I can finally see some light at the end of this very long tunnel of pre-MBA exam prep, test-taking, app and essay writing, interviewing, waiting, worrying, and just plain ‘ole stress.
So here’s the status of my round 1 applications going into the weekend before Thanksgiving (alphabetically):
Chicago – invited to interview; interview complete
HBS – dinged without an interview
MIT – won’t send interview invites until around December
Stanford – nothing yet
Wharton – invited to interview; interview complete
After being invited to interview at Wharton and Booth within a day of one another, I ‘ve completed both interviews within the past 5 days. It’s been a bit of a whirlwind but I am generally pleased with the results how things have gone (the actual result won’t be apparent until I get final decisions).
Chicago Booth Interview Recap
Chicago Booth gives you two main interview options: to interview on campus with the admissions committee (which includes 2nd year MBA students) or to interview in or near your city with a Booth alum (where available). Living in Los Angeles makes alums from virtually any school that I would ever apply to locally available.
While I would love to visit each school that I’m submitting to, neither finances nor time will permit such a tour. I opt for local interviews whenever possible to be judicious with my finite time and financial resources.
I applied for my Booth interview right away and was paired with an alumnus within 24-48 hours, just as their admissions website promised; +1. The night prior to my scheduled interview, I got a buddy of mine who is a recent JD/MBA graduate of and alumni interviewer for The University of Chicago to give me a mock interview.
My friend took it kind of easy on me, asking some basic behavioral questions coupled with the standard goals/why MBA/why now/why Booth questions. I wish he had been a bit tougher.
My interviewer chose a fairly laid back meeting place. I blocked out my schedule for that day and made sure to arrive with about a 30 minute lead on our appointment–half of which I burned up finding parking blocks away and then walking to the establishment.
Not a Clear Read
While very polite, my interviewer was not easy to read. They were also quite skilled at the job at hand. I got lots of behavioral questions peppered with interpersonal and “get to know you” probes that came in the midst of deceivingly random small talk as we navigated the meeting place.
I was comfortable with what was being asked of me and did not trip up or get stumped by any of the questions. I did, however, receive some constructive feedback on one of them. It was good feedback. I also felt that the feedback came more from a spirit of genuine affinity than a “gotcha” sort of thing; yet, you never really know what someone is thinking.
While I generally feel that I did well in the interview, even the slightest hiccup can cast doubts in such a competitive, subjective process as this. I guess we’ll find out how “constructive” that feedback was come mid-December.
Wharton Interview Recap
The Wharton School provided only two interview options for US candidates: Their main campus in Philadelphia or their West Coast E-MBA campus in San Francisco. Based on my blanket time and cost strategy, I chose the San Franciscan option. I also ended up saving an additional $250 on my ticket by flying out of Long Beach instead of LAX. Sweet.
Being early for each of these interviews was very important to me, as I hate being late. Since I know LA like the back of my hand, about 30 minutes is sufficient for any local interview. In unfamiliar territory, however, I find it necessary to take additional–and sometimes extreme–precautions to ensure that my time cushion is sufficient.
I arrived in San Francisco at around 8:45am after a short flight from LA lasting one hour and one minute. I had been smart enough to pre-book my transportation to and from campus (I know little to nothing about navigating San Francisco) and was literally able to walk out of the airport and onto a shuttle about 5 minutes later, arriving on campus suited and booted at about 10am–hours before my scheduled time to interview.
Where Am I?
When I first got dropped off by the shuttle, I wasn’t quite sure whether I was in the right place. It is a historical building in downtown Frisco (what people in LA call San Francisco) right on the water and next to the Oakland Bay Bridge.
I was expecting a big “Wharton” sign to be plastered on the building. As it turns out there IS a big “Wharton” sign on the side of the building that faces the bay; however, from the street there was no sign that I was in the right place at all; good thing I had typed the address into my phone.
Wharton is located on the sixth floor of the building. What I got most from the environment was its warmth. Everyone from the receptionist to the professors to the E-MBA students that were working on projects before or after classes were extremely personable and welcoming.
I loitered in and around the building for a good number of hours (I had convinced myself that I would blog and get other work done while waiting. LIES. I toggled between reviewing my team-based discussion information from the invite email and watching Wharton videos on YouTube). When it was showtime, I went back upstairs (I had been up and down all day. I think the receptionist got tired of seeing me) just as the other folks who would be interviewing arrived.
My Cover is Blown, Once Again
And, as it has been with every event that I have been to thus far, exactly one person recognized me after putting 2 and 2 together from my blog (shout out KP! I hope to see you at admit weekend along with the other members of our awesome discussion group!). Whether in a room of 200 or a small group of 6, my cover has been blown by exactly one person every single time. Astounding.
