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Stanford Interview: Input Please!

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Stanford Interview: Input Please!

by [email protected] » Wed Mar 20, 2013 5:35 pm
I was fortunate to receive an interview with Stanford GSB after applying in Round 2. I contacted my interviewer ten minutes after receiving the email. He did not confirm his availability for an interview unitl a week later and could not get together until two weeks after the invitation. He was cordial but only asked 5 questions, typed up the evaluation of the interview while we spoke, and said the interview was limited to 45 minutes. My understanding is that interviews should have lasted 60 minutes and probably touched on more than 5 questions.

My interviewer was respectful and answered my questions (about half of the interview was my asking him questions). I think his brevity resulted from his company's currently being mid-merger and his related hectic schedule.

Despite the innocuous circumstances, I am worried that my interview will not provide a sufficient evaluation to compare favorably to other interviewees. This is important because my initial application was weaker than other interviewees due to comparatively low test scores. I was hoping to shine, as interviews are typically my strong suit.

QUESTION: Is it worth noting this to the admissions committee, or should I just hope for the best? Any insights appreciated. Thank you!
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by essaysnark » Fri Mar 22, 2013 8:42 am
Hey there!! First up: WOW CONGRATS ON GETTING THE INVITE AT STANFORD!! Those come few and far between, so clearly you impressed them with your application.

Next: HOW STRESSFUL! Everything about an interview is stressful but this sounds like it didn't go as smoothly as it could have.

And this is a very tricky situation. Here's what we can offer:

1. Stanford interviews actually are more limited in duration - from comments we've heard from other applicants, we're pretty sure that the Stanford admissions team requests that interviews be pretty contained. A 45-minute interview is standard for them. You didn't get cheated based on length of the interview. If you do decide to contact admissions, then skip that part of it entirely.

2. The main thing they're looking for in an interview is how the applicant presents - are they mature, professional, friendly, would they be a good fit to the Stanford culture? As unfair as this may seem, someone could easily get these things from the first 5 minutes of an interview - you don't necessarily need more than 5 questions to understand a person (particularly if the alum is more senior and has done a lot of interviewing in his job). Also, the questions that you asked him could have given even more insights into what you're about - the interviewer can learn so much from that part of the process. So don't discount your 5 questions as being insufficient. The core topics of why do you want an MBA and why do you want to come to Stanford can often be covered pretty easily.

3. It's very possible that the interviewer wrote totally positive things about you. How do you know that he wrote a negative report? Complaining about the experience could COMPLETELY backfire for you.

4. Stanford trusts their alumni. It's not great that he was literally typing up the report during the interview - it seems like he should've been paying closer attention to you in real-time - but that's not a huge sin on his part, is it?

5. If you contact admissions, it could absolutely go either way - they could flag the interview as questionable and discount what the alum said, or they could discount your concerns as coming from a high-maintainance and put a black mark on your profile.

Now here's the totally tricky part: If you decide to contact the school, YOU NEED TO DO IT NOW. We've seen people who actually had much much worse experiences in interviews (hostile interviewer - not at Stanford, at elsewhere) who said nothing about it to admissions, but then blam, they were rejected. At that point they decided to write an email, and in that case, and a few others we've observed, the adcom - again at another school - let them re-do the interview, this time with an admissions staff person. They still didn't make it in, but who knows, that may have been based on the sequence of events. It looks like sour grapes if you complain after you've been rejected. If you have a legit complaint, it seems like it should be raised immediately after the experience, right?

But like we said, it could backfire. We're on the fence about how bad this actually was for you; we just don't know.

You do have reason for some concern on this - we don't want to belittle the issues you're raising entirely. However from what you've described, it doesn't sound like the alumni did anything against you - it just sounds like he wasn't that interested in doing this task for the school. That's a very big bummer and your experience wasn't very positive. That alone **might** be reason to contact Stanford, to let them know about it, so they can possibly choose not to have this guy doing interviews in the future. They do care about the "user experience" so to speak.

But they might side with the alum. It's soooo hard to say.

Wish we could be more helpful in offering some advice to you. It's such a difficult call to make. We know how stressful this is and we wish you luck in it! Let us know if we can help, and please come back and tell us how this turns out for you!!!

EssaySnark
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by [email protected] » Sat Mar 23, 2013 3:28 pm
Hi EssaySnark,

Thank you so much for the comprehensive and insightful reply! Your analysis was very helpful. Ultimatley, I did not contact the school. The interviewer and I still had a cordial and pleasant repoire, and he left saying he would keep his fingers crossed for me. I think I was particularly sensitive because my scores are so low that I put additional pressure on myself to shine in the interviewer. Especially considering the information that Stanford keeps interviews to 45 minutes (very helpful!), I feel much more comfortable that the interview comports with protocol. At this point, I am just grateful to have had an interview and will let the chips fall where they may.

Thanks again, and have a good weekend!
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by essaysnark » Mon Mar 25, 2013 8:17 am
Stanford doesn't put full stake on the test scores - people have a real chance there even if their scores are low when the rest of the profile is compelling. Hopefully this turns out for you!! Please come back and update us when you get the answer from the adcom. Fingers are crossed!!!

EssaySnark
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by finetime » Thu Mar 28, 2013 11:09 am
I wouldn't say anything - it will appear whiny. And...Stanford interviews are all with alums and vary - they know that quality is different. I don't think it matters. Although it's not ideal and is stressful - don't say anything!
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by kate.johansen » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:29 am
You were all right. I said nothing, which turned out to be the right move because I was accepted!

Thanks for assuaging my anxiety and assuring me to stick with my risk-averse gut (on this issue).

Good luck to everybody else!
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by essaysnark » Tue Apr 02, 2013 9:34 am
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!

We were wondering how things turned out for you - this is awesome news!!!

Great job and GOOD LUCK ON YOUR AMAZING STANFORD MBA ADVENTURE!!!!

EssaySnark
EssaySnark has MBA application guides for HBS, Stanford, Booth, Wharton, NYU and pretty much any other school you can name - including a fully revised and expanded 2015 Columbia essay guide!
https://essaysnark.com/bookstore/
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