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

Are all the interview prompts the same? Or are they varied according to which TBD slot you signed up for?

Any insights on Lauder interview?

Got mine tomorrow and not sure what to expect.

All the best. Let us know how it goes. You are in an enviable position of going to Wharton's inteview with CBS already wrapped up.

I self-prepared last year and practiced with some current students. The general advice is to try to stay calm and just pretend you're in a regular work meeting. Be mindful of time limits and avoid the extremes of either a) dominating the discussion, or b) not participating. Many current students I talked to said their entire TBD group (or close to it) got in, so don't think of the folks in your group as competition, approach the situation like you're working together to collectively get in. The time goes by really fast, so the biggest thing is moving the group forward and finishing on time. That means there's no time for disagreement, try to compromise quickly and propose alternative solutions if you disagree with someone's idea. Similarly, the 10-minute one-on-one interview that follows goes by extremely fast, so its better to keep it short and specific. Remember these are all conducted by 2nd year students, so they're just human beings--try to put yourself in their shoes and think about what you would look for. It's really a great opportunity to interact with current students and your potential peers for a glimpse of what the classroom experience might be like. So really, you want to authentically fit in.

My own two cents is that the TBD really isn't a make-or-break. I stayed in touch with some folks from my group and we had an email chain going when decisions went out. One that got accepted made a couple blatant no-nos during the discussion and the other was a model interviewee. I'm pretty self-critical and don't think I did anything wrong, I think I got dinged because my application overall lacked specificity (in my essays and recs) and needed to more explicitly demonstrate fit.

Honestly, I think the whole TBD experience was what moved Wharton from my #4 choice to my #1. It's truly a great opportunity to gage how well you're going to enjoy the next 2 years.

Hi Guys,

Anyone with an interview slot in Mumbai on the 20th? If so, do you all like to meet up for an informal discussion, just to get to break the ice and get to know each other, after all the entire group dynamics matter. Pls aye if anyone is interested.

Cheers.

Hi @sonaris;

I have my interview on 18th in Mumbai. I'm in for an informal discussion or even a mock TBD-session in case we can get more people to join.

Hey guys, thank you for all the good wishes.

Just did my Lauder interview a couple of hours ago. It was very casual, conversational and much different than a regular MBA interview. The questions were very focused on why the extra work of doing a dual-degree and how can Lauder help you in your professional ambitions. Another very important thing was to show that you already have multicultural academic/professional experiences in your life.

One important thing: it is a blind interview, they do not have access to your file, only to your CV and a couple of info that the adcom sends the interviewer.

Hope this helps future interviewees, specially those with off-campus!