The alum was Class of 2019 and was extremely friendly. Made me very comfortable and the interview was conversational for one hour. Didn’t ask “tell me about yourself” as he had gone through the resume. He directly started with: Why MBA? Why Ross? TMAT when things didn’t go as expected. TMAT when you dealt with ambiguity. TMAT when you faced a setback. TMAT when you worked with people from different background or cross-cultural set up. A bit surprised as the first and third questions were both related to setback/failure. Thankfully I could think of two different instances. At last I asked around 2 questions which he loved to answer, specifically about Ross and Ann Arbor. He cracked a few jokes in between and was very engaging. Ross truly feels like a very tight knit collaborative school.

Extempore Topic: “Are Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning just buzzwords? Will they replace human creativity?” My approach: I Started by defining AI and ML, supporting with relevant examples. Stated they are not just buzzwords, citing use cases like CAD optimization and digital twins. P1 then challenged the example, saying such technologies existed earlier and were not novel. Upon reflection I realized I misquoted example of “digital twin” and redirected to automation benefits in CAD using AI. P1 and P2 didn’t completely agree and then P2 asked me about second statement of the extempore (Will they replace creativity?). I asserted that AI could complement but not replace human creativity. P1 gave counterpoint: AI-written novels on Amazon. I responded by saying AI lacks emotional depth. P2 countered that AI can emulate emotions if prompted. I then shared example of J.K. Rowling’s creation of Dementors from personal experience. P2 dismissed it as a marketing gimmick and quizzed on Rowling’s full name (I didn’t know!). I then tried to cite an example of a campus photograph taken by Tushar (One of IIMA Staff), which the colleague featured in its yearbook (I had seen this on linkedIN), but this was again dismissed of saying that AI can generate such image too and that it was journal not yearbook. Post-extempore Discussion: P2 asked "What has changed since your last application?" I shared quantifiable updates viz. Promotion (Contributions I did at work); Greater clarity on goals (via alumni discussions); Increased leadership through NGO and CSR involvement. P1 then grilled specifically on CSR work, dismissing my involvement and demanding specifics. P1 then asked, "Why not an online MBA?" I explained desire for Rigorous, immersive learning, In-person case-based pedagogy, Campus experience (library, peer interaction). Interviewers remained unconvinced highlighting digital alternatives (e.g., online library access).

Sharing my recent interview experience (unfortunately didn’t convert) in hopes of receiving constructive feedback. The interaction was detailed and covered both technical and non-technical areas. Here's how it went: The interview began with greetings from both sides. P1 (Professor 1): Going through my SOP – “So you’ve worked as a trainer, then at Company 1, and now at Company 2. What does your current company do?” Me: Gave a brief about the company. P1: “Where does major revenue come from?” Me: Explained that revenue comes mainly from engineering services (EPC) and IT services for global clients. P1: “You worked at Company 1 (wind energy). What’s the current wind power capacity in India? Which states are most active?” Me: Answered with installation capacity and mentioned states like Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, etc. Then question on cost comparison, which i answered: • Rates for wind: ₹3–5/unit • Solar: ₹2–4/unit • I wasn’t sure about thermal rates. P2: “Which is cheaper, wind or thermal?” Me: After thinking, I said thermal. This led to a counter-question: “If thermal is cheaper, why is India pushing renewables?” I responded that ~85% of India’s current energy mix is from coal and oil, and for self-reliance and sustainability, renewables are the way forward. Also added that non-renewables may deplete in near future to which P1, P2 went on to ask when exactly in near future? I mentioned it could take 100 years. P1: “If it’s 100 years away, why worry now?” I replied that transition takes time, so planning early is essential. This ended the technical section. Then came lighter topics. P1: “Any hobbies?” Me: I mentioned volunteering and playing chess. P1 chuckled: “Everyone follows chess now because of Gukesh.” I smiled, but noted that the volunteering bit was skipped entirely. P1: Asked my opinion on the recent chess world championship controversy, where some legends said the event lacked competition and the winner shouldn’t be called champion. I replied that while some games had blunders, others were competitive. Even if Carlsen and Kasparov opted out, the championship followed an official process so the winner deserves the title. P1 (follow-up): “If ICC hosted a World Cup with Mongolia and Kenya, and they won, should they be world champions?” I said that if stronger teams (India, Australia, etc.) chose not to participate, and the event followed process, the winner is valid given the context. P2 the asked how Gukesh got to challenge for the title. Me: Said I wasn’t entirely sure, but I think he qualified based on wins in key tournaments (Candidates/World Cup). P2: “Do you know who won the Candidates?” Me: Said I wasn’t sure guessed maybe Praggnanandhaa, though I thought Gukesh also participated. They nodded and said I was good to go. Reflection: While I felt the technical answers were okay, I realize I could have: • Been clearer on facts like the Candidates winner. • Handled energy cost questions more analytically (not just cost but policy/environmental factors). • Tried to steer back to volunteering when it was skipped. • Paused and clarified before responding under pressure. Open to any feedback.

