MBA Interview

What kind of questions should you ask to look super smart and that they are making the right decision in letting you into their school?

Asking about their Alumni network? Nice.

bump, i have researched some questions that they will ask me. I have a phone interview scheduled. Does anyone have tips for ol’ Storko?

I would ask about class size, Alumni network, range of salaries graduates have after graduation, % increase in salary of graduates if they remain with the same employer, period of time from graduation to employment, about recruitment on campus sessions and job placement, students in general (full time, only studying or also working), financial help, students events.

ask what kind of inner city or regional activities do they promote? blood drives, etc? i am guessing you will have some of that on resume… so leverage that experience and speak about how you can lead their efforts…

map1 Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > I would ask about class size, Alumni network, > range of salaries graduates have after graduation, > % increase in salary of graduates if they remain > with the same employer, period of time from > graduation to employment, about recruitment on > campus sessions and job placement, students in > general (full time, only studying or also > working), financial help, students events. isn’t this stuff available on the school’s website? i’ve never done a b-school interview before but i would guess that a lot of this stuff can be researched on one’s own time…

since its a phone interview, is it correct to assume its an adcom? if that’s the case, i’d avoid asking any questions where the answer could easily be found online. also, because its a phone interview, i assume you don’t live very close to the school. if so, you could ask about recruiting to the city/area you’re coming from or to other cities closer to the school. you probably know what you want to do after school (or at least i hope you do), so look for some of the general discussion about the clubs that relate to that career path and ask something specific about that. if they don’t know the answer, ask if its appropriate to contact the clubs president or whatever. also, don’t hesitate to ask questions you may already have asked others; they don’t know what you know. good luck.

You can ask about the job prospects of the current class in this recession, and how the school is helping the students who have not landed a job yet. Going forward, if the recession is indeed prolonged, what is school’s strategy then, and how the incoming students can prepare for that. But make sure to ask them, before the call ends, if there is any question that you have not answered that will help them make a positive decision on your behalf. So, if there is any hiccup, you will have the opportunity to take care of it right away.

culture…what’s the student body like (team v. individual, casual v. intense). Ask what the most popular class is and why. that to me is what differentiates the schools beyond the rank/specialty/etc. Asking may show that you are looking for a fit just as they are.

not to sound stalker-ish, but i think it’s also impt to have handy with you some background info about your phone interviewer e.g. what projects or aspects of the sch this person has worked on. with this at the back of ur mind, u can steer the conversation towards his/her “pet topic” (which i assume is somehow related to the mba program u want to get into…) IMHO, showing an interest in the program AND engaging ur interviewer in the interview process will definitely help distinguish u from other applicants and keep u fresh in the interviewer’s mind. my 2cents, hope it helps.

wow, thanks for the help. it may just be a screening call. i live in the same city as the school.

numi Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > map1 Wrote: > -------------------------------------------------- > ----- > > I would ask about class size, Alumni network, > > range of salaries graduates have after > graduation, > > % increase in salary of graduates if they > remain > > with the same employer, period of time from > > graduation to employment, about recruitment on > > campus sessions and job placement, students in > > general (full time, only studying or also > > working), financial help, students events. > > > isn’t this stuff available on the school’s > website? i’ve never done a b-school interview > before but i would guess that a lot of this stuff > can be researched on one’s own time… agreed… not sure if you have had your intrview, but definitely do not ask these questions. Furthermore, especially if its a top school, DO NOT BRING UP MONEY OR JOB PLACEMENT!!! Edit: you can talk about the type of jobs you would apply for and why you think their programs would put you in a good position for them, but asking about salaries and placement rates is almost asking to get dinged…

I have standard team work and ethics stories lined up because i have heard they are pretty big.

I would talk Return on Investment, especially longer term since your tuition money can easily be allocated towards equity investments rather than career investments. Willy

You’ll definitely want to know which day of the week their MBA pub night is so that you can work it into your schedule. Regarding the student “body,” you should ask what % of the class is female. And the adcom is always impressed when you show a strong interest in which club sports are offered to the B-school students.

A “student body” question is vague and speaks more to beta…you should get down to the alpha level and say “Where abouts are the key assets within the student body are key assets located”. Willy

i think a good question would be to ask the interviewer why they choose school X and how they felt it distinguished itself from the other schools they looked at. seems like a generic question at first blush, but interviewers always like to talk about themselves and depending on what they say, you can certainly ask some insightful follow-ups that can easily carry you through Q&A and give you a more personal glimpse as to what the school is like

if the interviewer is with an alum or current student, i second what numi said. talking about their experience is big. i’ve got kids and my interviewer at one school had a kid when he left, so i was able to talk about that. if the interviewer is with adcom or whatever, it may not be applicable, as a lot of them came from other schools and may not even have an mba themselves.

devastation. i didnt even end up asking any questions because it sounded like he had to go… any suggestions for a recovery email?

storko Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > devastation. > i didnt even end up asking any questions because > it sounded like he had to go… > > any suggestions for a recovery email? Just give them the usual follow-up email/card/whatever your style is. trying to hard sounds desperate… And cheer up–from my research, which is limited, strict adherence to the time limit is par for the course…