Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
Feb 14, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"My interview was on 14th February with Adina Bigas.
The interview was very conversational and was purely focused on what was written in my resume.
1. Who are you?
2. What did you like more in your university (between two degrees in my double major)?
3. What is your role? Difference in responsibilities in Analyst and Associate within my role (I am at Associate level - promoted from Analyst level)?
4. Your biggest achievement so far?
5. Why did you run a marathon when it is such a brutal thing to do?
6. What is one company that you think will do best (I had mentioned my work around topics of decarbonisation, renewables, electrification, etc)?
7. Which of the mega-trends (mentioned in point 6) do you think will play a major role going forward?
8. How did you secure merit-cum-need scholarship in university?
9. Why did your company select you for internship (I had interned at my firm where I converted it into full time job)?
10. Why SDA?
11. Did you give your GMAT? What was your score?
There were a few other questions that I might have missed. The interview last for 45 minutes. Adina made it super comfortable for me and seemed genuinely curious about my current role (she had no idea what I do).
Note that the interviewer will only have access to your resume and not your essays."
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Mar 12, 24
"Had my interview on 13 March with Mr. Nirav Mehta, Senior Associate Director MBA Admissions.
Very conversational, he put me at ease right away.
Started off with him asking me to introduce myself starting with education and moving on to my current job.
Post that he asked me what I think my biggest work achievement is and to talk about it.
Based on our conversation, he asked about the 3 qualities a good leader has as per me.
Then we moved on to the goals that I have - both ST and LT
This led to him then asking me about the need for an MBA and why I would like to pursue it at Marshall.
He kept some time at the end for questions and answered all 3 questions I had patiently.
At the end, he told me that the next steps - he would have a meeting with the committee next week and would be reaching out soon with their decisions!
Overall a comfortable but short interview. 30-35 minutes in total."
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
Mar 9, 24
"Entered the breakout room and greeted them both pleasantly. After basic niceties were exchanged, they went on with an introduction round.
Let's start with a quick introduction.
- Mentioned where I was based from
- SRCC, participation in The Dramatics Society, Gold Medalist
- Both jobs and one highlight from each
- Trained classical dancer and writer
They were quite happy with the introduction, "You gave a very good summary of your profile, we don't feel like we need to read it now" verbatim.
One thing that stood out was your experience with the Ritva Foundation. Tell us more about that, one highlight, and what challenges you faced.
- Explained in detail using CAR
- Mentioned how I got the opportunity and our main aim distributed into two aspects.
- Mentioned three challenges and how we overcame them with online campaigns, one highlight each
That's very elaborate and interesting - thank you for that. What's the one lesson you took from the experience in your personal or professional life?
- Mentioned how Ritva was my first team management experience
- Learned how to lead a team and how to face problems
- mentioned two things specifically I learned - to always have a backup with you that you can employ and to talk to your team and help them out
- I currently employ these lessons as I lead content production at TTT
Tell us more about TTT, about the company, and what is your role there.
- Explained the two branches in detail and how I work in the ed-tech space.
- Distributed my role into three parts - content strategy, production, and analysis - and described in detail.
That sounds interesting - tell us more about your ed-tech platform and the type of courses you offer.
- Explained 3 courses in detail and how every course has a different aim
- Live courses so the duration differs
You have mentioned being a feminist in your essay. Elaborate on your journey and how did you come to this realisation? If you have any role models that you follow, mention that as well.
- Answered with honesty, reflecting on my journey as a feminist
- Mentioned being in a small city and how my college experience pushed my journey, described my view of feminism in one line as well.
- Mentioned Emma Watson and her HeforShe campaign and how it was unique since it considers male experiences as well.
(Had a short conversation on this with both that there is no right or wrong answer here since everyone's experience is different and it's an evolving journey). Interviewer also pitched in and said that he really liked my unique take.)
Thank you for elaborating. If we talk about immediately post-ISB, what does that look like for Pranjali?
- Mentioned by short-term and long-term goals and the skills I need for that.
