Interviews

As Round 1 interview invitations roll out from MIT / Sloan, we gathered advice from actual interviewees to help the Class of 2022 hopefuls prepare.  Over the years, hundreds of MBA applicants have shared their interview experiences. For today’s post, we’ve culled through this to pull out top tips from those who experienced MIT / Sloan’s Behavioral Event-based Interviews (BEI) first hand. For anyone unfamiliar with the BEI, it’s a style of interview that centers on a description of one or more specific situations or Read more

Are you getting ready for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD)? We’re excited to bring you a bonus podcast episode to review this year’s prompt and to help you excel in this step of the admissions process. In this episode, Clear Admit’s co-founder, Graham Richmond, and resident admissions expert, Alex Brown, dive deeper into this year’s prompt (ICYMI, you must also listen to their overall key advice about the TBD here). The exercise for the 2019-2020 admissions season focuses on Tangen Hall (pictured), Wharton’s first on-campus space dedicated to student entrepreneurship and innovation activities. The TBD prompt for 2019-2020 is: Read more

As MBA candidates for University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business prepare for their interviews, we’re taking the opportunity to round up useful advice from the Clear Admit Interview Archive, as passed on by interviewed candidates themselves. Before we dig into the key takeaways from prior lucky invitees, here are a few basics about the structure of the interviews at Booth. MBA candidates who interview with Booth may interview on-campus with a second-year student, or off-campus with an admissions officer or alum. On-campus interviews generally run from 30 to 45 minutes with time at the end of the interview for questions. Alumni interviews can be more varied, in terms of time. Either way, it’s important to prepare thoughtful questions for your interviewer. All interviews are blind, meaning that your interviewer may have access to your resume, but you should still make sure you bring copies to your interview. Booth interviews are generally considered to be very straightforward, in a reasonably relaxing atmosphere, as the following excerpts from interview reports attest. Interview Logistics This candidate thinks there might be an advantage to schedule your interview early in the day, if you are interviewing on-campus: “The organization of the interviews was excellent. I would recommend to schedule your interviews for an earlier spot — my interviewer, while attentive, was already a little worn off.” This candidate noted the advantage of doing the campus visit, before the interview: Read more

As interview invitations roll out, we wanted to remind MBA hopefuls that Clear Admit can help with the final hurdle to acceptance: the interview. The Clear Admit Interview Archive is a repository of first-hand accounts shared directly by MBA applicants after they have interviewed with one or more of their target top-tier business schools. The details shared in these reports—from the questions asked to what the applicant would do differently if he or she had it to do over—provide invaluable information as you prepare for your interviews. 1. You Won’t Find a More Robust Resource Anywhere With more than 2,000 MBA admissions interview reports, the Clear Admit Interview Archive has you covered no matter what type of interview you’ll be facing. In some cases, your interviewer will be familiar with your entire application; in others, just your résumé. Candidates who’ve encountered both scenarios can tell you how best to prepare for each. The wide range of interview accounts also includes advice on how best to prepare based on who you your interviewer will be, whether a second-year student, alumnus, or adcom member. Read more

As reports of Stanford GSB interview invitations continue on LiveWire, we’re taking the opportunity to round up useful advice from the Clear Admit Interview Guide, as passed on by interviewed candidates themselves. Before we dig into the key takeaways from prior lucky invitees, here are a few basics about the structure of the interviews at Stanford. Most Stanford MBA interviews are conducted by trained GSB alumni, but the school says that an adcom member may also serve as an interviewer. In any case, Stanford interviews are “blind,” meaning that the interviewer will only have had access to the résumés of invited candidates, not their entire files. Stanford admissions interviews are behavioral in nature, with the school seeking to understand applicants’ past actions and responses in certain situations. That being said, candidates should still be ready for the basic questions such as “why an MBA,” “why now,” “why Stanford,” etc., as some applicants have reported being asked about these topics. Go With the Flow As interviewers try to dig deeper for details, candidates can expect a particular style of interview: “All questions were followed by a lot of in-depth questions asking for more details, like: what did I do or say at a specific moment, how did I started the conversation, step-by-step description of how I acted, etc. And after answering each question, I was asked to talk about the outcomes of my actions/decisions and if I could quantify them.” “The whole thing was comfortable and conversational, though not informal, and the format really doesn’t let you get away with general statements. After he asked questions, a few times I had to take 15-30 seconds to think quietly before I started to answer, which was totally fine. It was better to take the time than to start an answer that I wasn’t prepared to provide specifics for, because he would definitely ask for specifics.” “He explained that he had a certain set of questions to ask me and he had to identify certain behaviors, so not to be surprised if he needs to interrupt me while speaking.” “The interviewer ‘interrupted’ casually many times along the way to ask for details or follow-up questions.” “He asked behavioural questions and wanted situations where I exhibited a given behaviour (i.e., tell me a time when you look on a leadership position). He then started to deep-dive on specific moments and the actions and decisions that I made. It was very specific and detailed to uncover my motivations and underlying values.” “After each response, my interviewer continued to probe into how I felt and what I said and did. She went into much greater depth than my previous b-school interviewers had.” Others offered insights into the content: Read more

