Harvard HBS MBA 面试汇总（2009-2010）

myice

1.In @ HBS, Stanford, UCLA... 附MBA申请心得
http://forum.topway.org/viewthre ... &extra=page%3D4

2.In @ HBS (MBA) & Harvard Kennedy School (MPA/ID)
http://forum.topway.org/viewthre ... &extra=page%3D8

4.In@HBS另附HBS, Wharton, Yale MBA面试小结
http://forum.topway.org/viewthre ... amp;extra=page%3D10

5.哈佛（Harvard）MBA分享申请经验：了解自己，写好自己
http://forum.topway.org/viewthre ... amp;extra=page%3D12


7.Stanford/Harvard/Wharton/Columbia录取
http://forum.topway.org/viewthre ... amp;extra=page%3D16

myice

Yale面试

面试官是一位MARKETING的MANAGER，此前在IB做过，有很多的面试经验。YALE是我面试的第一所学校，而且我一直非常非常崇拜它在NPO领域的杰出声誉，但因为是第一所面试，太想得到反而放不开。整个面试的感觉就是自己太想去表现自己，对每个问题都尽力表现，反而显得不自然与做作。
面试的问题非常常规化：
1. Your undergraduate experience;
2. Why your undergraduate school and major;
3. Why current job;
4. Biggest achievement in your current job;
5. Biggest challenge in your curreng job;
6. Career goal;
7. WHY MBA, Why Yale;
8. Hobby;
9. Three words to describe yourself;
10. Strenth & Weakness.
可能有一些问题忘记了，总体感觉就是面试官很看重FIT。她提到了很多她对于YALE的感觉，包括small & close community，Yale整体学校和商学院的帮助，她对同学的感觉，两年MBA她自己最大的收获。YALE真的是非常好的学校，校友给我的感觉就是很有"贵族气息"， 儒雅中带着一丝自豪。

myice

第六局，Harvard。这个真的是超麻烦的。我农历过年时到跟我女友到美国去玩，有天早上还得紧急找电脑来报名他们在世界各地的面试。我报名到东京的面 试，刻意避开了在上海的面试，因为我觉得这样子能够凸显我的特色。接著我订机票时，居然到东京的机票很抢手，害我得买到商务舱，我女友还跟我去。
面 试当天，我一早搭地铁到东京站的丸之内大楼。由于周末，大楼深锁，我找了好久才有人带我进去，整层楼都没其他人。我坐在面试室的外面等，被叫进去后就开始 很密集的问题轰炸。面试官是位亚洲的女性，听不出来腔调，所以完全不知道是哪里人（可能是美国人）。她好像连名字都没告诉我，就一直问问题，也没让我有机 会问问题。三十分钟到了，就送我一支笔，谢谢光临。跟哈佛面试后觉得自己不是很受重视，虽然他们的方式比较有系统性、科学性、客观性，但是这让我觉得去他 们那里读书会像在生产线上，两年后加工完成，上市。

myice

关于HBS， 论坛上面的申请经验有很多，就简单的说下.....感想是Essay以及和现在的学生沟通是很重要的。申请之前通过朋友先后和一些校友或者学生通电话，了解相关情况。Essay写完以后，再请这些校友/在校学生不断提内容方面的意见，到最后再找在外国长大的同事或者朋友提语法、用词的意见。面试之前一些校友/在校学生还帮助做了Mock Interview。另外，觉得推荐人是成功申请的很大因素。找的三个推荐人都是公司经常一起工作的老板，非常尽责，其中有一个大老板因为工作繁忙，为了在截止日前写完HBS的推荐信一直写到凌晨2点；另外两个老板都是在圣诞节期间，专门抽空写完推荐信。特别感谢推荐人能够如此的大度....

