The interview started with the interviewer explaining to me about how the interview will proceed and how the interview fits in the entire process. After that we were on to the main course. AFAIK, it was a blind interview and my resume was the only thing that she had from my application. And there were a lot of Qs directly from my resume. Some of the Qs that i remember (in the order that I recall them):

• Tell me about this “Art of Living” course. (Had mentioned on my resume, Told her about the course that I had completed and how I continue to draw benefits from the same for managing stress)
• Tell me about your current project. (Told her that currently I am in a transition phase as my team is getting changed. Then covered the new role shortly and the work that I have done in my current team in detail)
• About the new role: do you know any of the guys beforehand? (No, though I have now attended a few meetings with them) 
• Business School is a lot like this, you get to meet a lot of people and you need to start off as soon as you join. How do you react to such situation?  (Explained with an example of my first project in the current job. She complimented me for quoting an appropriate example to stress my point.)
• Why did you leave your job in company X? ( Told her about the learnings and some good things from my company X experience, then told her that the work had become a bit repetitive and I was looking for more challenges)
• Tell me how you went about getting a job in company Y. (Told her that company Y is one of the most selective in industry. Explained the process in detail. She sounded impressed ; told me that getting in Emory is surely not that hard. ) 
• Why MBA? Why now? (No “Why Emory” explicitly)
• What do you look in a school when you consider apping to it? (Here goes “Why Emory” indirectly)
• Leadership experience. ( Told in details about my extra-curricular pursuits)
• What would you contribute to Goizueta community? Which clubs would interest you?
• Tell me about  time when you went an extra mile. (Told a work-related story)
• What do you know about Atlanta? (Told her that I am a quiz-guy and no business Quiz is complete without a Q on COca-Cola. (She loved that!!) Told her what I know about Coca-cola, Sun-Trust Bank and Olympics. Also quoted the comment from one of the students when she was asked what she loved most about Atlanta. (Location! Location!! Location!!)
• After this, she went on to describe Atlanta’s location in detail and some advantages of being in such a location. (This sounded positive. )
• One word that your (a ) Boss (b) colleagues (c) extra-curricular group members (d) family and friends would use to describe you. (Gave some adjectives; was not asked to substantiate any of this)/* There were some more Qs, which I don’t remember now.  Will add if and when I recall)

She stopped here and ask me  if i have any Qs. I asked about GALA. She explained in detail and them mentioned that getting into GALA is not that easy, but surely that is not as hard as me getting into company Y. (WOw!! She remembered what we had discussed right at the start..  This sounded good. ) Then, I asked about the possibility of getting a no-cosigner loan. She mentioned that this option is no longer available to intebnational students, but advised me to look for innovative ways like getting multiple cosigners. ( I just hope that this Q does not make her believe that I dont have the money)

Overall, the interview was a very good experience. There were lots of “great!!”, “Your teammates must love you for that.”, “That’s no small achievement” kind of comments. I am very much hopeful on this. I do hope that I’ll make it. Keeping my fingers crossed!!

Anyways, I reached the venue 30 minutes before time. I found that my panel was running a bit late as I met a guy, who had a 10:20 slot in the same panel, but was still waiting for his turn at 10:40 and was trying hard to concentrate at his 100-word essay. Other than that, there were three of us, all with a 11:10 slot in different panels. Very soon, the 10;20 guy was called for the interview and three of us were moved to a different room. And then, we were joined by a girl, who was just done with her interview and had to finish off her 100-word essay. As we started to converse, I was surprised to find that I was the only IIM (Indian-IT-Male, in case u don’t know ) there. Was it an omen or a good sign that I am not competing with peers at that particular point of time at least? There was a young Doc, a girl with a family business and then, another girl, who had just returned from Canada, to appear for ISB. (Wow!! That’s some dedication!!)

Soon, we got the word for 100-word essay: regal. I wrote down some random stuff about how in past, the word used to be associated with royal families, but now it’s about the power of your dreams that makes you regal.

And then, they called me for the interview.
The panel consisted of two alums and an adcom member. One interviewer asked most of the Qs, while others scribbled quick notes as I spoke.

