My Stanford Interview

While my acceptance to HBS is still sinking in (!!!), I thought I'll take some time to write about my Stanford interview while that is still fresh in my mind. I know some of you have one coming up (which is awesome!), and will hopefully find my experience helpful.

I had had four interviews before my Stanford one, so in terms of nerves and getting my general 'story' right, I was feeling quite confident. I reread my essays, went through the typical questions from the clearadmit wiki, and prayed sincerely at every opportunity I got. I also dug through every link on the Stanford website to make sure I had a solid "Why Stanford" story, focusing specifically on points that distinguish Stanford from HBS. From what I have heard, Stanford alums are very proud of their school, and they want to make sure you will appreciate Stanford for its unique characteristics.

My actual interview was in a mini conference room of a small VC firm. I had googled my interviewer earlier, and needless to say his achievements were as expected - absolutely stellar! He fit the stereotype Stanford grad - very smart but equally down to earth. We spoke about his new company for some time before I realized that he was supposed to interview me, so I retracted myself from asking more questions. We switched gears and he asked me to walk him through my resume. This part was very conversational and he asked me several questions to understand more about my specific experiences. He then started browsing through the guide that Stanford sends their alumni, and picked up a couple of questions:
* "Tell me about a weakness of yours" - After probably seeing my eyes light up at that question (I was so prepared for it), he interjected - "Actually, tell me about two weaknesses!" Thankfully, I held up!
* "How do you keep yourself intellectually stimulated outside of work?"
* "Anything else you want to add?" - Because I didn't get a chance to discuss my 'fun' side in the Stanford application, I took this opportunity to share some interesting anecdotes. I was surprised (very very pleasantly) when he just burst out laughing and didn't stop for a whole minute (score!).

He then asked me if I had any questions for him. I asked him about his Stanford experience, and he told me that he would never trade those two years for anything. He emphasized on the Stanford network and said that the friendships he made were the highlight of his MBA experience. His work experience was very similar to my career aspirations, and I received some great advice from him. After about 30 minutes of asking him questions, I finally let him go!

Overall, it was a great experience! If I do get into Stanford, I will be lucky enough to have a very hard choice to make. Looking forward to the 3rd of April now! Till then, I'll continue prancing around our house with a printout of my HBS acceptance in each one of my hands!