I had an interview yesterday with someone from the Admissions Team. It was the last day of open interviews and it was blind so I didn't know I would be interviewing with him and he only had my resume. It was very conversational and the first 10 minutes were just questions about my background, motivations for my college major, why I ended up in education. After the first maybe ten minutes he eased into Why Flagler, Why MBA, short & long term goals, the interesting thing was that he didn't necessarily directly ask the questions in the way you'd expect which made it comfortable. It felt very natural and low pressure. My advice would be to have rock solid answers for Why Flagler, Why MBA and know your resume and motivations for career pivots like the back of your hand. Also have great questions about specific things you're interested in, and not anything you can find on the website. If you've spoken to current students, be sure to mention that while answering/asking questions as it shows you've been proactive in finding out more about the school and what you're interested in. Be energetic and smile! Good luck. Let me know if you have additional questions.

I'll just briefly go over my interview day at Darden (In-person) so that those who have their interviews upcoming know what to expect. 1. My interview was at 9:00 am. I arrived at about 745 thinking it might take some time to get a permit, park, and make my way to the admissions office. It took about 5 minutes total so I got there very early. Prior to the interview, the school has bagels, tea, coffee set out for the interviewees as well as 1-3 current first year students to mingle with. It was very laid back as we discussed anything from why they chose Darden to how difficult it is to get UVA basketball tickets. 2. My interviewer (second year student) greeted me in the office and took me back to a conference room. She informed me that she had not seen my application and did not want to see my resume. I understand this is the case for all interviewed prospective students. She basically said the purpose was for her to learn who I am through me talking about my life experiences. I started with childhood and went all the way up to my current job. She would interject every so often to ask a follow up to something I said or to get clarification. After covering myself, she asked the questions I feel that every admissions office asks (why an MBA/why Darden/etc). Then we had a few minutes for me to ask her questions. Overall it was very conversational and I would say the MBA essays you've written to this point would prepare you pretty well for this interview. The other prospective students I met that day all had similar opinions of the interview. 3. After the interview, there were various activities/presentations at Darden. I went on a tour, sat in brief presentations from Financial Aid and Career Services, and had lunch with current first year students. I interviewed on a friday so there were no class visits. I strongly recommend checking out these presentations/tours as I really felt like I learned a lot and got a better feel for the school. To me, the people you'll be surrounded by are equally as important as the school itself. Overall, I would say I had a very good experience on my interview day and it was a relatively stress-free time. If you know yourself and why you want to go to Darden, you'll be fine!

Hi Everyone! I tried to find feedback on interviews that happened on Google Campus last year for Darden, but no luck. It looks like they just started this option in 2016. There were about 30 prospective students who attended in total. We did both an interview and a mock case discussion with one of their GREAT professors! The case study material was given to us 48 hours in advance. No need to understand the whole industry or business, but I spent quite a bit of time researching other case studies and the history of the specific company so I could at least add some credible knowledge to the conversation. In regards to the interview, I want to start out by giving my general feedback on reports I've seen about interviews with alumni or schools that typically have a more "laid-back" interview process. As I read through them, I notice the undertone of those assessments is VERY casual. Although that might be the case for that person, I want those who have interviews coming up to PREPARE like it will NOT be casual. As a re-applicant, I realized my interview preparation was poor last year. I thought I could briefly go over my storyline/professional history and just kind of "wing-it" as most of the questions were behavioral and about my current job, which I know the ins and outs of. Not the right approach! I can confidently say it's best to prepare for the worst. The other thing is, you do NOT get to pick who you interview with. There may be some interviewers who you will connect with immediately and almost effortlessly be able to speak well with. That would be great, but don't expect that. EXPECT that the person you meet with will be the hardest type of interviewer. EXPECT someone who is going to grill you and seeks to find a reason why you shouldn't be admitted. Then if you get someone who you connect with, no sweat. You got this! Going through interviews this year, I tightened up my understanding of not just the school, but my story, who I am, and how everything I’ve done until this day has prepared me for business school. In doing so, I made sure to over-prepare for every interview. I started doing mock interviews on my phone, with parents, and with friends. With every interview I got better and my answers became crisper. To a point it was just a common response. It is true that some interviews may truly have been very laid-back and not much preparation was needed. For those that had this experience, I think that’s great and this may not apply so much to you. However, I think for the majority of people it will benefit to over-prepare because when it comes time to interview, you want to fall back on your naturally prepared answers to get you comfortable in the moment. Nerves will come up at some point prior to meeting your interview. It happens to everyone. Even the best! In regards to the interview, the person I had was nice, very positive, and had a background in consulting, which is what I'm planning to transition into. Darden REALLY puts you in the driver seat for this interview. I heard the same thing from everyone who talked about their experience that day. They start out with asking you to tell you about yourself, I.E., from the beginning of your life to present day. That's much different than other interviews. Overall though, I led the conversation a majority of the time, which is NOT easy if you don't really know why you want to go to Darden. Being a top school for me, it felt easier in the driver seat, but that may not be the case for other schools I don't know as well. My advice would be to go into that interview thinking that if you started school tomorrow, you have a clear picture of what campus activities/engagements you want to be involved in. Below are the questions as I remember them (Not in the exact order): 1. Tell me about yourself (About 10-15 minutes. Much longer than other interviews.) 2. What made you choose the focus for your undergraduate program? (Mine is business) 3. How did you get interested in business to know that's what you wanted to go into? 4. Tell me about a situation in which you were very different from the people you interacted with. 5. What's your long-term career goal? 6. Why Darden? 7. Tell me about a time you were a leader? 8. Do you have any questions for me? Hope that's helpful. The interview lasted about 40-45 minutes. Good luck to everyone!!