面试环节的问题应该都在之前的面经中囊括了...。从准备方面，可能是职业的习惯，我阅读了HBS之前6年的年报，比网站信息丰富，虽然最后没有问到why HBS的问题，但是对于了解学校很有帮助。另外，还读了朋友发来的harvard business review关于leadership的一些文章(不过面试没有问Leadership的问题)..然后就是看之前所有的面经....另外，今年的面试流程改革，最后不再要求学生提问，面试官的解释是，每年大家都去准备一些自己已经知道答案的问题，面试官又经常回答差不多的问题，还不如不问。

关于Harvard Kennedy School 的MPA/ID ，似乎之前看到的介绍很少，就多推荐几句吧。这是一个economics-centered, multi-disciplinary的项目，课程难度相当于博士生的第一、二年的课程，主要的目的是培养致力于国际发展方面的人才。项目到现在为止大概10年左右的时间， 2/3学生之前都是从事NGO、国际开发组织(World Bank, IFC, ADB)、政府方面的工作，1/3学生来自private sector. 项目不同于传统的MPA的是，申请的时候不需要已经获得一个硕士学位；和MPP不同的是这个项目对于数学和经济学的偏重会大一些。

申请这个项目，一个是对于国际发展很感兴趣，另外，由于这是博士的前期课程，以后如果接着攻读博士学位也比较方便。项目一年招生60人左右，来自30多个国家，多数是发展中国家，因此每年从1个国家大概招2个左右。另外，HKS的氛围和HBS差别很大，觉得更加学术化一些，因此也很期待不一样的经历。

这个项目的录取完全参考书面材料(Essay, 3封推荐信)，而没有面试的环节。Essay相比B-school的来说，更加关注于factual的东西，比如之前在哪里学习、工作，学过哪些课程。另外有一篇500字的policy analysis

这个项目(以及MPP)可以和HBS, Stanford, Wharton, Sloan, Tuck等商学院的MBA做3年的joint program. 第1年在Kennedy School，第2年在商学院，第3年两边对半时间。以前MPA也可以和MBA做joint，现在已经不行了。另外，如果申请了joint MBA / MPA-ID, HBS和HKS会相互看对方的申请材料，因此，关于career goal等方面，一定要统一，不能因为为了迎合某一边而造成不统一的情况…。我的career goal是healthcare方面的social enterprise, 与自己之前的工作、活动经历相关，也符合两个项目的要求. 恰逢中国和美国都经历重大的医疗改革，因此healthcare今年也是比较热门的一个话题。即使是申请其他B-school的joint，申请材料也应该要统一…

背景：国内本科，主修金融，统计学双学位. GPA 3.8 / GMAT 760 / TOEFL 112; 3年投资银行经验，在大学期间做了比较多的community service的工作，包括共同成立帮助贵州贫困高中生上学的社团。工作以后也组织了公司内部很多的社区服务、募捐的活动，因此比较容易把经历和career goal, why joint degree program联系起来。

myice

2009年2 月HBS面试

由于去年觉得准备很仓促（9月底考完G12月中才考完IBT），一直又把Wharton当作最心仪的school，所以HBS的整个申请其实花的时间最少，甚至IBT还差3分都去申请了，不过去年运气不错，还是收到了interview invitation，adcom的电话面，时间很短，只有20多分钟，一开始的时候adcom就说由于时间有限，也许只有25－30分钟，所以可能主要由她来问问题，让我自己发挥的机会会少一点，主要问题：

就申请中的一篇essay反复问了很多细节
为什么IBT分数不够
工作的环境
没有任何Why MBA， why this school的问题

小结：回头想想觉很不应该，把最好的学校的面试机会白白浪费，最大的take away就是申请有时确实需要经验，比如当时不知道面试的位置有限，所以很多人都拿到了face to face interview 我由于晚了一点只抢到一个电话面试的位置，而且还是大清早8点，电话里面的互动实在是差很多，尤其是在这种有明确时间限制的面试里面，而且没有把握好这种时间有限的情况，在回答的时候不够主动的引导对方，而且IBT分数都不够，确实有点不够诚意，呵呵

myice

Scheduling the Interview: The interview invite came complete with detailed instructions about where and when my interview would be.

Location of interview: On campus as they requested.

Preparedness of Interviewer: Extremely well prepared. The admissions officer had clearly thoroughly read my application and asked questions that used my application as a launching pad.

Interviewer University affiliation: Admissions officer.

Atmosphere: It felt intense but that was more about me, and being at Harvard and knowing how important the interview was, than anything they did. The interviewer was very personable and was not intimidating which is all you can ask.

