Graduate Blog / Graduate Admissions

Quick Tips to Prepare for Your Graduate Admissions Interview

As you submit your application for the Round 3 deadline of February 28th (or another upcoming application deadline), you should also be thinking about how to best prepare for Graduate School interviews. The interview is another aspect of your application which helps us assess your experiences, accomplishments, goals and fit for Babson and your program of interest. It helps bring life to your application and allows us the opportunity to get to know you better. Here is some advice to help you make the most of your interview experience:

Be sure to prepare and do your research: In addition to our robust website, there are many ways to get to know us. By the time your interview takes place we want to see that you understand Babson and how you will be a member of graduate school community. Make a good impression by having an understanding of the information that can be easily accessed on our website; as the interview tends to move quickly, we want to have time to address your more complex questions.

Focus on being your genuine self: After taking an initial look at your application we’ve determined we want to hear more about you, from you. This is your time to tell your story; you should be prepared to speak to your strengths, experiences, and most importantly, why you feel your program of interest is the right next step in achieving your career goals. These narratives are most meaningful when they’re authentic, as we try to envision you as a member of our collaborative community.

Use the time wisely – be clear and concise: With the limited amount of time we have to get to know you, it’s helpful to be clear and concise with your responses, always providing impactful examples. Prepare examples and scenarios that will help paint a picture for the interviewer; be prepared to speak to specific instances when you worked on a team, faced a difficult situation, took on a leadership role, etc. Just like a job interview, we want to learn more about the impact you’ve made.

Whether your interview is in-person or Skype, we enjoy getting to know you and hearing your story. We look forward to reviewing round 3 applications in the coming weeks!