NYU Stern Interview Tips
 
 
Share |




During the next few weeks, we will be publishing the discussions that we had with some of our interviewers about the interviewing process at their business schools to help the prospective applicants. Here is the interview of one of our NYU Stern interviewers.

1. Background about yourself.

For my undergraduate studies, I attended the Richard Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario, a general management business program. I then spent 2.5 years working as a Senior Research Assistant at Standard & Poor’s. After working in finance for 2.5 years, I wanted to tackle the world of entertainment, which is my first love in life. I had been singing in professional organizations for the past 15 years and wanted to pursue a career in the business-side of entertainment. NYU Stern was the only MBA program I applied to because they have the best media & entertainment specialization and I was confident that Stern could help me achieve my professional aspirations. At Stern, I interned at HBO, NBC Universal and post graduation I found a position in Strategic Marketing at NBC Universal, where I am currently still employed. I also finished with a 3.9 GPA as a Stern Scholar and placed in the top 5% of the class.

2. How has been your experience at NYU Stern? Has Stern met all your career and personal aspirations? What do you like the most at NYU Stern?

NYU Stern was a fantastic experience, and even thought I graduated in a recession, it met my career and personal aspirations. The school absolutely permits the achievement of goals; however, the onus is on the individual, of course, to fulfill these goals. I wanted to change careers from finance to entertainment, which is difficult to do. Stern has many ways of getting involved in the entertainment industry, which makes career changes easier. For example, I was accepted into the Industry Mentoring Initiative; this was a small group of students who were switching careers that were mentored by executives from different divisions of Time Inc. Stern also has a Media, Entertainment and Sports Association that went on treks to various media companies in both New York and Los Angeles. This club was critical in the success of my career change.
Stern met my personal aspirations. I wanted to live in New York City for my whole life, and living and studying in Greenwich Village was a dream come true. The friends I made will be friends for life, and I was very fortunate to meet a group of smart, talented and down to earth students to share in the two years at Stern.
My favorite aspect of my experience was attending the Cannes Film Festival in France – a course at Stern that takes a group of students to the festival in May and educates them on the business of film transactions. The festival was a once in a lifetime experience, and on top of that, it’s a great piece of information to tell potential employers!

3. What is the importance of interviews in the overall selection process at NYU Stern? Is it a make or break after the interview? Or, does it form a parameter in the applicant's candidature?

The interview is of critical importance in the selection process. Stern prides itself on having “down to earth and down to business” students, which is why the interview is crucial. Admissions officers consistently say that it doesn’t matter how good a candidate is on paper – it’s the personality and professionalism that counts. Stern loves to put its students in front of industry professionals and it wants to have top notch professionalism, and personalities representing the school.

4. How should a potential candidate prepare for the NYU Stern interviews?

A candidate should do the following to prepare for NYU Stern interviews.