myice

Round 1 / On-campus (Published February 11th, 2009)

The interview itself was only 25 minutes long, with a very young woman -- perhaps a recent graduate, though she did not say. Interestingly, she didn't even ask me, Why an MBA or Why now! She asked me (in roughly this order):

Why did you choose UndergradA?
How did you go about choosing UndergradA?
What will you do at CompanyA when you go back tomorrow?
How did you find your job?
How did you choose CompanyB right after college?
What's 1 thing you liked and didn't like about CompanyB?
What's a challenge you faced at CompanyB?
What do you want to do when you're at Stern?
What companies do you want to work for?
How will brand management be different from your role now?
What are 3 transferable skills you'll take from your current role to brand management?
What if you can't find a job in the field you're looking for? What will you do?
If you were to be introduced to Stern in 25 years (e.g. you're giving a speech) how will you want to be introduced?
What two clubs do you want to join at Stern?
What else do you want me to know about you?
What questions do you have for me?
The interview was only 25 minutes long for me, so shorter than the normal 30 min. I strongly encourage you to do a class visit AND a lunch. The stats are like 50% chance of getting in when you get an interview, but it helps to show strong enthusiasm for Stern - even during the class lunch. Good luck all.

myice

Round 2 / On campus / Adcom (Published March 4th, 2009)

Applied in late December, received the invitation to interview roughly four weeks later. My interview was conducted on campus by a female member of the admissions committee. The Adcom seemed to be intimately familiar with my application, resume and essays and many of the common questions listed in other posts on this site were asked in a way that was specific to my background. The interview last roughly 45 minutes, after which I had the opportunity to have lunch with a current student. I received my decision via email less than a week after my interview.

Here are the questions I was asked (as best as I can recall, and in no particular order):

Why NYU?
Why an MBA and why now?
Where else have you applied?
If you're admitted to all of the schools you applied to, how will you decide which to attend?
Which two clubs are you most interested in?
If 25 years from now you were asked to return to Stern to speak, how would you want to be introduced?
Why i-banking ?
What are some companies in this field that you might like to work for?
What if you can't find a job in this field?
Tell me about a time when you were on a team that didn't work well together?
How did you end up in your current position? Take me through your career to this point.
Tell me about a time you failed.
She concluded by asking me if there was anything else the adcom should know about me that we didn't cover
Make sure you work details about the school into your answers.

Very conversational, not many follow-up questions. Much less stressful than other interviews I've been through. I got the feeling that she was pulling for me.

myice

Round 2 / On-Campus / Alum / Accepted (Published March 18, 2009)

Interview Date: Saturday, February 21 2009 Location: NYU Admissions Office Interviewed by: Alum Interview Length: 30 minutes Status: Accepted, Round 2

The interviewer greeted me with a firm handshake, quickly detailed his background (HR at Goldman Sachs, graduated from Stern 3 years ago), mentioned that he had taken the time to look at my file, and promptly began the interview:

So, why are you here? – This question threw me a bit off, as it was definitely not how I expected the interview would begin.
What do you think the qualities of a good leader are? – Described how a leader is someone able to build consensus and offered an example.
How would your friends describe you? – Described myself as diligent, approachable and team oriented, offering an example of each.
Why an MBA? – I used this as an opportunity to transition into my present skill set, my short and long-term goals, and how Stern’s resources would enable me to achieve my goals.
Why Stern? – Spoke in detail about Stern’s Entertainment, Media & Technology (EMT) specialization, clubs, culture, and my past experiences visiting.
What other schools are you applying to and why? – Quickly rattled off my list of schools and a reason or two for why I was applying to each.
Is Stern your #1? – I made a joke that, within this context, Stern is everyone’s #1 (he laughed), and then proceeded to reiterate the points I made when asked “Why Stern?”.
Is there anything else you’d like me to know that we haven’t discussed? – Addressed the quantitative courses I’ve recently taken, discussed my decision to leave my last job, and spoke about my passion for the business side of media.
What questions do you have for me? – I first asked about the growth of the EMT specialization over the last several years. I then asked what he attributed Stern’s collaborative nature to. I also asked what steps he suggest I take to prepare myself for the academic rigor of the program.
We shook hands, I asked for his card, and I promptly e-mailed him a three line thank you note, reiterating the answers he gave to my questions.

myice

Round 2 / On-Campus / Adcom (Published March 18th, 2009)

Applied to the JD-MBA at the end of January, invited to interview at the end of February. Interviewer was a very nice ad-com who had clearly read my application, but did not ask about the JD aspect of my application (although I discussed it in many of the answers). She had my resume in front of her during the interview.

Tell me about doing [a specific extracurricular interest from undergrad]? Why'd you do it?
Why MBA/Stern specifically?
Where would I find you on the Stern campus?
Tell me about a workplace conflict
How would the people who know you best describe you?
Where are you on a scale of 1 to 10, if 1 is intelligent and 10 is hard-working?
Time for questions
Also had lunch with a student and attended a class, which gave me very positive impressions of the school. Decision came 8 days after the interview.

myice

Round 2 / On-campus / Adcom (Published April 16th, 2009)

Overall the interview was very conversational and I probably over-prepared using the questions on this site and others. My interviewer was friendly and was definitely familiar with my application and my profile.