I had my interview last week off campus with someone from Adcom. The interview was very conversational, and a you could call it pleasent. She was very kind and made me feel really comfortable. Regarding the questions asked, some I remember were: -Why an MBA and why Tuck -Strengths and Weaknesses -If she asked my siblings, how would they describe me -What was I going to bring to the class It was not a blind interview, so she had already been through my whole application and knew about my goals and professional side. Hope it helped!

I have just had my interview over Webex with IESE. It was not a blind interview, so she already knew much about my professional background, so it was really fit-oriented, much more than I was already expecting. The questions I recall answering are: -3 Main drivers in my life -Motivations in life -If IESE was a person, how would you describe it? -Plan B if my goals didn't materialize -Other schools I applied to and why -Something I would start, continue and stop -A difficult decission I had taken -A time I had to give feedback to someone -A strenght and a weakness your best friend would say about you -How I was planning to finance my MBA -Summarize in one phrase what I want AdCom to get from my interview Then proceed to a couple of minutes for my questions.

I had my interview yesterday with Tepper. The format seemed to follow the majority of what has been reported in last year's Intake thread. It was as follows: - A statement that it was a blind interview. Only saw my CV but not my application. I was encouraged to repeat, if necessary, what I may have outlined in my essay(s). - Walk me through your CV and how you got to where you are - I am working as an Independent Consultant - so I was asked how difficult it was to get new clients - Why I am doing the MBA - Plan B, if Plan A does not work out - Behavioral Interview Phase: - Time when I had a difficult time working with some. What did I learn - Time when I had learnt something when working with someone in a group. What did I learn - Asked me about what I do outside of work (whether I learned something that was not related to work) - so I talked about me being a Muay Thai Practitioner - Final Portion was questions about Tepper. Compared to the past, I know the behavioral section was quite small - but I had problems with Skype every now and then and the call got dropped once as well. So it was a bit of a mess but hopefully I did enough. Interviewer did keep me relaxed though I did feel nervous at times but that is to be expected I supposed. Anyway, hoping I dont get the "decline" email/message in December.

Hi all, I just had an interview with Leigh Gauthier. It was pleasant and quite informal. The questions asked were: - Why Rotman and Canada - Walk me through your resume - (ask about a specific point on my resume) - Short term goal - Have you ever wanted something so badly, you were unstoppable - An example of networking - If you teach a class, what it would be/ Teach me something in that class - Is there anything that you wish I'd asked you

Had my interview earlier. Some questions were really interesting/unexpected, eg. - what will be your legacy at Rotman - how did you come to learn about Rotman (Part of me wonders why they asked this. Do they think its weird I'm applying? I'm trying not to read too much into things) - most measurable impact in your career - walk through resume and explain why you made the choices you did - tell me about a time you used networking - what class would you teach, teach it in 2 minutes - where else are you applying Some others I can't recall. I liked my interviewer and really hope the feeling was mutual :-) My advice for potential interviewees: overprepare :) And make sure you have questions at the end to ask.

