[Advice Needed] NUS SGFin Fall 2026 - Received Invite for Live Interview

Background: I am an undergraduate student majoring in Accounting at a university in Macau (MUST). Following my Video Interview (VI) on Nov 18, I recently received an invitation for a 20-minute live interview for the NUS MSc in Sustainable and Green Finance (SGFin) program. To my knowledge, this is likely the first batch of live interviews for this cycle.

Given that I haven't heard back from my Hong Kong applications yet (aside from my safety schools), this opportunity is an absolute lifeline for me. To prepare as best as I can, I would love to ask for advice from alumni or fellow applicants on a few points:

1. Interview Style & Focus (Stress Interview?) Previous interview experiences shared online suggest this program often conducts "stress interviews," where interviewers dig deep into technical questions and motivation.

My Profile: Since my background is in Accounting rather than pure Finance, do you think the professors will focus more on grilling me on the specific details of my past internships and projects?

Context: My background is banking-heavy, but I assume they might be more interested in specific niche experiences I have: an industry research report on New Energy Vehicles (NEVs) for a bank, a research assistant role for a carbon emission management software project, an internship at a listed foreign chemical company, plus my volunteering and certificates.

Technical vs. Macro: Or will they focus more on general "hardcore" Green Finance technical knowledge? Do they also tend to ask political or macro-view questions to test my worldview and perspective (e.g., questions about the political landscape, such as the reasons behind political resistance to ESG/Trump's stance, etc.)?

2. Networking Etiquette I have identified a few professors associated with the program on LinkedIn. Is it appropriate to try networking (e.g., sending a connection note) after receiving an interview invite but before the actual interview? Or does this carry a risk of backfiring due to a conflict of interest at this stage?

3. Interview Conversion Rate Does anyone have insights into the offer rate/conversion rate for the live interview stage in previous years? Since this is currently my only live interview offer, I’m quite anxious and hoping to manage my expectations regarding the competition level.

Thanks in advance for your answers and advice! Best of luck to everyone in this application season! 🙏