Berkeley Haas MBA interview面经汇总2021-2022

myice

Jan 17, 2022. The interview was with an alumnus who had graduated 3-4 years ago. He was not from the US, so we connected on both being internationals. the interview itself was very candid and open, it felt like a conversation. He would usually comment on my answers.

The questions he asked me where:
1. Tell me about yourself.
2. Why MBA? Why Haas?
3. How do you hope to contribute from a DEI perspective?
4. Tell me about a time that you experienced DEI.
5. Tell me about a time that you influenced a team to go outside of their comfort zone.
6. Tell me about a time that you fostered collaboration in a team.
7. Is there anything else you wished I had asked you?
8. What makes you feel connected to what you’re doing now?
9. And what motivates you to pursue a career in the public sector in the long term?
10. Do you have any questions for me?

The questions didn’t surprise me, as they were mostly about my CV or behavioral (invitations to tell stories). He did ask a couple of “custom-made” questions about my goals that were very custom-made. I thought that the interviewer represented well what I know about the culture at Haas: one in which people are not arrogant, listen and one to learn from you. Overall, had lots of fun and felt very relaxed.

myice

Interviewed in early November. As background, you get to pick an interview date and time, then you get an email with the interviewer name. You reach out to your interviewer, decide what technology platform (Google/Teams/Zoom) to use and then you set up the interview. In the interview, was asked to show form of ID, either passport or US driver’s license.

This was a very interesting interview. It was very conversational. I think it went well, but it was also surprising as I felt I wasn’t asked the standard interview questions really and very few questions. So a lot of Berkeley specific questions I had prepared for (such as ‘what pillar do you identify with?’) weren’t asked. Also, no questions about my resume/current job role and the conversation didn’t really go that way. I also don’t think she was taking notes, but perhaps she knew what to remember.

Questions asked as below:
Why MBA? Why Haas? – talked about my goals to move to cleantech, which spurred on some conversation of how I see the industry doing now, and also Haas’s reputation in cleantech
When have you seen confidence without attitude in your work? (Four pillars question)
How have you had to influence others to see your method? (Leadership question)
How will you contribute to DEI in Haas? (She said I could also pull from previous experience of what I’ve done)
Anything else you would like to add?

I think it went well, but it was slightly odd how few questions were asked as it took about 45 minutes. I think interview was about 30 minutes and maybe 10 minutes of questions, but there was a lot of general conversation throughout.

myice

Did the pre-recorded interview since there were no slots available for the live one.

Here were the questions:
1) DEI Experience
2) Why MBA/Haas?
3) A risk you took?
4) When did you get a team to work together?
5) Anything else?

Best of luck!

myice

My interview was mostly school-specific, with some behavioral questions. I think it was supposed to be resume-based, but he didn’t ask much about it. It was extremely conversational and there was good rapport. Lasted for an hour, but we were done with questions for me after 35.

The questions (may not be exact, but the gist should be there) included:
(Notably, did not ask me to walk him through my resume, which threw me off big time since I had to work it in a bit as I talked about why an MBA/why Haas?)
Why an MBA? Why Haas?
Elaborate on ST & LT goals.
What is a time you’ve helped foster diversity in either a professional or non-professional capacity?
What is a time you’ve seen diversity within your team at work as you worked toward a consensus? How were you humbled by it?
Give me an example of a time where your team had disagreements, then worked toward a consensus, and your role in this capacity.
Haas prides itself on its four pillars and how it believes in the importance of these concepts as you develop your leadership ability. Name the pillar that resonates the most with you and explain why.
Is there anything else you want me to put down that you’d like the admissions committee to know?
Are there any fun facts you’d like the university to know about you?

25 min for Q&A with alumnus

A few follow-up questions, including one where I mentioned my love for the classics when talking about “Student Always” with the four pillars, and he asked me what my favorite classic was.

myice

My interview was a resume based interview with an alumnus, with a few behavioral questions. It was very conversational and lasted for an hour.

The questions included:
Tell me about yourself
ST and LT Goals
Why MBA? Why Haas? Why now?
Tell me about a time you fostered DEI.
Tell me about a time you managed conflict among a diverse team.
What is the biggest risk you have taken?

