The Odd Questions Harvard Asks MBA Applicants
"How would your parents describe you when you were twelve?"
"What’s the one thing you’ll never be as good at as others?"
"What company do you follow that isn’t Google or Apple? What issues do you think keep its CEO up at night?"
Questions during a job interview at a top consulting firm or bank? Nope. They're questions that applicants to Harvard Business School (HBS) have recently been asked during their admission interviews.
They're especially relevant today (Jan. 30) because HBS began notifying hundreds of applicants who met the school's round two deadline whether they were either rejected or invited to interview for admission to this fall's entering class of just over 900 students. For many, it's the only thing separating them from a seat in the next class.
Sandy Kreisberg, a Boston-based MBA admissions consultant, says that experiencing a Harvard Business School interview is like being born. "It’s a special passage where awful things can happen," he says. "Tremendous damage can occur in a very short period of time. You should worry about it, and you should prepare for it."
Truth is, the answers to these curveball questions are often less important than the poise and confidence a candidate shows during the half hour Q&A with a member of Harvard's admissions staff. The school is looking for people who are bright, articulate and have the kind of presence that will make them likely to succeed in business.
So some questions inevitably are designed to throw an candidate off script. Among my favorites:
What would you say is the brand of your undergraduate university?
What is your favorite kind of chocolate?
What is your favorite cartoon?
I imagine that Harvard doesn't exactly want a straight answer to these gems. Afterall, you can't just say Vosges Haut-Chocolat or South Park and shut down. You need to deliver a witty narrative riff that impresses and dazzles your interviewer.
Those Piemonte Hazelnut Milk Chocolate Crunchy Praline Bonbons, of course, inspire and model innovation because they push the boundaries of chocolate conventions.
And Kyle Broflovski is the South Park character who has the most appeal to you because he is the voice of reason.
All of these admission interview questions come from this year's "Unofficial Harvard Business School Interview Guide,” put together annually by the staff of The Harbus, the school’s MBA student newspaper.
If you happen to get an invite today, it's not a bad place to start your prep.
For more advice and questions, go to PoetsandQuants.com:
Harvard MBAs Dish On The Admissions Interview
How Not To Screw Up Your Harvard Business School Interview
Dynamic Sales Specialist | Passionate About Customer Success, Training & Digital Development
11 年Love these questions, and I agree, it's about how they answer the questions and come across, more than the answers themselves. When I interview, I always get the same boring answers, this would really separate the men from the boys.
Personal Trainer / Crossfit Level 1 Trainer
12 年Great article. Much appreciated. The picture of Kyle definitely throws people off, but leads readers in. Very good use of South Park and it's characters, and who doesn't like fine chocolate.
People over-think it. these questions are easy to answer - My parents thought I was inventive, imaginative and wonderful till I turned 13 and became a know-it-all. I was a good problem-solver as I designed a name place holder for an event my mother was organising when I was 7. I built (and managed my friends to build) play houses from leftover construction materials in our garden. I can't dance well and never will learn because I have no rhythm. I can't even clap in time to music. I follow *name of well-known publisher* and I think the CEO is up at night wondering how to swim faster and catch the digital wave. They're interesting questions because the answers can tell you a great deal about the person and there is really no way you can prepare for them.
Realty 3
12 年Offten my parent's needed to keep an eye on me as a child because the moument u took your eye off me I was gone.Have to say I am as I alway's will be on the go
Supervisor at General Motors
12 年Hi John, I've always had a roadblock in my mind to change some procedures on this subject, now I think about changing and fast.