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MBA Interview - Admissions Advice
Interview with David Edwards, Director of the Career Centre at Queen’s Business School
Please tell us about your background and how you became Director of the Career Centre at Queen’s School of Business.
I actually did my MBA at Queen’s. I spent 17 years in corporate and investment banking; I was a deal-doer before making the move to career services at Queen’s.
Most of us here will spend a bit of time doing a little bit of work in other departments. Living in other people’s jobs gives me insight into what they deal with.
What are the key profiles you look for in successful applicants?
We sit in on the admissions committee. Our small program is made up of only 70. Strong verbal communication skills in English are essential, as are strong quantitative skills because our MBA program is highly quantitative. And of course work experience. We don’t care if it’s business experience. Everyone brings a different perspective to the classroom and has seen how the world works. What they have experienced can relate to what they’re learning in the classroom.
A strong GMAT score is expected but it isn’t everything. The average score of our students is 650, but we have accepted students, particularly lawyers, with lower scores. We conduct a telephone interview, and bring candidates here for a whole day. They can sit in on classes and can come anytime they want. The written component of the application is also important. We want to know exactly what the candidates want to do with their lives. How realistic is their idea of what the next stage of their career will be? How well can they work with us throughout the questioning session? Are they going to fit into the team and classroom?
What preparation can candidates undertake to best prepare themselves?
For example, should they take a GMAT prep course?
GMAT prep is very important. Prep books and courses are good. It’s important to prepare. You have to think about why you want an MBA and where you want to go after. These two questions will be asked during the telephone interview.
What questions should candidates ask when they attend the QS World MBA Tour?
What am I going to learn? Why is Queen’s different? What is the school good at and what are its weaknesses? How much teamwork is involved in the program?
Do interviews play a big part in the selection process? How can candidates best prepare for the interview?
Yes – the phone interview is THE interview but they have to have made it through the other things. We interview 250 candidates. Be very clear as to why you want an MBA and where you want your career to go next. We need focused people!
Finally, do you have any advice for candidates with a non-business background?
Up until recently the MBA program at Queen’s was made up only of students without a business background. We changed this last year and now accept students from a wide variety of backgrounds. The MBA has always been focused on people with other degrees and the curriculum reflects this.
MBA Admissions