By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and former Assistant Director of MBA Admissions. Many Executive MBA applicants prepare for interviews the wrong way. They assume EMBA interviews are primarily: personality tests networking conversations or opportunities to sound impressive. That is usually not how admissions committees evaluate them.…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant Applicants searching for PhD interviews Canada often assume the process closely mirrors the United States or the United Kingdom. PhD interviews in Canada are often misunderstood — especially by international applicants. They are frequently described as “similar…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions committee member Many PhD applicants hear the word interview and imagine a single formal event — a scheduled Zoom call after submitting an application, with a list of questions and a clear outcome. That framing is misleading. In…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions committee member A lot of applicants assume research methodology questions in a PhD interview are there to “test knowledge.” They aren’t. They’re there to test whether your research thinking is sturdy under pressure—whether your design holds up, whether…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions committee member Most PhD applicants think “Tell me about your research” is a prompt to summarize. It isn’t. Knowing how to talk about your research in a PhD interview is actually about showing whether you can think like…

Written by Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant Most PhD applicants assume the interview is about answering questions correctly. Most interview advice trains applicants to perform — not to be evaluated. It isn’t. In reality, professors are rarely evaluating what you say in a…

Most PhD applicants assume the interview is about answering questions correctly. It isn’t. In reality, professors are rarely evaluating what you say in a PhD interview. They are evaluating how you think, how you respond to uncertainty, and whether they can realistically imagine supervising you for several…

If you’re preparing for a PhD interview in the UK, here’s something most university websites won’t tell you: Most rejected UK PhD applicants do NOT fail because of their grades or proposal.They fail because they mishandled the interview. As a former professor who has conducted PhD interviews…

Most applicants think the PhD interview is a final formality. It isn’t. In reality, the PhD interview is where many strong applications quietly fail — not because the candidate is unqualified, but because the committee learns something in conversation that was not visible on paper. As a…

Choosing the right PhD supervisor is the single biggest factor that determines whether you’re admitted to a UK doctoral programme — and whether you thrive once you’re in it. Most UK PhD rejections happen long before committees ever look at your proposal. They happen at the supervisor…

If you’re preparing for the Columbia MBA interview, you’ve already made it past one of the toughest gates in the admissions process. Columbia doesn’t offer interviews to every applicant — an invitation signals that the committee sees strong promise in your profile. What makes the Columbia interview…

Earning an invitation to the Booth MBA interview is no small accomplishment. Chicago Booth doesn’t extend this opportunity to every applicant — it’s a sign that the admissions team already sees significant potential in your candidacy. What makes Booth’s interview distinct is its tone. Many applicants describe…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. The Wharton MBA interview is one of the most unusual in business school admissions. Instead of a traditional one-on-one interview, Wharton School uses a Team-Based Discussion (TBD) to evaluate how you think, collaborate, and communicate in real…

The Stanford GSB interview is one of the most high-stakes conversations in the MBA world. Unlike a casual networking chat, this interview is probing, specific, and designed to test whether you can think — and lead — in the GSB way. Many applicants feel rattled: Does everyone…

The Harvard MBA interview is a 30-minute, invitation-only interview conducted by an admissions board member who has already reviewed your application. That one sentence tells you almost everything you need to know. Unlike many other MBA programs, Harvard Business School uses the interview to test how you…

You’ve polished your essays, lined up recommenders, and maybe even conquered the GMAT or GRE. But now comes the part that rattles even the strongest applicants: the MBA interview. For many, it feels like the moment of truth — where everything you’ve written has to come alive…

Preparing for your MBA interview? One of the biggest mistakes applicants make is assuming the conversation is all about answering questions. In reality, the questions you ask MBA interviewers often matter just as much. Get them wrong — or worse, show up without any — and you…

By Dr. Philippe Barr, former professor and graduate admissions consultant. A graduate school interview is an admissions evaluation stage used to predict training success. Faculty use it to assess readiness, direction, advising fit, and whether your expectations match the realities of graduate study. The purpose is not…

Updated for 2025: This post reflects the most current data, trends, and admissions strategies for MPA applicants in 2025. Applying to Columbia SIPA? Once you hit “submit,” you’ll face one more test — the video essay. It’s short, unscripted, and a little intimidating. But here’s the thing:…

Whether you’re just starting to explore MBA programs or preparing for your final admissions interview, the questions you ask admissions officers can make or break how you’re perceived. At the early stage, smart questions help you gather insights and compare programs. Later, in the interview, they show…