I worked with MBA Crystal Ball and feel proud to say that I was interviewed by all the schools that I applied to. In all, 6 schools – Kellogg, Tepper, Kenan-Flagler, Simon, ISB, and Marshall. In this post I will tell you in detail about my experience with each of them.
My profile – 750(Q-50, V-41), 5+ Years of work-ex (IT Services).
I will be using two words – Familiar and Blind to tell you whether the interviewer was familiar with my application (essays etc.) or not, respectively. So, don’t scratch your head when you read: Skype-Blind!!!
CMU Tepper MBA Interview Questions (Skype – Blind):
Tepper was my first interview. I had done extensive research on the school and the program. I was well prepared for the interview.
The interviewer was an ad-com member. Here are the questions that were asked:
Tell me about yourself. (A short crisp introduction –about one and half minutes long – was acknowledged and appreciated)
You said you worked with Spanish clients. Was there an instance when there was a cultural conflict or communication problems?
According to you, which is the most important characteristic that a leader should possess and why?
How would your friends describe you?
Why do you want to do an MBA now? Why did you choose Tepper?
Are you a good team player? Tell me about a time when you displayed skills of a good team player.
How do you think other students will benefit from your experience?
What do you do in your free time?
Any question for me?
The interview was more like a friendly conversation. The interviewer made me feel comfortable and I felt I did well.
Result - Admit
Kellogg MBA Interview Questions (Telephonic – Familiar):
I had initially got an interview waiver from Kellogg as some of the international students get. It is neither a positive nor a negative sign. It just means that for now, they haven’t got enough resources to conduct your interview and they might invite you for an interview if they like your application. So, when I received an interview invitation after being given a waiver, I was happy.
The interviewer was an ad-com member. Here’s how the interview went:
Why did you choose this undergraduate institution? What did you say your rank was in the entrance examination? (Even though I was on phone, I could tell that she noted it down)
In your current organization, you were promoted within 2 years. Is that a norm or an exception?
How will your team mates describe you?
What type of leader are you?
Why did you choose Kellogg?
Tell me about a time when you displayed critical thinking.
Tell me about a time when you had to negotiate to get something done.
Was it a big change or a small change?
Why did they agree so readily to your suggestions?
How will you contribute to the program?
Which clubs do you like at Kellogg?
Any question for me?
The interviewer asked all the questions in quick succession keeping me on my toes throughout the interview. In the end, I felt I could have done much better.
Result – Denied
UNC Kenan-Flagler Interview Questions (Skype – Blind):
The interview was conducted by an ad-com member. The questions that she asked were:
Walk me through your resume.
Why did you change from your first company to your current company?
Why do you want to an MBA now? Why Kenan-Flagler?
What is your current role in your organization?
As a leader, have you ever taken any difficult decision? What was it?
What is your biggest achievement so far?
What are you interests?
Any questions for me?
Till then, I had attended 3 interviews and I felt Kenan Flagler’s was my best interview. I engaged the interviewer well and I could sense she was excited throughout the interview. I was sure that I will get an admission offer and I was kind of hoping for a scholarship too.
Result – Admit with $28k fellowship
ISB Interview Questions (In Person – Familiar):
I was interviewed by a 2-member panel who looked more like alumni rather than ad-com members. After a casual chit-chat about my journey to Hyderabad and my stay, the interview started -
Tell me about this project that you are doing currently.
Some more technical questions on the project…
How was the experience of managing the team?
What was your ‘carrot-and-stick’ for your team members?
Do you think such leadership style will work in all the circumstances? I don’t think so. Given a chance, what are the things that you could have done differently?
Tell me something about your previous project.
Followed by some questions on IT projects for Investment Bank clients…
Why should we take you? What is so different about you?
What functional knowledge have you gained from your current job?
Some questions on the business aspect of my previous project…
Have you decided your concentrations? What are they?
Some questions about my company and my views on its future…
Any question for us?
I felt the interview was a mix of stress and easy. There were two people in the room. One was more talkative and affable while the other looked sharp and ominous. It reflected not just in their body language but in their questions as well. In the end, I thought I had done reasonably well. Although, I could have answered few questions better, I never lost confidence throughout the interview.
Result – Admit after waitlist
Simon MBA Interview Questions (Skype – Blind):
Simon’s application was a free application for me and I never intended to join Simon. I applied to the program as I got an application fee waiver, TOEFL waiver and a GMAT waiver too (in the sense that I didn’t need to send the score through GMAC, but they accepted official soft copy of the score report). So, Simon’s interview was more of a practice match for me, just before my Marshall match (read: interview).
The interview was taken by an ad-com member. The interview went something like this –
Walk me through your resume.
Tell me about your undergraduate college experience. (The interviewer kept enquiring until I told her about each of my extra-curricular activities during college and my achievements)
What is the biggest challenge that you see in coming to US for an MBA?
Is there any particular news or topic related to US that you are following? What interests you?
Other than these, there were general questions on why MBA, why Simon etc. The interview was good and I was confident on getting an admission offer and hoped for some scholarship too.
Result – Admit with $48k scholarship
USC Marshall MBA Interview Questions (Skype – Familiar):
This interview was taken by an alumnus as he told me the ad-com member who was supposed to interview me went on maternity leave. This person was working as a Marketing Manager in P&G and had a retail banking background prior to his MBA from Marshall. After exchanging pleasantries, the interview started –
Walk me through your resume.
What do you want to do after your MBA?
I understand why you want to move into this role after an MBA as it fits with your career so far, but what resources do you think Marshall will provide you to make this transition?
You mentioned about entrepreneurship at Marshall. Do you plan to start something of your own after MBA?
You have some very unique extra-curricular interests. Tell me about them.
These with some other generic questions summed up my interview with Marshall. In all, it was a pleasant experience. I was confident throughout the interview and engaged the interviewer well. I am hoping to get admit with some scholarship as well.
Result – Awaited
Btw, if you are interested here's my full application story - "
Tepper School of Business Carnegie Mellon MBA"