MBA Handicapping: Key Interview Advice — Be Conversational vs. Hyper-Articulate by: Sandy Kreisberg & John A. Byrne on January 06, 2024 | 994 Views January 6, 2024 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Harvard Business School’s 2+2 deferred MBA admission program is one of the most selective in the world. Last year, 1,528 candidates applied through the program which defers one’s admit for a minus of two years while they gain working experience after earning an undergraduate degree. Only 118 applicants, or 7.7%, were admitted. That’s nearly half the 14.4% admit rate for Harvard’s mainstream MBA program candidates. But we think John can surmount the odds and at the very least be among the estimated 400 2+2 candidates who get an admissions interview. How come? First off, he’s currently a senior at Western University in Canada pursuing a dual-degree in software engineering and business. In his engineering coursework, he has a 3.97 GPA, while in business, John boasts an equally impressive 3.86. He’s been on the Dean’s Honor List five different times. And while he has yet to sit for the GMAT exam, he’s scored a 760 on several practice tests. But that’s. not all. He also has racked up a series of impressive internships during his time at Western. He’s interned as a strategy and operations staffer for the L.A. Clippers basketball team, a strategy and development intern at D.E. Shaw Group which he will join as an associate in New York after graduating in May. He also has done internships at The Boston Consulting Group, Data SEA Consulting, and the Royal Bank of Canada. What’s more, John is co-president of the Ivey Case Competition Club and co-president of the university’s artificial intelligence society. No less important, John shows much professional poise, is highly articulate and immensely likable. In this episode of Friday’s With Sandy, HBSGuru.com Founder Sandy Kreisberg and Poets&Quants Editor-in-Chief John A. Byrne not only asses his chances for Harvard’s 2+2 program and the deferred admissions program at Stanford Graduate School of Businsss; they also take him through a mock interview, with Sandy grilling John on many of his answers. If you would like to participate in a future Fridays With Sandy webinar, you can contact Sandy and Poets&Quants John here. DON’T MISS PREVIOUS FRIDAYS WITH SANDY EPISODES HBS FOR THIS INDIAN MALE, 740 GMAT, PUNE PUBLIC POLICY & NGO APPLICANTS — SOME GREAT TIPS A 4.0 GPA & A 770 GMAT: WHAT COULD GO WRONG? MILLION DOLLAR ADVICE — A CHANGED OUTCOME FOR THIS APPLICANT? BREAKING INTO RENEWABLE ENERGY WITH AN MBA LOW GRADES & COMPANY FOUNDER. IS HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL IMPRESSED? BREAKING INTO FINANCE FROM GOVERNMENT CONSULTING HOW TO DEAL WITH CLASSY JOBS AND A LOW GPA WHAT DOES A 3.17 GPA DO TO A 780 GMAT AT H/S/W? EXPLAINING FOUR JOBS IN FOUR YEARS WHO SHOULD RETAKE A 730 GMAT? BYU MAGNA, MCKINSEY, CHILEAN: WHAT GRE DOES HE NEED FOR HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL? 780 GMAT–HOW COME SHE’S NOT APPLYING TO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL? CAN THIS NASA SUPERSTAR MBA CANDIDATE TALK TO EARTHLINGS ADMISSION OFFICIALS? HOW POWERFUL IS A 750 GMAT AT KELLOGG, BOOTH, STERN & ROSS? IN FROM AFRICA: CRACKING HARVARD AND STANFORD FASHION DESIGNER TO THE METAVERSE WITH A 750 