How to ace Columbia SIPA's "Video Response" Interview

The School of international and Public Affairs (SIPA – pronounced “SEE-pa”) at Columbia University in New York City is one of the leading institutions in public administration and international affairs in the world. With research centers in Development Economics, Global Energy, Global Economic Governance, International Conflict Resolution, and War and Peace Studies, any student interested in international public policy can find a home for themselves at this Ivy League School.

Overview of the Video Response

Unlike many other graduate government programs, SIPA has included a video interview essay or “Video Response” as part of their application. The Video Response is only available to applicants on their application portal after they have submitted their application and paid the application fee.

The response is high-stakes in that you only get one 60-second opportunity to answer a random question and the question could be on ANYTHING!

What is SIPA Looking For?

The Video Response is not a job interview. It is not an opportunity for SIPA to fill-in gaps in your application, nor is it an avenue for you to learn more about SIPA. The question you answer is not one that the admissions committee serves up specifically for you after reading your application. Given that the questions asked range from softballs like “how was your summer” to real stumpers like “Would you detain or kill a terrorist suspect without a trial?” it is also not a controlled experiment to see measure the knowledge of applicants or understand how they think on their feet.

Instead, SIPA’s Video Response is a way for you to put a literal face with your application. And so you want that face to look as professional and poised as possible.

Tips for perfecting the SIPA Video Interview

1. Expect to be flustered.

The questions could be on ANYTHING. Which means the likelihood that you will prepare for exactly the right question are nil. Instead, make it your priority to practice the act of answering questions, rather than to memorize responses to specific questions.

2. Remember the 7-38-55 Rule.

Pioneered by psychology professor Albert Mehrabian at UCLA and popularized through books such as Never Split the Difference by FBI Hostage Negotiator Chris Voss, that 55% of meaning in conversation is communicated by body language, 38% by the tone of your voice, and just 7% through the actual words that come out of your mouth! There is a reason why many politicians including Donald Trump replay their TV appearances on mute – that’s how people get most of the meaning.

If you just practice the words to say, you are missing out on 93% of the meaning! Instead practice looking and sounding excited, open, and friendly by rehearsing answers to questions in front of a mirror or by video recording yourself.

3. *Lights*, Camera, Action!  

Remember that you need to set your stage. That means having good lighting (to show your face), a good camera (ideally at eye-level), and a professional non-obtrusive background. Do a screen test in different locations to find the one with the best lighting, acoustics, and ambience!

Sample questions.

For a full list, including actual questions from the past 3 years, please check out our interview prep service.

Personal Background

• What are your most formative memories as a child?

• What is the leadership experience at work that you are most proud of?

• What is a piece of feedback you’ve gotten?

Why SIPA?

• How do you think your academic and professional experience has prepared you for SIPA?

• What are you looking forward to doing at SIPA?

• How will being in New York City help your short term goals?

Behavioral Questions

• How do you handle multi-tasking?

• What are you unusually good at?

• Who do you turn to for advice?

Areas of Interest

• What course did you enjoy the most as an undergraduate student?

• Where do you get your news?

• What policy issue has changed the most in your lifetime?

Head Scratchers/ Current Events

• Should government policy provide equity or opportunity?

• What responsibilities do companies have to incorporate environmental sustainability into business practices?

• How should western countries balance their immigration policies with the economic needs of their social safety nets?

What NOT to wear in your Zoom MBA video interview

Whether it is Zoom, Vast, WebEx, Skype, Facetime, or GotoMeeting, video conferencing is the name of the game for business meetings, jobs interviews and MBA admissions interviews, at least until the COVID-19 pandemic subsides. People are having to grapple with the balance to strike between the business formal of the in-person workplace and pajamas at home.

That’s probably why I got served up this advertisement in my inbox a while back.

This guy is walking into a trap

What’s Wrong with this Picture?

This is what can happen.

In a word: Moiré. Moiré occurs when repetitive details in a photograph that exceed the sensor resolution. When wearing patterned fabrics such as stripes, dots, checks and the like, the camera can produce a strange-looking wavy pattern that is very distracting to the viewer. When your goal is to project a professional image to the admissions committee, the last thing you want are thinks like your clothes detracting from your presentation and undermining your confidence.

