Part-Time MBA Recorded Admissions Events

Stephanie Gunn: Hello, my name is Stephanie Gunn. I'm the Director of Admissions and Student Recruitment for Chicago Booth's evening MBA and weekend MBA programs, and I'm so happy to have the chance to provide you with a more in-depth overview of those programs today. Probably the most important hallmark of a Booth MBA that all our programs share is the foundation of our culture. Our unique set of core values is what sets Booth apart. These values permeate the Booth experience and really embody what makes Booth the place it is. The first is flexibility, because we believe you create the greatest impact in your development when given maximum flexibility and choice. In terms of course selection, you will not find a more flexible MBA curriculum among our peer schools. And we believe that our students thrive in this choice-rich environment. The next core value is community. The Booth community embodies a very strong pay it forward mentality. It helps our students to get outside their comfort zone, take risks and most importantly, be themselves. Within this community of diverse perspectives, your individual strengths and your unique perspectives are amplified by the people around you. And finally, we believe you create the greatest impact in business when your decisions are evidence-based. So at Booth, you're being taught how to think, not what to think, and this experience will help you get better at learning to ask the right questions, take various perspectives into account, and ground your decisions in evidence to reach solutions. We take this approach, because it is applicable to any and every career field as it draws upon fundamental business disciplines of behavioral science, economics, statistics and accounting. Booth equips its students with this analytical toolkit to approach various challenges and solve problems.

Stephanie: So what you see here is the incoming class of 2023 data for our evening MBA and weekend MBA student population. As you can see, there are a lot of different factors that define our community, but it's important to emphasize that there is no typical Booth student. When selecting our class, we really seek out diversity in every sense of the word. What you see here is incredibly wide industry representation from consulting to nonprofit, with every function in between at all levels of career paths. With our weekend MBA program, you will join a community of students across the country. With our evening program, you'll see just as much diversity with industry and function, but within a tight-knit network focused on the Chicago land area. Both programs allow you to build an extensive network of your own. In this environment, you'll be able to learn from peers who have a real time pulse on their industries with unique perspectives and take part in a robust exchange of ideas. Again, one of the biggest factors that differentiates Booth from our peer institutions is flexibility, which can be seen through the classes you select and the pace at which you complete our program. Just as you have flexibility on when you take your classes, you can easily manage the number of classes you take each quarter. Evening and weekend students take on average two classes per quarter, and at this rate, taking classes year round, most students graduate in two and a half years. However, you actually have eight years to complete your degree. So you can certainly dictate the pace of your MBA experience. And we offer you just as much flexibility to decide what classes those will be as well. We have approximately 130 different courses to choose from. Our curriculum includes classes in the three foundational areas of statistics, microeconomics and accounting. However, if you have strong knowledge in any of those areas from previous academic or work experience, you can waive the basic level course and take a higher level class that focuses on a more specific topic. Students also complete coursework in the functional areas of business. These classes provide students with a breadth of knowledge and create a strong general management foundation so you can take the classes that matter to you, build up new skills, supplement skills you already have. And finally, there are the electives. Electives give you the chance to delve further into specific areas of interest. You can use your electives to focus in on disciplines and work towards concentrations. We have 14 different concentrations you can choose from. Alternatively, you can leverage your electives more broadly across the Booth curriculum and even within the University of Chicago, as you can take up to six of these courses outside of Booth. You can also use your electives to access international study abroad opportunities. There is an optional two to three week program allowing students to study in different locations while receiving a class credit for the trip. Again, at Booth, you have the freedom to tailor your courses to fit your experience, interests, and career goals.

Stephanie: Now let's shift gears and talk about another very important part of the MBA journey, which is developing leadership skills. Leadership development is a significant part of the Booth experience. Our mission is to train future leaders, which means helping you think beyond numbers and balance sheets. LEAD, which stands for leadership, exploration, and development is the one required course all Booth students must complete. LEAD takes place during a student's first quarter in the program and is an experience designed to build the foundation for leadership development, self-awareness, and community interaction throughout the duration of your Booth MBA. Our approach to leadership development empowers students to become their own best type of leader rather than fit into a leadership style dictated to them. Beyond LEAD, there are many different ways to develop your leadership skills firsthand during your time as a student. We have a dedicated leadership center that offers innovative courses and programs to help support the development of your leadership identities and skills. We also have a robust offering of leadership development classes within our curriculum and opportunities to co-chair or become leaders of student organizations.

