How important is the interview?

Question

For schools such as Tuck and Kellogg, I heard that the interviews are weighed more heavily compared to other schools. Is that true?

If someone bombs the interview and it goes poorly, is there any hope? Anything you can do post-interview, after thank you letters have been sent, to make up for it?

DefyingGravity · Answer

Kellogg and Tuck allow for applicant-initiated interviews because those two programs are both big on fit. Oftentimes, as applicants I think we are more critical of ourselves. Personally, there are many things that in retrospect I wish I had said better during my interviews. But in the end, it all worked out.

What makes you think you bombed them?

CriticalSquare · Answer

Hey there mate,

The answer is a definitive yes. Think about the time and resources interviews take. Most programs only pull the trigger on them with a shortlisted applicant pool. Kellogg and Tuck incur the cost on EVERY applicant. The interviews for them are a big deal.

As for a poor interview - there are definitely some things that can be done. Something you can consider is sending a follow up email to your interviewer. Let's say they ask you a question you weren't quite ready for and you stumble through a response. If you walk and go, "oh man, I should have said..." you can always add on to the thank you email. Say something along the lines of "Also, I wanted to add a little more context around my response when you asked X." That also shows you were introspective and reflective enough to realize what could have gone better. That's just one technique and there are, of course, others. But that one's pretty effective for that situation.

DefyingGravity has a good point - you're your own worst critics at times. But if you know something went poorly, being proactive can make a big difference.

Have you already interviewed or are you just thinking ahead? If it's the latter, make sure you're prepped well for those two schools. Work on the front end can save you heartache on the back end!

Cheers,

Bhavik

bdepp · Answer

I agree with DG and, for the most part, CS above. However, if you do send a follow-up e-mail to expound on something that you think you flubbed in the interview, keep it short. Whether it is a second-year student or an adcom member, your interviewer is  very  busy; if you write them a novel I think you are going to hurt yourself more than help.

Also, interviewers know that it is much easier to sit behind your computer with unlimited time and craft an answer to a question than it is to answer that question face-to-face in an interview situation. My point being: don't expect a follow-up e-mail with a better response to save you from a bad interview.

The interview, from what I can tell, is to gauge whether 1) you'd be a good classmate and 2) you'll be able to interview well and get a job after school. They already know everything relevant about you from your application, so they're not necessarily looking for new information. They want to see how you interact with people.

DimensionalF · Answer

I already interviewed and felt that it went poorly. It was my first interview and I felt prepared going in, but none of my answers came out right as I got mostly unexpected questions. I was fumbling for words and I wasn't in the right zone. I didn't speak clearly and I definitely feel that my answers were too short so the interview lasted only 20 minutes. Felt real bad coming out of it.

DefyingGravity · Answer

Critical Square offers some great advice if you have not already sent a thank-you email. However, it sounds like you already have and are asking for additional steps to take. Apologies if I'm misunderstanding your question.

Once you've interviewed, and then sent a follow-up email, I think sending another email may not have much weight. If things don't work out with Kellogg and Tuck, are there things that you learned from those two interviews that you could apply to future interviews? Try to take advantage of the experience.

In the meantime, hope for the best. A less than stellar interview doesn't mean an automatic rejection, just as a great interview doesn't guarantee an acceptance.

MBAbot · Answer

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How important is the interview?

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