MBA 면접시 질문들

   MBA 지원시 가장 중요한 부분이 에세이와 면접이다. 두가지 모두 가장 중요한 핵심은 '내가 왜 MBA에 지원했으며, 내가 졸업후 alumnus로서 학교에 어떻게 기여할 수 있는가' 이다.
나의 경우, 면접을 쉽게 생각하고 많은 준비없이 갔다가, 많은 질문에 당황했던 기억이 있다. 이미 서류상의 경력이나 에세이를 보고 어느정도 선정한거 아닌가라는 안일한 생각을 가졌지만, 실제 면접시의 질문들은 보다 다양하고 포괄적이었다. 약 50분 정도 진행된 것으로 기억하는데, 미국에서 온 교수 2명과 중국교수 2명 등 모두 4명이 들어와서, 집요하게 질문을 했었다.
가장 난처한 질문은, 중국에 진출한 당신네 한국 기업이 중국기업과의 차별점이 무엇이고 무엇이 전략적 무기인가? 모 이런 류의 질문이었다. 현재 포지션이나 리더쉽, 세부적인 회사 사정 등 집요하게 물으면서 나를 파악하려는 의지가 대단했다. 그도 그럴것이 alumni의 질이 학교의 명성에 절대적인 영향을 미치기 때문이다.

   아래는 미국 대학의 mba지원시 일반적인 질문 리스트이다. 중국이건 미국이건 공히 참고할 수 있는 자료라 생각된다.


1.What educational and personal objectives do you hope to satisfy through the MBA program? (Stanford)
2.What type and level of work do you expect to be engaged in five or ten years now? (Stanford)
3.Why do you wish to pursue an MBA degree from Harvard Business School? What are your career aspirations and why? (Harvard)
4.Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg. (Northwestern)
5.Briefly assess your career progress to date. How does the MMM program meets your educational needs and career goals? (Northwestern)
6.Describe how your experiences, both professional and personal, have led to your decision to pursue an MBA at the Wharton School this year. How does this decision relate to your career goals for the future? (Wharton)
7.What are your short-term and long-term career goals? How will a Columbia Business School MBA helps you achieve these goals? (Columbia)
8.What are your professional goals? How do your past and present experiences relate to those goals? (Berkeley)
9.Why are you seeking an MBA or I.M.B.A. from the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business? What do you hope to experience and contribute? What are your plans and goals after you receive your degree? (Chicago)
10. Describe your post-graduation career plans. How will your education, experience, and development to date support those plans? How will an MBA from the University of Michigan Business School help you attain your goals? (Michigan)
11. Why do you wish to pursue the LFM Program and, in particular, the engineering program you selected? (Please be review your application.) How does this fit with your future plans? (MIT)


1.Discuss a difficult or painful professional experience from which you get valuable lesson. (Stanford)
2.Describe a setback, disappointment, or occasion of failure that you have experienced. How did you manage the situation, and what did you learn form it? (Harvard)
3.Discuss a non-academic situation which you were disappointed in yourself. Tell us how it has affected you personally and / or professionally. (Columbia)
4.If you have ever received a failing grade, been placed on Academic Probation, or been dismissed from any school, please explain. Discuss the circumstances if you attended more than one undergraduate college or began a graduate program that you did not complete. If appropriate, include an explanation of any extraordinary circumstances influencing your academic record. (Chicago)
5.Describe a failure or setback in your life. How did you overcome this setback? What, if anything, would you do differently if confronted with this situation again? (Michigan)
6.What is an important lesson that you have learned in life? How did you come to learn this lesson? (MIT)