What to wear?

We recommend solid color fabrics whenever possible. They always look professional, they match one another other, and they avoid weird camera distortions such as moiré. You can’t go wrong with a light colored shirt, dark colored jacket, and (for men) a solid colored tie. You’ll want to keep distracting jewelry to a minimum, but otherwise you should look the same way over Zoom as you would during an interview in person.

IAG Review: Interviewee admitted to HBS

“I'm so grateful to have found Ivy Admissions prior to going in for my HBS interview!! I ended up doing a 2 interview package and was able to do each interview with a different consultant (Nate and Anna) so that I could practice the feeling of being nervous and delivering concise answers. Because of the wide range of directions the HBS interview can take, getting to do more than one interview practice was critical for me to work on thinking on my feet under pressure, while structuring my answers effectively for the listener. The combination of the two mock interviews I had was very close to my actual interview questions, and Anna also had prepared me a full list of customized questions to prepare for based on my application package. To have the opportunity to build my confidence prior to going into the interview, as well as get feedback on my delivery and responses, was truly invaluable and critical to my admission. Thank you so much Nate and Anna!! “

- Female, Big Four

Purchased: Interview + Reflection Package (with extra interview)

Some actual interview questions Harvard Business School is asking this year

The admissions interview at Harvard Business School is a unique and often intense experience. Not all applicants are invited to interview. If you’ve made it to the interview stage – congratulations! You will be evaluated by members of the Admissions Committee who have read your application (or at least your resume) in advance and will come with specific questions tailored to you. Expect the interview to last exactly 30 minutes.

We believe in paying things forward, so when our clients get the interview at HBS (and most do) we use what we learn in their interviews to better prepare future clients for the questions they can expect in that given year. We then get to pass those insights onto you.

These questions asked are meant to clarify elements in your application that are unclear, prod your interests and commitments, or simply to test your ability to think quickly. In all cases, they will be evaluating your oral communication skills to ensure that you will be a strong fit for the case method style of instruction that infuses every course taught at HBS.

Analysis of the questions this year

This year the interviewers again have tended to deviate away from the previously standard opening question of “tell me about yourself.” Instead, we have seen some interviews start out with a random question, such as “do you think your great work ethic is learned or innate?” Otherwise, HBS is staying consistent in the sense that they continue to emphasize drilling down into your past work experience, why you made certain career transitions, and making sure you really understand the industry you’re trying to move into.

New questions we are seeing this year

• How is your current company winning in the market? How could they continue to win in the market?)

• What is the gap between you and the leaders you admire?

• What role does intuition play in decision-making vs. data and analytics?

• When did you use business intuition when the data was telling you something different?

• Tell me about your time in college? (new for how open ended it is)

Older questions coming back into fashion:

• Where do you see the industry you’re interested in now? Where will it be? What is a company you admire in the industry?

• What other companies did you apply to other than the one you’re currently at?

• What is one thing you wish you had done differently?

• What is another industry you find interesting?

• What 3 words would you use to describe yourself?

Keys for success:

• Focus on your transition points in your career and be able to explain them well.

• Know yourself, know your company, know your industry.

• Remember that 93% of speech is non-verbal. Practice your body language, tone of voice and the emotions in your stories as much as you rehearse your content. (give us a call if you need help)

• HBS is a case method school and is testing how easy it is to follow your points. Keep them organized!

The interview questions Northwestern's Kellogg is asking this year

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is one of the couple business schools in that it requests all applicants to schedule an interview. On-campus interviews will be conducted by an admissions officer or a current student, while off-campus interviews are usually conducted by alumni. For all interviews, the interviewer will have only read the resume submitted upon registration. Expect the interview to last 30-45 minutes.

The Chicago Skyline minutes away from Kellogg’s Campus

Both on- and off-campus interviewers at Kellogg are not given a predetermined script, so applicants should be ready for a variety of questions to be asked. The level of rigor and engagement can also vary widely depending on who ends up conducting the interview. However, applicants should expect the interview to have a conversational feel, with the goal of getting to know the applicant more intimately.