Interviewer 1: We are interested to know what an omnivorous reader means? ( I had described myself as one in Hobbies and interests section)
Me: Drew parallels between the food-habit based classification of animals and then told them that the way an omnivorous animal eats everything (plants and animals), an omnivorous reader devours everything from business to classics to thrillers to humour.

Interviewers [ Looked satisfied, but no further questioning about specific books, which I had expected ]
Interviewer 1: We see that you won the award for a Geeky idea, what was that?
Me:  Began by explaining that the same idea won the award for most popular idea in the same software-design contest. Explained the idea in non-techie terms.

Interviewers [ Looked impressed with the explanation of the idea, but no further cross-questioning ]

Interviewer 1: You have written taht you are a very innovative person, can you give some examples?
Me: Gave some generic gyan about how I am always looking for better ideas to complete a task speedily. Then, gave a specific example, trying to keep it as non-technical as I could.

Interviewer, not convinced with the non-techie explanation, dug in details and I had to resort to some technical blabber. Can you believe it: I had to explain “memory leaks” here ? And no, none of the interviewers had a techie-background.(as i came to know later) But now, he seemed okayishly satisfied.

Interviewer 1: You have quoted leadershipin your essays. Can you tell what was the defining moment in leadership for you?
Me: Thought for a while, then said, no specific defining moment as leadership has come gradually to me. Gave examples of how I staretd as one of few volunteers from first year in the college and then how I gradually rose to the leadership positions like coordinator of fests etc. Mentioned that I continue in similar positions.
[ Expected a follow up Q on similar positions, where I could explain my current extra-curricular leadership examples. But none came. ]

Interviewer 1: Assuming you are an advisor to Ram Mynampati, what advice would you give him?
Me: Explained that I have seen a similar situation. My previous company was involved in an accounting fraud. And then, they fought back with some rebranding. The main reason that they could fight back was that the accounting fraud didn’t change the fact that they had some great engineers workingfor them and that they really made some great software products.
Similarly, the current scenario at Satyam does not change the fact that they have a great workforce or that in past, they have provided excellent software services to their clients or that they are the official Software service providers for FIFA World Cup 2010.
So my advice would be to stay focussed and may be, try a bit of rebranding to signal the market that you have changed (My previous employer used this successfully)

[ This answer was interspersed with a some cross-questions. It was good to know that Interviewer1 knew about the accounting fraud in my previous company. Overall, the interviewers looked impressed with my homework. ]

Interviewer 1: Do you have any questions for us?
Me:  [ What!!! AFAIK, this indicates the end of the interview. And many aspects of my candidature are still untouched!! And some of these were the most significant ones.. I have not said anything about my extra-curricular activities, I have not got a chance to tell them about my in-depth research on ISB or my visit to ISB, And noone has asked me about my post-MBA goals.] Enquired about which of them were alums. And then asked about their time at ISB and how it helped them in their career?

Interviewer 2: She had planned on starting her enterpreneurial venture 5-10 years down the line. But ISB gave her the conviction to start it within a few years of her graduation.
Me: Did you take the elective of PAEV: Planning an Enterpreneurship venture? I have read a lot about it and am excited to know about it firsthand.
Interviewer 2: No, I didn’t
Interviewer 1: It actually is a very good course. [ Explained in a bit detail about it.]
Me: Followed up with my homework on the course, then interviewer 1 moved on to his experience with ISB.

Interviewer 1: Had been working with ISB for about 5 years after his graduation. Worked towards building Exchange Programs with leading B-schools of the world
Me: Complemented him on this as today, you name a top B-school and it’s on ISB Exchange program list. Told him that on this front, ISB is the best in the region.
Interviewer 1: It’s in fact best in the world!!

Interviewer 3:BTW, what do you want to do after your MBA?
Me:  Would return to technology. In short term, tech-consulting. Told them that consulting is not a goal that I am looking at, I see it as a finishing school for my long term goals.
In long term, leadership position in technlogy: may be with some software-product company or maybe starting my own venture.

