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

Q: How does the interview process work? Do applicants initiate it?
A: More or less it's applicant-driven. Anybody who comes to Atlanta can have an interview any time. We don't require that there be an application on file.

We also go to many cities -- all the major ones in the U.S. and a large number outside the U.S. In some cities, there will be a waiting list [for interviews]. For example, when I recruit in Beijing or Shanghai, there are so many requests that we pre-screen them. In some cases, not just anybody can interview. In some cases they're screened.

If we don't go to a city where a candidate is, they have to apply and [be] selected for an interview. In those cases, we do phone interviews.

Q: What types of interview questions should a prospective student expect?
A: The focus is on gaining a deeper understanding of their work responsibilities, as well as their career progression. It's typical for candidates to have had several jobs by the time they apply, and sometimes it's with different companies -- that's fine. We want to know, maybe, why they changed jobs. How they got their job is always an interesting question, I think. And we also ask what are their key responsibilities. Ultimately, we want to know what will this candidate contribute to class discussions.

Beyond that, we look at interpersonal skills. We want to know their team skills. We want a sense of what role they typically play on a team, how their teammates might describe them. It's a conversation -- we do not want it to be a stress interview. We want them to have a chance to present their best self. So we try to make it a pleasant experience.

We're one of the few schools where the vast majority of interviews are done by a member of the admissions committee. That makes the process more consistent. It also means that the candidate typically has an advocate on the committee.

For the full version of this Q&A

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Comments from Student 1:
Scheduling the Interview: I went to Emory's website, and it said that in order to apply to the MBA program, it was strongly recommended that a candidate complete an interview. However, Goizueta was very flexible as to the type of interview: on campus, telephone and interviews with alumni in local cities were all offered as options. The scheduling process was over the phone, not on the web. I called the number listed on the website, spoke with someone on the admissions committee, and scheduled an interview for December, 2003.

Location of interview: The interview was on campus.

Preparedness of Interviewer: My interviewer had definitely looked at my resume ahead of time. However, Emory does not require that an application be submitted prior to the interview, so she had not read any of my essays or other application materials.

Interviewer University affiliation: I interviewed with Libby Livingston; she was an admissions officer.

Atmosphere: The atmosphere was okay. It was not as structured as Dartmouth, and I did not see any other interviewees that day. I found the business building and the admissions office according the directions on the website; then I met with a first year student for lunch, interviewed with Libby, and went back to my hotel. They did not have a class for me to attend because the first years had an exam that day.

Questions asked: The interview was pretty formal. Libby went through my resume in front of her and asked me specific questions about my various AT&T positions and the responsibilities that I had. She was concerned with any teamwork that I completed as well as extracurricular activities in which I had participated.

One interesting point was that she wanted to know how many organizations I belonged to as an undergrad and which leadership positions I held. She said that Goizueta wanted students who would work to make the MBA program a better place and who would get involved outside of the required classes.

Length of interview: The interview lasted about 30 minutes.

Any additional comments: Overall, the entire interview day was average. It wasn't a bad experience, but it also did not convince me that Goizueta was the place for me. I did not feel the sense of community that I felt at Dartmouth, and the day could have been a little more organized.

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