“I want to assure you that we are still evaluating applications,” she wrote on her blog yesterday. “ In fact, we’ve just crossed 50% as of today,” she continued, adding that her office will need every day between now and the February 17th notification deadline for the round to evaluate the remaining applications and extend interview invitations.

She reminded applicants about what they should expect from the interview, encouraging them to be prepared to answer basic questions about the MBA and their own future goals. As examples, she offered the following:

• Can I clearly articulate my career plan and future goals? 
• What do I really want from my MBA experience? 
• What is my motivation to obtain an MBA? 
• Why is Chicago Booth the right place for me, and why am I right for Booth? 
• How do I plan to use my MBA in my career? 

Beyond these types of questions, the interview will be behaviorally-oriented, calling on applicants to discuss how they approached a situation or challenge in the past, she wrote. “Think about experiences that you can use to address these types of questions,” she suggested, and practice a few times with friends or colleagues.

Finally, relax and just focus on having a conversation with your interviewer, she said. “Remember, the interviewer knows Booth well, but not you. So feel free to allow the conversation to be two way,” she suggested. The interview is just one of many components of your application, she concluded.

Don’t forget that you can follow other applicants’ progress through the interview process – and share your own experience – on the Clear Admit Wiki. And you can check out the Clear Admit Chicago Booth Interview Guide for valuable insight on exactly how to prepare for your own interview. Good luck!

This seems like a harmless inquiry, and indeed poses a great opportunity, but there’s actually a fine line to walk here. You certainly want to take advantage of this opportunity to show the interviewer that you appreciate his or her time, perspective and knowledge. In determining what to ask, however, you need to avoid those questions to which you could easily find an answer on the school’s website (remember that it’s imperative that you show you’ve done your homework), as well as those that are so specific or obscure that they will stump the interviewer. Another sort of question to avoid are those that seem to be critical of the program or too concerned with other applicants; now is not the time to ask about application volume or the strength of the pool this year.

What does that leave? More than you might initially expect. We’ve found that a great approach is to ask your interviewer about his or her own perspective and experience. Current students and alums, who involve themselves in the admissions process are generally those who are having or have had a positive experience in business school. If your interviewer falls into one of these categories, he or she will likely appreciate the chance to talk about a favorite class or professor, or comment on involvement in a certain club. Meanwhile, when engineering questions to pose to full-time admissions staff, remember that these individuals likely have less in-depth information but a longer-term perspective on the program than would someone who is currently attending or has attended.

Armed with these tips, you should be able to foster a positive and productive conversation, learn a bit more about the program in question, and make a positive impression on your interviewer.

If you have further inquiries about the best questions to pose in your interview (or any other aspect of the interview process), contact Clear Admit directly and sign up for our mock interview service (info@clearadmit.com). We offer school-by-school interview guides, strategy sessions and mock interviews to help you perform at your best on interview day. Also, do not forget to use the Clear Admit MBA Admissions Wiki as a resource for interview preparations!

Her office will conduct roughly 800 interviews in this round, including interviewing some candidates who were placed on the waitlist as part of the first round, Leopold continued. “Most, but not all, of these invitations will go out on February 12th so that all invitees have equal access to locations and dates,” she wrote. But some may continue to trickle out up to and including on April 6th, the notification deadline for the second round.

Invitations will come in the form of an email from HBS MBA Admissions, Leopold wrote. The HBA MBA Admissions office will be closed on Monday, February 15th, for President’s Day, she advised. Following that, on Tuesday, February 16th, the HBS online interview scheduler will go live. Interview invitation emails will contain detailed instructions on how to schedule an interview, she continued.

As a reminder, HBS interviews are by invitation only. “We do not accommodate requests for interviews from candidates who are visiting campus,” Leopold wrote.

For a full list of available interview locations and planned interview dates, click here.

For the next few weeks, any interview report submitted for an MBA program in the Clear Admit Wiki is eligible for a $10 iTunes gift certificate!  In other words, all you have to do is send us your interview field report for inclusion in the Wiki and we’ll send you a $10 iTunes gift certificate.   While any contributor can win, you must send your interview report to wiki@clearadmit.com to be eligible; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic about admissions interviews.  Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!

