June 7, 2022 Live Admissions Chat

Admissions Live Chat

06/07/2022

Admissions Questions

Chat Participant: Are there internal scholarships/grants awarded to students? Where would students apply?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - we do not offer any scholarships specifically for international students. That being said, we do offer merit aid to competitive applicants ranging from $10,000-30,000. Students are automatically considered for these scholarships when they apply.

 

Chat Participant: Hi, thanks for organizing this. I'm wondering do we need to choose evening/ weekend when applying or we can make a choice later?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: When you apply, you will need to choose a program to apply to. However, you will still have the option to take courses in the Evening program should you apply to the Weekend program. We encourage people to select the program they anticipate taking the majority of their courses in, as that program is where they will get priority registration for.

 

Chat Participant: And would it be possible for us to make a change after getting in to Booth?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: You are allowed to formally switch your program between evening and weekend one time during your tenure in the program!

 

Chat Participant: What is the cost range for yearly tuition?
Mia Palmejar-Takaki | Assistant Director of Admissions: If you plan to take 2 courses/quarter (4 quarters/year) to stay on track to complete the MBA program within 2.5 years (average timeline but you have up to 5 years to complete the program), the yearly cost would be around $62,300. Here is a link to see the tuition and fees in more detail: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/cost

 

Chat Participant: Hello, I would like to understand more about "Resume Reviews" - what is the purpose, are they required, when is the ideal time to pursue that?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: The resume review offers a great entry point into our admissions process. A member of our team will review your resume and provide feedback. This offers a great way to learn about the program.

 

Chat Participant: Hello - How do we sign up for the resume reviews?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: You can do so through this link https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/resume-review

 

Chat Participant: What is the difference between the Executive MBA and the standard MBA path?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: The first major different is the average experience level in the program. The average amount of work experience in the Evening/Weekend programs is 6-7 years and the Executive program is 13-14 years. The Executive MBA program is a lockstep experience, where students will complete the program in a structured pace of 23 months. In the Evening/Weekend programs, students’ progress at the own pace to complete degree requirements.

 

Chat Participant: Hi, I am interested in the weekend MBA program. What are the hours like? Would I be able to participate in the student events/clubs? Thank you
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - great question! Typically, Weekend MBA students will take two courses on Saturday - one from 9 am - 12 pm; then a second class from 1:30pm - 4:30pm. The 1.5 hour break is typically when student clubs/groups will meet. Many of our Weekend students are still heavily involved in clubs and events.

 

Chat Participant: Are the merit scholarships awarded for one year only, or granted multiple times throughout the student's time at Booth?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Booth's merit scholarships are awarded shortly after admission. These are one-time awards and are spread out across a student’s first 10 quarters in the program. For example, if a student was awarded a $20,000 scholarship, $2,000 would be applied to each of their first 10 quarters in the program.

 

Chat Participant: Hello, is there a Winter/spring start date or are there only fall start dates for starting your MBA
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: The Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs offer applications to start in all four quarters of the year. Applications become available roughly 6-7 months prior to their respective deadlines.

 

Chat Participant: What is the Admissions team usually looking for when it comes to an applicant's professional resume?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - the biggest thing we are looking for is evidence of professional progression. This can be showcased in numerous ways - promotions/salary increases/responsibility changes etc. It is less about what specific title/industry you work in, and more about the impact you are having professionally.

 

Chat Participant: What is the maximum number of courses that can be taken up in an Evening MBA program?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: To complete the program, a student must complete 20 courses throughout their time in the program. Per quarter, students can take no more than three classes at a time. Anything over that would require special permission from the school.

 

Chat Participant: For applicants with 3> years of work experience who are interested in the Chicago Business Fellows Program, is there anything else that needs to be submitted apart from signifying your interest in the part-time application?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Nothing else is required! This will automatically waive the application fee and will note your CBF interest throughout the review process. You will receive your CBF decision along with your admission decision.

 

Chat Participant: What is the process for a transfer student? Am I required to take the GMAT or GRE exams?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello! We do not take transfer applications; you would need to apply as a first-time applicant. All students are required to take either a GMAT, GRE, or EA exam to be considered for admission.

 

Chat Participant: How does taking electives at other colleges within the university work as part of the part-time MBA program? Are there restrictions to e.g. law school classes taken as one-offs?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello! Students can take up to 6 courses outside of Booth at the University of Chicago. There may be some restrictions/requirements for more advanced courses. You will be able to work with your academic advisor when selecting courses outside of Booth.

 

Chat Participant: Hello! Hope you all are doing well. I was wondering what a typical schedule is for an Evening MBA student if they're taking 2 or 3 courses per quarter?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Hello! Each course you take will be three hours in length. Evening courses are available Monday - Friday from 6 PM - 9 PM. Weekend courses are available on Saturdays from 9:00 AM - 12 PM and 1:30 PM - 4:30 PM. Each course you sign up for meets once per week!

 

Chat Participant: Hello! Is the Evening program a mix of virtual classes + in-person, or strictly in-person?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - our courses are primarily held in-person. We do offer some virtual courses in our Weekend MBA program (which are also available to Evening students); students can take up to 25% of their courses virtually.