Questions asked:Talk about an impact I have had on a person or an organization.Why Harvard?Why do I want to leave my current job? (which is traditionally a post MBA job)

Length of interview: Precisely 30 minutes.

Any additional comments: Don't freak out if you get asked to go to the school. Being based in New York, and given that a lot of interviews were done in New York, I was concerned that being asked to go up to Boston was a bad sign. However, the interview was easy and I was accepted so I don't think it matters where they ask to interview you.

myice

My Harvard Business School interview was, shall we say, not quite positive. Firstly, interviews are conducted at the discretion of the school, and all successful applicants are interviewed. The pressure to get into HBS is obviously quite intense, but if you are summoned for an interview, you have a strong chance of being admitted. On the day I arrived in good time but feeling decidedly nervous, and I think it showed. I met my interviewer, a lady named Deirdre from the admissions board, in the lobby area of one of the school buildings on a Saturday afternoon at 1pm. Due to the fact that there was a conference taking place in the building, my interview was actually conducted in a hallway with a full-blown mel閑 raging all around: conference delegates milled past us while we toiled through a series of questions that were more adversarial than the ones I'd encountered at Tuck.

The session began with my interviewer congratulating me on reaching this stage of the application process, and informing me that the interview would not make or break my overall chances of getting into HBS. She also warned me that she had precisely 30 minutes to spend on the interview. I did not get the sense that she had looked at my information. We spent the first half of my allotted time going through my resum? with me clarifying what my then-employer's line of business involved and the leadership roles I had played thus far in life.

The remainder of the interview seemed to involve the interviewer honing in on my key weakness, that dreaded liberal arts background, and asking the same question in various guises over and over ?given my lack of literacy in the language of accounting and finance, how could I ever hope to succeed at a school like HBS? I am usually perfectly at ease discussing this matter ?in fact, awareness of this knowledge gap, not to mention my strong desire to gain experience in the financial services sector, fuelled my decision to swap a successful career in sales and marketing for a spot at a top business school ?but put on the defensive, and in that noisy hallway, it seems I failed to set the interviewer's mind at ease about my willingness to roll up my sleeves before the start of term, take preparatory classes if necessary, and work myself silly to make sure I not just got by, but excelled in these areas.

True to her word, Deirdre wrapped things up at 1.30pm on the nose. She volunteered her email address and asked me to get in touch if I had any additional questions about the school. I left the interview feeling disheartened and frustrated, knowing I hadn't adequately represented my capabilities. I did send a follow-up email with a couple of questions, but never received any response. I was disappointed, but not at all surprised when HBS turned down my application.

In summary, if your target school gives you the option of interviewing, you'd be crazy to miss it. While it's true that your interview is a golden chance for you to reinforce your candidacy, it's also a critical opportunity to get an inside look at the school and assess whether it's the right fit for you.

myice

The interview was [exactly] 30 minutes [and took place] on campus. I met with a member of the HBS Admissions staff. The interviewer asked me about my current position, specific details about the selling process, and the industry competition. [I was] asked about my quantitative background and strengths in this area. [I was] asked why B-school, not education or policy, as my resume reflected those interests. [I was also] asked about leadership experiences, specifically related to work settings.

myice

Interviewer: Kristin Hall
Location: Harvard Business School, Dillion House
Length: 45 minutes (35 minutes of her asking me questions, 10 minutes of me asking her questions)

Overall Impression:
It was obvious that Ms. Hall had read my application in depth. To underscore this fact, she opened with a clause in which she stated that she had read my application in detail and would be using the time to ask clarifying questions and cover aspects of my candidacy not covered in my application. I personally, enjoyed the interview. Being that the questions were so tailored to my experiences, I didn't feel like the interviewer was trying to "trick" me, or that there was a need to generate an answer other than the sincere truth.

