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Johnson school at Cornell University is a unique b-school situated in a university town of Ithaca. Cornell gives you option of having an alumnus interview of if you are visiting Ithaca then you get a chance to interview with school admissions office. With the personal experience of General Education team members(s) for Cornell interview we can say that Cornell really wants to know you as a person than just evaluate you as an MBA candidate. So the key is to be not very formal, patient and honest during the interview. If you are in US (not near Ithaca) or any other part of world like India, the best choice would be to have an alumnus interview – preferably face to face. Cornell alumni mostly are well connected to school even after their graduation and really want to give good candidates to their alma mater. The experience of the interview is friendly and not very formal and hence you can be sure of putting your best foot forward.

Some of the questions asked in Cornell interview are (real interview experience of General Ed team):

1. Introduce yourself

2. Describe a situation of conflict with your boss.

3. Describe your professional leadership experience.

4. Describe a situation when your junior is not performing and how you handled it.

5. Three things about yourself you would like to tell to admissions committee

6. What extracurricular activities you engage in?

7. What unique points about yourself – or points of diversity you would like to share with Cornell MBA class?

8. Walk me through your resume.

9. How you decided your UG school?

10. Why you joined Company 1, Company 2, etc.?

11. What you want to do post MBA?

12. Why Cornell?

13. Why MBA?

14. How will your juniors describe you?

15. What are qualities of great leader?

16. Any questions for us?

A note about the interview is – that this interview lasted 1 hour 55 minutes – almost two hours, the alumnus was very congenial and really helpful. The candidate reached about 25 minutes late for the interview (there was a problem in google maps). The interviewer calmed the candidate down, and said the only punishment is that I will ask all the questions which I have prepared in this half an hour. The candidate readily accepted that and answered all the questions patiently and brilliantly.