By the time I got my interview invite, there were no more slots available so the pre-recorded interview on Kira was the only option. I can’t say I wasn’t disappointed because they always say it is better to do an interview with a student or alumni but that’s life. Just as I’ve seen reported by previous interview reports, there were 3 fixed questions and 2 are random behavioural questions, so I made sure I had the 3 fixed questions prepped well and practiced a few key stories for the behavioural questions. Questions asked: – What do you hope to accomplish out of your business school experience and why is Haas the right place for this? (FIXED). – Describe an experience in DE&I, whether in the workplace or at a community organization, that will enhance your contribution to the Haas community. (FIXED). – Tell me about a time you had to work on a complicated project and morale was low. – Tell me about a time you championed a creative initiative in the workplace. What was thought process and attitude? – Is there anything else you would like to add that hasn’t been covered already? (FIXED).

The interview was very laid back and straightforward – Super casual to begin where we discussed a bit about my work and appreciation for the Northern California area (I have family out there). We then started through the traditional questioning: 1. Tell me a bit about yourself. 2. Why do you want an MBA? 3. Why Haas? 4. Tell me about a time when you acted on creating Diversity & inclusion throughout your life. 5. How will you bring that perspective into Haas? 6. Tell me about a time that you encountered a challenge. 7. Tell me about a time when you had to manage a team. 8. Anything else you’d like to discuss? 9. Any questions for me? Overall very straightforward and what I had expected. The student was super nice and the interview was super conversational.

Applied on the 16th of June for R1 J-Term, received an interview invite on July 2nd, interview on July 12th, got accepted on July 15th. Interview was very friendly, conversational, I was asked the following: -Tell me about yourself -Why MBA -Why CBS -Why would you fit in CBS -What type of leader are you -Tell me a leadership experience

Interviewer was very friendly. 20 minutes for questions followed by “What questions do you have for me?” -Tell me about a time when you had to resolve a conflict. -Tell me about an accomplishment you’re proud of and why it was meaningful to you. -Why did you pick the quote you submitted? -What research did you do before applying to business school? -How would you contribute to the Yale SOM community? -Is there anything you wish I’d asked?

Yale has said it likes to keep these formulaic to reduce bias, and they definitely did so. 30 minutes on the dot, with pretty much the same exact questions that everyone else says that they’ve been asked. – Greatest accomplishment? – TMAT had a disagreement with co-worker. – Post-MBA goals? – Research that led you to choose MBA? – Contribution to Yale? – Submitted quote? – Anything else? – Questions for interviewer? Very friendly, enjoyed getting my interviewer’s perspective on the school.

My interview was very nice – the adcom emphasized the purpose of the conversation as an opportunity to bring my application to life / get to know me better. This was the general flow/questions asked: – Acknowledged my pick 6, but didn’t ask any questions about it. – Why an MBA and why now? – Asked about my short-term goals (3-5 years), but I also took the opportunity to lightly mention my long-term goals. – How will I leverage NYU’s career resources? (generally talked about the recruiting process) – She gave me the opportunity to further discuss my long-term goals if there was anything I wanted to add. – What qualities do you bring to a team / what role do you play? – What are some challenges that can impact a team? (I treated this as a TMAT you faced a challenge question) – What do I look forward to about being in NYC? – Closed by giving me the opportunity to discuss anything I wanted to / ask questions. Was told I’d be notified in approximately 3 weeks. Fingers crossed! 🤞🏻 Other context: I applied via the Consortium

The Adcom was very friendly, they started with an introduction and then they asked me to tell them a little about myself, what I did at my job, strengths and weaknesses. However, they asked this question that caught me a bit off guard: Think about leaders you have worked with – what things do you admire about them and what could you learn from them? I have never thought about this question, but I was able to easily respond to it. Then they asked me about my goals post-MBA and recruiting strategies. It lasted exactly 30 minutes, the interviewer left time for me to ask questions. The ambiance always felt relaxed and the interviewer was very kind. I received an acceptance decision about 3-4 weeks after the interview, which was the timing that the adcom mentioned it’d take.

It was very conversational. He was really nice and really tried to get to know me and share his experiences. There weren’t any structured questions, but more sharing an experience and then asking how I would react in that situation. Asked: – Tell me about yourself. – Why MBA? Why Columbia? – Tell me about how you would react in a team that didn’t work well together. – Asked more about specific clubs in Columbia I would join. – Any questions for me?

Most of the time spent on tier 1 questions all interviews will have with focus on Why CBS / where does CBS rank, you need to have that prepped and ironclad for this program. Questions List: Resume walkthrough. Short- and long-term goals? Why MBA? Why CBS? Where else did you apply and where does CBS rank? Tell me about a time you were faced with a challenge at work and how you worked around it. Questions for the interviewer.

