---
title: "After the Interview"
url: https://injong.com/article/1770359760917-after-the-interview
author: "IJ"
published: 2026-01-31
category: "Life"
---

# After the Interview

I wrapped up my UIUC interview on Thursday, January 29, 2026 (US time) from Korea.

The 6am slot (Korea time) was a bit intimidating, but honestly? It turned out to be a pretty casual meeting.

![IMG_0171.blur.jpg](https://images.injong.com/IMG_0171.blur-1770359677324-blbd3y.jpg)

Preparing for the interview...

The admission team and I talked through the usual suspects:

- why I want to do an MBA
- why UIUC specifically
- My academic record
- Recent learnings about cultural context
- AI-related stuff
- what I could contribute to the program...

you know, the classics.

UIUC's interview process was refreshingly casual.

Really positive atmosphere, and despite what must've been a long day for them, they were genuinely engaged and responsive.

The only hiccup was that I had the flu, so my voice was... not great.
Also, I'd prepared scripts for a ton of potential questions, but the interview ended up being less probing than I expected. A bit anticlimactic, actually.
(Apparently MBA programs avoid overly personal questions to maintain fairness across candidates)

Once it was all over, the adrenaline crashed. And then the spiral began
Did I do okay...? Were my answers good enough...? All the thoughts came flooding in lol

![GIF](https://media4.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTlmMGY2NDI1ZnQ1N2xnZHY5c3N5ZG02anZvMjI3bjVpZDkxcmxuaHRqaDV5anIzYSZlcD12MV9naWZzX3NlYXJjaCZjdD1n/MNmyTin5qt5LSXirxd/200.gif)

I think I answered everything I'd prepared for decently... now I'm just hoping for good news.

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Source: https://injong.com/article/1770359760917-after-the-interview — © Injong Lee, Injong.com