Stephanie: So let's dive deeper into those student club opportunities. We have about 45 part-time specific clubs that'll allow for networking, community building, and industry exposure. Of the student-led clubs, about half are industry specific, like the Fintech Club, Consulting Club or Build Tech Booth. The other half of the student clubs consist of social and affinity groups. A few of our popular social clubs are the Outdoors Club, Wine Club, and Wellness Club. Some examples of our affinity groups are the Coalition of Minorities in Business, which is a club that advocates for Black, Latinx, and Native American students at Booth, the Graduate Women in Business Club, Booth Pride, which is our LGBTQ+ club, and the Armed Forces Club for veterans. We also have a student advisory council who acts as the voice of the students and help run and organize many major events throughout the year. Each of these groups you get involved with, the conversations you have with alumni, and the classes you take all have a direct impact on your career advancement. Part-time MBAs have their own career services center at the Gleacher Center, our part-time campus downtown, making it easy to schedule appointments both in person and virtually around your work and class schedules and personal commitments. From career advancement to big career changes, whatever your path, our career services team is there for you and has abundant resources to help. And as an alum, you continue to have access to career services for life. So we wanna help you when you face those big pivots and choices. So finally, let's shift gears and talk about the Booth application. So now you might be wondering what happens when someone on our team looks at your application? Well, first and foremost, we take a holistic approach to reviewing applications. From the slide, you can see the components we require as you complete your application, but no piece is more important than another. Each plays a role in understanding you and projecting your particular academic, career and community impact. Also important between the GMAT, GRE, and Executive Assessment, we don't have a preference in the exam you take. Just remember each of these pieces of the application tells us something about you. Your test score and transcripts help us understand your academic ability and potential success in the classroom. And your essays, letters of recommendation and interview tell us about your interpersonal skills, collaboration skills, drive, and motivation in your career. We want to understand you and your story, and we seek people who will be successful in the classroom, but who will also be collaborative and pay it forward to their peers. As an applicant, you can also expect a final decision within four to six weeks of your application submission.

Stephanie: I hope this helps give you a sense of the opportunities a Booth MBA has to offer. Regardless of how you choose to pursue your MBA and what your career path will look like, you can be sure that your Booth experience will provide you with the flexibility, skills, and support you need to succeed.

Patrick McHale: Hello and welcome. My name is Patrick McHale from Chicago Booth's Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs. This session is designed to help you put your best foot forward, and creating your very best application for Chicago Booth's Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs. I'll share some useful tips that will be valuable for you at every step in the process. These programs are designed for full-time working professionals looking to continue working while pursuing their MBA. I will now take you behind the scenes of the application and the evaluation process. Before we jump into the nuts and bolts of a successful application, let's look at the general guidance for a strong timeline for applying. So, first, let's start with goals and research. During this stage, as you find things that you love about each school, it's great to make note of those and refer back to them in your interview. For selecting schools, once Booth is on your list, you'll want to invest some time in engaging with us. Talk to alumni and current students to get a feel for the culture and the community.

Patrick: When it comes to preparing the application, note that you don't need to complete the application in one sitting. You can return to your application as often as you'd like up until the point that you click submit. And when you're ready to submit, if you want to wait and strengthen your admissions test score, or enhance your essays, then by all means wait and submit your best application. Keep in mind we offer multiple intakes each year and we have a rolling admissions process as well. And at Booth, we interview by invitation only, which is the last step in the process. We'll talk more in depth about what to expect in the interview in a little bit. And then when it comes to the decision, you'll get a final decision in about four to six weeks from the time that you submitted your completed application. And then after you're admitted to Booth, it's time to get excited, LAUNCH is our orientation, and kicks off your Booth MBA experience. So that's the overall application process.

