LBS (London): Calling all Applicants (2016 Intake) Class of 2018!!

Just had my interview, but I don't think that it went too well.

The interviewer was polite and nice, but it seemed that he wasn't really interested in the conversation (was fiddling with his pen a lot, sometimes talked without holding eye contact, did not really smile). I wonder whether that's his personal communication style or a reflection of my attitude/responses. However, he mentioned that he liked my application a lot (in the beginning) and that the interview went really well (in the end), but I have the feeling that the latter was more a token/polite comment than honest. Not very optimistic.

Good luck to everyone else!

Interviews are always better then what you believe afterwards
And at the end of the day the school is going to judge your profile on that basis of so many factors that even a bad interview (in case) can get you an offer.... So as a good interview can lead to a rejection or WL.

Hi All,

I've been a passive reader of this thread for a while but thought I would post my first comment as I just finished my interview. It was a really positive experience with an enthusiastic and enthralling alumni, lasting around 2 hours all in. I feel like I let myself down with one of the Questions which is a little disappointing as I currently only have 2 years of experience (3 at time of matriculation) and wanted to compensate by nailing every question.

Ah well only 23 days till we find out, back to the day job in the meantime I guess.

Good luck everyone!

Had my interview as well. I think I did just ok, but as alefal said, it's just one part of the holistic evaluation process. Would have liked to crushed every single question, but I guess it's a learning for other interviews.

My interviewer asked me questions for only half an hour and then we transitioned to her experience at LBS. She was really excited to talk about her experience and almost seemed like she made up her mind to spend 1.5 hour to give me advice as opposed to interview me. Extremely friendly and gave me some pretty valuable advice.

How is everyone spending the next 3.5 weeks to keep their mind off of the decision?

For me there's only one way... prepare the application for an other business school (better to work on a B plan asap)

Champagne. Lots and lots of champagne.
Helps speed up things.

Hi, same question here... It seems that nobody with that WE have recieved an invite. Bad luck for us my friend

I have 4 years of WE and they have stressed to my interviewer that I was too young and that understanding the relevance of my WE was the most important thing.
So, I guess 2 years may not be enough for them... Unless you have a very relevant experience... Why don't you try asking them for a profile evaluation?
If you send them your GMAT scores, they automatically write to ask for you CV, offering a profile evaluation. But I guess you can also find a form or something on the website.

You've mentioned several times that you are "young". If you don't mind me asking, how old are you?

Not sure how useful this will be, but I am 23 and currently have 2 years of full time work experience, I would be 24 at time of matriculation with 3 years WE, 1 in industry and 2 in consulting.

I had my interview yesterday. My age came up briefly (when my interviewer was asking why LBS over other schools I applied to) but I feel like he had a mandate to question my leadership experience to ensure that my age would not be a hindrance.

I would not discourage anyone from applying, as the fact that I got an interview meant my work experience and age didn't completely rule me out and when I went on the LBS tour they only stressed that 2yrs WE was the minimum threshold and all others will be considered. However, I would say that I am worried I may get the "please apply again in the future" email even if I performed well in my interview.

No problem. I am 28. 4 years WE, 5 at matriculation.
But MBA92 is much younger than me and got the interview.

They are probably more worried about your contribution to the class.
So if you have lead a project or a team you should not worry about having few years of WE.

FROM LBS Admissions Blog: The importance of your CV

When applying to business school, you have to submit a CV. How much effort will you put into this relative to your application essays? Think about what other applicants might have on their CVs – think about how to stand out from the crowd. Your CV is often your first opportunity to sell yourself to the Admissions Committee!   […] Read the rest of this entry...

There is something that admissions call an accelerated career path. Applicants with 2-3 years of working experience in consulting (specially MBB), investment banking or asset management, even if they are younger, are considered to be suitable candidates for a spot.

My 2 cents. I had a fairly conversational Alum interview. General career path and transition questions. I got the sense that this was not make or break - and literally a datapoint for the adcom to consider when doing final evaluations. Admissions is a blackbox - best of luck to all.

I'm too busy at the moment at work and outside of work to stress over the decision which is great I like that LBS pretty much releases results to everyone at the same time so you don't have to keep doing the email refresh! There's a whole lot of things I've decided I need to do to prep for starting the MBA and top of my list is doing some finance/accounting/econs self study...

London Business School boasts one of the most diverse student bodies, with 92% of its 400+ students hailing from a total of 69 countries outside of England. If you are looking for a globally focused MBA program in a city bursting with culture, finance, and industry, then LBS is certainly a program to consider.

This year, the program decided to retain 3 essay questions, 2 required and 1 optional. One required essay and the optional one are identical to last year; question 2 is slightly changed. My tips are below in blue.

Essay questions:

1. What are your post-MBA plans and how will your past experience and the London Business School programme contribute? (500 words)

This is the same question as last year, a straightforward career goals question. You need to demonstrate in the first paragraph that you know what you would like to be doing after the MBA, and it had better excite LBS. They are looking for applicants with a global outlook and commitment to challenging the status quo and making an impact on business.

In general, I find that this essay needs to apply one-third of the word limit to defining your goal, one-third to summarizing what you have gained from your career and how it has prepared you for your goals, and one-third to how the London Business School education will complement that experience to propel you to your goals. Please note: these are guidelines, not rigid rules 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 are guidelines, not rigid rules.

2. What specific areas of London Business School life are you most excited about getting involved in and where will you add value? (300 words)

This is a slight modification of the phrasing from last year. This essay requires knowing what kinds of activities are going on and how you will fit into them. Don’t make the mistake of spending 300 words listing activities on London’s campus; share an example of your involvement in the past, the contribution you made there, and how that experience will prepare you to contribute at LBS.

3. Is there any other information you believe the Admissions Committee should know about you and your application to London Business School? (300 words)

I always advocate writing the optional essay. In particular, examples of your leadership, changing the status quo, making an impact, or navigating cultural differences would make great use of this space if you didn’t have room for them in the two required essays.

Deadlines:

All application deadlines are 17:00 UK time. All Admissions Committee decisions are communicated via email and will be sent on the deadline day at approximately 10pm UK time.

Jennifer Bloom has been a consultant with Accepted for 17 years and is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW). She is an expert at crafting application materials that truly differentiate you from the rest of the driven applicant pool. If you would like help with your Foster application, Jennifer can suggest a number of options that work with any budget.

Related Resources:

• Why MBA? [free guide]
• The Scoop on the London Business School Masters in Management Program [podcast]
• Optional Essays: When and How to Write Them

This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.
Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

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Agreed. Work is slowing down a bit for me so I just bought 3 books on Amazon and decided I'm going to use these books as a method of distraction, haha.

In regards to the topic of being too "young", I think if you come from a consulting background, you should be fine with 3 years of WE at time of application. I asked a few of my LBS friends and all confirmed this. However, not sure how this applies to industry, especially if you're in a slightly more niche function/industry.