Comments from Student 1:
The director of the Syracuse iMBA program, Paula O'Callaghan, interviewed me and was very prepared. The phone interview was scheduled through a series of brief emails and took place approximately within a week or two from our first contact with each other. The phone interview lasted about 45 minutes, and it became quite evident from her questions, that she had reviewed my application thoroughly.

The interview began with several general questions, questions similar to that of a job interview and likely similar to what other MBA schools would ask. Questions such as: why an MBA, why Syracuse, why distance learning plus, what were my biggest strengths and weaknesses? After that, from what I recall, my work experience became a focal point of the interview. Detailed questions such as, what were my biggest challenges at work, as well as my feelings towards recently switching companies/jobs were discussed.

This was my first MBA interview and honestly, I was quite nervous. In fact, I muddled poorly past one answer on why I thought I could succeed in a distance MBA program, and gingerly asked Paula if I could have a "do-over." Paula happily agreed and said that there was nothing to be nervous about, and looking back she was right! The interview was much easier as opposed to admission essays and the GMAT. After that, I became more relaxed as the interview went on. Generally, the mood of the interview was sincere and professional, yet comfortably personal.

The most important thing I did in preparation for the interview was to intimately familiarize myself with the program, the school, and most importantly the admission materials I had sent in (i.e. resume and essay). Also, it was important to have a few well thought out questions about the program to ask the interviewer.