The London Business School 2010 thread

Guys, I have a question about applying for round 2 at LBS, but I guess it is a generic question that applies for round 2 at most schools. I know that for a lot schools, applying in Round 2 is generally not considered a disadvantage. However, will I be disadvantaged if you apply right at the end of Round 2 because a lot of offers have already been sent out?

It seems to me LBS quite heavily utilises its waitlist which leads me to believe that it would not be as disadvantageous. In contrast, I've read some interviews with adcoms of other schools that explicitly state that it is disadvantageous to apply at this time.

I'm just wondering because I won't have my app in till then

Unlike US schools, LBS has four rounds not three. There shouldn't be any problems applying by round 2. However after round 2 (i.e. R3) you are treading dangerous territory - if your profile is all too common and LBS already has too many folks with that profile then you will either get dinged or waitlisted. But this is not just specific to LBS - all the other schools as well try to build up most of their class by R1 and R2.

thank you bsd, I have sent you a pm about a query.

And yes, they did pick the interviewer carefully, we have something in common, so hopefully I can talk more on that area.

hi guys, i just had my interview this afternoon. given that I found others' posts here on interview experiences very helpful, I'll share a quick debrief as well.

my interview was this afternoon (Sunday!) at the offices of my interviewer. I still decided to wear my best suit & tie and I think that was the right way to go. we actually started off with a bit of info on her background, what she did before LBS and current role (it turned out she had background in the industry I work in and also plan to work post-MBA - I hadn't realised that previously, as I only knew her current position which is very different to my background/interests). then she asked me about my current role, and a specific project i mentioned on my cv. We talked at length about my industry and she had some specific questions about trends, what should various market players do, etc. Definitely worth knowing your industry going into the interview!
We had the usual questions: leadership/team work story and style, a time I made a mistake, a time I took a risk (had to take a minute to think about this one). also had a couple of specific team work situtations and what I would do in those situations - relatively easy stuff.
Then came the presentation - this was more of a role play in my case, so prepare for that. As others have said, I think the key is to be structured - I presented a quick agenda upfront, and then talked through the 3 key points on there. Also good to close with a 'call for action' I think.

In the end I had time to ask my questions. Overall a very pleasant experience, and she was very friendly throughout, but also very professional. She really knew my application file inside out as well.
It was hard to read how I did, but she did eventually say that I did well and she would write a positive report.

I'm really glad I am done, and have the applications out of the way finally. Let's see what happens and if they decide to accept me.

I wish best of luck to everyone else applying and especially those with interviews coming up!

Excellent debrief (+1). Lets hope for some good news soon... I'm really hoping that this year's gmatclub acceptance rate is higher than last years.

Have my interview this Friday morning. Doesnt help that I was on vacation in beautiful Spain for the last 3 weeks, with LBS and MBA being the furthest thing from my mind

Quick note - mine is tommorow at 5pm (LDN time).

Will post an update to debrief !! Good Luck To All !!

Here goes my update about my interview from today evening-

It was very very conversational. Since my interviewer was 09 grad, she was taking it very light and kept it friendly rather than Q&A. However, she had prepared few questions based on my application and discussed those. Overall, we talked a lot although it took only one hour overall as she skipped few common questions as to why MBA etc since I am looking for career transition which made it fairly obvious why. So although I thought timewise it was shorter than most other people, I feel I was able to communicate the major points. Let me get few details for those who are preparing-

1. Some details about one of my experience which she found interesting.
2. How will I realize my transition.
3. 2-3 questions on team experience/leadership.
4. Whats my experience in dealing with diversity.
5. Discuss my strengths.
6. How will I contribute to my study groups.

Then came the presentation, she was very helpful and told me to not worry about the presentation at all and just talk naturally. I cant disclose the topic but was a role play too and I had to present my opinion. I think it went decently well since I could come with structured points and discuss for sometime.

She kept taking little notes here and there when I was talking for long. After the presentation, it was my turn for questions but we just started talking again. She gave me a brief tour of her office and told me about a lot of her experiences at LBS.

I forgot to ask for explicit feedback but I didn't get any negative impression.

Except for the relatively short duration of interview, I feel I did the best I could and got a better feeling than the one I had last year when I was WL at other places. Rest, the time will tell.

For those who are interviewing soon - I didn't get any baffling questions and presentation will be fine as long as you take it easy. Besides, I believe that LBS alumni are just phenomenally friendly and will not make you nervous anyways.

