 "Photo: N/A")
 "Photo: N/A")
Dear MBA1s,
As you may have noticed during the few times you've actually been outside during the busy recruiting season, everything in New York sparkles around this time of the year. The city lights up with holiday cheer and your friends, family and MBA2 classmates are merrily engaging in holiday preparations and planning fabulous trips before and after their winter-break DBi courses.
Amidst all this glee, there's you: reviewing your story in a drab study room at school or practicing interview questions in front of your mirror at home or drowning your nervousness about January interviews in a bar (and then feeling guilty about it because you were supposed to be reviewing). We get it. We've been there.
But you know what? That light at the end of the tunnel – the one you might have lost faith in during those long October and November months of recruiting, those nights of practicing cases and those frustrating hours of reviewing seemingly never-ending lists of interview questions – that light is now back in sight! That's right, in eight weeks some of you might actually be done with recruiting and have an internship offer in your pocket! How exciting is that?
To help you on your way, here are the results from a survey of MBA2s who took pity with your plight and shared some very valuable advice. Enjoy … and heed it, MBA1s!
And try to enjoy the holidays. Good luck with your interviews! We know you'll do great!
Yours truly,
MBA2s
Best MBA2 experiences from the interviewing process
l Getting an internship!
l Discovering it wasn't what I wanted to do for the summer.
l The camaraderie that builds with your classmates during interview preparation.
l Finishing up the process and signing!
l Interviewing with someone I knew through recruiting.
l Getting that offer!
l Clicking with an interviewer and having a real conversation.
l Mock Madness!
l The collaborative effort of all of my classmates.
l The nice people I met during various interviews.
Worst Experiences from the Interview Process
l Having the flu during the first round of interviews.
l Discovering it wasn't what I wanted to do for the summer.
l Sitting in the waiting room before the interview.
l Not knowing the answer to technical questions.
l Saying I wanted a less quantitative role when that is what they were hiring for. I recovered, but the interview didn't go as well after that.
l Casing.
l Textbook banker types.
l Getting rejection emails right before walking into another interview.
l Some corporate presentations were dull and not advertised appropriately. Beware!
l The wait for their decision.
l Blanking on an easy question.
l Not knowing that I didn't get an interview (you won't be notified).
l Misreading the interview times and showing up late!
l The actual case interviews and especially rebounding from one that I bombed (which will almost certainly happen to you at some point during the process).
Top 3 interviewing tips from MBA2s in various industries
Management Consulting & Private Equity
Tip #1: Be prepared for the cold/flu season.
Tip #2: Be confident. You have the skills, you have the talent. Show them how great you are!
Tip #3: Definitely prepare on campus for technical interviews and casing, but don't forget about practicing behavioral as well.
Management Consulting
Tip #1: Don't freak out!
Tip #2: Remember that lots of opportunities come up later.
Tip #3: It's only an internship!
Consumer Packaged Goods, Business Development
Tip #1: Breathe and stay calm.
Tip #2: Ask MBA2s to mock interview you and ask them for tips ... It's what we're here for!
Tip #3: Try to have fun with it.
Investment Banking
Tip #1: Practice with MBA2s.
Tip #2: Write down several key anecdotes to use in behavioral questions.
Tip #3: Practice with multiple people.
Investment Banking
Tip #1: Practice/mock often.
Tip #2: Prep for broad range of questions.
Tip #3: Try and give concise and thoughtful answers.
Retail/Manufacturing, Corporate Finance
Tip #1: If the company has released (or will release earnings) near your interview date, understand the key drivers of the earnings report.
Tip #2: Understand how the three financial statements tie together.
Tip #3: Anticipate potential questions, make a list and practice them out loud with family, classmates or even yourself in the mirror.
Media, Business Development
Tip #1: Don't stress yourself out too much. Especially a couple of hours before your interview – try to relax so you can be yourself the moment you walk through the door. Stressing will backfire and keep you from doing your best.
Tip #2: Prepare answers you can use for multiple questions.
Tip #3: Stop reviewing the morning of the interview. What you don't know by now will not stick and won't matter that much anyway.
Financial Services Consulting
Tip #1: Don't overdo the prep. It's good to be natural.
Tip #2: Don't forget that you are also gauging the firm's fit with you.
is a member of the 
Be the first to comment on this article!