I ended up interviewing with Adcom. They had my resume, and notes from the application package. Here're some of the questions I got... 1. Walk me through your resume. I had read previous questions which I answered through this opportunity and also touched on why Johnson was what I was looking for. 2. How do you plan on making an impact at Cornell? 3. How will Cornell help you attain your goal? 4. What's your backup plan if your first choice doesn't work out? 5. How are you preparing for an MBA? Overall very conversational and laid back. Hope this helps.

1 year MBA Admission Interview My interview for the one year program (applied in R1) was a couple of nights back (via Skype). The representative from the AdCom was very friendly and she ensured that the interview was spread like an everyday conversation. I have detailed below a list of questions that I was asked (and that I remember being asked); if there are other entrepreneurs who have received interview calls then the following may help - 1. Run me through your academic and professional background 2. Questions on my start-up (this accounted for 12 to 14 minutes) how many employees, funding, global presence, why the brand name changed (I originally launched my venture under a different name), questions on who acquired my venture and how I went about the transition 3. Why MBA at this stage, Why Johnson, Short Term Goals and Backup Plans 4. Challenging situations faced as an entrepreneur and how I dealt with conflicts at the workplace 5. Which clubs (and how specifically will I contribute to EVCC Club) 6. What do I do in my free time 7. Any questions I had for the AdCom Overall, I believe the interview went well. It lasted for about 35 to 40 minutes. I have been advised that I would receive a notification (hopefully a stress relieving one :p) in 3 to 4 weeks. Hope this helps and all the best to everyone.

1 year MBA Admission Interview I have done with my interview this week with an admission team member. It was very comfortable and straightforward: 1- tell me about your self? 2- Why MBA? why now? your immediate career goals and long term ones? 3- major challenges faced and what was your reaction? 4- Do you know Cornell one year MBA well? what immersion are you interested in? which club? 4- and if I have any questions? I don't know, but my feeling is good. The school, people, and surroundings are just amazing. Students are helpful, down to earth, and welling to help and support even before the interview! The place is so warm and intimate. May be because it is not in winter, but the campus is breathtaking and extremely beautiful.

I just had my Skype interview with a 2nd year student yesterday, and overall I think it went okay. Some unexpected questions but in general it was more of a conversation. Here are some of the questions in case others are wondering: - Walk me through your resume and tell me what you've learned - Why McCombs - Tell me a time when you had a conflict with your superior/colleague - If there's one thing that you'd like to tell us about yourself, what would it be - Tell me a time when you worked in a diverse setup - Tell me a time when you were a leader - How would you contribute to the class and what would you be interested in joining at McCombs - Tell me a time you had to prioritize work - Short term goal, long term goal and plan B - What did you learn about yourself through the application process - Which other schools have you applied to and where does McCombs sit among your preferences - Example of a time when you solved a problem Hope this helps, and best of luck to y'all!