How did you choose to attend [undergrad A]?
Walk me through your background, how did you end up at [company A) after college?
He made a reference to my post MBA goal, asked me to elaborate on specifically what I want to do.
Talked about the state of the economy, importance of students/applicants being flexible in their career endeavors. If your goal doesn't work out, what is your plan B?
Why Stern? (I had already addressed why MBA in beginning of #3, otherwise I think he would have asked that)
What 2 clubs do you see yourself engaging with?
What are 2 skills you gained at your last job?
What is the greatest challenge you faced at your job?
He turned it over to me for questions, then said I'd hear back within 3 weeks (or to call him directly if I don't by then), but said he'd expect that I'd hear back sooner than that.

myice

Round 1 / On-campus / Adcom (Published February 18th, 2010)

I had a morning slot and I reached 15 min early. I received the welcome package containing the t-shirt and customized folder at the interview office. There were 3-4 interviews going on simultaneously.

My interviewer was a lady, also a Stern alum now working in the Admissions Office. Since the NYU interview are non-blind, expect the questions to probe beyond the essay material.

Briefly talk about your background - I talked about my tech roles and MS experience.
Talk about your current job experience, duties etc. Walk me through a typical day of your routine - I used this to highlight the leadership opportunities I get at work and insights gained etc.
Talk about your post MBA goal - Being a career switcher, this was the highlight and I elaborated on my ambitions and why I want to go there.
Have you made any plans about internship/ how would you find one? - I had prepared for this, so I discussed at length the career options I could use at Stern specifically also emphasizing how I am focused enough and yet flexible about choices.
Why Stern?
What would you do if you get accepted at other schools as well? - Again, emphasizing on how Stern makes the most sense for my ambitions.
What would you contribute? - I proved how my clear goals and experience of reapplying has positioned me well to gain from the whole MBA experience and I possess an edge etc etc.
She gave me a chance to ask questions and I asked about few Stern specific experiences such as summer start etc + my career goals specific opportunities.

I didn't receive any feedback from her and she looked neither encouraging nor unimpressed.

I got my final decision within a week and I was admitted

myice

Round 1 / On-campus / Staff (Published February 18th, 2010)

My interview was with someone from the Career Center, though I had expected Adcom. She was very friendly and had work experience in my desired industry. The interview was almost exactly 30 minutes.

List of interview questions:

Tell me about your background.
Can you tell me about a time where you had to persuade someone to do something?
Describe a time where you had to manage a conflict.
What do you like most about Stern?
What would your manager say is one of your strengths? One of your weaknesses?
Can you name some companies you'd like to work for upon graduation?
Looking back at your work experience, what are you most proud of?
What do you like to do for fun?
Do you have any questions for me? (I had time to ask only 1 question)
It was the shortest interview I'd had thus far - overall, I think it went well. She told me to stay tuned for a decision within two weeks.

Result: Admitted!

myice

Round 1 / On-campus / Admissions officer (Published February 23rd, 2010)

I visited a class with a friend (it wasn't my first visit to the school) and then came to the Admission office with 15-20 min to spare. Definitely appreciated the personalized packet of information and the t-shirt. There were several other interviewees waiting and finally my interviewer came out. She was friendly and very welcoming and there was water waiting on the desk for me when we went into her office. The interview questions were fairly straightforward (no curveballs), and I was pleasantly surprised by this. I had been expecting a few more difficult questions, so I would still recommend preparing for many types of questions (beyond my list) because I'm not sure if my interview was totally representative.

I can't remember the exact questions or the exact order, but in general, I was asked:

why I chose my undergrad/how i ended up at my undergrad
Why I chose my major/ended up studying what I studied
how I ended up at my first job out of college
how I ended up at my current job
how does that all fit into "MBA now"
why stern? what excites me most about stern?
Interview took ~40 min (I had a few questions that we got to talk about so we went a little over because it fostered a conversation. It went a lot faster than I thought and I was surprised it had already been 30 min when she asked if I had any questions.

Good luck to everyone! I heard within about 2 weeks and was accepted!

myice

Round 1 / On-campus / Admissions Officer (Published April 21, 2010)

January 2010/R1

Interview was in the admissions office.

On campus interview with admissions staff. Application based interview.

Tell me about yourself.
Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
Why do you think you are ready for an MBA at this moment of your career?
What can Stern offer you that others schools do not?
Is Stern your first choice?
What job do you imagine yourself doing during your first summer break?
What do you feel is the weakest aspect of your resume?
Do you have any questions for me?
The interview was fairly conversational in a nice office. The interviewer was a young woman, an ex-MBA from Stern around 35 years of age. She was always very nice and did not attack me with questions. I was surprised she was young and easygoing. However, when she detected a weak answer to the internship job question she delved into it to see how I responded. To me it seemed like the interviewer was trying to sell me on different aspects of Stern and tried to minimize the financial part. Perhaps, because of my non traditional background, she did not want to focus on only finance but wanted to highlight some of the new areas the school has been working on to obtain more variety. I had the distinct feeling Stern is trying to branch out into other sectors of business and not be pegged as the "finance" school.

myice

Round 2 / Off-campus / Adcom Hub (Published April 23, 2010)

I interviewed in March at one of the three global hub locations with an adcom member. The interviewer has read your application materials and asks questions related to your experience.

The questions were straight forward and followed the logic of why an MBA can help you bridge the gap and transform you from where you are now to where you want to be. Be prepared to show your interaction with the Stern community, why you choose this program.

Can you tell me about your previous work experience?
What's the most challenge you face at your work?
What's the main difference between your current position and your goals?
Why do you want to pursue an MBA?
What programs and activities attract you at NYU? And what clubs will you particiate?
If you are admitted to other programs, what criteria your decision will be based on?
How will your friends describe you?
Do you have any questions for me?
The interview lasted about 40mins and it was a very pleasent conversation. I appreciate NYU's effort to only have adcom members conduct the interviews which brings more insights and consistency. I received a personalized folder with materials about programs and clubs I mentioned in my application essays, and a gift Stern t-shirt. I received my admission decision 4 days after the interview.