Checked in at the MBA administration office at 8:20 AM as requested.
After a brief introduction and a warm welcome I was shown to the lecture hall wear all the other 72 students were already seated. I had a designated seat at the back with a paper name tag beside another potential candidate who was also their for the day.
All the students had permanent name plates with their names on both sides. I figure this was so that not only would the professor know who they were addressing, but also any students seated in rows behind them. I was signifcantly over dressed. The majority of the students were in T-shirts with polar fleases and jeans. I on the otherhand was in full blown interview attire. Oh well, better to be over dressed than underdressed. After all I was here for an interview.
Enter the professor.
What followed was a learning experience I have never experienced before. A dynamic interactive discussion with the professor leading, or should I say conducting, the students. First a quick review and then into the new case study on leadership as it related to strategic change management. After approximately half an hour the professor split the groups into two different sides of the case study and sent them to their study rooms.
I was quickly adopted by a team and joined them to observe as they launched into a dynamic and well practiced brainstorming exercise to answer the questions handed out by the professor.
As I discovered Queen's assigns teams at the start of the semester which you are stuck with for the entire duration of the program. Each team is assigned a team/study room where each individual has a cubical/desk where they work. The rooms were locked with each student having a key to their respective team room. The rooms look well outfited with chairs, desks, internet, bookcases, and some closet space. All of the students' books and binders were kept here.
After about 50 minutes the professor had all the teams reconvene and had two of the teams, one from each side of the case study, face off in front of the class. About 10 mintues of this roll playing had passed when the professor openned the floor to the other teams. Again a very interesting learning environment orcistrated and directed by the professor.
It was at this point that the professor called for a break and told the students to be back in 15 minutes to discuss the actual outcome of the case study. A different member of the class was quick to ask me for coffee and off we went to explore the campus for a Tim Horton's location while discussing what we both saw in the MBA degree.
When we returned the professor rolled out the actual outcome of the case study. After a brief discussion with the students it was time for lunch.
I met the students I had requested to have lunch with at the administration office and we headed to the "QB" or "Queen's Pub". The conversation I had answered all the questions I had and then some. The answers the students gave were very candid. Although none of the answers I recieved made me reconsider Queen's, they did make me aware of certain aspects I hadn't considered.
All of them said they would do the initial review material sent out to them if they had to do it again. All of them said showing up more than a week in advance to set up a place to live was advisable. All of them said the program starts immediately upon the first day (i.e. the fire hose came on full stream). Also, all of them mentioned that in a lot of the interviews some potential employers were looking at grades to date and wouldn't consider candidates if their grades weren't sufficient. Finally, although all candidates are considered for scholarships I should not count on anything too significant (i.e. 5K doesn't make a huge dent in a 58K tuition price tag).
The best part of lunch was that the university paid for it. I know they will make it back in my tuition if I get in, but it is always nice to have someone buy you lunch.
After lunch I went for my interview with the Associate Director. It was an interesting discussion. I started off with mentioning that the interview was as much about them "feeling" me out as a candidate as I was "feeling" them out as a school. We reviewed my resume and then got to the nitty gritty. There was a strong emphasis on team work and team senarios you had been in or how would you handle different situations. Specifically, "Discuss a team situation you have been in that didn't work and how you was it handled." Also, they did look at my undergraduate transcript and wanted to know why I picked the electives I did instead of something else.
(NOTE: If you want a more detailed account of the interview please comment and I will try to accomodate you)
The interview ran a little late, but I think it went well. Only time will tell.
I had the offer to sit in on the afternoon class, but I figured I would sit through that class if I was successful in my application. I knew that if I didn't seize the moment and go to see Sir John A. Macdonald's house while I was in Kingston, I would regret it for a life time.
So I went to Sir John A. Macdonald's house, where I collected some fallen maple leaves. What is more Canadian than a maple leaf from the first Prime Minster's house in the first capital of Canada? If there is something, I can think of it.
After an extended visit at Sir John A.'s house I went back to the airport to await my flight home.
The flight home was long, but went well. No details as they are not relevant to the scope of this blog.
Other related entries in my blog:
- Application: Request for interview!
- Interview: In person, by phone, or wait for a visit to town?
