P1: So tell me something about yourself Started off with a brief introduction but I was interrupted halfway and they jumped directly at work-related questions. For around 25 minutes, they asked me questions related to my project (Samsung Pay), its rivals, how to improve the product, what my role has been specified in the global team, etc. (Basically they left no stones unturned to verify and understand everything I wrote in my JD and essays) Then they asked people management related questions, challenges that I have faced with people or in the project, how I overcame, how do I use the learnings in my day to day life, etc. I was able to answer each question with relative ease and confidence. ~25 minutes gone… P2: So I am done, P1 do you have anything to add? (I was so glad to hear that since the interview had gone excellent up until this point) P1: (Looking at me and then my application) I just need 2 more minutes. (me: gulp!) So, Rohan, you have had an excellent career till now, and have been working with product managers. (my goal revolved around becoming a PM) Why can’t you just try to get a Product Manager at your current workplace? With utmost confidence, I gave an answer that I had prepared and refined over and over again but the panelists had a poker face. P2: Ok, so we understand that why you need an MBA but why ISB? *grilling starts* They negated every point that I stated : Diversity: 90% of ISB students are engineers out of which 70% are from Tech, so diversity goes for a toss Specific courses: You’ll get those courses online Study groups: There are online forums/blogs for discussions, you can meet people online or offline, etc. Brand name: You already have a good pedestal at Samsung They grilled me for some time and I tried defending, but sometimes they didn’t even let me finish my sentence or speak at all. (very IMP to keep a straight/smiling face during stress interviews) Then, they asked that if I were to join ISB what electives would I take. I told them a few, but it was here things actually went south. P1: So what major do these fall under? Me: Sorry, I don’t know P1: Ok, do you know what majors you want to do at ISB? (I couldn’t remember a damn thing) Me; Sorry, I don’t know How many majors does ISB offer, what are they… -> don’t know Grilling for a few more minutes!! P2: Is ISB a university or an institute? Me: University… Oh no, sorry its an institute. P1: What body is ISB accredited by? Me: Sorry I don’t know. P1 went into a rage stating that in his n years of interviewing experience he had never come across such a batch of interviewees who didn’t even know what major they want to do or what ISB is or has to offer ( apparently he had faced this situation with a lot of candidates this time ). They both went on for 5 minutes explaining that I shouldn’t be paying so much money to study at a place I don’t know about. All the time I was silent because I knew that my dream had to wait another year. P2: So, I guess we have nothing more to ask. Do you have anything else to ask? Given how the interview had gone I had a lot of things to say, but I just asked a question regarding ELP on which we had a 2-minute discussion. When it ended, we got up and shook hands while they said that they understand that I have done pretty good work and that I want to become a PM, but I should seriously consider other options. 25 minutes of cloud 9, then 10-15 minutes of grilling and I was back to square 1, feeling terrible about myself. Most of the people, with whom I shared this experience, said that its ok, you still have a chance, it was a normal stress interview, etc. etc., but I could remember the panelists' faces and words, and knew my fate. 2.5 weeks later, I got the accept mail :) Please feel free to DM me for any queries!

Just had my interview over Skype with an alumni. The interview was, despite some technical difficulties, very conversational. He made me the typical "Why an MBA, Why Haas, Why now" questions. Some other questions I can recall were: -Which defining principle do you feel more connected to -What will you bring to the class? -Hypothetical scenario of a non-functioning team and how would I act to resolve the conflict -Toughest situation I have encountered at work or in my personal life After 40ish minutes of questions, I had a couple of minutes to ask him some questions. It's worth mentioning that it was a blind interview, so the interviewer had only read my resume. It was a pleasant talk, kind of the one you would have when reaching an alumni to research some more on the university.