- Mentioned three points as to what I plan to do at ISB and how ISB will help me.
That's a good answer. But what is one specific thing that you currently are lacking in which you hope to gain after your one year?
- Elaborated my weakness in self-confidence and doubt.
- Explained the situation and my past examples
- Mentioned how I am working on it currently and how ISB will help me inside and outside the classroom.
Any questions for us?
- Asked the two prepared questions on ELP and Dance Soc
- On the ELP question, they were smiling since they apparently discussed it right before my interview. Answered quite in detail as to the number of opportunities and how you will find something for sure.
- Similar answer on Dance Soc, that something or the other is always happening.
- In both the answers, they said they got excited even talking about it, and answered very enthusiastically.
Exchanged pleasantries and left the room. Overall, the interviewers seemed quite pleased by the end. We talked openly, and the vibe was positive."
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Jan 16, 24
"I was interviewed by Vijendra Tiwari, It was a very friendly and casual interaction
1.How was your week as we are almost at the end of this week?
2.Why MBA ?Why Now and Why Schulich?
3.How did you get into your current tole?
4.What is your leadership style?
5.Describe your work profile
6.What skills kept you going in such a challenging field
7.Do you want to be consider for the India or Canada Program? If Canada why Canada?
8.Do you have any questions for me""
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
Mar 2, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"Interview Experience
Background - Engineer with some PM and startup experience - post-MBA Goal - starting up
GRE - 326
Duration - 40 minutes
Started with - it is quite early in UK time. Thank you for joining so early
1. Tell me about yourself
2. Can we know about your work experience - some projects you are proud of?
3. Do you think what you do is important?
4. Tell me more about big data
5. Who uses the data you handle
6. Why do you want to be an entrepreneur
7. How has your father inspired you
8. Tell me about your experience of starting up with your friend earlier
9. How will you do things differently with your startup
10. You mentioned your mistake with trying to Startup earlier was to try and do everything yourself - now you are saying your motivation to Startup is learning about many things - how do you reconcile these points?
11. Tell us about your business idea
12. Who is the target market
13. What is your business plan?
14. Why ISB
15. Why not work under a fashion designer or take an online course
16. When will you start
17. Will you start in India or the UK?
18. What will you do if the startup does not work out? What is the plan B?
19. Will you opt out of placements
20. Does anyone report to you? Who do you work with? Are you an individual contributor?
21. Any questions for us?
Overall, quite warm and friendly."
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Nov 21, 23
"Interview lasted about 35mins. Interview was very pleasant and I really enjoyed the conversation with the (adcom) interviewer. For context, I am looking to pivot from semiconductor manufacturing into cleantech industry. I might be missing couple of questions in the list below.
1) How did you get to know about Stanford MSx program?
2) What specifically did you like about the MSx program?
3) Why is this the right time for you to pursue Stanford MSx program?
4) Why do you want to give up your well-established career/job and pursue a new path?
5) Are you open to working in larger organizations post MSx? (My short-term goal is to work in a cleantech startup)
6) Where do you plan to work geographically post MSx? Do you have a geography preference post MSx?
7) Tell me some of the challenges in your industry/company?
8) Describe your org structure and how you and your role fits in the org?
9) How many people do you have reporting to you? Are they all direct reports or do you have people managers reporting to you?
10) Tell me about your experience with a challenging situation?
11) How would you show up to a group study?
12) How do you plan to contribute to the MSx community?
13) How would you introduce yourself in 30 seconds to your future class?
14) Do you have any doubts or concerns about the MSx program?"