 

Chat Participant: Hi, I'm interested in the Weekend MBA program. I've been working full time for about 2 years in project delivery, is it too early for me to be applying? Is it more important to have gained more work experience or have more impressive work experience?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Everyone's path to an MBA looks different, but the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs are a great option to consider for early career candidates. Timing is a very important factor for our team when reviewing applications. If you believe now is the right time to pursue a MBA in a part-time format, your reasoning here will add significant weight in the review process.

Chat Participant: Are students who are already working with work visas considered as International applicants?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - we do not distinguish between international and domestic applicants in our review process for the Part-Time MBA program. In the PT MBA program, we cannot grant student Visas, so students do need to have permanent residency or a valid work Visa to enroll.

 

Chat Participant: Hi there! Thank you for this session today. I am trying to choose in between the evening and weekend MBA programs. Are they separate application pools?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: They are separate applications, but also the same. They are both applications for the part-time MBA program. However, whichever program you apply to will be where you receive priority registration/the first pass at classes for. After this priority registration passes, courses across the part-time programs are available to register for! So while you have to choose a program, it all feeds into the same program at the end of the day.

 

Chat Participant: Hello! Thanks for organizing this session! Do you have application advice for people from liberal arts backgrounds on how to strengthen their application? For example, doing MBA math, HBX core, or other classes?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - We take a holistic approach to application review - meaning many factors are considered in our decisions. We have students who come from diverse academic and professional backgrounds. Ultimately, we use any coursework (undergraduate or post-undergraduate) as well as standardized test scores to assess academic ability.

 

Chat Participant: What is the tuition cost per semester for the weekend mba program?
Mia Palmejar-Takaki | Assistant Director of Admissions: The academic calendar at Chicago Booth is on a quarter system, 4 quarters/year. The average length for someone to complete the MBA Program is 2.5 - 3 years, taking 2 classes/quarter. If you were to stay on this track, the average tuition cost per quarter would be around $15,600 USD. More information on tuition and fees can be found via this link here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/cost

 

Chat Participant: What are the industries that you see students come from/working in when they go to Booth? I currently work in Pharmaceuticals so I am wondering how many people you have seen from the healthcare industry
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - students come from a diverse array of industries and backgrounds, including healthcare/pharmaceuticals. You can learn more about industry representation by looking at our class profile here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile

 

Chat Participant: Is it possible to complete the MBA program in less than 2 years?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Technically yes, though it would require you to take more than the average amount of courses per quarter. On average, students take two courses per quarter, and it takes 2.5 years to complete the degree.

 

Chat Participant: In the application we are required to select two specializations/concentrations we are most interested in. Are these choices binding?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: They are not binding by any means. This is simply used for internal data collection and to help our team learn more about you and your academic interests.

 

Chat Participant: At what point during the program will students need to designate concentrations and are there restrictions on when concentrations can be changed? Thank you.
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Students do not need to declare concentrations at any point. Concentrations are earned as you progress through the program and complete courses that satisfy a given concentration.

 

Chat Participant: Are students with valid work visa (not needing a student visa) considered for scholarships?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes! All applicants to our part-time programs are considered eligible for our merit-based scholarships

 

Chat Participant: Who will be reviewing our applications? Is it faculty an admin team?
Mia Palmejar-Takaki | Assistant Director of Admissions: Our Admissions staff will be reviewing applications.

 

Chat Participant: Is the Civics Scholars Program a separate application from the part time MBA program application?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - Yes! We do have a separate application process for Civic Scholars. That application for the incoming Civic Scholars class of 2023 will be live soon, and the deadline to apply will be in spring. All Civic Scholars start in the fall quarter.

 

Chat Participant: Are MOOCs taken into consideration at all when reviewing applications?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Any additional coursework you've taken will be taken into consideration as additional information surrounding your candidacy!

 

Chat Participant: What happens after the application is submitted? By when do we know the results? Are there interviews scheduled too?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: After your application is submitted, usually within a week you will find out whether you are invited to interview. After your interview, your application is reviewed and the whole process typically takes 4-6 weeks.

 

Chat Participant: Does Booth allow undergraduate business majors to bypass select core courses if they received a particular grade at the undergraduate course equivalent? If so, are those courses no longer necessary to achieve a graduate degree, or are they replaced with elective credits?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: All Booth students are required to complete courses within the Foundations and other required areas of the curriculum (noted here https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/academics/curriculum). As you will see on this page, there are advanced alternates available for each foundational area. These alternates are great options for students who are coming into the program with significant experience in any of these foundational areas.

 

Chat Participant: I've already completed a MSc, and the GPA in that degree was significantly higher than in my undergrad. Will both GPAs be taken into consideration, or will only one be taken into account?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Hello! Both GPAs will be taken into consideration. For our application purposes, the main one we evaluate is the undergraduate GPA, but we do utilize any post-graduate GPA's to provide additional context into someone's ability to succeed in the classroom!

