First note: I felt like I absolutely bombed my interview, so there is hope. The experience was very cordial and friendly, but the questions were rapid-fire, and there was little “flow” to the interview. I generally enjoy these types of situations and try to engage the interviewer in conversation as much as possible. However, I felt that this experience was somewhat surprising; questions bounced all over my application without any clear order or sequence (at least that I could see). In addition, I was surprised by the adcom’s focus on my first job, which I left some time ago. I currently work in consulting, and given the large number of consultants they see, I guess my first role (engineering) was more fascinating/unique. However, it caught me off guard as I prepped most of my answers around my current job. Here are the questions I received (in no particular order):
- How did I end up at my undergrad?
- What would my high school friends have said about my strengths/weaknesses?
- What would my college friends have said about my strenghts/weaknesses?
- How would I describe my previous job (technical role) to non-engineers?
- Some specific questions about my first job
- What colleges did I apply to and where did I get in?
- What jobs did I apply to out of college and where did I get offers?
- If I hadn’t taken my first job, which other offer would I have taken and why?
- How many current HBS students do I know and have I talked to?
- How many HBS alumni do I know and have I talked to?
- What perspectives have I gained regarding HBS in talking to students/alumni?
- What do I want to start/stop/continue doing in life?
- What would they find surprising about me(asked again after providing my first answer)?
As the interview went on, I was feeling pretty lousy (e.g., forgetting answers I’d prepped and knowing I was answering some questions horribly); towards the end, I decided to be as blunt as possible and open up, hoping that it would salvage something. With the “what would surprise me about you,” I gave a very personal answer that I think may have helped. At the end of the day, I’d encourage you to think through the possible scenarios/questions, but, most importantly, be as honest and excited about yourself as possible.
