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

Q: Would you share an example of a terrible interview? Is there any recourse for applicants who leave an interview knowing that it wasn't their best performance? Do you offer second chances?
A: Applicants should use the interview to add dimension to their application and demonstrate their interest in our program. Flat interviews, or interactions that aren't thoughtful, don't bode well. On occasion we've allowed applicants to interview a second time.

Q: Where do you prefer that applicants do their interviews?
A: We prefer that candidates come to campus, because they can meet students, go to classes, and visit with faculty. We also travel to MBA forums around the world, and applicants may interview at those. If that's not possible, we have MBA alums in select cities doing interviews, and they are voting members of the admissions committee.

Q: A lot of applicants fret over the perfect balance between saying positive things about themselves and showing self-awareness by pointing out their weaknesses. What's best, in your eyes?
A: Striking a healthy balance between areas of strength and weakness. In other words, demonstrating how or what one would contribute to a team and classroom, and demonstrating recognition of potential areas for further development shows maturity, reflection, and self-awareness. We're interested in understanding how the students and others perceive their strengths and weaknesses. We look for consistency in essays, interview feedback, and at the candidate's recommendations.

For a full version of this Q&A

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Comments from Student 1:
The Format: I called to schedule my interview a week after I submitted my application, as they recommend on their website. (Tip Number One: Always check each school's policy about interviews. Some require you to schedule them yourself, but they have only certain times [i.e. early fall, within two weeks of your application submission] during which they will interview you.) As I lived in San Francisco at the time, my interview was scheduled to occur over the phone.

The Interview: My interviewer was a current second year student in the MBA program. He was a nice, jovial guy who seemed very interested in selling Boston College's MBA program to me. He had not seen my entire application, but had a copy of the resume I submitted in front of him, and it seemed he had given it at least a cursory glance before our conversation. (Tip Number Two: Always have your application in front of you or with you during your interview. If it's a phone interview you'll feel better having notes in front of you if you panic and forget the name of the first company you worked for. And if it's an on site interview, you just look prepared. That said, you should still know your application backwards and forwards before the interview.) The general atmosphere was very relaxing, almost as though I were talking to a friend on the phone about a school I was interested in. The questions I was asked were very subjective- things like, "why did you choose to go to your undergraduate institution," "what did you like most about your experiences working in advertising," or "what attracted you most to Boston College?" These questions were asked in a conversational manner and I genuinely believed that my interviewer was just curious. After these preliminary questions were asked, he then turned the interview over to me, asking for my questions about business school and the BC program. (Tip Number Three: HAVE QUESTIONS. If you don't have questions you don't look interested, so jot some down before each interview. If I hadn't had questions ready for this interview, it might have been very short.) The interview lasted about 30-45 minutes, and later I was offered a place in the Boston College MBA class of 2006. Interviews for Boston College's Carroll School of Management are "optional," but as always, "optional" means "only if you want to get in."

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Comments from Student 2:
Boston College offered interviews to any prospective student who called to request one. My interview was conducted in an admissions office conference room by a second-year student, which I hadn't expected. On one hand, this was an improvement on other interviews I've had in academic or professional situations, because the interviewer had recently been in my position and had more complete, more honest answers to my questions than I was expecting.

From another point of view, my interviewer wasn't as used to conducting interviews as an admissions professional would have been. He spent most of our 45 minute session describing his experiences as opposed to learning about mine. Of course, it's the job of the interview subject to steer the conversation in a direction where they can look impressive, but that's harder to do with someone who enjoys talking about their own experiences and choices. It's even harder when talking to someone who is probably trying to practice for his or her own upcoming interviews!