When Admissions Interviews Go Wrong

As a former senior associate director of admissions at MIT Sloan School of Management, Julie Strong has seen it all. “Some of my craziest experiences with interviewees include: an applicant who brought their mother, someone who cried, someone who arrived just after being in a car accident, and an applicant who offered to demonstrate how he levitates (he’s now the CEO of a major company),” says Strong.

Apparently, levitating is a good thing, while bringing mom is not so good. Aside from using common sense, you should avoid getting overly emotional. While crying is extreme, most candidates are at least somewhat anxious going into an admissions interview. They might fidget or talk too much. Strong, who is now a master consultant for the admissions consultancy MBA Exchange, warns candidates about offering up too much information.

“Remember to breathe, pause, and know when you have answered the question. Stop talking, and let the interviewer probe more if he or she wants additional information,” she adds.

When Natalie Grinblatt Epstein was an admissions director at a top business school, one applicant threatened her life during the interview. This prompted the associate dean to put glass doors on the offices, so everyone could see inside. Usually, interviews don’t get that terrifying. But they still might be awkward.

Another time, Epstein, who is now an admissions consultant at Accepted MBA Admissions, had someone show up 20 minutes late to the interview only to then talk about her devotion to another MBA program. The candidate did not get accepted at that school or any other, and then she returned to beg for a spot in her second or third choice. She was denied, says Epstein.

Indeed, the No. 1 piece of advice Linda Abraham, CEO and founder of Accepted, has for you is to know why you want to attend the interviewing school. Recognize what you bring to the table. And give thought to the experiences and achievements that illustrate those points, says Abraham.

Some schools conduct interviews via video conference, especially if candidates live far away while applying. You might get the wrong impression that you don’t have to be as formal when being interviewed on a service, such as Skype. In reality, a video conference is the same as a face-to-face interview when it comes to how admissions committee members judge you.

When a candidate appeared to have been woken up by her scheduled Skype interview with University of Illinois Urbana Gies College of Business, Director of MBA and Professional Programs, Tad Brinkerhoff, was disappointed. He noticed her bed head, unmade bed in the background, and the Hello Kitty pajamas she was wearing. She had no chance of getting admitted.

Another applicant interviewing with Brinkerhoff took the opposite approach by being overly prepared. He had note cards with him for his videoconference interview. The only problem was he was reading directly from them.

While you need to be dressed appropriately and should give thought to your responses, you can’t come off like a robot. “For me interviews are more like conversations.  I want to get to know the student and want them to get to know me and the school I represent,” says Brinkerhoff.” So be prepared to have a conversation about you – who you are, what you want to do and why. Also, be prepared to ask about me – what do I like about where I work, what kind of students would do well at my school, etc.”