Just wanted to start a general discussion on how admit weekends went. I believe a good amount of schools had their this past weekend, and will continue through April.

Was anyone in Darden weekend? Did you get any idea on the yield figures?

I attended Darden Days and while it's certainly not indicative of overall yield, the percent of people who were certain at that event was staggeringly high. I met only a handful of people who were wavering and one recently confirmed with Darden. Is this different than anywhere else? Could be the location factor as well.

I second what kflorance said. I was at Darden Days as well and an overwhelming number of people had already decided, esp by the time they stopped serving us wine and bbq at the vineyard nearby :)BR />
That being said, I think most of the folks who came to DD expected to be impressed and to finalize their decisions after having met the future and current students. I personally chose to fly down there over 2 other admit weekends going on at that time, and just needed to wipe out that remaining 1% doubt to make it 100% sure. I surmise that was the case with many who hadn't really experienced Darden, and they made it quite easy for us to throw our hats into the ring. I only saw one, after all's said and done, who was undecided and this student was 90% leaning Darden over another incredible school after coming into the weekend less than 50% sure.

Not to sound too negative/skeptical, but everyone is at least "90% sure" they are attending whichever school's admit weekend they are currently attending. I'd be surprised if you could find someone who said , "I'm probably not coming here, but came to the weekend to make sure I'm not making the wrong decision", even though there are plenty of people in that same boat (including me a few weeks ago). However, get enough drinks in them...

That being said, I'm glad you enjoyed the weekend.

Folks,

I am in serious need of some advice. I interviewed at a top-10 school last week after being placed on their waitlist without interview. I was interviewed by a first year student, on campus. It was a very weird interview, IMO.

The student who interviewed me came from a financial background and he started off by saying he knew even less about engineering than what I might know about finance with my engg. background. I mentally went "ok.... this is going to be interesting".

Next, he says he barely reviewed my resume for 30 seconds prior to the interview, which I assumed was a segue to "Walk me through your resume". That invitation never came!

The only thing he seemed to be interested in on my resume was my start-up company. I tried my best to bring up other aspects such as experience leading international teams, accomplishments as a leader etc. but wasn't too successful. I only managed oblique references to them, and then only because I specifically made an effort to introduce them when answering some other questions of his.

The other expected questions that that never came was "Why MBA? Why now?". In fact, the only expected question which he did ask was "Why school X?" and "What are your hobbies/interests?".

It was nothing like the interview I expected going in, and at the end of it, I honestly don't know what to make of it. I truly didn't expect to go to a MBA admissions interview and end up discussing Arab women's empowerment and how difficult long distance relationships can be (he told me he got married in September and that his wife was located in Seattle and that he had a tough time his first semester at school with all the shuttling etc....). I left thinking if I spoke to him for 10 more minutes he will probably tell me the name of his first pet!

I've been reflecting on the interview and am starting to get a very uncomfortable feeling. My interviewer is yet to revert to me with responses to the questions I asked him five days later. He was unable to answer even one of the questions I asked of him, and was supposed to point me to someone who could. I sent him a thank you note with a hint that I would appreciate hearing from him, and did not get an acknowledgement to that either.

He was very busy interviewing for his summer internship when he interviewed me. I am starting to think that was reflected in the quality of my interview.

I am starting to get really concerned that this is going to reflect negatively on me since he didn't want to discuss anything about some of the most important aspects of my life (my career and interest in technology!) and will cost me the admission. I am rather alarmed that he showed absolutely NO INTEREST in my resume beyond the first couple of lines where I listed the start-up and said as much!

Do you think I should approach the admissions committee with my concerns? What would you do in my shoes?

Thank you,
Aurora

In my personal opinion, interviews can be highly variable and it is often impossible to judge what type of feedback the interview will give Adcom based on your perception of his or her reactions, etc. I personally [would] not contact Adcom and would just hope for the best.

Aurora,

I had a very similar experience at Berkeley. Even worse!! :) There was no chemistry between my interviewer and me, and the questions or rather topics we covered were completely out of the 'usual' mba interview range. My confidence plunged, and I think he could tell. It was really bad :) Unfortunately, I can't tell you anything comforting since the school dinged me almost right after the interview (i was on the WL as well). I don't think there's anything you can do right now -- getting in touch with the admissions committee would probably not make sense. Schools trust their interviewers more than they trust applicants so it would be his word against yours...

GOOD LUCK! :)

Don't sweat it. Interviews are only a single data point in the decision. It will probably make you feel better to know that I totally BOMBED my Harvard interview (no joke...it was the worst of the six schools to which I applied). I thought for sure that I would get rejected...but I was admitted. It just goes to show that the interview is not a deal breaker.

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Before the fall semester of 06, I found myself wondering do I really want to do this. Is this really the path I want to pursue. Do I really believe enrolling in a MBA program will help me further my career. At that time I was also stressed with making a decision between going to school full time at Kogod (American University) while putting myself into student loan hell (again) or should I continue to work and attend Sellinger School of Business and Management (Loyola College) part time while my employer pays 100% of the tab. Well you guessed it. I chose the part time route. At the time I thought that it made the most sense. The school has a campus less than 10 miles from where I work and minutes from where I currently live. Who could ask for more? I remember thinking "this will be a cake walk!".

Well fast forward to my second semester and 6 classes later. I have learned one key tidbit. Business School whether part time or full time is never a cake walk!!! Sellinger is a reputable program in the Mid Atlantic, and has appeared in several part time rankings in recent years as high as 25 and as low as 40. But I don't care where its ranked, I know I haven't worked this hard in a school environment in a long time. By trade I am a systems engineer. It requires some long days and a bit of travel. Couple that with a load of 3 classes this semester and you realize that the old saying "anything worth having is never easy to attain" is so true. (BTW, who were all these old folks that come up with such timeless sayings. Why didn't they copyright them!?!?!?) I've learned a lot this semester in and out of the classroom. Time management skills are key to being a successful part time student.

Anyway, finals week is quickly approaching, and I am looking forward to the challenge of studying for 3 hour exams while putting the final touches on projects that are due the last day of class. Once again I revisit the question that I asked myself before I started this 53 credit journey, "Do I really believe enrolling in a MBA program will help me further my career?" I realize I can't answer that yet, but I can tell you that I am glad I gave myself the opportunity to find out!