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Should You Repeat A Story From Your Essay In Your MBA Interview?

November 02, 2016 :: Admissionado Team

MBA Interview Prep | Admissionado

If you’re here, congrats on the interview invitation!

For whatever awesome MBA program(s) you applied to, this is the admissions committee’s chance to really get to know you as a living, breathing person, instead of just as a profile. Big moves here.

You need to be comfortable with your stories and exude confidence when you sit down with your interviewer. And the only way to do that is to prepare, prepare, prepare. Give yourself as much time as you can to practice for your interview… and if you do it right, you can prepare one time and ace any interview you get.

It’s Time To Rehearse Talking About Your “Greatest Hits”

While preparing, applicants constantly ask us the question: “If if I’ve already mentioned a specific story in my essays, is it OK to mention it again during my interview?”

First off, do not assume that the person interviewing you has read any of your essays. Most applicants will interview blind; that is, your interviewers will have NOT read your work. That means, the interview is your only chance to impress them with your “greatest hits,” so do it, do it.

That being said, even the ones who are familiar with your essays have read THOUSANDS of others. It’s not like they are going to sit down with you and remember everything you wrote, so go ahead and remind them. And while you’re at it, blow them away. Do not be bashful about repeating yourself. Be nice and clear, just as you were in your application.

If the story is good, and it better be good if you’re using it in every corner of your application, it won’t matter if they’ve heard it somewhere before. It’s going to impress the person you’re talking to all the same.

So yes, yes, and yes – you CAN repeat your essays in your interviews. In fact, if you don’t, you are doing it wrong.

Need more help prepping for your interview? Check out these additional posts from our MBA blog.