Calling all HBS Fall 2009 Applicants

Just out of curiosity-- does anybody know how the interview is scored/reported? Is it strictly qualitative comments, or does it incorporate numerical ranking across certain categories, similar to other schools?

Given that they're asking specific questions, I would imagine that it's more qualitative than quantitative. Or at least a combination of the two. In any case, at the end of the day, everything turns quantitative when they have to rank and pick people, so it doesn't really matter where the numbers start to get involved.

Had my interview on-campus yesterday. This was hopefully my last interview! (Already interviewed at Kellogg, Michigan, and Duke) Below is a recap of my visit:

Interview
Upon arriving to Dillon House, I was greeted by Sally, who was the friendliest person I've encountered working in an admissions office. She definitely relaxes everyone a bit before the interview. My interviewer came and got me and took me up to an office. She was extremely nice and friendly, but reminded me that we only have 30 minutes, so she may cut me off at times to make sure we get through everything in time. Overall, I enjoyed this interview more than any others. Possibly because I had a can't lose, underdog mentality going into it. But more likely due to the fact that it's not blind and they really seem like they want to get to know you and what makes you tick. Like everyone else said, there were no questions on Why HBS or Why MBS. My biggest piece of advice: IF YOU TELL A STORY OR GIVE AN EXAMPLE, GET READY TO GO INTO DEPTH ABOUT IT AS YOU WILL LIKELY BE PROBED. I would give an example and from that example, she would ask 3 or 4 other questions. Below are the questions I was asked:

Asked me why I had passion for the industry I am going in to? (I mentioned passion for it in my essays)
3 qualities I'd like to be remembered for 20 years from now (career focused)
She dug very deep into my career goals essays. Asked me why I wanted to accomplish them? How would I accomplish them? How would I balance these goals with the goals of an organization? Asked for specific examples.
3 additional failures besides the one in my essay.
What is an industry I would NOT like to go into? Why?
What is my ideal/dream job?
What country I am most interested in? (This was one of the optional essay questions which I did not answer)
Anything I wish she would have asked me?

While these questions are definitely more difficult to prepare for than the standard questions, I preferred them as I felt that HBS really wanted to get to know me. I also really liked the interview because it felt like she was genuinely interested to learn about me. You could also tell they wanted to make sure what I wrote in the essays was authentic and that I had clearly thought everything out. As long as you were sincere in your essays, you should be fine.

Campus
I love HBS's campus. Compared to most other b-schools, it's a true college campus to me. Multiple red bricked buildings and lots of green everywhere. I was amazed at how nice the facilities were. I didn't expect this given the outside of the buildings were so old. I preferred the facilities at HBS compared to Ross' new building. HBS feels very comfortable and classy while Ross' is very modern and industrial (although extremely nice). Shad, the workout facility, is country club-esque. While most schools have a basic large workout room similar to a nice hotel, HBS's was like a full gym/spa. Cardio room, weight room, basketball courts, racquet ball courts, aerobics rooms, sauna, hot tubs, etc. (By the way, it's free for students and only MBA students/partners can use it.) I was also really impressed with the eating facilities on campus. There are two restaurants on top of each other in one of the main halls. Both have the typical stations where you choose your cuisine from an array of options. The bottom one is like a classy sports bar with dark wood and TVs all around; and yes a bar that serves alcohol. The upstairs restaurant is a bit nicer in regards to food and atmosphere. The grilled burrito ($5.55) I had was excellent!

Students
This was the biggest shock to me. HBS students tend to have this reputation that their s&!t doesn't stink. I'm sure there are some there like that, as with any school, but the majority of students I encountered were genuine and down to earth. There was lots of diversity which was expected. The energy from the students was great as well. (Maybe because most of the 1Ys just finished finals!) I initially thought I would "fit" in better with students at some of the team oriented schools such as Kellogg and Ross, however after my visit to HBS I believe I would also fit in very well here.

Overall, it was a great visit. I felt I did very well on my interview, but because it's HBS I don't want to get my hopes up. However, it was definitely an amazing feeling walking around that campus and I would love to spend the next 2 years there!

Let me know if you have any questions!

Thanks a lot for this post. Sure gives an insight into HBS that has been missing from this topic till now.
Kudos!!

Fantastic writeup cpg. I am rooting for ya!

I will definitely re-read your post several times and use your advice if I get lucky and get an interview in R2.

same...kudos cpg

cpg, egy, mikus,

If you guys dont mind sharing, can you tell me some questions to ask the adcom at the end of the interview? I cant think of anything in particular. I dont want to come across as underprepared for this...

Any suggestion will be helpful

CoMan

You might not even get asked this. Or you might get the "what else would you like HBS to know about you" question instead. In my case, I didn't get either since we didn't have time. This is what clearadmit has to say on the topic:

Admissions Tip: Interviewing the Interviewer

We’ve been offering a good deal of advice lately on how to conduct oneself and prepare responses to MBA interview questions; today, we’d like to highlight the importance of thinking about what you might ask. Virtually all business school interviewers conclude their discussion by offering the applicant a chance to ask some questions about the program. While it might be tempting to claim that you’ve already learned all you need to know about the school, this is actually a great opportunity to gain additional insight, show your enthusiasm about a specific element of the curriculum or community, and demonstrate that you appreciate the opportunity to learn from your interviewer’s experiences.

Here are a few simple guidelines to keep in mind while thinking about what you might ask:

1. Focus on the positive. Now is not the time to conduct due diligence or express skepticism about a school’s academic program or career resources. You’re still marketing yourself to the adcom at this stage of the process, so you’ll want to project enthusiasm and demonstrate a desire to become more familiar with a program’s merits and your potential fit.

2. Avoid the obvious and the obscure. Because this is an opportunity to tap the interviewer’s unique knowledge and point of view (and he or she will assume that you did your basic research before applying), it’s best to avoid asking questions that could be answered by perusing the school’s website or speaking with anyone you might happen to encounter on campus. On the other hand, you don’t want to ask something so obscure or specific that your interviewer might not have an answer. Seeking the interviewer’s opinion on or impression of some element of the program often makes for a discussion that both parties will find interesting and enjoyable.

3. Mind your audience. Remember that students, alumni and admissions staff will all have a different perspective on and level of familiarity with the program, and that it’s wise to pose inquiries tailored to his or her experience with the school. For instance, alumni interviewers generally feel strongly about their schools but might not have the most current information on the academic programs and campus culture, so a good question might focus on the classes they have found most useful in their post-graduation career.

https://blog.clearadmit.com/category/admissions-tips/

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Thanks,

Kevin

Definitely have questions ready to go. My interviewer gave me time at the end to ask one.

You don't want it to be too clever... but also not something you can simply have answered by looking around the website.

Can one of the mods check the first page for accuracy? I think there might be a name or two missing on the list of interview invites (it hasn't been updated in a month). Also, we should start the roll call for R2 applicants on the first page!

Good idea, Foodstamp! I've updated the first page.
Please, if anybody is not listed (or listed with wrong status), just say so.

Good luck to all HBS applicants!

Awesome. Thanks! +1

We should add some color and team stats like on the Kellogg thread

Not much color to add... nobody was dinged, right? So, no red Just a touch of blue for those interviewed.
As for the teams, I think it will be better if some of the mods who applied/is applying to HBS will do some creative naming

Oh, and I think that k88 is already in the list, but I've forgotten his/her previous nickname...

Agreed.

I think k88 was Meowzilla before.

Tweaked the front page a little bit...

much easier to read... thanks!