This thread if for people who want to post their interview and class visit experiences…
This thread if for people who want to post their interview and class visit experiences....
Hi PGs,
I had been to Darden this weekend (24/25 Sep) and believe me it turned out to be a grt experience. Charlottesville is quite a scenic place esp with all that greenery around. The traffic is easy going and the entire place gives you a laid back city kinda image.
UVA is around 20 mins of drive from CHO airport. I reached the campus at 8 AM...parked my car and went down to the ADCOM office. First was a class visit....this was a decision analysis class and was primarily centred around probability/stats. I was told to give a small intro and basically speak a lil bit about my background. Then a Darden student asked me to pick a up a chit and answer the question that was written on it. This was simple...i mean they are just trying to make u a lil uncomfy.
The case study method was a first time exp for me and I found it pretty interesting. The prof started the class by asking one of the studs to give his view on the case. The 1st 30 mins of discussion was at a superficial level but then it started building up. What i found was that the prof was more of a co-ordinator. He was chipping in every now and then ...but he was extracting everything out of the class. Class participation was quite amazing...Almost 40 % of the class got an oppurtunity to speak...Also students were questioning each other or rather clarifying things amongst themselves. For example if student A has made a point and student B wants a clarification he would raise his hand and the prof wud give him an oppurtunity. Another distinguishing factor was the aptitude level at which the class was moving. That was more reflective of the students' apti level and not the prof's.
After the class it was time for an ADCOM interview. Darden has a very open interview...there are no specific questions as such and you are told to tell ur life story ...right from ur school days to the present. And thats happened with me. I was told tell my story but at the same time explain why I want to join Darden. It was never a monologue....infact my interviewer was asking specific questions in between...like the kind of teams I ve worked in/my co - currics/international wrk exp etc. Infact i never felt like I ws being interviewed. One question that she was very interested in was why i want to join darden and why an MBA. We also talked about fin aid etc. Oh ya she did ask for my resume.
Bottom line....If you have an interview with Darden...stay cool...frame ur answers well....make the entire conversation interesting....U have to correlate ur strengths with Darden's philosophy....Go thru the website....Listen to Dean Bruner's podcasts....I did most of my info gathering from Darden's website and from a frnd at Duke.
I have my Tuck/Duke intis lined up...And wud defi post them on PG....
Regards,
Dev
Hi PGs,
I had been to Darden this weekend (24/25 Sep) and believe me it turned out to be a grt experience. Charlottesville is quite a scenic place esp with all that greenery around. The traffic is easy going and the entire place gives you a laid back city kinda image.
Regards,
Dev
Great work Dev!
All the best!
Will post my experiences soon as well!
Hi PGs
Heres my TUCK interview and college visit experience.
I flew down to Manchester, which is around 80 miles from Hanover and then drove down to White River JCT, another place near Dartmouth. From White River Dartmouth is around 15 mins of drive.My interview was scheduled for 8:30 slot and I guess I was the first one on campus that dayDartmouth has a fabulous campus.and the location is damn scenicthis time of the year the leaves turn into all shades of red,yellow,green and brown...There arent many restaurants or hang out zones so I guess if you are at TUCK you dont have any other option but to be at the campusand more importantly its so damn cold that you wouldnt feel like venturing around unless you are fond of snow.
My interview started with a resume walkover and then she started asking very probing questions.
My interviewer was quite helpful tooshe took me to the fin aid office cos she didnt have any answers to some of my questions.
I think that the TUCK interview is not an easy going oneits not a conversational types....Darden on the other hand is very interested in knowing what you feel is more importantin other words they dont have any specific questions.and even if they have any they extract them out from ur life story. But TUCKs inti is very defined and is quite fast track. You have to frame your answers very well and make sure that you dont fumble or beat around the bush.
Tucks CDC was pretty impressive esp in the way they have staffed their office. Some of them are ex Tuckies and some of them have solid exp in the industry. Tuck also has a concept of open and closed interviewsfor example if BCG wants to interview 10 students that it has shortlisted then it would have to interview 10 more. And these 10 would be students who didnt get shortlisted by BCG. These are called open interviews where students bid for an inti slot.
Most of the applicants that I had come that day were apping to H/W/S and so I could infer that even though Tuck is M9 it still is a highly sought after school. I met some gr8 guys that day.one was working on wall street, one was a biochemist and the other a consultant.
I guess the idea of going down to hanover was worth it. The fact that my car broke down on I 293 is different story altogether....
I would post my Duke inti exp soon
Regards
Dev
Heres my TUCK interview and college visit experience.
