Now that Round 2 interview season has kicked into high gear, we’re receiving many new additions to the Clear Admit Wiki. Recently, a candidate for Harvard Business School shared the following interview experience with a member of the admissions committee:
“I interviewed at Harvard’s research center in Menlo Park, CA. At the start of the interview, the Adcom gave her typical speech: she would take exactly 30 minutes and the focus of the interview would be about her getting to know me (no questions at the end).
- How did you find the application process? Did any part of it surprise you?
- How is X consulting firm different from Y consulting firm? (based on my resume)
- Why do you feel an MBA is necessary for what you want to do?
- What do you feel you need to improve at most at your current job?
- How do you think you will like the case study method?
- Tell me about a company you admire.
- Let’s talk about your leadership style. How do you lead?
- Can you give me an example of a time when people’s first impression of you turned out to be wrong?
- What books are you reading?
- How would you be different from your other classmates at HBS?
- Is there anything I didn’t ask that you wish I had?
The best advice I got before the interview was to treat it as a conversation. With the rapid fire of questions, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed and turn defensive. I was advised to keep it light and conversational and just be genuinely honest in my responses. Good luck!”
To see more MBA admissions interview reports, check out the Clear Admit Wiki – a free resource with hundreds of real, documented interview experiences from b-school applicants. Also, if you’d like to help your fellow applicants by adding your experiences, please send us your interview field report and we’ll post it to the wiki. Finally, if you’d like even more helpful hints and detailed analysis on how to ace your interview, check out our line of Interview Guides, which demystify the most common questions asked by the leading programs and offer step-by-step guidance for a successful interview.
Read the full article: HBS MBA Admissions Interview Questions 2011