You’ve Been Interviewed. Now What?

Congratulations! You scored that coveted invitation from your preferred business school and just finished an interview for admission to their MBA program. What’s next?

First, take a moment to relax and take pride in all the hard work and self-reflection it took to come this far. It’s an achievement!

Next, as former admissions directors who have interviewed many candidates over the years, we recommend taking a few important steps at this stage.

1. Thank your interviewer(s). Be sure to write a short note within 24 hours of your interview. The note should be concise; thank them for their time, but also emphasize your continued and specific interest in the school. If you feel that you missed an important point or didn’t address a question sufficiently, you can add this to your message. Keep it brief, though!
2. Learn from your experience. If you’re headed into more interviews, take some time to reflect upon your performance. Consider what questions you felt uncomfortable with or caught you off-guard. Practice your answers, ideally with someone to give you feedback. Be sure to revisit or review Fortuna’s interview tips and school-specific advice tailored to the process at top schools.
3. Be patient. As difficult as this may be, you should not chase the admissions office to check on your application status. Unless you have a genuine reason to get in contact with admissions, it’s best to wait it out. We do not recommend sending in updates or additional letters of support at this stage; unless it’s completely “game-changing” information, it’s best to leave your application package alone.
4. Continue to engage with the school. While it may seem counterintuitive because you feel you are done with your research, we suggest that you continue to interact with the student groups that you may be interested in joining and follow the school’s developments in the media. As you continue to educate yourself about “fit” with the school, it can also help you to consider your future career steps. You never know what brilliant new ideas can come out of networking!
5. Keep working on other applications. You don’t want to put all your eggs in one basket. While it may seem hard to motivate yourself to do so, if you wait for decisions before beginning new work on additional applications, you won’t have sufficient time to polish a perfect application package. By continuing to chip away at both the creative and administrative parts of the application process, you will keep moving toward your goal.
6. Remain optimistic! The wait for a decision can be a period of high anxiety. Remember that if you score an interview, your chances are good. Keep things in perspective; your whole future does not hinge upon the school’s decisions, and there are always multiple paths to achieve your goal. Finally, manage your stress while you wait by remaining active, spending time with friends, family, and colleagues, and engaging in activities you enjoy.

If you’re still awaiting interview invitations, or applying in Round 2 and beyond, be sure to see our recent tips and answers to commonly asked questions about interviews at top schools for 2024 admissions.

Matt Symonds is cofounder of Fortuna Admissions and cohost of the CentreCourt MBA Festival. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a free consultation.