1.List and describe briefly five characteristics that you think most appropriate to yourself. (Stanford)
2.Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, and non-work-related activities will enhance the experiences of other Kellogg students. (Northwestern)
3.What personal qualities would you like to develop to become a more effective leader? (Northwestern)
4.What is your most valued tangible possession? What is your most valued intangible possession? (Berkeley)
5.If you could change one characteristic about yourself, what would it be?
(Berkeley)
6.To your college friends and classmates, do you feel that you were particularly advantaged or disadvantaged? Please explain. (Berkeley)
7.What do you consider to be your major accomplishment in your current job? (Stanford)
8.Describe your three most substantial accomplishments and explain why you view them as such. (Harvard)
9.hrough the course of your life, what would you identify as your most valued accomplishment? (Northwestern)
10.The best mistake I ever made was … (Northwestern)
11.In reviewing the last five years, describe a situation in which you felt particularly effective as a member of a team. (Columbia)
12.Briefly state what you view as your most significant accomplishment. (Berkeley)
13.Tell us about the most challenging team experience you have had to date. What role did you play? What factors made it a challenge for you? How did you and the group address these issues? What did you learn? (Duke)
14.List any scholastic honors and the basis for your seletion. Also list any articles or books published, research work completed or in progress, and inventions or other creative work, if applicable. (Chicago)
15.What has been your most significant professional achievement? What has been your toughest professional challenge and how did you address it? (Michigan)
16.What's the most creative solution to a problem or situation you've ever developed? (Michegan)
17.What's the most creative solution to a problem or situation you've ever developed? (Michigan)
18.Describe an idea you've had for a new business or product or a new service line of an existing entity. (Michigan)
19.At Sloan we view leadership as "making things happen" Tell us about a time when you made something important happen. What did you learn about yourself from this experience? (MIT)


1.Is there any other information that you believe would be helpful to the Board in understanding you better an in considering your application? Please be concise. (Harvard)
2.Is ther any additional information that you wish to provide to the Admissions Committee? Also, regarding your previous education, please use this space to provide an explanation of any instances of probation, dismissal, transfer, withdrawal from a course or failing grades. (Columbia)
3.Please feel free to provide a statement concerning any information you would like to add to your application that you haven't addressed elsewhere. (Berkeley)
4.Describe an experience or experiences you've had that highlights the value of diversity in a business setting. (Michigan)
5.If there is any other information that you believe is important to our assessment of your candidacy, feel free to add it to your application. (Michigan)


1.Outside of the work I enjoy… (Northwestern)
2.The admission Committee recognizes that your students have multiple interests. Please tell us about what you feel most passionate. (Columbia)
3.Describe something you feel passionate about。（Berkeley）
4． List your involvement in community, extracurricular, and professional activities. Please indicate the dates of your involvement, the scope of your responsibilities, whether you were elected or appointed to leadership positions, and the offices held. (Chicago)


1. You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (Northwestern)
2. People may be surprised when they learn that I … (Northwestern)
3. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me… (Northwestern)
4. While recognizing that no day is typical, describe a representative day. (Harvard)
5. We all experience "defining moments", significant events that can have major impact on our lives. Briefly describe such an event and how it affected you. (Harvard)
6. Please tell us something else about yourself that you feel will help the Admissions Committee know you better. (Wharton)
7. If you could have dinner with one individual, past or present, who would it be? What would you order? (Berkeley)
8. If you have 4 extra hours each day (i.e., 1 28-hour day), what would you do with them? (Berkeley)
9. Do you feel that your academic record (i.e., grades, course load, etc.) is an accurate reflection of your ability and potential? In comparison (Berkeley)
10. Discuss the most significant personal or professional risk you've taken. What was the outcome? (Duke)
11. Describe any significant study, employment, or travel outside your home country. Why did you pursue your experience abroad? How long did you stay (include dates)? Did it enhance your foreign language skills? (Chicago)
12. If you could pick 3 guests for a formal dinner who would they be and why would you choose them? (Chicago)
13. Discuss how your current duties and responsibilities in your organization affect your company's strategy. Describe your level of decsion-making ability. What will you contribute to the Duke MBA program?
14. How will an MBA assist you in your next career move? (Duke)