Tell me about yourself. Why did you choose your undergraduate degree? ST-LT career goals. Why those? Unique perspective you’ll bring to the class? Biggest achievement/failure? Tell me something that is not on your resume.

Very friendly and conversational interview- 1. Why MBA, why now? 2. Why Tuck? 3. ST/LT goals? How will Tuck help in achieving goals? What will be your value add at Tuck? 4. Difficult feedback given/ taken?

Interview was very casual! Interviewer did a great job of making me feel comfortable and did a great job of actively listening to what I had to say. Also, gave a genuine response to his/her opinion of the culture of the school. Was asked, “tell me where you’re from,” “Why MBA/Why Tuck,” and “tell me about a time you empowered others.”

My interviewer was super nice and friendly. I had a great experience overall. The interview was short – a little below 30 minutes – and 100% behavioral. – Anything new since you submitted your application? – Tell me about a time you had to convince someone. – Tell me about a time you worked with a diverse group of people. – Tell me about a difficult decision you had to make. – Tell me about a time someone changed your mind. – Tell me about a time you were creative. – Why MBA? – Why now? – Why Sloan? – Anything else? – Questions for me?

The interview was with a member of the admissions committee, and it was a pleasant experience overall. She had only seen my resume and it lasted 35 minutes. – Tell me more about your role, what does a normal day in the life look like, if there is one? – Tell me about your experience with a team through an example. – What is your leadership style? – If we gathered the vast variety of people you work with, what are three positive qualities they would say about you? – Tell me about a time you worked with a diverse group of people. – Why do you want an MBA? – Why Kellogg? – Anything last things you’d like us to know? (asked twice) She had given me an overview of questions at the start which was a nice touch and put me at ease. She mentioned she’d ask about goals, but I think I covered that through my other answers, which is why it didn’t come up.

Interviewer was an alum, but apparently super involved with recruiting. She was super friendly and made me feel comfortable throughout. It was very resume-based and fast-paced, but nothing too hard (super friendly vibes overall). A few of the questions: – She asked me to clarify an experience in my resume. – How was your experience at Firm A (summer internship)? – Did you go directly to Firm X after that internship? – Was your move to Role X a promotion (second role at Firm X)? – Would you say you were on track with your peers at Firm X? – Why did you receive a promotion ahead of your peers at Firm X? – Why did you decide to leave Firm X? – What is the role Y you took at Firm Y? – What did you learn in that position? – Tell me about a time when a teammate wasn’t pulling his own weight. What did you do? – What did you mean by (specific thing I mentioned in previous question)? – What do you do to guarantee you work well with your teammates? – Do you lead teams? – Which extracurriculars did you do at Firm Y? – Why MBA? – What is your backup plan after the MBA? – Why Kellogg? – What are the steps you need to do to achieve your post-MBA goal? – Anything we didn’t cover? – Any questions for me?

I decided to go to a in-person interview, i went to some classes, had a little tour and was anxiously waiting for the hard-balled questions i was told i was going to get in the interview... To my surprise, they never came. The interview was very amicable with “easy,” sometimes superficial, questions. I had heard of deep questions been thrown at candidates, but I almost got none of those. I can’t seem to make out what this means, knowing that some other candidates did, in fact, get those types of questions and from my understanding that is the norm, and mine were the exception, but I guess I can only wait and see for the final decision in March. Here are the questions I was asked: Have you and your wife been enjoying Boston so far? Did you do a class visit before the interview? What did you think about it? How did your co-founders and you divide the roles you currently have? Did you divide the equity equally? Why do you have the largest team out of the rest of the co-founders? How did the idea for your company come about? Is your company’ platform web-based or mobile based? What challenges does your business face? Tell me about the entrepreneurship landscape in [your country]. What challenges does it face? What are your goals after the MBA? Is there something else you would like to add?

The atmosphere of my HBS interview was slightly tense, but the admissions team did what they could to create a welcoming environment. Interviewees gathered in a designated welcome center, where many of us were visibly anxious while waiting for our assigned time slots. Once called, about ten of us were escorted to a second holding room before being brought individually into separate interview rooms. The interview itself was highly tailored—my interviewer was incredibly familiar with my application. The questions were deep and focused primarily on my industry experience, why I have excelled relative to my peers, what I have learned in my previous roles, and what I value outside of work. The conversation felt natural, but remained fast-paced and probing, as expected from HBS. What surprised me most was not the questions themselves, but rather what wasn’t asked. I had anticipated discussion about my extracurricular involvement, but it never came up. That said, the experience reinforced my belief that HBS interviews are designed to assess how well you understand yourself, your impact, and your ability to articulate both clearly. My biggest takeaway is that many of the horror stories I’ve read about the HBS interview process are likely exaggerated. While the interview is rigorous, it is also conversational. If you know your story well and have reflected deeply on your experiences, it shouldn’t be overwhelming.