Interviewer 1: Do you think that in current situation, tech-consulting jobs would be easy to come by?
Me: Told them that even if they are difficult to come by, the cobination of grroming at ISB and my strong tech-background makes me a very strong candidate for such jobs. Explained how I have an edge over typical IT guy due to my unique background.
[ Expected some follow-up Qs, none came.]

Interviewer 2: You have mentioned leadership at so many places in your application. What qualities do you feel constitute leadership?
Me: Blabbered about team-work, vision, desire for excellence, alluding to the fact that at different points in time I have displayed them all.
[ Expected a follow-up Q on what I had alluded to, none came ]
Interviewer 1:It was nice meeting you. All the best!!
Me: Shook hands with all three and left.
Overall, I am not too satisfied with the interview. I know that I had handled most Qs well. But I really didn’t get a chance to showcase some of the best things in my profile. (Though I have highlighted most of these in my application) If i get an admit, I would forget this all. But in case they decide to ding me, I would be very disappointed on being dinged without showing them my full candidature. I know that I have a decent chance, but after the Duke Debacle, I would not like to keep my hopes too high for anything.

Quick tip for others:
Don’t rely too much on follow up Qs. If you have a point to make, speak it out whenever you have a chance for the same.
Quick Tip2: Don’t mention Satyam, if you can avoid it. I met a girl, who was stopped midway in her answer, when she mentioned Satyam: “Let us not talk about Satyam!!”. It seems that the media has been a bit too harsh about ths ISB-Satyam connection and they have already discussed it too much.

So w/o further ado, here is my Fuqua essay-analysis:

Short Answer Essays
1. What do you hope to gain from The Duke MBA? How does it fit into your short- and long- term goals? (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
   Pretty straight-forward stuff. I started upfront with my goals. Followed it up with a brief career summary (3-4 lines) Showed what part of my experience will help me attain my goals and what do I lack. Showed that an MBA will help me bridge the gap. Next without mentioning Duke/Fuqua, I went on to state my expectations from the B-school. Then jumped to how Fuqua fulfills that perfectly, specifically quoting Fuqua concentrations, courses, practicum and clubs. 
2. How will you contribute to the overall experience of your peers at The Duke MBA? (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
   Started with a one-line summary of traits that I’ll bring to the school. Next, 2 paras for my undergrad experience. Covered diversity, extra-curriculars and leadership and the overall impoact of my alma-mater. Followed it up with what I am today. Covered my extra-curriculars and other leadership experiences. By  this time, I had established my credentials well. Next I started specifically discussing what I will do at Fuqua. Mentioned specific clubs that I’ll join, initiate or rejuvenate. Since Tech is my forte and is related to my goals too, I specifically dug into activities of Hi-tech cluba and mention the events that I’ll like to work on. Finally,ended with a forwarded looking statement about me and Fuqua.

3. Discuss a person, event or experience that has significantly shaped your life and explain why. Note: The goal of this essay is to get a sense of who you are, rather than what you have achieved professionally. (required, single page limit, 1.5 line spacing)
    It was a very personal experience of overcoming finacial hardships before my undergrad. I had asked a few consultants on various forums (BW, pagalguy) about mentioning this  and most of them had advised against using a story that is too old and too common. But Jon (from Precision essays) suggested that if it’s a story that really impacted my life and if it’s a story that I am born to tell, then I should go ahead and tell the same.
   This was all  I needed to finalize this story as my answer. Of course, since that was a personal story, I could not  post that in detail on the public forum and hence, the lukewarm response from the consultants.  But that experience indeed was the turning point of my life and I believe that the final story came out very well. 
       I would suggest looking for the events/experiences, which really made the difference in your life. Try subtracting that event/experience from your life and try thinking whether you’d have been a diff person then. If the answer is YES, you have chosen the right story.
    (You can go for a life-changing person too, But when I tried to choose a person, I found a bit dificult to keep the actual focus on myself.)

