So today is the day I head off to Chicago for my interview. Prep has been going very well, I've been studying questions from accepted.com, clearadmit.com, etc., and have examples of teamwork, leadership, and mistakes/setbacks at the ready, and I've also practiced my story of career goals in the short-term and long-term, and why MBA, why now, why Chicago (really just a more concise version of Chicago's career essay). Over the past two days I've also completely re-read the Chicago website and MBA brochure twice, picking out specifics I'd like to weave into my interview (and will also keep my eyes open for tidbits during my campus visit on Thurs), and have thought of a few questions for the interviewer to keep in my back pocket in case there are no questions I have resulting from the discussion. I've also (thankfully) reached an almost Zen-like level of calm going into it. Now of course this is subject to change when I walk into the Harper Center on Friday morning, but for now it's letting me focus and relax. Unlike, for example, the people over at the BusinessWeek forums. Now I understand why the people in the Chicago discussion are worried about getting interview invites, since today is the last day, and I'm sure I'd be in the same state if I were in their shoes. But surprisingly the Chicago discussion was pretty subdued compared to the HBS discussion, where people were FREAKING OUT about invites, with plenty of speculation that if no invite was received this week that it meant a certain ding (even though Dee said HBS is just about 50% through sending invites). Not having received an invitation yet from HBS, I understand the pain of waiting, but my God, obsessing about it every day just doesn't change anything. At this point, whether I worry about it constantly or try to figure out if my last name, region, astrological sign, mother's maiden name, or other factor means that they've read my application already and decided not to invite me, will have absolutely no influence on what their decision is. Now I'm not saying I'm not checking my email multiple times throughout the day, but still, people just need to relax a bit and have some faith in the quality of their application. Ok, I'll step off my soapbox now.
Good luck to everyone still waiting for a Chicago invite. I hope you get good news in your inbox today.
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4 comments:
How I envy you! I was coompletely relaxed in the lead-up to the Kellogg interview, then found myself nervous during the conversation when I found myself fumbling. I should've prepped after all.
Anyway, you're probably the best person to ask this of-- how many hours did you spend prepping for the interview? I ask because I feel fairly confident about each school (having visited each, for example -- which is why I'm not interviewing on campus for any) so I'm not sure how much more is needed.
PS: Do brace yourself for the cold. Chicago's unpleasantness at this time of the year cannot be quantified by temperature alone; wind is a big factor.
Amen and good luck!
Forecast has Chicago fairly warm for this time of year, but I'm still packing all my warm stuff anyway. Last year, it dropped from mid-50s to 0 overnight.
Were you on campus today (11/14)? I met someone who interviewed there.
I was on campus yesterday and today (11/15 and 11/16), so we just missed each other.
MBAbound - I also planned for the cold, but then unfortunately left my nice, warm wool coat on my bed in my apartment, so have been freezing since I got here.
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