The prompt for the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) is below.  The exercise for the 2019-2020 admissions season focuses on Tangen Hall (pictured), Wharton’s first on-campus space dedicated to student entrepreneurship and innovation activities. “Entrepreneurship and innovation are at the forefront of Wharton’s focus for the future of the school. Last year, the University of Pennsylvania announced a $25 million gift that will spearhead construction of a transformative new building. Tangen Hall is the first-ever dedicated space for Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship and other student entrepreneurship programs across the University. Here students will Read more

As LiveWire lights up with interview invitations from the Wharton Admissions Committee, we wanted to help the latest crop of candidates by sharing tips from those who have experienced the Wharton Team-Based Discussion (TBD) and personal interviews first-hand. Wharton introduced the TBD a few years ago and considers it to “model the highly collaborative nature of the Wharton MBA environment.” Five to six candidates are grouped together and asked to develop a presentation around a specific prompt, which invited applicants are sent in advance of the interview. After the group exercise, candidates have about 10 minutes one on one with an interviewer—usually a trained second-year student, but sometimes a member of the adcom. Many candidates report that the TBD gives them insight into Wharton’s atmosphere, but can feel difficult to prepare for. The Clear Admit Interview Guide for Wharton feature more personal experiences of several interviewees. Below, we’ve compiled some of the best insights from recent Wharton candidates as reported in the Clear Admit Interview Archive. Show That You Are a Team Player Several candidates recommended arriving with enough time before the TBD to get to know the other members of your group and settle in a little: “Since no one knows what to expect in the team-based discussion (TBD), it is a good idea to arrive early in order to know the people in your group.” “I highly recommend arriving 15-20 minutes before your interview, as the time spent in the waiting room chatting and getting to know the other applicants in the same TBD group was useful, so you can get a handle of the various personalities early on.” Another candidate remarked that it’s not always easy to determine your team members, but it still makes sense to arrive early: Read more

As Round 1 interview invitations from The Wharton School roll out, we wanted to make sure you’re ready for their MBA interview.  In this episode, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond break down Wharton’s group interview – the ‘Team Based Discussion’ (TBD) – and offer a wealth of tips and background to help applicants ace their Wharton admissions interview. Alex and Graham, who both formerly worked in admissions at Wharton, discuss the history and purpose of this interview format.  They also provide sage advice on how to deal with different personality Read more

Since we know some of you may be waiting anxiously in the next few weeks for MBA interview invitations, we wanted to remind you about two key resources that can help you through this busy—and often stressful—time: MBA LiveWire: Live reports from real candidates throughout the admissions process. Find the profiles of other applicants who applied to your target schools. Get live updates of those who have received an interview invitation or an admissions decision. Sort by school, admissions round, and the status of each entry to find the information you’re looking for. MBA Chats: Chat Read more