Slot: Morning; City: Bangalore; Location: ITC Windsor. I reach the venue 15mins earlier than the scheduled time. I was directed to the waiting hall where everyone who was in the same slot as mine waited. We were asked to go to another room where we were checked for Identification (Passport name/id check). Post that another waiting room where the panellists came and took the candidates to respective rooms/panel. My wait wasn't too long either. I was taken to a room where there were 3 panellists. Let's call them Panellist P1, P2 and P3. After brief introduction and handshakes, P1 asked me, "how are you feeling today?" I answered "Just fine, but a bit nervous." P1 consoled me by saying "What can we do for you to make you comfortable". I thought to myself "Grant me the admit." :lol: LOL. I said "Its natural to be little nervous at this stage and also there is a reputation of ISB interviews that precedes it. Not that I am impacted by it, but I guess I will be fine as we go along." P3 laughed and said, "I guess you read too much on what's written on the internet and WhatsApp messages." I said, "I don't read too much into it. Every interview is a very personal experience and no two people are same. So post my interview I may have my own story to convey which could be very different from what other people feel." P1 said, "We are here to help you in whichever way possible and help you make the right decision." I said,"Well thank you!" P3 said "OK! Let's start then." P3: Do you know about SEC? (I have 9+ yrs of experience) My answer: No I don't know about it. (P3 looked a touch shocked.) P3: It's a senior executive club in ISB. If you are admitted to ISB you will be a part of that club. Do you know anything about it? My Answer: I read somewhere about the fact that once you are 8+ experience and make your way to ISB you tend to be categorized differently. I didn't know there was a specific club. P3: (nodded while I answered). OK that's alright. So you have 10 yrs of experience why do you want to take a break and get into the space of product management? Why ISB? Why take a break at all? My Answer: (I came prepared for this, but I didn't expect that they will start with this.) I tried to remain calm and remember that he asked me a 3 part question to start the interview so I have to give him a 3 part answer. P3: you have a great job and you are comfortably placed I am not sure why this is a right time for you? My Answer: I answered from a different perspective detailing my career progression, etc. P1: You could break into the space of product management without an MBA? Did you consider digital certifications? or Online certifications? My Answer: I had this aspect covered as well. I had a series of questions on why product management is the right space for me and why I chose it. How my current work aligns with the goals, etc. Next 10mins spent on me explaining to them why I think this was the best space for me. P3 kept checking his watch in between when I answered these questions. :roll: I think he was trying to throw me off or derail my thought process throughout the interview. :roll: Or Maybe I did bore him with my answers. :grin: Not sure.. :lol: P2 kept smiling while I answered and jumped in the middle of these cross questions. It was clear that he worked in the space of Product Management and he looked almost convinced from my answers. Some more cross questions on career goals, what is my plan B, what is my plan B when I don't make it to ISB, Why can't pursue my plan B now, etc. I wrote a lot about my CSR activities in Essay 1. On that P3 asked, "You mentioned a line on your essay which almost makes it sound cocky! Why do you think ISB needs to know about it, given that there is limited real estate on your essay." I clarified "It's not meant to be cocky; I just wanted to convey that I don't look to get anything tangible from my CSR initiatives. " P3 nodded and cracked a silly joke. We all laughed. I think he was trying to test me here! P2 asked me a question on challenging project/situation in my current organization. I answered. To my answer, P1 said, "We must say, you have come very well prepared for the interview, to all our questions, and that's not a bad thing. :o :o ". I thought "OK that came out of nowhere :o " They all agreed and giggled. I smiled! :o P3 asked me, "Tell me something about you that's not written on your application and on the documents that are in front of us." I mentioned a story about my 2 yr old daughter and what I learnt from it. They smiled. P3 asked if I had any questions for them. I asked my question on ISB SEC club (as that was new information for me), visiting faculties, and other student club engagements. With that my interview wrapped up. :angel: :angel: Now an excruciating wait till March 5. :| :| :roll: Key Takeaways: * Be thorough with your goals and career aspirations. * Be thorough with your application and essays * Have your plan Bs in place and have proper rationale to back it up. * Research on ISB clubs if you belong to a certain category (as I did) or have a career inclination. Feel free to reach out in case you need to discuss anything.