For the uninitiated, the Clear Admit Wiki is an online repository for MBA applicants to share their experiences with admissions interviews.  As a free and versatile forum, applicants can recount the full list of questions they’ve been asked from alumni, adcom members or second-year student interviewers and even add personal commentary.   This communal sharing of information can help fellow applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness for facing the expected – and the unexpected – questions.

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every applicant who contributes an interview report.  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Good luck to everyone wrapping up their Round 2 applications and getting ready for their admissions interviews.  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Happy new year and be sure to send us your interview experiences to win an iTunes gift card!

For the uninitiated, the Clear Admit Wiki is an online repository for MBA applicants to share their experiences with admissions interviews.  As a free and versatile forum, applicants can recount the full list of questions they’ve been asked from alumni, adcom members or second-year student interviewers and even add personal commentary.   This communal sharing of information can help fellow applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness for facing the expected – and the unexpected – questions.

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every applicant who contributes an interview report.  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your interview experiences to win an iTunes gift card!

For the uninitiated, the Clear Admit Wiki is an online repository for MBA applicants to share their experiences with admissions interviews.  As a free and versatile forum, applicants can recount the full list of questions they’ve been asked from alumni, adcom members or second-year student interviewers and even add personal commentary.   This communal sharing of information can help fellow applicants arrive at a feeling of readiness for facing the expected – and the unexpected – questions.

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every applicant who contributes an interview report.  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your interview experiences to win an iTunes gift card!

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every fifth applicant who contributes an interview report.  Plus, between now and next Tuesday, December 22nd, the first 15 candidates that submit interview reports for Berkeley / Haas, Oxford / Said, Stanford GSB or Yale SOM will receive a $10 gift certificate to iTunes!  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews this season!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Have a great weekend and be sure to send us your interview experiences for a chance to win an iTunes gift card!

For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every fifth applicant who contributes an interview report.  Plus, between now and next Tuesday, December 22nd, the first 15 candidates that submit interview reports for Berkeley / Haas, Oxford / Said, Stanford GSB or Yale SOM will receive a $10 gift certificate to iTunes!  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

The most helpful and informative reports usually include the following information:

1. Date/Admissions Round
2. Description of visit and/or interview atmosphere
3. Type of interview (alum vs. adcom, blind vs. application-based)
4. List of interview questions
5. Commentary (What did you think of the interview? What surprised you? What didn’t surprise you? What might you conclude about the school based on this experience?)

As always, we wish the best of luck to Round 1 applicants undergoing the interview phase of the admissions process!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Stay tuned to this blog for an array of interview tips in the coming weeks, and be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki for firsthand interview accounts.

An Early Action applicant to Tuck interviewed with a second-year student and addressed the following queries:

1. Why MBA? Why now?  Why Tuck?
2. Talk about a time you worked in a team.
3. Talk about a time you disagreed with your boss/supervisor and how it was resolved.
4. Imagine you are selling yourself to the adcom. What are the three things about yourself you would want them to know?

On Kellogg’s campus, an accepted Round 1 applicant recalled the following questions from his adcom interviewer:

1. So your job involves a lot of leadership. Tell me about some of your other leadership experiences.
2. What is the accomplishment you are most proud of in your career?
3. Your community involvement involves working with a lot of different organizations. Tell me about one specific project you’ve worked on.
4. Tell me about your time at your undergraduate university.
5. How would you contribute to Kellogg?

Thank you to everyone who has contributed to the Clear Admit Wiki and helped fellow applicants prepare for MBA admissions interviews!  For those interested in adding their experience to the Wiki, we’ll be awarding a $10 iTunes gift certificate to every fifth applicant who contributes an interview report.  Plus, between now and next Tuesday, December 14th, the first 15 candidates that submit interview reports for Carnegie Mellon / Tepper, Cornell / Johnson, UT / McCombs or London Business School will receive a $10 gift certificate to iTunes!  To be eligible for the prize, simply send your contribution to wiki@clearadmit.com; we’ll post it to the Wiki and notify the winners by e-mail (Limit: one gift card per person).

As always, we wish the best of luck to Round 1 applicants undergoing the interview phase of the admissions process!  Applicants who would like to supplement the information available on the Wiki can check out our Clear Admit Interview Guides, which provide school-specific insight and strategic advice to help applicants with their admissions interviews.  Stay tuned to this blog for an array of interview tips in the coming weeks, and be sure to check out the Clear Admit Wiki for firsthand interview accounts.