It was a standard interview and what surprised me was that there were a lot of follow-up questions, but I feel it went alright. Definitely my top choice and hope to hear something good from Haas next month.

myice

This blind interview lasted about an hour and was with an alumna. She had a list of questions to get through and pick from. The conversation was very personable; it was easy to establish rapport. I think Haas is very intentional about creating this sort of environment to get the best out of interviewees. The interview had a lot of behavioral questions.

Below is a list that I remember.
Why Haas? What do you want out of business school experience?
DEI experience
Clubs you’re interested in?
What’s the biggest risk you’ve taken professionally?
Led a team with different perspectives and got consensus?
Another risk question, I forget wording, but answered with a personal story.
Book recommendation
Anything else not covered?

Time at the end to ask a couple questions, then we adjourned. Make sure to weave in defining principles throughout.

myice

I was waitlisted without an interview. Just finished the pre-recorded video interview that is required after accepting the waitlist. The pre-recorded format gives me a lot of stress as the timing was strictly defined, and I don’t know what kind of questions was going to be asked. I’m sharing my questions here, and hope this will help other candidates in similar situations.

There are 5 questions. Each has 45 seconds to prepare and 3 minutes to answer.
1. A diversity, equity, inclusion (DEI) experience
2. What do you want to get out of business school and how can Haas help you?
3. Think about an experience when you led a team and the situation become complicated or stressed, and morale was low, what did you do and what were the results?
4. Tell us a time when humility gave a positive result.
5. Anything else that is not covered yet?

myice

I received my interview invite a little late in the process. As a result, the only interview option available to me was the pre-recorded Skype format – the Adcom pre-selects 5 questions that are loaded on to their audio-visual virtual platform (I think it was called Kira). There is no interviewer on the other side and you have to just record your answers. There is a time limit for each answer and the entire interview gets over in 10 minutes.

The question stems were long, but I have summarised below what they were asking:
1- Tell us instances of how we can evaluate that you will contribute to diversity and inclusion on campus.
2- What are your goals and why Haas?
3- Tell us about a time when you argued with someone and you turned out to be in the wrong.
4- Tell us about a time when you collaborated with cross-functional teams and what was difficult about the process and what did you learn?
5- Anything else you want us to know?

The questions are along the lines of what you can expect. The format was new to me and I would have preferred to have a remote Skype interview with a person on the other end. The conventional interviews are also longer (up to an 1hr). So, if you are someone who wants to enjoy a dialogue, a conversation – then, pick your remote interview option early.

Anyway, I got in! My tips: stay calm, know your profile, know your application, understand the school’s values, and smile!

myice

Context:
My Round 2 Berkeley Haas interview occurred in mid-March 2020, was with an alum in the Boston area, and was blind, or i.e. the interviewer had only seen my resume. I was invited to interview in mid-February about 5 weeks after I submitted my application in January on the Round 2 deadline day. I have been admitted and was notified via a phone call a day before the decision deadline.

Experience Overview and Summary:
As many have people have written, the interview was easy going. My interviewer helped me feel comfortable and our conversation seemed very casual. Despite my struggles with two key behavioral questions, our conversation went for almost two hours (scheduled for 45 minutes). In my decision notification call, the admissions committee member mentioned that my interviewer found me “personable.”

Specific Questions:
Tell me about how you made the jump from studying [my undergraduate major] into the [industry] that you’re in.  [Very tailored walk me through your resume, leading to several follow-up questions specific to my industry. These follow-ups truly made the interview felt conversational]
Why Haas?
What is the biggest risk that you’ve taken?
Tell me about a time when someone has told you that you’re wrong and what did you do about that?
What else would you like me to know about you?

Parting thoughts:
I think the casual and conversational nature of the interview allowed me to feel comfortable and confident. Even though I felt like I missed two questions, my takeaway is that it isn’t critical to ace the question so long as I came across as genuinely passionate about Haas and as someone who has reflected about their experiences.

myice

The interview was on March 4th at the Haas campus, it was with a first-year student, and it was blind. The interview took place in a small study room at Haas.

My interviewer was super friendly and she asked a few behavioral questions. Examples include: tell me about yourself, why MBA, why Haas, etc. I was surprised with how laid-back and casual the interview felt. The interview experience really gave me an idea of the type of students that Haas attracts. I really enjoyed my experience.

I am awaiting my admissions decision still! The advice I have for future interviewees is to stay calm, know the answers to why MBA/why Haas, why now and really do your research on the school so you can communicate your passion for the school in your interview.