I flew down to Manchester, which is around 80 miles from Hanover and then drove down to White River JCT, another place near Dartmouth. From White River Dartmouth is around 15 mins of drive.My interview was scheduled for 8:30 slot and I guess I was the first one on campus that dayDartmouth has a fabulous campus.and the location is damn scenicthis time of the year the leaves turn into all shades of red,yellow,green and brown...There arent many restaurants or hang out zones so I guess if you are at TUCK you dont have any other option but to be at the campusand more importantly its so damn cold that you wouldnt feel like venturing around unless you are fond of snow.
My interview started with a resume walkover and then she started asking very probing questions.
- What do you think has been your greatest learning out of ur international wrk exp?
- Is there anything that you have learnt at ur workplace that you think you will be able to use at TUCK?
- How do you think that you have been doing good work at ur workplace?
- What has been ur biggest challenge in ur current assignment?
- Why Consulting? Do u think consulting falls in line with ur prior wrk exp/background etc?
- Why MBA? Why TUCK? Why now?
- How did your hobbies/co-currics contribute to ur overall development?
- Tell me something about taking up karate as a hobby?
My interviewer was quite helpful tooshe took me to the fin aid office cos she didnt have any answers to some of my questions.
I think that the TUCK interview is not an easy going oneits not a conversational types....Darden on the other hand is very interested in knowing what you feel is more importantin other words they dont have any specific questions.and even if they have any they extract them out from ur life story. But TUCKs inti is very defined and is quite fast track. You have to frame your answers very well and make sure that you dont fumble or beat around the bush.
Tucks CDC was pretty impressive esp in the way they have staffed their office. Some of them are ex Tuckies and some of them have solid exp in the industry. Tuck also has a concept of open and closed interviewsfor example if BCG wants to interview 10 students that it has shortlisted then it would have to interview 10 more. And these 10 would be students who didnt get shortlisted by BCG. These are called open interviews where students bid for an inti slot.
Most of the applicants that I had come that day were apping to H/W/S and so I could infer that even though Tuck is M9 it still is a highly sought after school. I met some gr8 guys that day.one was working on wall street, one was a biochemist and the other a consultant.
I guess the idea of going down to hanover was worth it. The fact that my car broke down on I 293 is different story altogether....
I would post my Duke inti exp soon
Regards
Dev
Dev, you have started a gr8 thing here. May be i will be able to pitch in something in coming weeks. I am awefully late this time but hangin' in there.
Anyways, does Tuck interview every applicant just as Duke does?
Anyways, does Tuck interview every applicant just as Duke does?
I think TUCK interveiws all candidates...I met a couple of international TUCK students who got interviewed over the phone.
But these guys were from places like germany, brazil...etc ...i.e. not from over represented communities. Being an Indian i reckon someone who is serious abt TUCK should defi try to visit them...esp if one is already in US. U see theirs is a small class (240 strong) and they dont want to compromise on the student quality...plus they want students who are serious abt Tuck..
If u r in Dallas then why dont u plan a visit...u never know this may make a BIG difference....
Regards,
Dev
Dev
Did you do your interviews before submitting your applications? I am trying to figure out if yours essays come into play during interviews for the schools you interviewed with.
I think TUCK interveiws all candidates...I met a couple of international TUCK students who got interviewed over the phone.
But these guys were from places like germany, brazil...etc ...i.e. not from over represented communities. Being an Indian i reckon someone who is serious abt TUCK should defi try to visit them...esp if one is already in US. U see theirs is a small class (240 strong) and they dont want to compromise on the student quality...plus they want students who are serious abt Tuck..
If u r in Dallas then why dont u plan a visit...u never know this may make a BIG difference....
Regards,
Dev
Thanks for the info. Actually, I am not planning to app at Tuck coz of itz location "Middle of nowhere". I have a wife with a qualification to shake the doors of Lehmann Bros at NY. I cant let her S"Tuck" up. That is my problem :(
Otherwise, i have a great regard for Tuck and its excellent recruiter feedback.
Dev
Did you do your interviews before submitting your applications? I am trying to figure out if yours essays come into play during interviews for the schools you interviewed with.
Yes I did my intis before submitting my essays. Infact the college supports this idea because they want you to get a feel of the program..... plus u also get an oppurtunity to personalize ur essays...
Having said that, I feel that my interviewer had read my essays....now that doesnt matter even if it was a bootleg copy....on Tuck's appn site there is an option of allowing the ADCOM to look at ur profile even before u ve submitted it....and I am sure they did it with me.
How do I know about it.....I reckon I made it out from the kind of curiosity my interviewer had esp wrt to my extra currics.
Your essays may or may not come into play during ur interview....actually it depends on ur interviewer and the school.