My interview questions were along two lines. The first set of questions were "clarifying" questions. These questions asked me to provide the interviewer with more insight into my application and my past experiences. The key to answering these questions well is a clear definition of your goals and path to achieve them and an acute remembrance for what you wrote in your application. The second half of Ms. Hall's questions were "deep introspective" questions. The answers to these questions you should already know. If you don't know what you would reply then it would be very beneficial to spend some time asking yourself who you really are. These questions were very easy for me to answer because I had pondered all of these questions when I spent some time last summer composing a statement on myself.

Ms. Hall took diligent, and what seemed like verbatim, notes of everything I said. At first, her constant writing and lack of eye contact threw me off, but I quickly assimilated into a rhythm that allowed me to answer the questions in a comfortable speed and still allow her adequate time to capture my responses. On a few occasions, she asked me to pause so she could catch up in her writing.

Ms. Hall reserved the end of our time for me to ask her questions. Like most everyone in the Admissions Department, Ms. Hall had attended HBS herself, and was therefore able to answer specific questions and provide insight as both a former student and current administrator.

Overall, the interview was a very positive experience, and I left the interview feeling like I had nailed it. Lastly, if you secure an interview at HBS it is a very good sign. All of the students admitted to the program are interviewed. And although the Admissions Office states that it admits half of the candidates it interviews, HBS students surmise that a far greater percentage of those interviewed are ultimately granted admission.

Specific Questions:

"Clarifying" Questions
1) Tell me more about your responsibilities at work.
2) I have the perception that your company is an IT consulting firm but that you have secured roles on more classic management/strategy consulting projects. Is that an accurate perception?
3) Why have you chosen to get staffed on management consulting projects? And how did you accomplish this?
4) Why have you chosen to spend your last three years since graduating undergrad consulting if you ultimately want to pursue a career in the entertainment industry?
5) What do you like about your current job?
6) What do you dislike about your current job?
7) Could you please provide me with more insight into your career progression post business school?
8) Please provide me with an example in which you use quantitative skills at work.

"Deep Introspective" Questions
1) What motivates you?
2) What do you want me to know about you?
3) Why are you a successful leader?
4) How do you plan to make an impact in your career?
5) What decision have you made in the past that you have regretted?

myice

I ended up interviewing with four of the five schools I applied to: Harvard, MIT, UCLA, and Emory. The Emory interview was with an admissions officer on-campus, therest were off-campus with Alumni (mainly because I live in Germany). Regarding locations, MIT and UCLA were in the Washington, D.C. area over Christmas break. Harvard was by far the most organized with their Alumni interviews and the most international - they were able to set up my interview a few blocks away from my apartment in Hamburg, Germany! On top of that, the man that I interviewed with was a top executive and on the board of one of Germany's largest and most successful companies (very motivating for an aspiring MBAstudent).

For all of my Alumni interviews, I found the Alumni to be professional, friendly, and open to speaking with me about their school. For Emory, the admissions officer was just fantastic, making me feel comfortable right away, asking insightful (she read my application) questions and answering all of my questions about the program.

The interview questions were amazingly similar between all of the schools and I did not find that they asked me any out of context or trick questions. The questions were focused on me and my experiences. In the case of Harvard, it was more of a behavioral interview than the others, trying to gather information about how I react in certain work and life scenarios. Most of the interviews included questions like, "What brought you to Germany?" "How did you end up getting a job abroad?" "What are your career goals?" "Why business school?" "Why now?" "Why this school?" At the heart of it, they all seemed to be trying to figure out what made me tick, what I could bring to their program, if my goals and personality seemed consistent and aligned with the way I presented myself in my application, and whether I would be a good fit with their program. Many of them also asked me questions that were similar or an extension of my essay questions. For example, if I wrote an essay about an ethical dilemma at work, they would ask me how it was resolved in the end or to provide them with additional details about the scenario.

As far as advice for preparing, the best preparation is completing the application for the particular school before interviewing and then reviewing the essays just prior to the interview. Applicants should have a clear idea of why they want an MBA, their career goals, why this particular school, and what they can offer the school. These questions were consistently asked on essays and in interviews. I used my interviews as a chance to openly discuss and expand on what I considered my weak spot -- my undergraduate GPA. This turned out to be a good approach, not just because I got accepted into my top choice school, but because it let me explain the situation and how I overcame the weakness in a more personal way then what was possible on an application.