After appearing for several interviews this season, I can undoubtedly say that SJMSOM had the best online interview setup of all. The typical format of an online personal interview this season had us all waiting in front of the screen, aimlessly staring at the “Please wait, the panelists will let you in soon” message that appeared over the white background. SJMSOM did things differently, however. The admissions team made use of an application called 'Gather'. Think of it as a 2-dimensional waiting lobby with fun characters that could move around and travel from one room to the next. This change was a welcome one and added enormous flavour to the otherwise mundane process.
Post document verification, I was invited into a room where there were three panelists present. Upon entering the room, I saw their big and welcoming smiles which immediately put me at ease. They asked me to introduce myself briefly, which I did. Post this, they asked me where I was from. Upon hearing that I was from West Bengal, one of the professors asked me a bit about the Bengal elections that were prevalent at the time. They seemed to be particularly interested in one of my stints at a major construction project which was a part of my undergrad. They asked me a ton of questions on the same which I could answer well. After this, they moved on to my hobbies and had a brief conversation with me regarding literature and music. The last question they asked was why I wanted to study at SJMSOM, to which, fortunately, I had a crisp answer ready. Overall, it was a fun experience. It seemed more like a conversation than an actual interview; I’ll completely credit the panelists for creating such a welcoming environment. Before leaving we had a brief exchange of pleasantries and I left with a huge smile on my face.