Okay, interviews have kind of been a disaster for me. I'll tell all details, hopefully it helps someone prepare in areas I wasn't prepared. In person interview: Had my interview back in mid October - and I have NEVER been so nervous in my life. I had to have a surgery this month, so I was down for at least 2 weeks of the interview period. The morning I was assigned an alumni to do the interview, I emailed him to set it up the interview. With my schedule limitations, the only time to do the interview was THAT DAY in 4 hours. I had two hours of meetings left at my full time job, had enough time to go home and throw on a suit, and then drive the hour to his office. No. Preparation. Time. Not in a good place mentally Felt really strong the first hour. LBS is the only school I applied to in this round, I have a very clear reason I want to go there, my resume and essays told a clear story, and I know the school. He seemed very interested in press events I used to manage in Hawaii, which was one of my favorite projects, so it was very easy to talk about In hour two, we did an impromptu a case study where I had to do quite a bit of estimation math in my head, which I was totally unprepared for. Talked about it for about 10 minutes, and by the end I was so nervous I'm sure I was pale as a ghost, because he said that we should take a little break if I needed it. Then I was worried that I was looking like I couldn't handle pressure, which of course meant I was then stuck inside my head for the rest of the interview I feel like I did fine on the Case Presentation portion, the scenarios presented were simple enough. I could have done better, but it was okay. I walked out a feeling like my chances of getting had all but died. My interviewer called me about 30 minutes later and told me that he didn't want me to feel like I had bombed the interview, and that he gives very hard interviews. I thanked him for the call, and told him what a great learning experience it was! I have never been nervous in an interview before, but I'd never had an interview like this. I learned about an area I can definitely improve. So. Feels like I bombed, but maybe he was sincere when he said that I didn't? Video Interview: I work in entertainment, so I have access to sets and photography studios. I set up my laptop in a photo studio, set up 3 point lighting, white background, the whole shebang. Tried to give any extra effort I could :) Obviously, we knew the first question, so I felt fine about my answer there (I tripped over a few words, and wasn't as elegant as I was in my rehearsal, oh well). The second question was related to the single area of the program I knew the LEAST about. I know the program, I know which professors I'm most excited about meeting, I knew which courses I am looking forward to taking the most, the electives I will do, which clubs I'd like to join, the businesses based in London I'm most interested in connecting with, etc. There is ONE area of the program I really never thought much about, and that's the question I got. and I BLEW it. Terrible terrible response. As soon as it stopped recording, I knew EXACTLY what I should have said. My Biggest Take Aways: - No matter what you've heard about an LBS interview, be prepared for something off book - During the interview window, make sure you look interview ready every day until you're interview is officially scheduled - you never know when schedules will suck enough you have to do an interview immediatley - Know the WHOLE PROGRAM. Even the parts that you aren't particularly interested in or don't plan on participating.

Had my interview few days ago at LBS campus. Overall, the interview was more of a conversation than one-way communication. The interviewer was experienced and she interviews many candidates every year (at least that's the impression I got from her conversations). She had a questionnaire and followed a structured approach to cover as many aspects as possible about my profile: 1. About myself : She asked me to talk her through my resume and specifically asked me to focus more on "why I did" what I did. This was followed by some detailed questions wherever she was interested in my profile such as How did you find this experience etc. 2. Why MBA/Why LBS/Why now 3. How will I contribute to the school/clubs/class/study group 4. Life experience questions : Tell me a time when you worked in a multi-cultural team, what is my biggest achievement , what is my biggest challenge in my current role, what are your biggest strengths, Tell me a time when you led a project, My international experience etc. 5. My opinion : What is wrong with the world that businesses are ignoring? What should they do? 6. Presentation: She already chose the topic for me from a list and gave 5 mins to prepare. It was easy and she was focusing more on my approach and perspective than the final answer. I read in this blog that students were asked not to share the topic of the presentation. Surprisingly, she didn't ask me - may be she forgot :) 7. Finally, the conversation ended with her experience at LBS, what they look for in a candidate at this stage and her current role in the firm and why she chose it.. My advice to everyone will be keep your answers short, concise and structured. Moreover, be honest and enjoy the conversation. Now waiting impatiently for the result - fingers crossed. Best wishes to everyone!

Had my interview some few days ago. It was definitely the most exhaustive MBA interview I've had by far. My interviewer had all of my information, specific things that LBS had requested he should find out, and he even knew to which schools I had applied!! (I guess they get this information from the GMAT report) Overall it was a very complete and exhaustive conversation, where I felt I was permanently pushed to see whether I'd fit at LBS (I definitely think I do). The case was simple, nothing to worry about (Can't share the contents of it) I would recommend for everyone to be really prepared for this interview. Have a clear story, career path, electives you want to do, LBS activities on which you want to participate, etc Best of luck to everyone!

Had my interview with an experienced professional in the industry. Pretty standard interview. Spent a little over an hour. Here's what I remember 1. Tell me about yourself, why MBA, why now 2. What do you think about Brexit and how will it impact your decision 3. What exactly do you want to do in your field 4. Tell me about a leadership experience 5. 5 min to prepare and answer a case.

