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| The Interview | • How are Interviews Important? Not every business school joins equal value to the interview. Some consider it's an essential screening tool. Some think it's used to evaluate borderline cases. But others basically encourage, but do not require, the interview. And others make it simply enlightening. If you have no possibility to schedule an on-campus interview, the admissions office may find alum to meet with you in your hometown.
An ideal interview can tip the scale in the admit direction. But how do you know if it was great? You were focused and calm; you expressed yourself and your ideas clearly. Your interviewer asked you to go rock climbing with him next weekend. So, let’s just say you developed a solid personal rapport with the interviewer.
An ordinary interview may not have much impact, unless your application is hanging on by a thread. That’s why, the person you're talking to - harsh as it may seem, is probably looking for a reason not to admit you, rather than a reason to let you in. Feeling your application may be in that hazy, marginal area, try to be inspired in your interview.
If your interview is offered, take it. Personally, you may be a completely more compelling candidate. You can promote address weaknesses or bring dull essays to life. Primary, you can display the kinds of qualities-enthusiasm, sense of humor, maturity - that often fill in the blanks and sway a decision.
• What to Expect? On the whole, business school interviews are not formulaic. The center of attention can range from specific questions about your job responsibilities to broad discussions of life. Come up to the interview as a conversation to be enjoyed, not as a question-and-answer ordeal to get through. Talk more about your hobbies or recent cross-country trip. This won’t indicate that it doesn’t feel like a job interview. It may only mean you're being sized up as a person and future professional in all your dimensions. Be witty, charming, and natural. Interviews are performed by students, faculty, admissions personnel and alumni.
Don't send students away as the lightweights; they follow a tight script and report back to the committee. On the other hand, since they're inexperienced beyond the script, their interviews are most likely to be duds. Try to work harder to get your points across.
• How to Prepare? You can prepare for the interview in several ways: Expect to discuss many things about yourself. Prepare to obtain greater depth than you did in your essays, but don't assume the interviewer has read them. Compose two or three points about yourself that you want the interviewer to remember you by. Step in with examples, or even a portfolio of your work, to showcase your achievements. Put into practice speaking about your accomplishments without a lot of "I did this, I did that's." In conclusion, be ready to give a strong and convincing answer to the interviewer's inevitable question, "Why here?"
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