Attire - I dressed in a suit since I was meeting her in her office but she was in casuals. However, it didn't feel awkward anyway. So, if your interviewer hasn't communicated anything on this topic, I feel business formals might be the way to go.

If you have any specific questions, pm me.

Thanks to whoever provided updates here and bsd. I had started getting nervous but it was nice to vent it out here

Thank you vgeri and eowyn for sharing your experiences. Mine is this wednesday.

When you say "role play" does it mean you have to speak for both sides of the argument ?

humblewinner - you have to express your opinion and I guess its better to finally take a side. But to do that, its also good to discuss both sides and acknowledge that you understand the issues involved. It will help you to cover different points, talk for longer and sound informed. You can treat it as the GMAT AWA issue analysis. My two cents.

thanks eowyn

great debrief eowyn. Sounds similar to my LBS interview. Its great when you can find something in common with your interviewer.

guys, here is mine. I just came back from the interview 1 hour ago.
My interview lasts 2.5 hours. After the interview, her office floor is empty

OK, we started to talk about my experience in last year's LBS information session, then I asked her questions about her background, why MBA, why LBS ...

Half hour later, she started to ask me. I can say that it's all about teamwork and leadership.
She asked me to go through my work experience, then ask about teamwork in each point of my work. What if...? if there any ...? what if...? what if ...? ... almost an hour, in the topic of how to handle teamwork.
Then she asked my strength & weakness in work and in personal life.
Then it's the presentation. I think it's easy, just take one side and open your mind to think about 3-4 points in a logical structure with strong examples.
After that it's a long chat, yes, long, one hour about life in LBS and what I know and don't know about it. She's very happy to see I am so interested in LBS. She even later started to recommend me the good restaurants, and cheap apartments in London ...

So I think I am fine in this interview. The alumnus is very nice.

Best of luck to all of you who haven't done this part!
Jinbo

Bsd_lover: Have you had any interaction from people from MiF program? What in your view is the reputation of the program and quality of people in the MiF program?

I understand the program targets people with 5-6 years of finance-related experience who want to further grow their career within finance. Does it offer good opportunities finding associate level jobs at investment banks, hedge funds, private equity etc.?

hello friends, I am just done with my interview.. it lasted around 90 minutes.. we had a short chat upon meeting and the interview soon began. He started with the usual why mba, why lbs questions.. then there were a few pointed questions at my work experience.. there were no questions at all about any of my community/volunteering activities which was a little disappointing.. there were a few behavioral type questions, i guess to assess how I work in teams and how I lead.

Before I could even realise, we were through 60 minutes and it was time for case presentation. I was nervous about it but it turned out that the topic was generic and I had several strong points. He mentioned he was going to focus on the delivery and not so much on the content. The argument was pretty one sided and it helped. I could speak clearly and in a structured way for 5 minutes with a good conclusion.

Then came the questions part. He seemed to be in a hurry (though he never mentioned that), and we could speak for around 15 minutes about his experiences. He did not give any positive comments throughout neither was he dissuading. Overall, I think i did well than I had expected, but with the type of questions, it was hard to say because there were clearly no good or bad answers, it probably depends a lot on how well you converse and how clearly you can speak. Alas, I have nothing left in my hands but wait for Oxford and LBS decisions, and if they don't work, have to stare really long for alternatives.

Good luck for the rest of you.

Alright ladies 'n' gents, had my interview this morning. I can never read how these things go, but here are some highlights:

1. Was asked, pretty point blank, why MBA and why LBS
2. Was asked about a team when I led a team, and the strengths and weaknesses of my style
3. Future aspirations, from a career perspective
4. What I was most proud of , outside of work. I had to think about this one, because I was totally unprepared for it. After my first example, he asked me for another one
5. I was asked a pointed question about my undergrad years, what I liked best about them, and what my extracurriculars were during school ... I had to answer honestly to the second part, and said that I didnt do much outside the classroom while in school, but have done more as an alumni
6. Presentation wasnt too, too bad, but I think I could have done better. There were two topics, and he gave me the choice of which I wanted to go for.

Overall, the interview was pretty relaxed. We connected initially because I set the interview up with him when I was overseas in Spain, and we started off talking about travelling, and how LBS is a great place for it. I also knew the interviewer's wife, so we had that in common.

I tried to bring across how passionate I was about the school, and how excited I was to be at the interview. Guess there isnt much more to say, so like y'all, I'll be waiting until the 16th !

good luck all - I'm very busy with asia job applications and final exams. Will try to respond to any queries in a week or two.