The Deafening Silence Is Broken: An Invitation to Interview From NYU’s Stern School

I can breathe a little easier (emphasis on “little”) after receiving an interview invitation from NYU Stern, which is one of my top business school choices. Since I had thought that interview invitations for the schools I applied to were being sent to local applicants first, I wasn’t expecting any interview invitations until the end of the week, or even next week at the earliest. Also, I had been desensitized by the almost-daily informational emails from schools that I often mistake for an update on my applications, so it was a very pleasant surprise.

Now, the next stage of the humbling, sometimes nerve-wracking experience known as the graduate business school application process begins.

All the interview invitation means is that my chances of being accepted to Stern’s incoming MBA Class of 2013 moves from 20-25% (the percentage of applicants who get interviewed) to something north of 50% (the percentage of interviewees who get admitted). I like the improvement in the odds, but I still have a lot of work cut out ahead of me.

To start, I will review my application for the first time since submitting it to Stern, cover to cover. Although I should be able to answer any interview questions off the top of my head, that’s definitely not the recommended approach. It’ll be helpful to re-review my application, and anticipate what sorts of questions I’ll be asked. Useful resources will be the Clear Admit Stern Interview Wiki and posts about other people’s interview experiences on GMAT Club, as well as friends who are currently enrolled at Stern.

I still need to make travel arrangements and schedule the interview date over the next two weeks, but it looks like I will have at least a week to prepare, which should be sufficient. In the meantime, I still need to complete my Round 2 applications. Fortunately, my first interview invitation gives me some needed confidence going into that process. In fact, if I am lucky enough to be admitted to Stern before some of my Round 2 applications, I might even be able to drop… Well, that’s the sound of optimism returning and me getting ahead of myself. I’m sure it will be short-lived.

In the end, the interview invitation could just mean that I had to exert more effort to get dinged. So, just as I’ve always done, I’ll be sure to take it one step at a time, making sure I put in the right effort at each stage. Good luck to everyone else out there; I know how deafening silence can be.

This post is adapted from Just Ship, a blog written by an anonymous MBA applicant who has a GMAT score above 760 and is targeting six or seven of the top ten business schools. You can read all of his posts at Just Ship.

Previous posts by Just Ship at Poets&Quants:

“Just One of 4,653 Applicants Trying To Get Into A Top B-School”

“Why I’m Not Applying to Harvard Business School”

Questions about this article? Email us or leave a comment below.