The goalposts for group MBA interviews are constantly shifting. For years, we at MetroMBA and Clear Admit, as well as other provincial publications, have been dishing out valuable advice for how to prepare for it. And for those familiar, one of the key points to remember is constantly being familiar with the changes.
Recently, U.S. News & World Report revealed its newest set of “Do’s and Dont’s” for those preparing for a group MBA interview. In it, MBA Admissions expert Stacy Blackman highlights how business schools like the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School and the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan focused more on the group interview dynamic over the past few years, which we previously highlighted over at Clear Admit.
The five pivotal “Do’s and Dont’s” she suggests are:
- Preparing In Advance
- Don’t “Dominate” The Conversation
- Active Listening
- Control Your Body Language
- Prioritize the Group Goal
Applicants looking to join Ross will unfortunately not be given an advance on the team-based exercise (or team-based discussion). However, those at Wharton do and can appropriately prepare. For example, here’s the prompt from last year’s interview:
“The diversity of interests and backgrounds of the Wharton MBA community is reflected in the variety of programs that we support. The African American MBA Association, Private Equity and Venture Capital Club, Wharton Women in Business, Entrepreneurship Club, and the Veteran’s Club are five of the more than one hundred student-run clubs here at Wharton. Each year, many of these clubs run conferences, providing unique and exclusive opportunities for students to engage with business and thought leaders around the world.
For the purpose of this discussion, picture yourself as a core member of a student-run club’s Conference Committee. Feel free to consider yourself part of an existing club or one that has not yet been created. In this role, you and your team must create and deliver a one-day, high-impact conference on the topic of your choice keeping in mind that the event’s aim is to provide a forum for students, faculty, alumni, thought leaders, and executives to explore and challenge ideas related to the topic at hand. Please take a moment to learn more about the current Wharton MBA student-led clubs and conferences.
Please come prepared to share your thoughts with the group in one minute or less before moving into the team discussion. You should plan to spend no more than one hour in preparation for this part of the process.”
So what exactly do applicants need to do to prepare for an team-based exercise like this? Clear Admit resident expert and former Wharton admissions staff member Alex Brown says, “Wharton really values decisions backed up by data, so when you make a point, support it with facts. As you make your way through the given scenario, be sure to take logical steps from one point to the next and communicate your thought process when it’s relevant.”
Preparation is an obvious key advantage any invitee can have, no matter what school you may be looking to attend. The remaining four principles highlighted in the U.S. News piece focus on how you can conduct yourself during the exercise, which can be important in terms of building partnerships and fitting into a specific school’s campus culture.
Not dominating the conversation goes in line with advice given by financial loan experts Prodigy Finance, which writes, “Making everyone look good will make you look fantastic. It may feel counter-intuitive, but consider the alternative. No one wants to be around someone who knows it all or has done it all, do they? Support and reinforce the suggestions made by others and you will be the one to shine.”
Not dominating the conversation can often lend to stronger active listening. “If a group member has a good idea, acknowledge it,” Blackmon writes. “Also practice the ‘Yes, and …’ rule from improvisation and build on what the other person has shared. During the interview, seize any opportunities to do this or refer to someone else’s point.”
An effort to control body language can go a long way. Not just in group MBA interviews, but in networking and beyond business school. Regardless of whether someone is an undergrad, business school applicant or career veteran, negative body language can be a subconscious fault that hurts chances at success. The trick here, the piece highlights, is knowing your own body language. From there, controlling it is much easier.
Lastly, don’t forget to focus on the group’s goal and not necessarily your goal going into the interview.
“Forgo attempts to grab extra airtime for yourself, and put the team’s goal front and center,” it reads. “Take notes, and help keep the group on track. You’ll only have a short amount of time—30 to 45 minutes, depending on the school—for the task.”
Ross Admissions Director Soojin Kwon highlighted the importance of the group over the individual in a video blog post, saying, “Good teams are made up of diverse people with a wide range of skills and backgrounds—we don’t have a singular definition of what it means to be a successful team member. We are going be looking at how people interact with each other on the team and how they interact with people who have different styles from them.”
As always, stick with MetroMBA and Clear Admit for MBA admissions and interview tips.