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The following is the interview of a LUMS MBA student who recently graduated (in 2019).

If you are interested in LUMS MBA, please go through the articles given here.

Profile of the LUMS MBA Grad:

Tell us about yourself

1. Your name?
   Ali Zain ul Abedeen
2. Your university?
   NUST-PNEC
3. GRE/GMAT Score
   620 on the GMAT.
4. Did you work anywhere prior to joining LUMS? If yes, where and for how many years?
   At Total Parco Pakistan Ltd for about 2 years

LUMS MBA Interview Questions and Preparation

Please tell us about LUMS Interview experience. What will your advice be to someone preparing the interview? What areas of application should he/she most focus on?

As far as I remember, my interview process started off with a short written essay on some topic. I wrote against the given topic, with several justifications. The interview then began with the same topic, and I had to defend what I had written. During the discussion they also asked how I defined several terms that I had used such as poverty, ethics etc. There were three interview panelists who were countering my arguments one after another.

Then they started talking about my job description, what I had contributed at my job etc. These were the things that I had written in my personal statement as well. Again they were checking how I could explain the rationale and logic behind my contributions, and how I could justify the impact.

Finally they argued why I would want to join LUMS with such a good job that was already grooming me as a leader. Also how I would define a leader, where I wanted to be ultimately, and questions like oil and Gas recession, supply and demand details, GDP of Pakistan, etc. which were related to my last job.

Overall, I would say that the key to ace through LUMS MBA interview is to confidently explain the logic behind everything you say. And to remain calm. Because they would go deep into reasoning, argue with you, change topics quickly, highlight your negatives, and mock you even, to test your patience. Just remain calm, smile, and say what makes sense. And to be able to do this on interview day, you need to think through your future ambitions clearly and thoroughly while writing your personal statement.

Note:

1. Interviews and extent of grilling vary from interview to interview, depending upon certain factors like interviewee, job experience (the more the easier), etc.
2. GRE/GMAT score of around 600 (or equivalent GRE) would, in my opinion, get you through to interview, then interview has about 70% weightage in overall selection process.

If you are interested in LUMS MBA, please go through the articles given here. 

Was LUMS MBA worth it?

Question: How has your MBA journey been so far, and looking back do you think LUMS met all your aspirations? Was the LUMS MBA worth it?

Coming from an engineering background, I joined LUMS MBA to diversify my profile, to improve in things I was weak at, and to open up new opportunities. I believe that this degree has been fulfilling all the objectives so far.
They grill you, they give you no time to rest or sleep; you have to complete your work no matter what. Otherwise, due to forced curve grading system, you cannot survive. Then Class Participation has about 40% weightage in every course, so one has to read every case (roughly 15 pages text 10 Exhibits per case per subject, two to three subjects per day). So all this pressure make you jump way out of your comfort zone and explore test your own limits.

Apart from the self-esteem and confidence, going through hundreds of case studies every semester widens the perspective. These case studies cover different subjects and scenarios, both in International and Pakistani context, so one can easily link them to similar situations in real life, and understand and argue about the solution. Class is not like undergrad typical class in which teacher comes and teaches via slides etc. Instead class starts with an argument about the case, and ends with a conclusion, or sometimes, a lot of discussion but no right answer. This video might help visualize:

Then there are experiential learning modules, in which one has to research on an industry (for example Tourism) for one semester, and work on a startup in the next. This is a great opportunity for budding entrepreneurs to get ideal resources, platform, and advice.

So overall, I would say that LUMS MBA certainly has been worth it so far. It has taught me things I never came across, and helped me explore my own talents better. If you have the resources and time, and you plan to have a career in Pakistan, the best thing to do after two years of job experience would be MBA from LUMS.

Note: One eye opener when one joins LUMS MBA is the amount of handwork and sleepless nights that await you. It’s easier said than done. So be mentally prepared.

If you are interested in LUMS MBA, please go through the articles given here.