If you’re among the many candidates in receipt of an interview invitation, you won’t want to miss what past candidates learned from their Yale SOM interview experiences. You can thank us—and them—by paying it forward and submitting reports of your own after you interview. How Big Is the Window of Opportunity? Yale SOM invites many candidates—60 to 80 at a time—to visit campus for a full day of events in addition to interviews. Several past interviewees report that Yale stuck to a set schedule and format for their interviews… “The interview with Yale SOM was super structured. She had a list of questions, which she mentioned were the same for everyone. Ran for about 30 mins. She was super friendly and made an effort to make me comfortable.” “Yale keeps interviews pretty standard, with 30 minutes time limit almost on the dot. The interviews are blind so the interviewer has your resume as their only reference of your application.” “Adcom stated that all interviews would be standardized to about 6 questions across all applicants interviewed.” “[The interviewer] was very nice and explained to me before we began that she had not seen my file, that she will be asking me preset questions, and that she will be busy writing her comments and so I should not expect too much eye contact. She had a form with printed questions and answer boxes for her comments.” “They took notes while I gave my answers and checked their watch every so often to keep track of time.” “When I entered the room, the Admissions associate introduced herself and then told me that the interview would be 30 minutes and 6 questions.” …while others had a different experience: Read more

It's always tough to score an interview invitation to Harvard Business School, and even tougher to get through the MBA admissions interview! But fear not, Clear Admit's admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, are here to help you prepare. Richmond has counseled hundreds of applicants along the way, read hundreds of HBS interview reports, and even been through the HBS interview process himself.  Brown, the author of "Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions," has worked in the admissions space since the 1990s, and trained admissions officers at dozens of leading schools.  Together, they tackle every aspect of the HBS interview process in this podcast episode, including: Read more

Whether you’re flying to campus now for an applicant-initiated interview, or practicing til perfection while anticipating an invitation, don’t wait to download the Clear Admit Interview Guides to ace your MBA admissions interview. Read more

We know that many of you Class of 2022 hopefuls are eagerly awaiting your interviews with the Harvard Business School (HBS) admissions committee. To help you prepare, we’ve rounded up the top interview tips from experienced candidates, as reported in the Clear Admit Interview Guide. You can thank us—and them—by paying it forward and submitting reports of your own after you interview. Whether on campus, via Skype, or in any of several global hub cities, HBS interviews are all “non-blind,” meaning the adcom members conducting your interview will have fully examined and be familiar with your application. Let’s see what sage advice last year’s class passed on. Read more

In this, our third installment of our interview series, we’ll take a closer look at one of the more recent interview permutations—the group interview or team-based discussion. You can view the first two parts of this interview series here: open interviews versus interview invites and blind interviews versus non-blind interviews. What Is the Team-Based Discussion at Wharton? Several years ago, the admissions office at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School partnered with the Wharton Innovation group to launch a new evaluation method, the team-based discussion (TBD). As its name suggests, as Read more

Harvard Business School has announced that Round 1 interview invitations will roll out on one day this year, instead of the typical two waves. The special date? Tuesday, October 1, noon Eastern Time. Based on the announcement in the Direct from the Director blog, Round 1 candidates may be invited to interview, waitlisted or dinged. Those invited to interview may then view available dates, times, and locations for interviews, but have to wait to sign up for interview slots until October 2 at 10:00 a.m. EST. Read more

This is the second in a four-part series on the MBA admissions interview. You can view Part I here.  Okay—now that you’re clear on open interviews and interviews by invitation, let’s get into some of the finer points. What’s this about blind versus non-blind interviews, you ask? Some schools believe strongly in the notion of blind interviews, which means that your interviewer will know nothing about you in advance of the interview other than what appears on the résumé you give them. Schools that fall firmly into this camp include Yale School of Management (SOM), Columbia Read more

In this first part of a multi-part series, we’ll unpack the different types of interviews—open, invited, blind, non-blind, resume-based, behavioral-based, team-based, etc.  Along the way, we’ll offer some tips for how best to prepare for each and explore a few of the more interesting wrinkles in the world of MBA interviews. When all is said and done, you’ll have a much firmer grasp on the MBA interview landscape as a whole, which we hope will better prepare you for interviews at all of your target schools. Open Interviews Versus Invited Interviews Also known as open interviews, applicant-initiated interviews are what they sound like. At Dartmouth Tuck and a handful of other schools—Kellogg’s Northwestern School of Management, Emory’s Goizueta School, Duke’s Fuqua School and UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, for example—applicants do indeed get to choose to interview. There’s no need to wait—or stress over—receiving an interview invitation. Just schedule a date, pack your bags and go. Read more

