Stanford GSB MBA Interviews

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 5

The interview lasted about an hour. the guy explained he would go through a standardized list of questions… also spent 5 minutes explaining the process: interview was a good sign but not a guarantee of success blah blah blah.
you have already quite a list of academic achievements. why do you need mba then? when did you realize you needed one?
… and why stanford?
explain to me how you lead in your work or in some other context? i want to understand how exactly you do.
what has been your greatest accomplishment?
Criticism you received: example and how did you react? what did you think of your supervisor then?
Tell me about a nonbusiness book you read?
Tell me how you influence your peers [given that you’re working mainly with peers]? I want a precise example of how you achieve this influence/leadership. there, it was clear he wanted an episode / very precise set of actions.
Tell me about an occasion when you were under bad leadership. what did you learn?
then it was his turn to talk. i asked him about his background and progression and how stanford played a role in it. then we discussed about how stanford most helped him become more entrepreneurial and he gave some useful tips as to how best use the faculty. then his wife called and he apologized he had to leave!

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 6

The interview lasted about an hour. the guy explained he would go through a standardized list of questions… also spent 5 minutes explaining the process: interview was a good sign but not a guarantee of success blah blah blah.
you have already quite a list of academic achievements. why do you need mba then? when did you realize you needed one?
… and why stanford?
explain to me how you lead in your work or in some other context? i want to understand how exactly you do.
what has been your greatest accomplishment?
Criticism you received: example and how did you react? what did you think of your supervisor then?
Tell me about a nonbusiness book you read?
Tell me how you influence your peers [given that you’re working mainly with peers]? I want a precise example of how you achieve this influence/leadership. there, it was clear he wanted an episode / very precise set of actions.
Tell me about an occasion when you were under bad leadership. what did you learn?
then it was his turn to talk. i asked him about his background and progression and how stanford played a role in it. then we discussed about how stanford most helped him become more entrepreneurial and he gave some useful tips as to how best use the faculty. then his wife called and he apologized he had to leave!

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 7

Met with the alumni at her company in a meeting room. The interview lasted 45 minutes. This was definitely a very conversational interview which allowed me to speak to my experiences in my professional, academic, extracurricular, and especially my personal life. I can only describe this as one of the most enlightening and down-to-earth interviews I’ve had thus far. We went through her list of “Stanford recommended” questions:

1. What was the point/situation that made you realize you wanted an MBA?
2. Why Stanford?
3. Tell me about a challenging time for you.
4. Tell me a time where you failed as a leader. What was the reaction of those under you?
5. What do you believe to be your greatest achievement?
6. Tell me about a great leader you had and what you learned from this person.
7. What was the best college course you took?
8. Why aren’t you applying to schools X and Y?
9. What is the best constructive criticism you’ve received?
10. What is a non-business book you’ve read and what did you learn from it?

Then, I was given 5 minutes to ask her questions. During the interview we conversed on women in business, swapped book recommendations and community service orgs to look into, and both spoke about our passion for “why Stanford.” We discussed Stanford’s culture, class dynamics, location, which classes to take, professors and their research, and hands-down, how the GSB offers the best leadership development and growth through its general management program. We also discussed opportunities in the social sector – though I had clearly emphasized my interest in marketing. Since I had been to campus several times for the 1) Info Session, 2) GSB Tour, 3) Lunch w/ Student, and 4) In-Class Visit, I was also able to speak about the GSB on a personal level to reinforce the “why Stanford” for me.

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 8

The Stanford MBA Program interview was an off campus interview held on October 15, 2021. The final result was that I was waitlisted for the program.

Since the interviewer and I attended the same college institution, we began by talking about my undergraduate experience. It then proceeded in the manner of a typical interview:

In 30 minutes, the following questions were posed to me: 

Why do you want to join the Stanford MBA Program?

Why do you want to do MBA in general?

What are the reasons I went from first job to current job?

What were the times I dealt with conflicts?

What mistakes I made as a manager?

What questions I asked people as a manager?

Then I asked questions to the interviewer for ten minutes, asking them:

What do you wish you would have done differently about your Stanford experience? 

How did you feel about moving to USA given that you are from a different place?

We discussed a variety of topics, including India’s energy security and my predictions for the future of shale oil/gas and EOR, among other things. She told me about the energy research institute at Stanford and how I can use my practical knowledge in addition to the business skills I’ve acquired through an MBA. All in all, it was a pretty good one, and it ended with her asking me to catch up for another informal meeting soon.

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 9

The Stanford MBA Program interview was a skype interview held on October 23,2020. The final result was that I got accepted for the program.

Interviewer arrived on the video call only a few seconds late. started off fairly casually by spending three minutes discussing our days. I shared the same state and region in the US with the interviewer who was an alumni.

Following were the questions asked:

1. Why do you want to do MBA?

2. Why do you want to join the Stanford MBA Program?

3. What are your long-term objectives? What is the driving force behind it?

Three behavior-related issues:

4. Talk about a time when you failed.
5. What is your most cherished accomplishment?
6. Describe a time when you participated in a team effort without taking the lead.

The interview was informal and took place over the course of roughly 50 minutes, which also included opportunity for me to ask any questions. Only the three behavioural questions described above were asked during the interview, but the interviewer made an effort to probe further into the answers with follow-up queries.

Stanford GSB Interview Questions – 10

The interview for the Stanford MBA Program was held on February 09, 2015. It was an off campus interview. It was one of the better interviews I’ve had so far. I’ll be brief in what I have to say about my interview, but if you have any questions, feel free to contact me in a private message.

My interview was originally scheduled for earlier in the week, and after it was postponed a few times, it eventually happened yesterday. It lasted for about an hour and a half and was in a coffee shop.

Here are a few of the questions I can think of:

1. Could you describe your typical day at work?
2. How would your direct reports describe your management style?
3. In what ways do you exercise leadership at work? Are management and leadership the same thing?
4. As a member of firm X, describe an instance when you were a member of a team that struggled and how you contributed.
5. How do you interact with individuals from various cultures?
6. What do your coworkers consider to be your areas of weakness?
7. How did you get beyond this flaw?
8. Why would you pick the Stanford MBA Program?

Since it was so conversational, I thought it went extremely well and we finished in exactly 1.5 hours. That’s all. Best of luck.