Had my interview with a second year student on campus - very friendly and easy going - Walk through resume - Short and long term goals after MBA - Plan B - Why MBA and why UCLA - involvement with UCLA community while pursuing MBA - How do you handle conflicts with examples - personality related questions based on experiences mentioned in resume - Questions for the interviewer All-in-all a good friendly conversation! Good luck to everyone!

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. :cry: :cry: 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!

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.

Just completed my interview and it was very conversational with straight forward questions that lasted for close to 40 minutes. He started off by giving his background and then moved onto questions. My questions were : ( don't remember the order of questions clearly :D) 1) Where did you grow up and spend childhood ? 2) Why did you choose the elec engineering as major and eco as minor ? 3) What were the leadership roles that you played in college ? (This was follow up from my answer to the previous ques) 4) What did you learn from the first job ? Why did you change ? 5) Why did you move into the current job ? 6) Why MBA ? 7) Why Kenan Flagler ? 8) ST and LT goals 9) Strengths/ Weakness that your recommender would talk about 10) Talk about a work that you are most proud off 11) Any questions for me ?

I had my UNC interview with an adcom member over Skype on 6th Nov (10:45 AM EST). I do agree with others - no odd/hardball questions. My interview was very conversational and lasted 35-40 minutes. I'm a bit jealous seeing abhimahna 's question list! :P I got asked almost nothing!! My questions were 1) Walk me through your resume & a follow up conversation including why an MBA now (NOT why MBA) - lasted 15 mins 2) Do you have any questions for me - lasted ~8 mins 3) If I were to call up your supervisor, what would be the 2 words he would use to describe you. A follow conversation with anecdotes on why did I pick those 2 words - lasted a bit over 10 mins During the last few mins, she asked if there was something more that you wanted the admissions committee to know. I was like - "yeah, everything is remaining!!" :) So I told her that I've seriously thought about my goals, strengths/weaknesses and the fit with UNC. Since we were running out of time, I asked her pick between - Why MBA / ST LT goals/ strengths weaknesses leadership traits/ Why Kenan Flagler. She picked "Why Kenan Flagler". We talked about that, maximum for 4 mins, before we disconnected. It think it went okay. I'm not sure if I could have timed it better; she was really interested in the career sections of my CV and our entire conversation was based on that. Don't worry about the anxiety guys, the adcoms are really nice and they WILL make you feel comfortable. Also, in 40 mins I was asked almost 0 standard questions. So, apart from the standard ST LT goals and Why questions, it would help if you have some 3 or 4 anecdotes pertaining to your CV. And it would be a bonus if those anecdotes can bring out some good behavioural traits! :D All the very best!!

Done with the interview. The interviewer was very calming and made the session very interactive. Again, more of a discussion for knowing the candidate better, rather than an intense interview. The interviewer introduced herself and told me about the interview format that she would follow. She went on to speak about her career progression and then switched over to the interview. She started off with why did I choose the particular concentration for my undergrad? Then she asked me about my internships and jobs, and then about my current job profile. Thereafter, she asked me a couple of behavioural questions on team experiences, about a time when I did not get a desired output though I put in efforts, what in my opinion is the best leadership style, and what qualities do I think the team members must have? She then asked the usual why MBA, what short term goals and why, why Kenan-Flagler etc. questions. Finally, she asked if I had any questions for her. Overall, it was a wonderful interview: very conversational and very easy going. The interview lasted for a little over 30 mins.

Completed my interview. It lasted for 25 minutes. Questions asked: 1. Why MBA? 2. What do you think is a good leadership style? 3. What is your Short term goal? 4. What is your long term goal? 5. Why UNC? 6. If you were given an opportunity to make a team of 5, what qualities would you like to see? 7. What is your greatest achievement? 8. Do you have any questions for me? 9. How will you describe UNC in three words? Overall experience was good.