If you clicked “submit” last week on your Harvard Business School MBA application, congratulations! Getting all of your admissions materials together and making the best first impression can be challenging. Now, you’re likely anxiously awaiting the next step in the process: an interview invitation. We are here to help you figure out the likely timing of Round 1 HBS interview invitations, based on our MBA LiveWire admissions tool and other historical trends. Read more

New 2019-2020 editions of the Clear Admit Interview Guides are here to help you ace your MBA admissions interview!   Each guide includes school-specific, first-hand interview accounts submitted by real applicants over the years through our Interview Archive. You'll also find tons of analysis of the most frequently asked questions by Clear Admit admissions experts, who offer insight into what specific schools are looking for in response.  The guides also shed light on how the Admissions Committees at each school weigh the interview, and what you should be doing to plan your trip to campus.  Moreover, each of our guides includes our General Interview Guide, which is full of advice on how to be successful in any MBA admissions interview. 2019-2020 Clear Admit Interview Guides Download your Clear Admit Interview Guides today and you’ll have everything you need to do to wow your interviewer.  Updated titles include: Read more

With Columbia Business School and INSEAD rolling out interview invitations, it is prime time to practice for this key part of the MBA admissions process with the Clear Admit Interview Guides.  The Clear Admit Interview Guide to CBS will prepare you for the blind nature of their Q&A sessions.  With the Clear Admit Interview Guide to INSEAD, you will learn how to ace both of your alumni interviews. What's Inside? These digital guides include first-hand interview accounts submitted by real applicants through our Interview Archive.  In addition to lists of sample questions consistently asked of applicants, the Clear Admit team has combined its years of admissions counseling and expertise to analyze the most frequently asked ones, and offer insight into what specific schools are looking for in response.  Read more

As Cornell / Johnson wraps up initial notifications for its January Round this week, we caught up with a few student interviewers to provide insights into their admissions interview.  At Johnson, the MBA admissions interview may be conducted by an adcom member or a trained second-year student member of the Johnson Admissions Group (JAG).  Two JAG members, Lauren Keithahn and Corey Minerva, shed light on why they became interviewers, what stands out to them in an admissions interview, what advice they have for new candidates and more. Read more

In this episode, your hosts Alex Brown and Graham Richmond break down Wharton’s group interview – the ‘Team Based Discussion’ (TBD) – and offer a wealth of tips and background to help applicants ace their Wharton admissions interview. Ranging from the history and purpose of the TBD to the specifics of this year’s TBD prompt, Alex and Graham – who both formerly worked in admissions at Wharton – deliver the most in-depth podcast that ever been produced on this topic. They also provide sage advice on how to deal with different personality types in your TBD and explain the pros Read more

Were you lucky enough to receive an interview invitation to Harvard Business School?  Clear Admit's admissions experts, Graham Richmond and Alex Brown, are here to help you prepare! Richmond has counseled hundreds of applicants along the way, read hundreds of HBS interview reports, and even been through the HBS interview process himself.  Brown, the author of "Becoming a Clear Admit: The Definitive Guide to MBA Admissions," has worked in the admissions space since the 1990s, and trained admissions officers at dozens of leading schools.  Together, they tackle every aspect of the HBS interview process in this podcast episode, including: Read more

As promised, Chad Losee, Harvard Business School (HBS) managing director of MBA admissions and financial aid, took to his blog to share more about the logistics of the interview process for Round 2. So, what can you expect in the coming week?  Here’s a quick view of important dates and details Losee shared: January 28th, Noon EST Applicants should check their Application Status page as this is when the “first wave” of interview invitations will be released. January 29th, Noon EST “First wave” interviewees can begin to sign up for an interview slot. Read more

Do you need help preparing for your Round 2 MBA interviews? Look no further. Clear Admit’s experts are here to give you advice and tips to be successful at navigating this important stage in the admissions process. In this 90-minute webinar, Clear Admit’s Alex Brown will take a deep dive into what it takes to best prepare for your interviews at the elite MBA programs. The webinar will cover: Different types of interviews that business schools conduct and why understanding each interview type matters for candidates. Nuances that exist across alumni, admissions committee and student-led interviews. A break down of the  Read more