 

Chat Participant: Is the Neubauer Civics Scholar Program a separate application in addition to the part time MBA application?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: You only need to fill out one application, but it is for both the Civic Scholars program and the Part-Time MBA.

 

Chat Participant: Do all applicants get invited for the Interview? Does not getting an invite for interview mean the admission is refused?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We do our best to interview as many applicants as we can. However, in some cases we have not been able to offer an interview. We will release these decisions and instructions on the next step in your admissions process within 3-5 days after we receive a completed application.

 

Chat Participant: If the undergrad GPA was on a 10 point scale, is there a way to convert it or can we leave it as is?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: You can leave it as is! We are able to convert the score internally

 

Test Score Questions

 

Chat Participant: How important is the entrance exam scores?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: While the exam requirement is often the most time-consuming part of the application process, it is equally weighted with the other requirements of the application. Along with other academic-focused requirements, the test score helps Booth assess your ability to handle Booth's academic rigor.

 

Chat Participant: Are EA test scores accepted for Evening MBA program? Is there a requirement or pre requisite on who can or cannot take EA based on the number of years of work experience they have?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes we do accept the EA score! There is no prerequisite to be considered eligible for the EA.

 

Chat Participant: How much average GMAT/GRE and work experience is considered a minimum requirement for MBA program?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: We do not have a minimum requirement for the GMAT/GRE/EA and we do not have a minimum requirement for years of work experience. The class profile page www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile on our website is a helpful resource to get a sense of averages and ranges for these items.

 

Chat Participant: What are considered competitive GMAT and GRE scores for this program?
Mia Palmejar-Takaki | Assistant Director of Admissions: Chicago Booth takes a holistic approach when reviewing applications and while the GMAT/GRE scores are part of this review, there is no defined score we're looking for. To get a better understanding of what the average GMAT/GRE scores have been, I would refer you to the following link to see what the average scores were for this past class profile, found at the bottom of the page: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile

 

Chat Participant: Is there a competitive advantage to gain admissions by taking the GMAT over the EA? I had never heard of the EA but I have 20 years of experience and am now thinking I should perhaps look into that test instead.
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: We view all three exam options equally throughout the application review process. Given your amount of work experience, I recommend taking a look at the EA. It is a newer exam that is managed by the same company that manages the GMAT.

 

Chat Participant: Is there a preferred testing host for the GMAT and GRE? I am seeing quite a few options for websites to register to take the test. I am unsure which website is the most legitimate.
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Usually, you'll want to go through the testing agency to schedule this test. The GMAT and EA are offered through GMAC and the GRE is offered through ETS. Those would be good places to start!

 

Academic Questions

Chat Participant: Is there any difference in accessibility to professors' office hours between the Evening and Weekend options and do part time students have access to full time professors' office hours if they teach both a full time and part time section? Thank you.
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hello - good question! Yes our professors do hold office hours. Many professors hold their office hours in the virtual format, making them very accessible. Our professors teach across all programs, so the same professors who teach in the Part Time MBA program, also are teaching in the Full Time MBA program.

 

Chat Participant: Are evening/weekend students allowed to take classes at the Hyde Park campus in addition to the Gleacher Center? If so, are there any limits to how many classes can be taken at the Hyde Park campus?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Evening and Weekend students are able to enroll in Full-Time section at the Hyde Park campus in any quarter. However, these sections are offered in the daytime during the workweek, so they may not always work out with your schedule.

 

Chat Participant: Would an Evening MBA student be able to take any classes over the weekend?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Yes! You will be able to register for courses in the Weekend program during the open enrollment period.

 

Chat Participant: How do the class sizes compare with a regular full time MBA?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: An individual course section at Booth has any average class size of 35-40 students. This is similar across Booth's MBA programs.

 

 

Student Life/Career Services Questions

Chat Participant: Hello, Does the CMC provide resources for internship opportunities for part-time students as well? How does recruiting work for part-time students generally?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: The only significant difference in career services for full-time vs. part-time students is that internship recruiting is only available for full-time students. Part-time students can acquire quality internships through other means, but it is more organic and less common. If you are set on pursuing and internship during your MBA experience, you may find the full-time program to be a better fit. Otherwise, recruiting for full-time positions is the same across programs.

 

Chat Participant: Are there any formal mentorship programs or opportunities across the Evening MBA program, or is it a bit more natural/informal in identifying a mentor (either a more seasoned evening MBA student, etc)?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Career services offers career coaching appointments and alumni career mentors throughout the MBA experience. Students are also welcome to take more self-guided avenues by joining professional, student-led clubs (consulting club, marketing club, etc) to expand their network and identify more seasoned mentors in the MBA program.

 

Chat Participant: Does Part time program share the same career sources and events with full time students?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Resources, with the exception of internship recruiting (only available for Full-Time MBA students), are generally available across MBA programs. There is a dedicated career services office and team for both full-time and part-time programs. These teams will host separate events, primarily for logistical reasons. For example, the part-time career services team will prioritize programming and availability during the evenings and Saturdays.