Source of image: http://www.daniels.du.edu/degreesmajors/undergraduate/academics/advising.html
When I received an email inviting me to interview at Daniels, I was both thrilled and slightly anxious. I liked the idea of being able to meet an admissions adviser, poke around the building, and ask questions about the MBA program. I was not as excited about the prospect of being in the hot seat, and didn’t quite know what to expect.
To prepare, I conducted a mock interview with my parents over the phone. They asked the most difficult questions they could think of and offered some great suggestions. I Googled “MBA interview tips” and read article after article, searching for advice and common MBA interview questions. I also spent a few hours on the Daniels website. After several days of research and practice, I finally stopped rehearsing so that I could avoid boring the admissions adviser by sounding like I was reading from a teleprompter.
On the day of my interview, I arrived early, found parking, and settled into a comfy couch in the Student Services office to wait. After a few minutes, the admissions adviser emerged. I noted that he did not look as severe as I had imagined, and he actually seemed rather friendly. As the adviser led me to his office, he informed me that the interview was “blind”—he hadn’t seen my file, so I was a blank slate.
The interview was a collaborative opportunity for Daniels and me to discover whether we were mutually a good fit. The adviser asked me questions about myself and I had the opportunity to ask him questions about Daniels. I developed a stronger understanding of the college and of the MBA program, and I left the interview feeling transformed from a bystander into an empowered stakeholder in the admissions process.