DISCLAIMER: Out of respect for both Wharton and Booth, I’ve chosen not to go into too much detail about exactly what was said during each interview (so don’t ask. Thanks!). What I will say about Wharton’s team-based discussion, however, is that I like it. I like it a lot.
Who knows? It might just be something that makes you feel better because you got to express yourself; like an application with a high essay word count allowance (i.e. Stanford, comparatively at least) or a PowerPoint (Booth) or video (MIT Sloan) essay option. It might not increase one’s chances even one bit; however, for a person like me who presents better in person than on paper, its a dream.
Wharton’s New Team-Based Discussion is a Hit
It’s also very smart on Wharton’s part. The whole point of the admissions process is supposed to be to build a class of students who will contribute the most to the intellectual richness of the environment for their classmates, right? Well, this team-based discussion cuts right to the chase. The adcom really gets to see how you ACTUALLY behave in a group environment.
I was very pleased with both my team-based discussion and my one-on-one interview with the adcom. While I know that there will be many people who have strong interviews who WON’T be admitted (the interview is just an additional data point that is taken into consideration along with the rest of your written application) I always feel that my chances will go up just slightly when I get the opportunity to present myself in person.
I ended up making it back to San Francisco airport in just enough time to board my plane and land safely back in Long Beach later that night. My plane did, however, have to circle the Long Beach airport for an extra 40 minutes waiting for a ridiculously thick, low fog to clear. That was no fun in a suit and tie.
SIDEBAR: I had not worn a tie in so long that I had to watch a YouTube video early that morning to relearn how to get my full Windsor knot correct–oh, and I forgot to put on a belt; no one noticed, and I forgot.
Alas, my fate at these two schools is yet a mystery. One interview went well but could have gone better and the other definitely went well. Regardless of how good or bad your interview goes for a given program, however, there simply is no way to know where you stood on the continuum of applicants going INTO your interview.
If you were already at the bottom of the barrel, then a great interview still might not be enough to have you make the final cut. In contrast, if the school had already decided that they really, really, really wanted you then a substandard interview isn’t likely to send you packing–unless, of course, you vomit on an alumnus or an adcom (SO glad I didn’t do that!).
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November 16, 2012 at 4:43 AM
Don’t know why, but I already see you sitting in a Wharton class of 2015!
November 16, 2012 at 7:27 AM
well gaurav, I surely wouldn’t mind! lol.
November 16, 2012 at 5:19 AM
Were you able to make it out to Tuck’s diversity conference? I got invited but wasn’t able to make it due to a scheduling conflict.
November 16, 2012 at 7:27 AM
Hey bschool. I was in the same boat as you, and was very disappointed not to be able to make it.
November 16, 2012 at 7:46 AM
Congratulations on wraping up on the two! I visited Booth last week. Loved the program and the building, I’m sure you’ll like it too when you visit (maybe for the admit event haha).
A quick irrelavant question if I could have your advice: today is my 3*th birthday, but I’m supposed to finish brainstorming for my Booth essays tonight (my 1st out of 6 schools for R2)
Would u relax with friends or dive deep in “self-reflection” to find your life-transforming moment
November 16, 2012 at 7:57 AM
Relax with your friends; health down. Putting together a strong application that gives you your best shot of landing some interviews at your top choice schools is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Frequent breaks will be necessary both for your sanity and so that your brain can marinate on what you are currently working on and reach new “aha” moments. Have fun. Then work like hell the day after. Don’t answer the phone. TV off. No YouTube. You know the drill.
November 16, 2012 at 8:07 AM
Woohoo you just helped me take out of the guilt feeling
Great thanks!
And yes, I had to set my phone in “no disturb” last night to think through my set backs. Can’t wait until Jan to be free of these!
November 16, 2012 at 8:15 AM
I know the feeling!
November 16, 2012 at 9:50 AM
Congrats to you!! I love your blo – gives me some encouragement! Keep up the good work.
November 16, 2012 at 9:51 AM
*blog…
November 16, 2012 at 9:52 AM
Thanks! Don’t forget to subscribe
November 16, 2012 at 11:09 AM
“oh, and I forgot to put on a belt; no one noticed, and I forgot.”
hahaha, classic! I too, forgot to pack a belt for my Kellogg interview and had to improvise by rummaging through my friend’s closet only to find a crusty, old belt that looked like a prop from Pirates of the Caribbean.
I’m hoping no one noticed either
November 16, 2012 at 11:12 AM
Classic indeed. Good luck with Kellogg!
November 16, 2012 at 1:27 PM
Nice to know you didn’t SSL.
November 16, 2012 at 1:30 PM
SSL would have been…so unfortunate; unGodly, in fact.
November 19, 2012 at 8:50 PM
What’s SSL?