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 8, 24
"Walk me through your resume
Your day-to-day at your current work
Challenges at work
Strengths and weaknesses
Why now and why GW
Highlight in your resume"
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Jan 31, 24
"Walk me though your resume
Speficic companies for post-MBA
Why MBA and why now
Specific clubs
Specific classes
Why Gabelli
Extra curricular activities to contribute in a supportive community
Any other questions"
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
Feb 2, 24
"- Walk me through your resume
- Why MBA
- Why this program
- TMAT you didn’t work well and how did you tackle it
- TMAT when you need to decide without enough information
- TMAT you had to deal with conflicts
- Societal impacts you made"
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 28, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"Interview Debrief
I had my interview with Kate Piasecki. Overall pretty chill and straightforward. A lot of focus on why I chose what I did in my professional life. Also, plenty of questions were around Goizueta. Know about the courses and electives you wish to take.
No tell me about yourself
Why did you do Civil engineering?
Why did you go to analytics from Civil engineering?
About the company and my role in all organizations I was a part of.
Why business?
Tell me about your business?
How did you come to know about Goizueta?
What events of Goizueta did you attend?
Short term goals?
Long term goals?
What are your values in a team?
What values would you want from your team?
Why MBA?
What electives do you plan to take to reach your goals?
Anything you would like to add?
Any questions for me?"
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
Feb 11, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"Honestly, I had such a wonderful interview experience-- I'd argue that was the best interview experience I've had, and I interviewed with 5 other schools. It was such a warm conversation and he asked follow-up questions about topics I wasn't expecting him to (like he asked me how my mom is doing after I told him a story about my family). I have a consulting background and he as previously a partner for a competitor consulting firm so when he asked about my work experience, he was pretty targeted with the follow up questions. For example, he asked something specific about the workstreams that I managed that I knew he could only ask because he understands how case teams are set up. I wouldn't say the follow up questions are hard; it's just stuff you would know how to answer if what you're saying is true. For the follow up questions we had an in-depth conversation about some formative life experiences he had at GSB, so he seemed super willing to open up about himself as well.
Here are the questions I can remember him asking me:
What is your proudest accomplishment? (this is where I spoke about my family)
Tell me about a time when you developed someone or a team.
Tell me about a time when you went above and beyond.
Tell me about an obstacle in your professional life and how you overcame it.
Tell me about a time when you were effective.
Why do you want to go to Stanford?
Tell me about a time you developed a business insight and how it changed the course of your project."
Status:
Off Campus with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 26, 24
"Interview with a member of the admissions team, in San Francisco.
General why MBA why now questions. Asked me more of why Oxford stands out and how it aligns with my goals.
1. When you meet someone for the first time, what could leave a bad impression with you?
2. What do you like about the culture at your current job?
3. What kinds of people do you think there are in the world?
They had some more out there questions that made me think, and it was overall a super fun conversation. It did last about 50 minutes but time honestly flew by."
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 21, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"I was interviewed by an adcom member and a second year student. Interview went on for about 40 mins including the three questions I asked. It was conversational although they were peppering me with questions.
1. Started with an intro. They asked to not mention my work experience details as they had already gone through my resume and essays
2. Why Scheller? Why now?
3. You will be added to a team right away. How would you contribute to the group assignments and projects?
4. Talk about a time when you gave a presentation. Provide some context and how it went.
5. Getting visa sponsorship is tough. What would you do to position yourself to secure a sponsorship from your company.
6. How would your colleagues/peers describe you?
7. What do you look for in a teammate?
8. How would you contribute to the class and to the community?
9. Any question you wish you were asked?
10. I was given time to ask questions which they responded to very warmly."
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Alumni
Interviewed on:
Feb 22, 24
"It was a very positive experience overall. At the outset of my interview, I encountered difficulties joining the Google Meet session and later faced persistent internet connectivity issues, unfortunately. However, my interviewer demonstrated great understanding throughout. We managed to proceed partially with the interview despite the challenges, but she eventually had to conclude due to a prior commitment. She kindly suggested rescheduling to delve deeper into our discussion. Her friendly demeanor and reassurance that such hiccups are common made me feel at ease. Subsequently, we reconvened, seamlessly picking up where we had left off, and successfully concluded the interview.
Here are the questions that were posed during the interview:
- Introduction
- Long-term and Short-term Goals?
- Why Haas / Why MBA / Why now?
- Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Experience?