 Long Essay
1. Today, companies must navigate through complex and interdependent issues. They must deal with health and security matters, environmental impact questions, and diversity and cultural concerns. Leaders need adaptability, imagination, and emotional intelligence as well as business acumen.
Upon graduation, a Duke MBA will be a leader of consequence – able to deal simultaneously with complex matters and engage skillfully with colleagues, clients, and community. What impact do you hope to have as a leader of consequence? (required, two page limit, 1.5 line spacing)

Tough question, but very critical one.
For this in the first 3/4 page I covered a leadership story and established that I have in me what it takes to be a “Leader of consequence.” Next, I brought up some issues that I’ll like to address in the long term:the societal goals that I have in my mind for my community. I covered the same in my Stanford Scholarship essay but fortunately this time space was not a constraint and I could discuss my plans in more details: depthwise and widthwise. I also touched briefly how my leadership experience (covered in first half) will help me, what I am already doing towards these, why currently I am not in a position to address these in a wider manner and how the Fuqua experience will help.

 So this was how i tackled my essay Qs. As I was approaching the Qs, I used various forums extensively for ideas. Besides, I never miss the topic analysis by the three terrific resources that i have listed in the blogroll. (clearadmit, accepted and stacyblackman) It’s interesting to see that how often these differ on their takes on same set of essays, which only goes on to show that there is no single right way to answer an essay question. Research extensively and then, finalize a style that suits you and your story the best.

Coming up next: Tuck essays analysis…

The interview was scheduled at 6 in the evening at his office in Delhi. I had planned to reach at least 15-20 minutes before time, but Mr Murphy does not normally like me reaching anywhere in time. I had an urgent client meeting at office, which was suppose to end at 1:30, but stretched way beyond 3:30, when I was forced to excuse myself. Rushed to home and got ready in business formals. Following that, there were some traffic jams on the way,which caused me to be late by about 3-5 minutes. I was planning to start with an apology. I hate to start on a defensive note.But as it turned out, I never needed to. The interviewer was stuck in some important work and the actual interview started only at about 8!! Now, this was particularly exhausting because I had missed my breakfast,lunch and evening snacks for different reasons. And a banana and a few biscuits was all I had for the entire day!!

Anyways, the interview started with him taking a look at my  resume and asking me some ice-breaker questions like for how long, I have been in Delhi.(and some more around that.) That was followed by a question on my fav subects in college. (This made me wonder if he was from techie background too) I answered algorithm-design, data-structures and databases, adding stupidly that I am no longer in touch with databases. Somehow, didn’t want to be grilled on first normal form n all, though a data-structures interview would have been perfectly tolerable . Interestingly, next, he asked me about my least fav subject too and Machine Drawing was almost the clear winner here.

Now, we were on to the main course.. “Tell me something about yourself, starting wth your education.” The qualifier, “starting wth your education” surely helped me shape the answer better. I believe I was able to handle the Q quite well,with him interrupting quite often to ask a question or two.. Then for one particular competition that I had won, the discussion went a bit too long (which, of course, was good for me) and after that, we shifted to the ever important Qs: “Why MBA? Why now? Why Fuqua” in this order.

I gave him my goals and showed how an MBA helps me reach there. He argued how the same can be attained without an MBA. I agreed, but still insisted that an MBA will prepare me better for the challenges. Arguing “why now” was not that difficult and I have done enough research on Fuqua that  I don’t think that “Why Fuqua” can  let me down anywhere. From his expressions, I felt that he liked my homework on Fuqua. (though I somehow messed up slightly when I forgot the exact name of the course and had to say the “strategic planning thing” in place of “strategic planning practicum”)

Here’re some Qs that I remember from rest of the interview: /* More to be added as and when I remember */

