The interview started with the question “which was the last book you read?” as the first of many personal questions they asked me. They asked then “Why did you decide to apply to this business school? “, “What makes you stand out among other candidates?”, “How do you plan to use your degree?”, “Where do you see yourself in ten years?”, “Can you give me an example of a time that you demonstrated leadership?”. Then the very feared “Can you walk me through your resume?”, and concluding with “With all of your experience, why do you need an MBA?”.
From my point of view, it was quite a demanding interview, but that’s normal, given that it is round 1. It is clear that they only accept the best applicants. I was not surprised of that, the level they were asking for.
As a conclusion, I would say it was a tough interview but in the end it’s going to be worth it, since Harvard is an excellent school and deserves all my effort.
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MBA Livewire
July 3, 2026 11:06pm ET
Interview Invite
to
Columbia Business School
Round:
Round 1
Received via
email
on
July 01, 2026
Standardized Test:
GRE
GRE:
321
Program Type:
January Intake
Target Career:
Entrepreneurship
Application Location:
United States, New York
Juno Member:
Not yet
July 3, 2026 9:48am ET
Accepted from Waitlist
to
Duke / Fuqua
Round:
Round 2
Received via
phone
on
June 04, 2026
Standardized Test:
GRE
GPA:
3.74
GRE:
310
Program Type:
Traditional Two-Year
Post MBA Career:
Other Industries
Target Career:
Other
Application Location:
United States, New York
Juno Member:
Not yet
July 2, 2026 11:03pm ET
Interview Invite
to
Columbia Business School
Round:
Round 1
Received via
email
July 2, 2026
Standardized Test:
GMAT
GPA:
2.7
GMAT:
720
Program Type:
January Intake
Post MBA Career:
Finance,
Investment Banking
Application Location:
USA
Juno Member:
Not yet
July 1, 2026 9:05pm ET
Accepted
to
Penn / Wharton
Round:
Early Decision
Received via
portal
July 1, 2026
Standardized Test:
GMAT
GMAT:
735
Program Type:
Deferred Enrollment
Juno Member:
Not yet
June 29, 2026 7:40pm ET
Interview Invite
to
Columbia Business School
Round:
Round 1
Received via
email
June 29, 2026
Standardized Test:
Executive Assessment (EA)
EA:
162
Program Type:
January Intake
Juno Member:
Not yet