Any PhD applicant got interview yet? Please share your exp.

Question

Just curiuos. Normally, when do they contact for interview?

Sameer · Answer

about time I guess !! You may not of course receive interviews, straight admits can also be there, but it is rare.

sleek · Answer

Anupag,

Do top schools usually conduct interviews?

Thanks.

Sleek

Sameer · Answer

Most of them do. I know that last year these schools conducted interviews

Harvard
Insead
Stern
MIT
Kellog
Wharton
Columbia
Texas A&M
LBS

This is from my and my friend's personal experiences. And whomsoever we talked to was positive. Almost ALL top schools conduct interviews, however there are cases which are so strong that they are sent admit letters straight. Happenned to one of the guys with me in my school.

sleek · Answer

Anupag,

Thanks for the list.

So I guess we have to hear something from them this month if we are in their final list.

Sleek

jantarmantar · Answer

Can anyone please share their interview experience?
And Anupag, can you share something of yours friend's interview ex. in LBS?
I really need it.

Sameer · Answer

I can share mine. It is basically a telephone call, at the time convinient to the faculty - And you may actually be just waking up from deep sleep! Since I was in a country far away from the institutes I was applying to, there was no personal interview - BUT these are common if you are close to the institute city/state.

There are introductions. Then some standard questions. Why PhD? Are you sure you have some maths experience ? Some quotes - "It is quite quantitative" "Hey , you sure don't wanna do a PhD because you have read some business books. They are trash" (this is response to a statement by me that I liked the book 'The Living Company' by Arie de Geus!). What research have you done ('None' was my answer), Why do you NOW want to do a PhD (I have a LOT of work ex - so this was a difficult one, but I was ok with what I thought about it and said the same thing - that I need to change and go into Academia...). What interests you ? 

Normally, a faculty member from the department you apply to (and from your country if there is one) will contact you. It helps to talk in local language perhaps.

KEY : rehearse. Make a list of probable questions on the pattern above. think about what could be asked from your SOP , your CV , your grade sheets, your experience. Prepare answers. Write them down. And lastly, Put the written paper next to telephone.

jantarmantar · Answer

Hi Anupag,
 Thanks a lot. I am probably from the same country from where you were.
 btw, yeah, I am too worried about the INSEAD decision as from the last year's post made by you guys in BW forum, it is more or less clear that they started giving their admit by this time now.

sleek · Answer

Jantarmantar, Although schools have started contacting some of the students, I think we can expect some interview calls even in the last week february. So just hang in there

PB

jantarmantar · Answer

Sleek,
 Thanks for the encouraging words. But does INSEAD(finance) interview? in the websiet they have never mentioned it.

sleek · Answer

Janatarmantar,

They usually interview their candidates. But you could always get an acceptance letter without an interview. Also, I don't think that interviews would be too technical. However, just as Anupag mentioned, be prepared for the usual questions.

Good Luck!

Sleek

hpun · Answer

I have NOT get any interview or phone call yet. So I call some of the universities business school admission department that I applied to and this is what they said:

Stanford: will start to contact us in Mar. 1
Columbia: still reviewing and will send out refusal letter starting Feb 22
UCLA: will notify interview by Feb 28. If I don't hear by that time, I am probably rejected
Chicago: will start to contact us in Mar. 1
Stern: will start to contact us in Mar. 1

fyi: I am not located in USA so they won't fly me there unless I am accepted

Is the word of the admission officers that I contacted true?

roy1000 · Answer

I'm pretty much in the same situation.

I was fairly optimistic when I sent out the applications, but the more I wait, the more I become "realistic". I applied only to top 20 schools and the competition is fierce.

There seem to be around 100 guys out there with GMAT's in the 99th percentile, great GPA's and great rec letters. That makes each of us one in a hundred. How can anybody differentiate between applicants which are all in the 99th percentile? this is crazy.

It looks to me like its all about luck. I just hope I have some, because I have no plan B waiting.

jantarmantar · Answer

Yes, this wait is not only frustrating but also brings down one's confidence.
I think, the top 20 schools will give around 150 admissions.
And Roy, I do not think any of your schools has communicated anything so please do not get nervous.

For Plan B what I have done is, I recently( after completing the application process) entered job market and received a very decent offer, which not only provided me with an address to go in case I end up with no decent admission in hand, but also acted as a great confidence booster.

So, there is no harm if one thinks in this line.

roy1000 · Answer

It appears that Stern have made all their finance offers.

I just got a call from the head of the accounting program there which made me an offer (I applied for finance as the top priority and for accounting as the second one).

He said that Stern will not be making any further finance offers.

It's kind of a mixed feeling - on one hand, I know that my file was considered as one of the final contenders, but on the other hand, I didn't quite make it. Well, at least I have one offer, maybe not the one I wanted most, but still something

wakaba · Answer

Stanford finance has conducted phone interviews (I don't know if they are still ongoing).

sleek · Answer

Wakaba,

When did Stanford conduct the interviews?

Thanks.

Sleek

wakaba · Answer

I believe this week.

jantarmantar · Answer

CONGRATS roy!!
things have started to move.

sleek · Answer

Roy,

Congratz!!

It is always good to have an offer in hand. Now you can be more relaxed while waiting for subsequent decisions.

Sleek

Any PhD applicant got interview yet? Please share your exp.

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