NPV wrote:
Anyone interviewed for JBS with Dr. Yin? My rejection came just days after the interview. Maybe it was just me but he stress tested and challenged me and asked open ended, none standard questions such as why didn't any philosopher before David Hume develop British skepticism and empiricism. I don't believe he read my essays or profile thoroughly and was asking random questions that struck his fancy. He started off with assuming it was my first time in Hong Kong - I flew to Hong Kong just to meet him - and commenting on my 700 plus gmat score in a derisive tone. He then proceeded to ask about my ten year goal. In my career goal essay, I focused mainly on my short and mid-range goals and mentioned my ten year goal more as a "vision" which to my mind is an ideal, a general direction to strive towards and not a concrete clear cut goal. In all honesty, how many people have mapped out their lives for the next decade and can predict the future so that their long term goals would be consistent with the rapidly changing world? However, Dr. Yin was adamant on hearing a detailed 10 year goal right away. He did not give me the chance to talk about my short or mid-range goals which are realistic and achievable given my background and well thought out. When I gave him the 10 year vision, he flat out rejected it, leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head in a domineering posture and said there is no logic to my idea, that it’s a moving target and that he is a business trainer himself, what makes me think I can compete with him. He then went on asking what I had learned from courses I took a decade ago in an open ended fashion. In the end when I asked Dr. Yin why he felt that there is no logic to my 10 year vision, he said he isn't familiar with my industry and rushed me out of his office as he let the next interviewee in.
Overall, I am very disappointed with the cavalier attitude with which Dr. Yin conducted the interview. Granted, I showed up to the interview haggard and tired because I flew in early and had to climb hills and staircases for 45 minutes to reach the complex for the interview. I didn’t show up with high energy and didn’t sell my ideas with enthusiasm. If I were in Dr. Yin’s shoes, I probably wouldn’t recommend myself on that day either. However, that does not justify the dismissive and arrogant attitude. I purchased plane tickets, missed my work and flew to Hong Kong to meet him and he did not even thank me for coming. I would understand the confrontational and dismissive tone if this were a job interview. However, this was a graduate school interview and I expected some measure of civility and courtesy. Actually, on second thought, even for profit companies have the decency to thank job applicants for applying and coming to interviews not to mention for this interview I had to pay for the plane tickets and travel expenses out of my own pocket.
I am not bitter about not being accepted by JBS. I was accepted by all the other schools I had applied to, which happen to be all higher ranked. I am however disturbed by the interviewer's arrogance. I hope my experience is an outlier and not the norm.
JBS is definitely having admin problems - I'm still amazed that after strongly insisting that candidates travel to Cambridge for their open interview day (with related visa problems) you will only get a 20min interview. Also that the head of admissions is active on our gossip forum. This is pretty unheard of in graduate admissions (PhD, MBA, MD, etc.) I think assigning megalomaniacal interviewers abroad is the same spirit...
If you want to talk about a legit admissions process, I was really impressed with IESE (admit, not matriculating). Really intense assessment day where we broke into teams and prepped/presented cases. But they are a better (rank, post-grad $$$, food) school