Beat The GMAT a GMAT & MBA community

Hi Everyone,

I have a dilemma. Like it says in the subject line I'm heading into an interview, I was invited by the Marshall School at USC! I took a tour of the school and sat in on a full time class through their ambassador program (ironically the day before I got the interview invite). I enjoyed the atmosphere of the campus, the support the school provides for its students, and how the professors handled the classroom discussions

So here's the thing...I'm afraid I might screw up this interview. I've interviewed with Kellogg in November 2011 and with Cornell in December 2011. The Kellogg interview is mandatory, so its not such a huge deal, and it was an in person interview with an alumni here in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. I thought it went well, especially since he told me at the end of the interview that he would recommend me for admission and that his only thought on why I wouldn't get in is due to my relatively low work experience (I'd only have 3 years if I entered this Fall 2012). In the end, I got rejected.

I was invited to interview by Cornell, it was a Skype interview with a 2nd year student. It started off well, the video cut out in the early part of it so we just continued with audio only. I thought I demonstrated how I was a good fit for Cornell, especially since I met with Cornell reps when they were in LA for the MBA Tour back in July 2011. But I didn't visit the campus, a dumb mistake I know. In the end, I got waitlisted.

I don't know if I've messed up my preparation or something else happened, but both times I felt like I was able to communicate without rambling and present myself clearly and confidently. I really REALLY want to get in to USC, especially since I applied through the Consortium and they need an admissions decision by mid March to even consider me for their scholarship. In the past I've looked up sample questions through Google, and usually prepared by looking at the ones listed on interviewbay and the clear admit wiki. Plus this time USC is asking for an updated resume, and I exceeded my goals at work for 2011 and I've volunteered to present an hour long major technical change at work to our office that will have a large impact on the way the company will do business going forward. I'll also be responsible for leading a discussion for a group of 50 people in the office. So I figured I could work those into what I already have on my current resume.

This will be an on campus interview with a member of the Admissions committee. Any thoughts, advice, or comments? I'd really appreciate any help!