Regards,
Dev
Thanks for the info. Actually, I am not planning to app at Tuck coz of itz location "Middle of nowhere". I have a wife with a qualification to shake the doors of Lehmann Bros at NY. I cant let her S"Tuck" up. That is my problem :(
Otherwise, i have a great regard for Tuck and its excellent recruiter feedback.
I understand ur situation....Tuck's location is a major drawback.....I say this bcos I ve been there and some of the married folks over there had a smilar dilemma.
Regards,
Dev
Hey Dev
You're doing a great service to the prospectives by posting your experiences. Plus it really helps to personalize your essays.
BTW: When is your Stanford visit?
Hey Dev
You're doing a great service to the prospectives by posting your experiences. Plus it really helps to personalize your essays.
BTW: When is your Stanford visit?
Hi Senapati,
I am not apping to Stanford.
Only looking at Duke/Tuck/Darden in the EA round.
Regards,
Dev
Great initiative Dev. And bloody informative. All the best!
Hi PGs,
Sorry for being late on this...I got interviewed at Duke early this month....
My interviewer was a 2nd yr student and seemed to have a non profit background.
It started off with current affairs. He just wanted to break my frame of mind and make it look like a non conventional interview. He asked me to comment on something that I had read in the newspaper or had seen in the news offlate and had caught my attention. I said I was concerned on the wild fire in california and the fact that it was contributing to greenhouse emission...'Dont know why i said that'...Being an american I guess he wasnt very happy with that and he asked me what I felt about countries like Aus that are equally contributing to greenhouse emission...I gave him some more crap and told him about this incident where a offshore rig's marine flare was left burning for a week.....
The next questions were typical b school interview type ones..
1. Tell me something abt ur wrk exp
2. Why MBA
3. Why now
4. How will you contribute at Fuqua
5. Why Fuqua
6. What are ur long term and short term plans
7. How would ur friends describe you
8. Ur strengths and weaknesses
9. What were ur extra currics
If you were given an oppurtunity to build a 5 member team for launching a noodles brand in the market how would you go about it...Whom would you choose...what would be ur strategy...
I am not sure if i handled all the questions well but I think I was too relaxed....may be because i had faced darden and tuck interviews....
Overall I feel Duke has a very supportive environment....Even on a Saturday there were FY students sitting at the reception just to talk to people like us....infact they were literally asking guys to throw questions at them....Two of the FY students were even throwing sort of uncomfortable questions at each other like.....'What do u dont like about Fuqua' 'What do you want to change at Fuqua'...
One of the FY fellows that I was talking to didnt have a convincing answer to one my questions and he called up another indian batchmate of his....He even made me talk tto this guy over the phone.....I was pretty amazed with the way these FY guys were gelling in...
I didnt take the campus tour so i cant say much abtt the campus but I think of all the schools that I ve visited the team culture at Duke really reflects....
regards,
Dev
Hey Dev,
Thanks so much sharing your interview experiences. I have an interview scheduled with a Darden Adcom officer (Ms. Lynn Garnett) on 1st Dec. My application has been reviewed, I donno if the interview would be blind.
I am kinda nervous...abt how I wud narrate my lifestory, if asked. There are a few experiences in my life (specially during my undergraduate studies) which helped me grow as a person...although not related to my academics or xtra-curriculars...jst the happenings in my life..sum probs I faced, etc...which have moulded me into the person I am today. Somebody adviced me not to get in to all these details during the interview and focus on the career path, etc. I am not sure if I shud go in to these details during the interview...wud it actually bore the interviewer?
What would be the appropriate attire for the interview? Is it necessary to wear a business suit?
Any other suggestions you would give me for the interview?
PS: I am frm India. The interviewer is visiting India for a MBA World tour and to conduct a few interviews.
cheers,
MBAGal
Hey Dev,
Thanks so much sharing your interview experiences. I have an interview scheduled with a Darden Adcom officer (Ms. Lynn Garnett) on 1st Dec. My application has been reviewed, I donno if the interview would be blind.
I am kinda nervous...abt how I wud narrate my lifestory, if asked. There are a few experiences in my life (specially during my undergraduate studies) which helped me grow as a person...although not related to my academics or xtra-curriculars...jst the happenings in my life..sum probs I faced, etc...which have moulded me into the person I am today. Somebody adviced me not to get in to all these details during the interview and focus on the career path, etc. I am not sure if I shud go in to these details during the interview...wud it actually bore the interviewer?
What would be the appropriate attire for the interview? Is it necessary to wear a business suit?
Any other suggestions you would give me for the interview?