November 19, 2012 at 8:51 PM
Sh– , smear and light. Basically make the biggest mess possible. Think Hangover I and II or bridesmaids.
November 16, 2012 at 1:38 PM
I really like your blog. Our MBA trajectory has been similar in many respects. I would really like to meet you at one of the admit weeks.
Regarding the team based interview, i thought it was a good exercise but I think Wharton still needs to fine tune the questions.
November 16, 2012 at 1:41 PM
Interesting; you see, I actually liked the ambiguity (one of the FEW times I like ambiguity); plus I think it was done on purpose. Less info gives the applicants more room to show what they would bring to the table in a similar situation form beginning to end. The lack of structure is intentional.
November 16, 2012 at 1:45 PM
The ambiguity was fine. But one questions covered a narrow issue while the other was exceedingly broad. I spoke to candidates who had to discuss the “short” question and they told me that they didn’t really know what else to add after 10 minutes of discussion whereas in my group we almost ran out of time and could have gone on for hours.
November 16, 2012 at 1:51 PM
I think we had the same question. This is, its not so much about the question as the interaction IMO.
November 16, 2012 at 1:55 PM
True. It certainly must be refreshing for the adcom . I know I would enjoy watching a few of these discussions.
November 16, 2012 at 1:59 PM
Mine was clearly amused. I liked her a lot; very adept and analyzing human behavior and group dynamics.
November 16, 2012 at 2:01 PM
We had two and like your Booth interviewer they were both polite but hard to read.
November 16, 2012 at 2:04 PM
Ah interesting. Mine was extremely engaging; but that doesn’t mean we were reading her. She was definitely a pro at this as well.
November 16, 2012 at 2:06 PM
Other than giving us the initial instructions, ours sat in the corners, took notes quietly and occasionally told us how much time we had left. Then, at 35 min. on the dot, they told us our time was up. I could hear the jeopardy music in the background.
November 16, 2012 at 2:08 PM
Well they are supposed to be quiet during the exercise; it was during the 1 on 1′s that we really got to experience how cool ours was.
November 16, 2012 at 3:09 PM
Came up to my city without even paying a social visit?
If nothing more, some of our interviews are behind us. I went to a prospective student event at the Wharton campus in downtown SF. It is a really nice space!
November 16, 2012 at 3:11 PM
Please forgive. I was under duress. And yes, it is a VERY nice space. I like how you can write on the glass-ish walls of the group study rooms…and how people on the outside can see your writing flipped around as they walk by.
November 16, 2012 at 7:39 PM
How do people blow your cover? How do they know you’re having this blog?!?
November 16, 2012 at 7:42 PM
I’m an URM; there ain’t many of us. Add my age and city to the mix and it becomes easy for those who care to pay attention.
November 17, 2012 at 2:53 PM
Haha, out of respect for the schools? Come on man, you and I both know you aren’t saying anything to prevent others from getting a leg up. I have done the same thing with my interview details, I would be nuts not to.
November 17, 2012 at 2:56 PM
It’s both. Breaking the rules and being found out in doing so can lead to an automatic ding; so, that is out of respect for the schools…and of covering my own arse. It’s a win-win, you see lol
November 17, 2012 at 3:30 PM
The way I see it is, as soon as I get admitted (knock on wood), I will offer up any and all info I have if people ask for it. But my identity is not nearly as recognizable as yours so I do have that safety.
That may be the only benefit of round 2; you get the insight of the R1ers who were admitted and now willing to share.
November 17, 2012 at 3:34 PM
I personally don’t see any real benefit to R2; most people procrastinate and typically end up writing essays over the holidays either way. Most processes don’t change much from year to year and the previous year’s admits are generally a well spring of wisdom. I can see some benefit in a year like this where something changes drastically; though, I see it as minuscule. Best of luck to you in getting into the programs of your choice man, sincerely. Thanks for reading and don’t forget to subscribe.
November 17, 2012 at 5:30 PM
Hey man, I also recently completed the wharton gauntlet myself in SF as well. I also thought it was a ton of fun doing the discussion. I had my harvard interview earlier that week and it wasn’t nearly as fun as the wharton interview. Wharton’s SF pad is damn sweet!!
November 17, 2012 at 5:31 PM
Yes, its quite sweet!
November 20, 2012 at 7:35 AM
This is so cool. Nice one! I know it sounds a bit ‘spammy’ but have you checked out BusinessBecause? It might be helpful if you wanted to find current students at Booth and Wharton to ask about their experience/application process (seeing as they’ve just been through it). Theres a new MBA Clubs section, Booth has 2 clubs and Wharton has 3 – might be worth approaching the presidents as they’re definitely proactive members of the student community? Keep up the great blog posts!
November 20, 2012 at 8:37 AM
Thanks Sian! Ill definitely check that out