GMAT HOW TO MAX OUT AN APPLICATION FROM AN UNDERREPRESENTED COUNTRY B-SCHOOL TIPS FOR CONSULTING TYPES OUTSIDE THE U.S. APPLYING FROM BRAZIL, SPAIN & PORTUGAL 2+2 IS HARD — WILL LOW GRE STOP THIS SPANISH SUPERSTAR? FORMER PRO GOLFER PARS & BOGIES SOME HBS INTERVIEW QUESTIONS BREAKING OUT OF THE PACK: APPLYING FROM FIDELITY & OTHER MONEY MANAGERS HOW TO BREAK OUT OF THE DESI MALE COHORT APPLICANTS FROM WELL-KNOWN ‘BRAND-COMPANIES: WHAT B-SCHOOL INTERVIEWERS EXPECT YOU TO KNOW IB STAR IN GHANA — LOW GRADES, GREAT EVERYTHING ELSE. WHADDA WE GOT? APPLYING FROM LESS-REPRESENTED COUNTRIES ARMY CAPTAIN WITH A GREAT STORY & LOW STATS. HERE’S WHAT YOU DO INDIAN APPLICANTS NOT FROM IIT THIS INDIAN MALE BREAKS WITH THE STEREOTYPE: WILL H/S/W BE IMPRESSED? INDISPENSABLE ADVICE FOR INTERNATIONAL MBA APPLICANTS IMPACT INVESTOR WITH A GREAT STORY SO FAR MBA MOCK INTERVIEW:20 FUNDAMENTAL INTERVIEW QUESTIONS ASKED & ANSWERED IN THIS ROCKING MOCK MBA MOCK INTERVIEW: COKE, PEPSI & OTHER BIG CONSUMER BRANDS TO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL BLOWING AN HBS INTERVIEW: SANDY POINTS OUT SEVERAL WAYS IT CAN HAPPEN HBS INTERVIEW TRAPS FOR THIS 780 GMAT TYPES 3.2 GPA — HOW DAMAGING FOR THIS MEXICAN STAR (740 GMAT!)? THIS SUPERSTAR APPLICANT NEEDS TO POLISH HIS STORY IF THIS DING, DING, DING RE-APPLICANT CAN GET AN 80/80 GRE, HE IS GOLD CAN A ‘BIG FOOT’ MENTOR HELP YOU OVERCOME A 2.9 GPA? HOW DOES A GREAT MBA APPLICANT OVERCOME A 3.2 GPA? IS WORKING FOR TOBACCO & BOOZE COMPANIES A BLOT ON YOUR MBA APP? MOCK INTERVIEW: HOW TO ANSWER THE MOST COMMON MBA INTERVIEW QUESTIONS HOW THIS CONSULTANT BATS ABOVE HIS SO-SO STATS SUPER-STAR AFRICAN WITH A 630 GMAT–HSW??? 30-YEAR-OLD, AFRO-AMERICAN, NAIROBI-BASED, 5 JOBS — SANDY SAYS TOP 10 CAN HAPPEN APPLYING TO B-SCHOOL FROM BIG ENERGY MINORITY CANDIDATE, 550 GMAT, WAIT LIST AT MIT — ADVICE ON SEVERAL FRONTS APPLYING FROM MYANMAR WITH A 3.26 FROM San JOSE STATE BIG 4 CONSULTANT: 33, 2.9 PGA….KEEP READING\]\ HBS WITH A 2.9 & AN INDIAN MALE? WHY THIS GUY COULD BE THE ONE DOA? DOES THIS TED TALK SUPERSTAR SOUND SCRIPTED? DO WHITE MALES NEED BETTER STATS THAN SCHOOL AVERAGES TO GET IN? HOW TO USE YOUR INTERNATIONAL BACKGROUND TO GET INTO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL YOU WANT TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS AFTER B-SCHOOL: SOME GREAT TIPS HOW TO OPTIMIZE A ‘WOMEN IN TECH’ STORY FOR B-SCHOOLS SURGEON JOINS FAMILY BUSINESS — BE PREPARED TO EXPLAIN WHY WHY HARVARD, STANFORD & WHARTON LIKE PILOTS HBS INTERVIEW TIPS FOR NON-LIBERAL ARTS MAJORS EGYPTIAN VC GUY — GREAT START FOR H/S/W . . . AND THERE IS MORE CORE ANSWERS FOR COMMON B-SCHOOL QUESTIONS WHEN DOES A 710 vs. A 730 GMAT MAKE A DIFFERENCE GOOGLE, FACEBOOK, MARINES: HOW TO EXPLAIN TRANSITIONS IN YOUR B-SCHOOL INTERVIEWS SANDY TRIES TO FLUSTER THIS SUPER START 3.9/770 CHINESE PR WOMAN WHILE JOHN GOES GA-GA H/S/W ADMIT TIPS FOR FINANCIAL GUYS 2+2 SUPER APPLICANT — CAN HE GET AROUND A LOW GRE H/S/W TIPS FROM THIS DESAI AT EXXONMOBIL SANDY’S TOUGH LOVE FOR A SUPER STAR WITH A 650 GMAT HOW TECHIES & ENGINEERS BEAT OUT THEIR PEERS AT TOP MBA PROGRAMS HOW DO ACCENTURE CONSULTANTS GET INTO WHARTON? APPLYING FOR HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL’S 2+2 FROM ABROAD HBS WITH A 3.4 & A 770? WHARTON? 5 YEARS OF FINANCE + 4 YEARS OF MARINES = HBS?