UPDATE: This article was originally posted on January 29, 2020. It has been updated with 2024/25 information and tips below.
For an increasing number of students worldwide, USC’s Marshall School of Business is at the top of their business school target list. With the school’s small class size, strong connections to Asia, and unique 1-year IBEAR program, Marshall offers a truly unique MBA experience.
However, with impressive recruiting statistics and a relentless focus on networking among members of the Trojan Family, competition to join Marshall’s MBA is more difficult than ever.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Marshall admissions interview to stand out. We’ve rounded up not only our best tips but have also included sample interview mocks to ensure you give your Marshall interview your best shot.
How the USC Marshall interview works
Making sure you shine during your Marshall interview is no easy task.
Marshall interviews, conducted by the admissions committee or second-year students, tend to focus on your overall career progression, future plans, and reasons for wanting to attend Marshall. During the interview, the interviewer is also trying to gauge how solid your motivations for wanting to pursue an MBA are and how interested you seem in the Marshall program.
Interviewers often ask many standard MBA interview questions. You can also expect numerous follow-up questions.
Our clients who have interviewed with Marshall 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 Marshall’s admissions committee or a current MBA student.
Will the interviewer have read your application?
No. The Marshall interview is blind, meaning your interviewer will not have had access to your essays, GMAT/GRE scores, university grades, or letters of recommendation. As such, if you want to repeat some of the stories you used in your application, you can do so.
How long will the Marshall interview last?
The Marshall interview usually lasts exactly 30 minutes, however, some client reports have indicated that the interview lasted for nearly 45 minutes.
Who is Marshall looking for?
(Photo courtesy of USC Marshall)
“Every candidate has strengths and weaknesses, just as each candidate has the capacity to learn and to teach. What matters most to us is our learning community and how, through collaboration, we grow and learn together to collectively strengthen the Trojan Family.” Evan Bouffides, Assistant Dean and Director of MBA Admissions, USC Marshall
Every year, USC Marshall literally searches the globe for outstanding professionals given the honor of joining its annual class of around 200 students. While there is no “typical” Marshall student, the admits for the Class of 2026 had an average GMAT score of 722, an average GRE of 160V, 163Q, and an average of 5.5 years of work experience.
Beyond the impressive statistics, though, Marshall is looking for candidates who want to make a positive impact on the world through their careers. That’s why, in addition to strong academic performance (demonstrated through the GMAT and university grades), Marshall seeks candidates who are truly collaborative (the Trojan Family is truly a family at USC), globally minded (the school places a special focus on the pacific rim), and entrepreneurially minded.
USC is also keenly focused on diversity, with 35% of the class made up of students identifying as women, 41% international students, 20% from underrepresented populations, and 9% LGBTQ+ students.
Trends in recent USC Marhsall MBA interviews
Recent feedback from candidates interviewing at USC Marshall highlights several notable trends that you should consider when preparing for your interview:
Resilience and Adaptability: USC Marshall interviewers are increasingly asking candidates to demonstrate examples of resilience, especially in the face of adversity, aligning with how business schools want leaders who can handle uncertainty.
Diversity and Inclusion: With the school’s focus on diversity (e.g., 35% women, 41% international students), questions on how applicants integrate inclusivity into their leadership or decision-making are becoming more common.
Entrepreneurial Mindset: USC Marshall places strong emphasis on entrepreneurship. As such, candidates are increasingly being asked to demonstrate how they exhibit entrepreneurial thinking, innovation, and risk-taking in their past experiences.
How can you prepare for your interview?
Though no interview is 100% predictable, Marshall 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 Marshall interviews.
What questions are asked in the USC Marshall MBA interview?
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 Marshall 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)
- Why did you choose your university? Your specific major/area of focus?
- What do you like to do for fun?
- What are your short-term and long-term career goals?
- Name three firms you would like to work at after your MBA.
- Why do you want an MBA?
- Why now?
- Why Marshall?
- Where else did you apply? Which school will you attend if you are admitted into all of these programs?
- What will you contribute to Marshall?
LEADERSHIP & TEAMWORK
- Tell me about a time when you didn’t get along with your team. What did you do?
- Tell me about one instance when you disagreed with your boss and how you handled the situation.
- How would you handle a situation where someone on your team wasn’t pulling their own weight?
- What are three adjectives you would use to describe your leadership style?
- Can you give me an example of a time you were a leader?
- How do you incorporate diversity and inclusion into your leadership style?
MISCELLANEOUS BEHAVIORAL
- How would your friends describe you?
- What are your strengths and weaknesses?
- Tell me an example of when things didn’t work out as you planned.
- Tell me about the greatest obstacle you have faced and how you handled it.
- Tell me about a time when you demonstrated resilience.
- Can you share a time when you identified an opportunity that others overlooked? How did you approach it?
- Have you ever had to pivot from an original plan? Describe the situation and how you managed the transition.
- What are you proudest of in your career thus far?
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 Marshall, 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 USC Marshall 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.
Effectively tell your story during your USC Marshall interview
One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA interviews is that candidates fail to tell compelling, well-constructed stories about their profiles while also nailing the basics.
Striking this balance between sharing STAR-format examples that show off your background while also presenting strong answers to questions like “Why do you want an MBA?” is a challenging task that requires significant thought and preparation.
Because of this, it’s no surprise that, on average, 50% of interviewed applicants walk away without an offer.
This is why our interview preparation process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting is known as the best in the industry. We offer customized 1:1 support that ensures you’re able to turn your application’s strengths into compelling answers that show fit and sell your profile in any type of interview. Because of this, 98.9% of our complete consulting clients get into at least one of their target schools.
That’s the approach we took this year with our client Rafael, who received a full scholarship from Marshall!
Forget simulation platforms or long lists of tips – our 1:1 preparation focuses on playing to your strengths and overcoming your weaknesses to turn you into an interview expert. Our interview packages sell out quickly, so make sure you sign up today!
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