Interview lasted about 1+ hour and very friendly. Normal questions: - Tell me a little about yourself? (different from walk me through your resume) - Walk me through your resume? - Why an MBA? - Why an MBA now? - What's the plan post MBA? - Which country do you want to work in post MBA? ) - Which industry are you targeting? -What's your short term goals and long term goals post MBA and how can ESADE help you achieve them? - did you apply to any other school? and what's your thought process? - How did you study for your GMAT? - Tell me something you are proud of and something you regret? - Biggest challenge and biggest success professionally? and some normal follow up questions. Behavioral questions: - Imagine that you had to explain your job to your grandmother, what would you say? - Best advice someone told you? - Tell me one thing you would like to stop, continue and start? - What kind of leader are you? - If someone is slacking off in your team, how would you react? That's all what I can remember. Best of luck

My interview Lasted 30 mins exact, it was extremely conversational and the interviewer was very warm and friendly. Questions asked: 1. Tell me about your childhood, what was your upbringing like? 2. Did you participate in extra curricular activities/sports in University or school? 3. Why did you choose your major (engineering) in college? 4. After college, why did you join your first company? 5. Why did you leave your first company after 1.5 years 6. Tell me about the company you are working in now 7. What is your greatest accomplishment so far in this job 8. If I call up your recommendor, what two things will he tell me are your strengths 9. What one things will he tell me are your weakness 10. What are your plans after MBA, are you going to stay in USA or go back to India 11. Tell me about the non profit you volunteer for, what motivated you to join the non profit 12. India has been growing tremendously over the last few years, has this growth also translated to growth in the non profit sector of the country? 13. Why UNC 14. Any questions for me It was a very organic interview, did not seem like the interviewer came with a list of questions that he wanted to ask. Instead he tailor made the interview according to the things that I told him.

Had my interview on 25/11/2017 in Mumbai. Had a different experience than what people have posted here as my interviewer had read my essays before I came. The questions were: - Walk me through your resume - Elaborate on the short term goals mentioned by you in your essay and how will USC help you achieve them? - How does your company differentiate itself from its competition (As I am from a family business background) - Tell me about your greatest achievement - Tell me about the biggest obstacle/ challenge you faced in your life outside work - According to you, what are the top 3 qualities of a great leader - How do you embody the number 1 quality you feel a leader should have - Do you have any questions for me Overall the interview was very conversational and ended in 30 mins on the dot. The interviewer was mindful to leave sufficient time for any questions that I may have.

Had my interview with 2nd year student via skype. Overall great experience, very friendly approach and not stressful at all. Questions were not stressful either, and no unexpected questions at all. 30 min for the interview and 15 minutes for my questions. One interesting thing to note: the interviewer has the same career goals as i do. i am not sure this was the intention, since the goal of product manager in tech is very common these days, however i believe the school tries to match applicants with interviewers having similar goals whenever possible. our background with the interviewer was also similar in a way, because we both have entrepeneurship experience. So interviewer asked questions about my current business, and i believe he was just interested in this in the context of his personal background, not because the interview prescribed these kind of questions. This actually made the conversation much more interesting and meaningful. For applicants, who are open to different options in terms of career goals and do not have them set in stone , i still suggest to have a very clear career plan down to position and company (or companies). although mccombs is not among the schools which are obsessed with super detailed career goals, do not relax just yet. even though my interviewer did not drill me hard on my career goals (maybe because he sensed that i really did my homework from some small details of the conversation), but i can see that coming from some students especially if they sense that you didn't do detailed research. so i suggest to over prepare by doing brief research on these questions (in the context of PM role of course, but you get the overall idea): - why exactly this company? - what is the product of this company that you would like to work on if given a choice? - what new product would you suggest to the company's CEO if given the opportunity? - what do you think about competitors x,y,z of this company? - what excites you about the strategy of this company ? - what skills are most important for this position in this company? - what classes exactly do you want to take and how do they relate to this position? the probability is not high due to limited interview time, but if these questions are asked and you don't have anything to say, that might really hurt i guess.