While professionalism is certainly an important aspect of your application, we’re looking to get to know you as we read your application, so it’s important to include different aspects of your personality. Feel empowered to talk about your hobbies and interests outside of work and education; this helps us get a sense for who you are and where your passions and priorities lie. How much you decide to share about yourself within your essay is completely up to you, just remember to use that space to let your personality shine.
We review applications holistically, meaning that no particular part of the application holds more weight than another. We certainly won’t look at your lower-than-you’d-like GPA and toss out your application right out of the gate. If you are worried about a low test score or GPA, be sure to hone in on other aspects of your application. If you’re concerned about your GPA and test score, we encourage you to (1) Make sure your resume is clean and fleshed out, (2) spend time crafting essays that are well written and reflective of you, your goals, and how you intend to utilize your MBA.
Come to your interview calm and prepared. Think of the interview as more of a conversation, not an interrogation. Your interviewer is there to get to know you and get an idea of your fit and readiness for the program. If you’re cool, collected, and confident in why you want to get an MBA and how you’re looking to spend your time at Booth, you’re already well prepared.
People tend to think a stacked resume is going to be most impressive and reflective of your value, but remember, quality over quantity is best. We recommend keeping it simple and readable. Allow your accomplishments to speak for themselves and keep your resume trimmed down to your most relevant experiences.
When selecting your recommenders, you want people who can speak to your work ethic and skills from working with you closely. A recommendation coming from someone with a high position at the company might seem impressive, but if they have no idea what your strengths are and what it’s like to work with you, that recommendation will fall flat. Be sure to select recommenders who have worked with you and know you well enough to speak highly of the accomplishments and contributions you’ve accumulated throughout the course of your career. We recommend having at least one recommender be your current supervisor. We realize that’s not always feasible, so you can also select a previous supervisor to write your recommendation letter. Your secondary recommender can be someone you’ve worked with closely in the past, like a partner or a colleague; supervisors, both current and former, will likely be your best bet.
Knowing specifically what you want to do can be helpful for noting how you’d like to spend your time at Booth and what resources you will utilize, but it’s not vital to the integrity of your application. If you’re unsure of your exact future career path, you can take space in the goal-oriented section of the application to talk about how you plan to utilize your MBA, as well as the corresponding resources you’ll use to engage in exploration and figure out your career path.It’s worth having an idea of what your short and long term goals may be, but we recognize that these goals may change during the course of your MBA.
Booth has many concentrations and opportunities ready to support professionals looking to pursue a multitude of industries, from entrepreneurship to economics to behavioral science. Our ever evolving curriculum is continuously expanding to accommodate more and more professionals in any field they should choose to pursue. To get an idea of the reach of our curriculum offerings, you can explore our 14 concentrations.
Many business school students coming from non-traditional backgrounds are not only able to gain admission to Booth, but also succeed during their MBA and well beyond graduation. We don’t consider most applicants to be “non-traditional” since every year we strive to create a professionally well-rounded class. We encourage students from a plethora of backgrounds to apply and attend Booth, as we aim to create a diverse classroom environment open for robust discussion where individuals can learn from a variety of perspectives.
Throughout your resume and application, you can talk about different ways you may have gotten leadership experience from your jobs and other experiences. Though you may have never had a position that was strictly managerial or that of a director, that doesn’t mean you haven’t been able to glean a multitude of valuable leadership skills throughout your career, education, volunteering, and personal life experiences. Take some time to reflect on moments when you enabled yourself to take on leadership roles or exhibit managerial skills; you can write about these in your resume role descriptions, in your essays or wherever you believe it to be relevant.
Every application is given equal consideration no matter the round. Applying in Rounds 2 or 3 does not indicate that someone “procrastinated”. The quantity of applications in a round varies from year to year, but typically, round two is when we experience the highest influx of applicants.We recommend waiting to apply until you are confident in your application.
If you’re placed on the waitlist, don’t give up! Many people make it in off the waitlist and go on to have a fruitful MBA experience. During your waitlist period, you can stay engaged with the Booth community, go to MBA events, and you can even submit new career updates to the admissions office that may have popped up after you submitted your application. You can check out this blog post from The Booth Experience for insights from past Booth students about being on the waitlist and ultimately making it into the program. Above all, keep your head up and remember that even though the application process can be challenging, the value you possess is immense and your potential is innumerable, even if your career journey has some road bumps at the start.
If you’re denied, you can reapply the following year and use the time in between to gain more professional experience, refine your resume, essays, test scores, and any other parts of your application that you feel needs refreshing. Ask MBA graduates in your network for advice on the application process and attend Booth admissions events for application tips and tricks. Above all, have confidence in your professional capability and be genuine as you craft an application that tells your story.
We recently connected with Army Veteran and Armed Forces Group co-chair, Janelle Van Lopik. Read on to discover why Janelle chose Chicago Booth and how the AFG has elevated her MBA experience.
Get to Know Janelle Van Lopik, US Veteran and Full-Time MBA Student
Take a look at our key takeaways from the Full-Time MBA Class of 2022 employment data and consider what the return on investment will be of your future MBA from Chicago Booth.
MBA ROI Series: Full-Time MBA Employment Data
Meet Lehman Robinson, our new Associate Director, Diversity Admissions and Outreach.
The MBA from a Different Lens: Meet Lehman Robinson