- Tell me about a time when you had a heated argument/discussion and were proven wrong. How did you react? What actions did you take? How did you feel?
- Tell me about a time when you influenced someone to collaborate on a project outside of their scope.
- Describe a moment when you took a risk in your professional career.
- Any Questions for me?
Towards the end of the conversation, after she answered my questions, she inquired about the other schools to which I had applied. I provided an honest response that I have applied to 5 schools including Haas and named them. I also emphasized the rationale behind my choices and highlighted that they were not arbitrary selections or solely based on prestige. Additionally, she asked if I had received interviews from any of the other four schools. I openly shared that I had interviewed at one additional institution, specifying its name, and mentioned that I am currently awaiting responses from the other schools. Although this conversation occurred more informally towards the end, it may have been part of the interview process."
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 22, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"A conversational interview with adcom members lasted about 35 minutes.
1. TMAY
2. Why MBA, why now, and why Simon
3. A short goal: how do you achieve that?
4. TMAT the experience with culture shift
5. TMAT: You face challenges at work. What did you do? What was the result?
6. What will you bring to Simon diversity?
7. question for me
it was a pleasant chat"
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
Feb 22, 24
"1. tell me about yourself
2. why mba
3. why anderson
4. what clubs you wanna join
5. a time you were challenged at work
6. your strengths and weaknesses
7. questions for the interviewer
very chill and engaging conversation"
This user wants to stay Private
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 20, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"Basic questions (30 min)
- walk me through your resume
- startup questions
- why MBA/why now/why Columbia
- how will you contribute at CBS
- how did you contribute in your community
- TMAT teamwork with peers
- then time for me to ask questions (15 min)"
Status:
Online with Student
Interviewed on:
Feb 19, 24
"It was a very nice experience. The interviewer was very friendly, and the interview was very conversational. It lasted roughly 50 minutes. These were the questions that were asked:
- Introduction
- What kind of team do you work with best? What kind of roles do you shine the most?
- Long Term Goals & Short Term Goals?
- Why MBA? Why Booth? Why now?
- A person whom you have met who has broadened your horizon?
- How do you juggle multiple priorities?
- Anything you wanna tell us which any of the questions couldn’t cover?
- Any questions for me?
The only advice I can give to future applicants is to think of it as more of a conversation rather than an interview. Don't overprepare - as that might make you robotic, instead think of it like talking to a friend who is curious about why you are doing an MBA or what are your plans. You know your life, you can answer any question that will be asked. Make it like a conversation and you will do just fine. That's what I did and my interview was better than I could have ever imagined.
All the best, y'all! :)"
Status:
Online with Adcom
Interviewed on:
Feb 19, 24
Final Decision:
Denied with Interview
"Interviewer - Someone associated with the organization
Overall - The interviewer was friendly. She told me that she has 10 questions to ask me in 30 mins. So, I should not ask her too many questions and instead focus on answering more questions. She was not conversational but definitely expressive so it worked as a great directional cue. We shared a lot of laughs while speaking of her experiences towards the end of the interview.
Questions:
No tell me about yourself
Why MBA?
What are your goals?
Why Flagler?
Next all Behavioral:
Tell me why you do and why you don't like working in a team?
Tell me what makes a good team?
TMA a recent challenging situation?
What is your greatest professional achievement?
Constructive feedback?
What are your values?
What do you want the Adcom to remember about you? (2-3 things)
Ended with:
Do you have any questions for me? (I still had time left at the end so I asked a bunch of questions and got her to share her experiences as well)"
Status:
On Campus with Student
Interviewed on:
Feb 16, 24
Final Decision:
Interviewed
"The interview was on-campus with a 2nd year MBA student. The interview was blind and it was pretty conversational. The total time was about 45 mins with some time at the end for questions.
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. How do you prioritize among conflicting tasks?
3. How do you ask for help?
4. Why MBA? Why now?
5. Why Booth?
6. Tell me about a time when someone disagreed with you. How do you resolve it?
7. How do you motivate others?"