The Last Mile: Crushing Your Deferred MBA Interviews | Deferred MBA Weekly Check-In: April 15, 2024
Applying to the deferred MBA is kind of like running a marathon, and it's gonna take some work to cross the finish line.
Happy Monday! Today is Marathon Monday here in Boston, where over 30,000 of the world’s greatest long-distance runners come to compete in the world’s oldest and most famous marathon event.
Around the 20-mile mark of the Boston Marathon, runners will encounter the so-called Heartbreak Hill, notorious for being the point at which athletes start to “hit a wall.”
Applying for the deferred MBA is a lot like running a marathon. Okay, not really. That’s definitely an exaggeration. But think about it: you’ve done all the research. You’ve picked out your schools. You’ve passed your exams. You’ve even submitted your application.
Now it’s time to push to the finish line in the last mile. It’s interview time.
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Book a coaching session with me, starting at just $15!
As you look to submit your application, I can help you get an extra boost of confidence in your writing, resume, or interview skills.
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On Your Radar
Only a couple more events happening for this application cycle! Check them out:
Northwestern Kellogg: KFL Program: Last Minute Application Q&A
When: Monday, April 15, 11:00 AM to 11:45 AM CDT
Where: Virtual
Description: “This is your opportunity to connect with our admissions team before you hit submit. For this Ask Me Anything-style event, we invite candidates to come prepared with their application-focused questions.”
Harvard (HBS): 2+2 Alum Insights: AMA Edition
When: Wednesday, April 17, 5:00 PM to 5:45 PM EDT
Where: Virtual
Description: “Join Harvard Business School MBA students for an Ask Me Anything about the 2+2 program. This session will give you the opportunity to engage with students who have already been where you are and benefited from all the 2+2 program has to offer.”
All times displayed are local to the respective institutions.
Looking for more?
I’ve compiled a list of all of the calendars for the top deferred MBA programs in the US. Check it out to see more events!
MBAxcel Tip of the Week: Don’t relax just yet. It’s time for interviews!
It’s that time. You’ve submitted your applications. You’ve breathed a sigh of relief. It’s finally over.
Or is it?
It isn’t. Trust me. Over the next couple of weeks, you’ll likely start receiving some interview emails. Perhaps you already have! Congratulations!
For many of the deferred MBA programs, getting an interview means you’re already almost there. According to GMAT Club, for many schools, you have over a 50% chance of admission if you complete an interview. That’s huge!
You got an interview? Congrats!
Take a pause and give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it. This is a huge accomplishment!
But the work isn’t done yet. Now you actually have to do the interview — and do it well.
So let’s do this.
Know what you’re in for.
Every school does interviews differently. It’s important to keep in mind the key anomalies:
Who’s interviewing you?
For most schools, a member of the admissions staff will be the one getting to know you in your interview. For others, schools will invite alums or current students to interview deferred MBA students.
While that’s not a drastic difference — after all, an interview is an interview — it helps to know your audience, especially when it comes time to ask your own questions at the end.
If you know you’re being interviewed by a current student, ask about their MBA life! Learn about why they chose to attend the school in question. This is someone who can be a valuable connection to stay in touch with and learn from.
If you’re being interviewed by an admissions counselor, think about what you’d like to learn more about the school! It’s probably not as effective to ask about student life and actual classes because they likely do not have that experience to speak about.
Your interviewer may know nothing about you!
Some schools opt for a “blind interview,” which means that your interviewer would have never seen your application or even heard your name before logging on to the interview. Keep this in mind: if your interviewer has read your application before, perhaps you don’t need to spend much time explaining the same topics from your personal essays or resume. However, if they’ve never seen or heard of you, it’s best to be as thorough as possible about your background for context.
What are the components of the interview?
Most schools will have a typical situational/behavioral 30-45 minute interview; however, some programs also have additional components.
Wharton, for example, also requires a virtual “Team-Based Discussion,” in which you work with fellow candidates on some type of business case. As you might know from experience, group interviews are a completely different beast to tackle than the normal one-on-one, so it’ll require you to practice a completely different set of skills to successfully complete it.
Other schools may require you to do a video interview — that is, an interview with no interviewer. If you’ve never encountered this, basically, you’ll be given a prompt and have a certain allotted amount of time to respond. These don’t sound too bad in theory, but in reality, doing an interview with no immediate feedback from a person on the other end nodding or listening is super awkward if you’ve never tried it. Practice by recording yourself talking to your webcam with some common interview questions.
What are they looking for?
Just like the written application, every school is looking for something different. It’s not a drastic difference, but much like people, different MBA programs value different aspects of your application, depending on the program’s culture.
An infamous example: Harvard’s MBA interview is notoriously difficult, designed to throw you off your game and stump you. The purpose of the HBS interview is to see how you perform under pressure: do you breathe and lead on with confidence, or fold to tough questions?
Make sure you have a clear narrative.
This should reflect your application. By this point, you should know exactly why you want an MBA and why you want to go to the school you want to go to. Keep those answers as your guiding star throughout the interview! Try to tie your answers back to your overarching goals with the MBA.
As I said last week, it’s not enough to be a 4.0 GPA, 800 GMAT, non-profit-starting star student. Why do you want an MBA? Why do you need an MBA? And why are you applying for it now, years from when you’ll actually attend?
Practice your answers to these questions until you can speak about them confidently.
Be unequivocally yourself.
It is so easy to recognize BS. Remarkably easy. You likely have a BS detector yourself.
Your interviewer likely does too.
Even if you’re not remotely as confident and well-spoken as you are emulating, that’s perfectly normal. That’s fine. Everyone puts on their best face during an interview!
Being unequivocally yourself means sticking to your values and being honest with yourself in your answers.
Ask specific, targeted questions.
As with any interview, come prepared with lots of great questions. Of course, do your research first — you don’t want to ask questions that are completely Google-able.
This is a chance to show not just the fact that you care and did your research, it’s also a great opportunity for the interviewer to learn about the way you think and inquire about the world. Don’t miss out on this opportunity!
Practice, practice, practice.
What more can I say? The best way to prepare for the interview is to dig your heels in and start practicing. If you don’t have one already, recruit a friend to be your interview prep buddy (and pay them in food or goodwill, of course).
Postscript.
This marathon is not over yet, but you’re close! Remember, the deferred MBA was never a sprint. It’s always been a slow-burn. Time to close this out.
Looking to get some one-on-one interview prep going? Schedule a coaching session with me and let’s chat!
Last mile! Last push! Keep going, you got this.