PS: I am frm India. The interviewer is visiting India for a MBA World tour and to conduct a few interviews.
cheers,
MBAGal
Hello MBAgal,
congrats on the Darden invite.
now - to answer ur queries/doubts
Whether the interview would be blind or otherwise - this u must know first hand as it would help u with ur preps. the best place to check this would be the school's website (there must be an interview section). else, check out on the web for past experiences. check the websites accepted and clearadmit.
How to narrate ur experiences - u MUST prepare for this. Check out the question types from the websites mentioned above. The questions would help u understand the flow of the darden interviews and hence help u in preparing for the interview.
Interview flow - whether u have to speak about ur best experiences or the worst, this is not in ur hands at all 😃 You will have to answer any question the interviewer throws at u. But they are not here to dig into the ugly sides of the interviewees life. They are only trying to understand u as a person and see how u have reacted to situations in ur life. So it would be in ur best interests to articulate as much abt ur experiences as possible and show more of u as a person. And, whether the interviewer gets bored or not is directly related to ur ability to engage the listener :)
Attire - this is tricky again 😃 Since ur interview is going to happen in the middle of the MBA tour, i guess a formal business attire must be the way to go.
All the best with ur interview.
Iday
Prepare and as others have mentioned - articulate. With 4 interviews already finished, I have a feeling that when you have a 30 minute window (if that is the case) and it is a BLIND interview then you need to blow off the interviewer. Pick 3 mind blowing experiences in life (both in work and outside work). Make sure you say those. Pick at least 3 things you like about the school.
Take special care of the resume incase of a blind interview.
Most important: Have confidence and poise. Believe that when you walk into a room full of people, you are the best in the world.
I would think you are a girl. Wear a pant suit and not a skirt suit in my opinion. In any case wear a formal business attire. If you are buying one then dont go cheap, consider it as an investment.
I donot think the 4 interviews were as good as I should have performed BUT they prepared me for my dream school interview and a safety school. The two remaining interviews are: Wharton and Yale.
Hey Dev,
Thanks so much sharing your interview experiences. I have an interview scheduled with a Darden Adcom officer (Ms. Lynn Garnett) on 1st Dec. My application has been reviewed, I donno if the interview would be blind.
I am kinda nervous...abt how I wud narrate my lifestory, if asked. There are a few experiences in my life (specially during my undergraduate studies) which helped me grow as a person...although not related to my academics or xtra-curriculars...jst the happenings in my life..sum probs I faced, etc...which have moulded me into the person I am today. Somebody adviced me not to get in to all these details during the interview and focus on the career path, etc. I am not sure if I shud go in to these details during the interview...wud it actually bore the interviewer?
What would be the appropriate attire for the interview? Is it necessary to wear a business suit?
Any other suggestions you would give me for the interview?
PS: I am frm India. The interviewer is visiting India for a MBA World tour and to conduct a few interviews.
cheers,
MBAGal
Thanks Iday and kgkid! Good luck to both of you for your interviews.
Darden has a different format of taking interviews. The only question they ask is "tell me your lifestory from cradle to chair"...and the subsequent questions arise from the lifestory one narrates. Thats how most of the interviews are conducted...except in a few cases where they ask specific questions on why mba, why now, etc. I was wondering what all elements my lifestory should include....
All the best to evryone with their admission process.
cheers,
MBAGal
Thanks Iday and kgkid! Good luck to both of you for your interviews.
Darden has a different format of taking interviews. The only question they ask is "tell me your lifestory from cradle to chair"...and the subsequent questions arise from the lifestory one narrates. Thats how most of the interviews are conducted...except in a few cases where they ask specific questions on why mba, why now, etc. I was wondering what all elements my lifestory should include....
All the best to evryone with their admission process.
cheers,
MBAGal
If that is the case, then your answer must be a coherent summary of the path that had led u to the present situation where u r considering an MBA as the next step in ur life. The priority wud fall more on those instances in ur life which played a substantial part in makin u what u r today and also in makin u decide to pursue an MBA.
With this info now, if i think of ur earlier question, i think u can definitely speak about your failures, professional and personal, if they have a role in shaping up what you are today or if they made you decide on something you will do in the future (for which perhaps the MBA is essential).
I dont know the time u r allowed to answer this all inclusive question. I am assuming something like 10 to 15 minutes, with or without interruptions. So i guess you should prepare to put ur entire life in perspective and conveying to the interviewer as to who u r, what u did and what u want to do further in life. Of course, all these must have substantial data to answer the most important question "why"??? why u did all those things u did and why u wanna do all those things u wanna do.
These are my own theories after seeing the "cradle to chair" question. As always, open to discussion :)
Iday