Analysis of the questions this year:

Our analysis of the questions our clients have been asked by Kellogg indicate that in addition to the typical career transitions, Kellogg is very interested in understanding the specific leadership style of each candidate and what experiences have informed the formation of that style. Additionally, Kellogg is placing a greater emphasis on diversity and experience in leadership of diverse teams and wants to see a certain baseline of that experience in its applicants.

The specific questions Kellogg has already asked this year:

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• Walk me through your resume.

• Why did you choose your undergrad? Your major?

• Tell me about which experience in your career you had the most impact.

• Tell me about a time where you dealt with a team with a lot of diversity. What did you gain/learn? What challenges did you face.

• How did you manage your junior team members? What did you learn as a manager?

• What does leadership mean to you?

• What are the specific traits that define a leader?

• What are your strengths?

• What are your long and short term goals?

• Why MBA? Why Kellogg? Why now?

• Tell me about your biggest concern or challenge you expect to face at Kellogg.

• Kellogg is a diverse school. When have you interacted with people differently than you?

• What is your leadership style? Why is it the way it is?

• What role do you play within a team?

• What specially do you hope to gain with your time at Kellogg?

• Any questions for me?

The interview questions HBS is asking so far

Perhaps the most feared and intimidating interview in MBA admissions is the one at Harvard Business School. That’s true for several reasons.

First, unlike student or alumni-led interviews, where the interviewer reviews your resume as you hand it to them, the HBS Admissions Committee comes dangerously prepared. The night before they carefully review each resume, looking for inconsistent themes, odd career transitions, vaguery to clear up, and anything they happen to find interesting. They then write up a list of pointed questions and prepare to deliver them rapid fire over the course of their 30 minutes with you.

Second, the entire time the interviewer and their scribe will be evaluating your communication skills to see if you’d crack under the pressure of the case classroom. They will want to see that you are able to clearly articulate your thoughts with logical structure and that your answers are persuasive. They will also probe to test the depth of your professional knowledge to see if you will be able to serve as an appropriate representative for your industry to the rest of your section.

Third, HBS’s admissions department is a well-oiled machine, and many find the incredible professionalism of its staff to be intimidating. There is a dedicated check-in center where Admissions Director Chad Losee can often be seek taking applicant’s coats. At the appointed time, an admissions staffer walks all the interviewees up to their “green room” to wait for their individual interviewers to be ready. Precisely at the appointed hour, the interview room doors open, and the names of each applicant are read out. Exactly 30 minutes later, the interviews end and the applicants are led back downstairs and on their way. For some, this is too much and we often receive reports that when clients visit the bathroom before and after the interviews, they can hear other applicants vomiting.

The questions HBS has already asked this year:

In general we are finding that HBS is much more interested in measuring each candidate’s industry knowledge and ability to represent their industry in section. We recommend that candidates prepare by researching the latest trends in their industry and be able to speak to the recent performance of their own company.

Interview + Reflection Package

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• Explain to me why you studied [foreign language on resume].

• Explain how the [foreign language listed on resume] alphabet works.

• Why did you study [undergraduate major]?

• What is your criteria for turning down investments?

• Compare and contrast [your sector] with [another adjacent sector].

• Why did you choose to work abroad? Why that city?

• Tell me about your most interesting consulting project.

• What about your background led management to choose you for this project?

• What are the challenges that the company you are working with right now is facing?

• How have you tried to [solve problem mentioned in your application] through your professional work?

• Tell me more about [the start-up you interned at]. What is the next big thing for it?

• Which competitors should [start-up company] worry about? Do you think [company] will ever be profitable?

• How would you evaluate [your undergraduate college’s] recent endowment investments in your industry?

• What do you read, what news?

• What do you do for fun?

• Was your military service mandatory? If not, why did you do it?

• Why do you want to move to [country]?

• Evaluate the value of [your industry].

• Is there anything else you wanted to talk about?