- Interview: Goin' to Kingston
- Interview: Setting it up
- Interview: The Trip Out
- Interview: The Big Day
- Photo tour of Goodes Hall
Was I accepted? Guess you will have to read on to findout.
(Update: If you want to hear about another interview, check out this blog entry by a Queen's 2010 Candidate)
7 comments:
Anything about the interview that threw you for a loop? We're there general questions, or more speccific to your resume/background. What questions did you ask?
Cheers!
Nothing in the interview really "threw me for a loop", but there was one unexpected question. They asked why I took classics ("mythology") during my engineering undergratuate degree.
Be prepared for a lot of team oriented questions. The program has a heavy emphasis on team work and being a smaller program the fit of the students is essential.
My questions to them were more along the lines of where Canadian professional engineers from the oil and gas industry find themselves after completing an MBA. At the time I was interviewing I didn't have a strong idea of what options might really be available to me when I graduated.
Is it possible to give me more detail on the type of "team work" and "fit" questions that were asked? I will be making the trip to Kingston on Friday (03/28/08) for an interview and am really excited with the prospect of completing my MBA at Queen's. Thanks
It has been a while, but I will do my best to provide some additional detail.
First they had me talk through my resume. Since I have done this a lot during job interviews it wasn't too difficult. The real issue was to stick to the topic and not digress into too much detail, but to still provide enough anecdotes to keep it interesting.
I was specifically asked about a team situation I had been in that not good, why I thought it was not good, what was the outcome of the situation, how it was solved, and what I would do differently.
Also, I was asked how I interact with other cultures and what my experiences with other cultures in the past had been.
They asked me about an undergraduate course I took that was a little out of left field. I suspect that was more just to see how I would handle a completely unexpected question.
I also remember being asked about why I was taking an MBA, why Queen's, and what were my goals afterwards. From my research I knew what they were trying to get at and I don't disagree with it. I think they just wanted to see that I had picked Queen's for the right reasons (i.e. I wanted to be at one of the best business schools and I had found them through a legitimate search not just "by accident" or this was my last choice and I really didn't want to be here, etc.) and that I had some clear goals (i.e. I wasn't just going to complete the degree and hide under a rock and not use it afterwards) and that my expectations of the degree were realistic (i.e. You don't get a massive paycheck just because you have completed an MBA, but it can help down the road in 5 or 10 years).
Naturally I talked a little too much. I was worried that I was "babbling" and "gushing", but I was nervous and I'm sure they expect some of that from all the candidates. In the end Lori and I shared a couple of laughs and I got the impression that everything went okay, but not perfect.
I definitely got a feeling that they wanted to hear the answers to the questions, but a lot of it had to do with having a conversation with me in person. How did I handle myself, express my self, and interact with them in a face-to-face encounter.
Of course they wanted to hear how I would handle difficult team situation since they put you into groups and make you stick it out for 8 months. Of course they wanted to hear how I had interacted with other cultures in the past since they do recruit and accept international students. Of course they wanted to hear that I wanted to be at Queen's and not somewhere else. Of course they wanted to hear that I had goals and would use my MBA afterwards. Of course they wanted to hear that I had realistic expectations of the degree and wouldn't become some sort of crazed malcontent student if I wasn't offered a CEO position with a massive international firm/investment bank/conglomerate after graduation. I figure all this goes without saying, but I do firmly believe that it one of the most valuable parts is meeting face-to-face and getting a "feel" for the person.
I hope this helps. If you want to know more please feel free to post here again or e-mail me at "appleseed@live.ca". Let me know how it went and let me know if I will be seeing you in a few weeks!
Thanks for the quick response! I'll let you know how the interview goes...
Thanks for all the information , it is really useful.I am going to submit my application in round 2. I wanted to know if you have any idea if my chances will be affected I being an International student and applying in round 2?
What kind of GMAT score and work ex did you have prior to queen's? I have a score of 690,AWA 5.5 and work ex of 3.5 yrs.You think that is good enough? Any guidance will be really appreciated.Thanks!
Aditi,
Thanks for commenting. From what you have posted you should be a fairly strong candidate, but who knows. It all depends on who is applying at the same time. You should go ahead, apply and see what happens.
If you want more specifics please feel free to e-mail at appleseed-at-live-dot-ca. Best of luck.
Post a Comment