• Strengths and development opportunities. Bragged a lot (of course, everything real ) and then mentioned a real improvement area.
• What role do i play in a team? Depends on my responsiblities, I am a good follower, good peer and a good leader too ; quoted examples (from professional and extra-curricular areas) of each.
• Tell me about a team-effort that did not work out well. Stumped me! Dug deeper and then mentioned an event at my undergrad.
• Tell me about a time when you had to convey a difficult message to somebody. Again stumped me, but then remembered a recent incident when I discovered and admitted a goof-up I made 2 years back.
• How would you enrich the cultutre at Fuqua? Mentioned a club i’d start (for Duke Univ, Fuqua may not have enough members for that) , a club that I’d like to rejuvenate and 2-3 clubs that I’d be a part of.
• If given a chance, what would you like to change in your life?  Re-mentioned a couple of failiures/mistakes that i had already covered and told him how I learnt from each of them and would not actually like to change those. Then, concluded with sth like.. “only thing that I would perhaps like to change would be my focus on physical health.” (I used to be underweight by any standards; still not that healthy.)
• Is there anything else that you’d like me to know? Now this was something that made me happy. Because thinking over this Q made me realise that I had successfuly uncovered almost all major portions of my candidature in the interview. There wasn’t much to tell, except for a story about overcoming a challenging time before my undergrad days, which I decided to tell him next.
• Is there anything you’d like to ask?  I asked about his Fuqua experience and about Fuqua alum-community in India. He answered very excitedly for the first question, which reinforced the spirit of Team Fuqua that I have visualised in my mind. For the 2nd Question, he very candidly mentioned that in terms of numbers, Fuqua@India is a small, but strong and growing community.

Overall, the interview went quite well, There were some small slip-ups ( not all noticeable) and the questions made me uncover more mistakes than I have normally seen in an interview. But I feel that i handled each of them quite well highlighting the lessons learnt and what I did after that and this hopefully made sure that none of them actually sends out a negative signals.

I am quite optimistic about the results. It’s a wait of 16 days starting today.

The essays this year have changed completely and i guess ISB is perhaps the only school that comes up with new essays every year. And the pattern is unique too!! This year too they continued with their 3 300-word essay norm. Here’re the three essay questions:
1) Please give three reasons why ISB should admit you into the class of 2010. These reasons should ideally differentiate you from your competition. (300 words max)
2) You are contesting the election to be the President of the ISB Student Body. Write a speech you will deliver to the student body on why they should elect you as the President?
3) CASE : You have been appointed to head the team to build a dam across the River Zumba. Success in this project is critical for your company and would earn you a promotion. Failure would mean that your company would be bankrupt and will take along with it, its investors and its employees. Building a dam across the river would result in deforestation of a portion of the rainforests and would mean relocation of the tribals and destabilization of wild life at Zumba. There is resistance from environmental groups against your project. You are meeting the head of the resistance movement in one hour wherein you would have to explain your decision. Describe what you would do and why? (You will be evaluated on the creativity and practicality of your solution). (300 words max)

I don’t find myself getting too impressed with the questions.. I’m surprised to see the goals-essay absent yet again. However repetitive and common that may be, but I feel the goals-essay is very important to judge a candidate’s sense of direction and judgement.
Further I feel that though the essays help you let your imaginations free and think creatively, (I guess in this field only essays from Haas are the closest match.), still it does not give you many chances to delve into your past and quote from your personal experiences. And with 300 words each, I guess ISB is quite stingy. (Particularly First essay: three differentiators in 300 words!! ). And though, it’s a great idea to have a case as one of the essay questions, but I find data a bit insufficient for Q3.

I’m not indulging in ISB-bashing here (as one of my friends termed it when I discussed this with him.) ISB was and still is one of my favourite schools.. But just didn’t like the questions much..

In any case, it’s a level playing field.. If data is insufficient for me, it’s insufficient for every other candidate. If I find word-limit a bit harsh, same limit holds for others too.. Further,with the applications to the school multiplying every year, perhaps it’s not that easy to go ahead with the longer essays.. And perhaps by designing these unique Qs,ISB wants to eliminate the reuse of essays written for other schools, thereby making sure that only candidates genuinely interested in the school apply..

One good thing is that the R2 deadline has been shifted to  December 1. (from Nov 15 last year) I’ve decided to app in R2 because I need to have something to compare with if and when I get an offer from ISB. As per the schedule, R1 results will be out by mid-November, which means that by that time, I’d not have even got my app reviewed at most of the schools, if I app in R1. So R2 it is for ISB!

BTW, I’m not finding many of my blogger-pals interested in ISB.. Are there any?? Do leave a comment here??