1 Month to Complete Your Tuck Application and Interview!

Final Check

$575.00

Done with your entire application but need a professional set of eyes to look over it? Send us your full set of application materials at least two weeks before the deadline, and we’ll comb through it to make sure it portrays you in the best light and tells a cohesive story.

• Send us your full application materials, and we’ll get you written feedback within three business days.

• Once you’ve received your written feedback, you’ll have an hour to chat on the phone with us for any follow-up questions.

• Note: If you are looking for in-depth strategic advice on your resume or essays, you should opt for our Essay Editing. Final check is primarily a tactical check with a strategic assessment of your application as a whole.

The Tuck School of Business was the first modern business school founded in the United States (in 1900). Named for one of the founders of the Republican Party, Tuck boasts one of the robust old-school career networks that make business schools famous. Tuckies routinely score great jobs as established firms like McKinsey and BCG through the loyal Tuck network, and the larger, more fanatical Dartmouth College network.

Given its small class size and bucolic location, Tuck offers one of the most intimate MBA experience in the Top-10. Students are intensely social -- traveling around the world together on treks and participating in intramural sports in record numbers (about 90% of the students play on one of the school's many hockey teams -- it's a way of life!). To thrive in this environment, Tuckies pride themselves on their collaborative and social culture and are looking for applicants who can fit in and are equally fanatical about Tuck as they are.

Ivy Admissions Group has intensely deep roots at Dartmouth and can help you easily navigate the applicant-initiated interview. Our Ace the Interview service will provide you with a custom dossier of questions that you can expect based on your unique background, two complete student-style interviews with interactive debriefs, media coaching to come off as more likable, and even help with reflection feedback. It's everything you need to Ace the Interview!

Dinged Without Interview from HBS? Find Out Why

Today the deans in Dillon House (see left) release interview decisions for the last batch of Round 2 applicants at HBS. Some will be among the lucky few to score one of the few remaining interview invitations with the admissions committee (in which case, talk to us about how to prepare!). The rest will get the "ding", or in HBS parlance, "be released from consideration so you can move ahead with your other applications."

Getting the ding can be a real bummer. You might think, was my application really not good enough to make it to the interview phase? What would have happened had the Adcom actually met me? What does this mean for my other applications? Does this mean that I don't have a chance if I reapply next year?

You shouldn't give in to such negative feelings. In reality, schools like HBS are super receptive to re-applicants; the key is that you need to dispassionately evaluate what exactly went wrong in your application and -- most importantly -- use that information to put forth an even more kick-ass application in the future! That's our objective when we run our Ding Reports on clients. Below are some of the most common areas of improvement that we find:

Unimportant narrative - HBS wants students who are going to change the world, not just change their job. Ask yourself this: would the Adcom feel that they are making the world a better place when they admit me? If not, then you have failed in this dimension.

Not credible in mission - Maybe you have a good mission in life; the challenge is why should I believe that you are the MBA who is going to accomplish it? As important as it is to pick a good mission, you also have to choose where to place the goal posts. A mission that is too broad or not aligned with your previous work experience may appear too unrealistic to be credible.

No cohesion in life story - No one likes a flip-flopper. Sure your career can take twists and turns, but can you argue that everything is all a part of a singular overarching mission? We can, and you should.

Not aware of / not addressing weaknesses - Everyone has weaknesses. Good leaders show self-awareness about their weaknesses and consciously work to improve them. If you don't, you might not fit in with the continuous self-improvement mindset of HBS.

Never answered "why HBS?" - MBA applications should be like love letters - they need to be personalized. No other school should be able to read it and fall in love with you. HBS wants high commitment individuals that will thrive in its on-campus, case-discussion dominated environment. To get in, you really need to show the Adcom what you are going to do with that spot that you can't do at another business school.

The wrong recommenders - Business schools prioritize work experience above all else, and the single biggest champion for your work experience is your recommender. The challenge is that if you pick someone who is too far in your past, or too senior to have directly observed your working behaviors, the vivid recommendation you need will come out blurry.

Aiming at the wrong tier of business school - If your GPA and GMAT are not in the ballpark, you might not have a chance no matter how good of an application you have. Reach out to us here and we'll help you determine your odds and which schools you should be targeting.