UPDATE: This article was originally posted on February 17, 2020. It has been updated with 2023/24 information and tips below.
Located in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, UNC Kenan-Flagler is a popular school for savvy professionals seeking a school with top-notch academics and recruiting and a ton of school spirit.
However, with a highly-regarded STEM-designated business analytics major, the competition to join Kenan-Flagler’s elite MBA is more difficult than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Kenan-Flagler admissions interview to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included sample interview questions to ensure you give your Kenan-Flagler interview your best shot.
How the Kenan-Flagler interview works
Making sure you shine during your Kenan-Flagler interview is no easy task.
UNC interviews, since they are conducted by the admissions committee, tend to be highly personalized and focused on getting to know you better. During the interview, the interviewer is also trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are, how interested you seem in the Kenan-Flagler program, and if you are truly a good fit for UNC’s tight-knit community.
Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions, as well as questions designed to test just how collaborative you really are. You can also expect numerous follow-up questions.
Our clients who have interviewed with Kenan-Flagler in the past say that the interviewer was very friendly and demonstrated a genuine interest in their answers. Though questions do tend to focus on standard MBA interview questions, be ready for anything.
Who will interview you?
You will interview with a member of the admissions committee.
Will the interviewer have read my application?
The Kenan-Flagler interview is blind, meaning the interviewer will only have access to your CV. This means that you can repeat examples from your essays if you choose to.
How long will the Kenan-Flagler interview last?
30 minutes.
Who is Kenan-Flagler looking for?
(Photo courtesy of @unckenanflagler on Instagram)
“At UNC Kenan-Flagler, you’ll learn and collaborate in a diverse, team-based culture built on our core values. When you graduate, you’ll join a powerful network of ambitious, successful Tar Heels who take initiative, lead teams, and make an impact for the companies they serve and the communities in which they live.” UNC Kenan-Flagler Admissions
Every year, UNC Kenan Flagler selects a group of outstanding professionals to join its annual class of around 250 students. With a strong emphasis on diversity, there is no “typical” UNC student, yet the average admitted student for the Class of 2025 did tend to have a 696 average GMAT score and 5 years of work experience.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, UNC is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers and be active contributors to the Tar Heel family. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), Kenan-Flagler seeks candidates who possess the following qualities:
How can you prepare for your Kenan-Flagler interview?
Though no interview is 100% predictable, Kenan-Flagler interviews do tend to center around a fairly standard list of MBA interview questions. As such, we have prepared some model questions below that previous candidates have received in their past UNC interviews.
SAMPLE KENAN-FLAGLER INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
The questions below are drawn from our clients’ interview reports, as well as from sites like clearadmit.com. Though these are not all the potential questions you could possibly receive during your UNC interview, preparing for these (and any follow-up questions you think you might be asked) should give you a very solid foundation for your interview.
STARTING UP QUESTIONS
- Tell me about yourself. (Expect follow-up questions)
- What do you do in your current job? What does a typical day look like?
- Why did you choose your university?
- What was your undergraduate experience like?
- Can you tell me more about any international experience you have?
- What is your greatest professional achievement so far?
- What is your greatest personal achievement so far?
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
- What is your plan B in case these goals are not achievable?
- Why do you want an MBA?
- Why now?
- Why UNC Kenan-Flagler?
- What will you bring to Kenan-Flagler?
- What other schools have you applied to? If you get into all of them, how will you choose where to go?
- Have you visited campus? Spoken with alumni?
LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK
- Tell me about a time when you didn’t get along with someone on your team. What did you do?
- Tell me about one instance when you disagreed with your boss and how you handled the situation.
- Do you have any experience leading or managing a team?
- For you, what is the difference between a manager and a leader?
- What is your leadership style?
- Tell me about a time you were a leader.
MISCELLANEOUS BEHAVIORAL
- Tell me an example of when things didn’t work out as you planned.
- Tell me about a time when you were pushed to your limits at work.
- How would your friends describe you?
- How would your manager describe you?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell me about a time you failed.
CLOSING
- Is there anything else you would like us to know about you?
- Is there anything you wished I had asked you?
- Questions for me?
We have found that answering real interview questions on the spot is a much better means of preparation than reading lists of interview questions for most candidates.
We highly suggest you take a look at mock interview questions and sample interview responses before your interview.
Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of real interview mocks from Kenan-Flagler, as well as detailed guides to help you prepare for questions ranging from “Why our MBA program?” to “Tell us about a time you failed.”
The Ellin Lolis Consulting MBA Resource Center is your one-stop shop for interview success. Click to join!
If you’re still not quite confident with your interview skills, our interview experts can help you craft your answers or prepare you for the Kenan Flagler interview through mock interviews tailored to your profile.
What to do if you get a question you haven’t prepared an answer for
Despite your most diligent preparation, you will almost always receive a question you had not prepared.
First, stay calm and take a deep breath. You have already made it this far in the process, and one question will not trip you up!
Second, make sure you directly answer the question the interviewer asked you. For example, if the interviewer asks you about a time you had to deal with a difficult manager, make sure to tell a story about a difficult manager and how you handled the situation.
If you’re having trouble thinking of an answer or an example to support your answer, however, take a drink of water to give yourself a few more minutes to think. If you really can’t think of an example from your personal or professional experience, you can use a hypothetical answer about how you would act in a certain situation.
Finally, assume that the interviewer is testing how you think on your feet and respond to questions you didn’t prepare in advance. Though your answer might not be as polished as if you’d had weeks to rehearse it, smile and confidently respond to show you can handle any question they throw at you.
Make sure you get into Kenan-Flagler
Several years ago, I had the pleasure of helping a client, Phillip, put the finishing touches on his MBA admissions essays. A stellar candidate in all regards, those essays secured him interviews at all of the impressive set of elite programs he applied to!
Phillip was overjoyed when he called me with the news but was surprised that the first words out of my mouth (after “Congratulations!” of course) were, “Well it sounds like we have a lot of practicing ahead of us.”
Though Phillip knew the statistics — at most elite MBAs, only 50% of candidates called to interview are actually admitted — he felt he’d already overcome the toughest hurdle and could relax a bit. “I’m really good with people,” he said, “so I’m just going to go in there and be myself.”
In the end, Phillip got 5 dings and ended up having to reapply the following year.
Practice is incredibly important. Especially when it comes to public speaking and highly-competitive selective processes.
Our interview prep and practice service focuses on helping you determine what to highlight in your interview depending on the program while using appropriate, impact-driven language without being artificial, or worse, robotic. We also help you choose (and perfect) culturally appropriate examples based on the schools you’re interviewing for.
Don’t undersell your success. Get in touch and discover why, after helping dozens of candidates get accepted into top MBA programs through 1:1 interview prep, we have a 98.9% success rate.
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
