A Talk with Babson's Admissions Director
An excerpt from the Q&A:

Q: What questions can applicants expect to hear in this interview?
A: It's nothing radical. We're hoping to get an idea about their past experiences and goals and how the two relate to each other. They need to articulate how Babson's MBA can help them achieve those goals.

Q: Would you share an example of a terrible interview?
A: I can't say I've actually had a terrible interview, but some of the more challenging ones are similar in many respects. Basically, when someone can't or won't answer a question, when they're not focused on our questions and go off on tangents, when they're bent on telling us something particular whether we've asked it or not -- those are challenging interviews.

Q: Is there any recourse for applicants who leave an interview knowing that it wasn't their best performance? Do you offer second chances?
A: We don't offer a second interview. However, if a candidate feels that the interview was not successful, I would encourage them to send an e-mail or letter to the interviewer, as you would in a job interview, to cover any points you may have missed. This does not mean every candidate should rehash the entire interview and all their strengths -- the best way to do that is in the interview!

For the full version of this Q&A

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Comments from Student 1:
Scheduling the Interview: I called to schedule an interview via the admissions office.

Location of interview: Admissions officer's office

Preparedness of Interviewer: He reviewed my resume as I waited in the waiting room so he had minimal background knowledge and my job was to walk him through my resume.

Interviewer's university affiliation: Admissions officer

Atmosphere: Relaxed and quiet office, I was offered some water and we sat in his office, no interruptions and very smooth conversation.

Questions asked: The whole interview centered around my resume, which I walked him through internship by internship and job by job and he asked clarifying questions along the way. For example, did I like this or that and why?

Length of interview: Approximately one hour

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Comments from Student 2:
The interview was conducted over the phone. (Although I'm relatively local, they really accommodated my schedule. I was returning from a monthlong vacation and wanted to squeeze the interview in by the first round deadline so they did a phone interview). I later scheduled a campus visit where I had a tour, sat in on a class, and met with current students and faculty.

The interviewer was a current MBA student. I really liked this approach and thought it was one of the best interviews that I had. The approach was structured yet comfortable and I was able to ask questions and get a real sense for the atmosphere of the program. The interviewer was objective yet supportive and gave feedback on how she thought I did, emphasizing which of my strengths would be assets to the program.

Here are some of the questions that were asked:
1. What are you most proud of professionally?
2. How do you relax after a tough day?
3. What are your short-term goals?
4. What are your long-range goals?
5. Why an MBA?
6. Why a Babson MBA?