Patrick: So let's take a more in-depth look at the application requirements. We take a holistic approach to evaluation, meaning that no one piece of the application that you see here is more important than another. So just to list it briefly, we require essays, resume, two letters of recommendation, transcripts, the test score requirement, which includes the GMAT, GRE or Executive Assessment, and the admissions interview. Now let's dig into the particular application components. First, let's tackle your resume. Your resume should provide a snapshot of your professional accomplishments and educational background. As a tip, instead of simply providing a bulleted list of your job responsibilities, frame your resume in terms of your outcomes and quantify them. In addition to your professional experience and education, we're excited to learn about your other commitments. Also, your extracurriculars and volunteer activities that you participate in. As a few examples, maybe you sit on a board, volunteer regularly, have a side business, or are taking professional development courses. As a final tip, please provide a format and layout that is easy to read and understand. A five-page resume is a lot for the Admissions Committee to read. So we ask that you keep it between one to two pages and avoid technical jargon wherever possible. We need academic transcripts for any post-secondary courses you completed. While you can use unofficial transcripts to apply, if you are admitted and accept the offer, we will then request official copies of your transcripts. If you are concerned about your academic record, it's important to concentrate on parts of your application you can impact. For example, work on a strong test score, highlight professional accomplishments, and be extra prepared for the interview. You may also use the optional essay to explain what may have happened to impact your grades, and fill in potential gaps. Our application has one required essay and one optional essay. The essay is a chance for us to gain a better understanding of you, your voice and story. We want to know why you selected Booth, what you hope to achieve, and why Booth's culture and learning environment are right for you. A pro tip is to remember that we ask for short-term and long-term career goals in a different portion of the application. So you don't need to restate them in detail here. Our optional essay is a chance for you to share anything additional you feel would be helpful for the Admissions Committee to know. A few common things that are addressed in our optional essay include a history of poor standardized test taking, a semester of poor grades, a medical leave. Ultimately, anything you feel is important that you feel that cannot be addressed elsewhere in the application. Before you decide to write this essay, keep in mind it is optional. So ask yourself how relevant the information is and what value it brings to your application.

Patrick: When it comes to letters of recommendation, this is an outside perspective on who you are and gives your team insights into how you work with others, your job performance, and generally who you are in a professional setting. We ask for two recommendation letters in total. Pick people that know you, can speak to your accomplishments, but also give an objective stance on where your room for growth is. If possible, we prefer to see one letter come from your current supervisor. If you do not provide a letter from them, you'll be asked to explain why in your application. So a question we get commonly, which matters more, the person writing it or the content? The answer is the content for sure. If you had the CEO of the company submitting a letter, but he or she isn't familiar with your work, it doesn't give our team any insight into you. And remember, the whole point of this is getting to know you. So only choose a CEO or someone of a similar level if they can speak directly to the value that you bring. Test scores help us understand an applicant's preparedness for graduate education. While tests are only one aspect of the application, be cognizant of the GRE, GMAT, and Executive Assessment ranges on our class profiles on our website. There are no minimum score requirements, but if you feel a test score doesn't reflect your true ability, you have some strategic options. This includes retaking the test, trying a different test out of the three we accept, and also highlighting academic strengths through undergrad, or other courses you have taken. Many people ask if we have a preference between any of these three exams, and the answer is we do not. Take the test that you feel you'll do best in because we want you to take your best foot forward in satisfying this requirement.

Patrick: A final step in the application process is the interview. Interviews are extended on an invitation only basis. Interviews are conducted by a member of our Admissions Committee, which is composed of students and alumni. So it's a great opportunity for you to connect with a member of our community and learn about the Booth experience firsthand. Our interviews typically last 45 minutes and are blind interviews, which means the interviewer will have not seen any part of your application, just your resume. So it's up to you to fill in the gaps. Before the interview we recommend doing some research and revisiting your application. Remember all the self-reflection you did, the great essays you wrote, those are really great things to draw on when speaking to why you applied to Booth. And during the interview, try to relax, listen. Pay close attention to the questions asked. The person sitting across from you at the table, or on the Zoom call was once in your shoes applying to business schools and applying to Booth as well. So remember, it's important to bring questions to the table as well. Ask a member of our community anything you want to know about Booth. They'll be happy to share their perspective.

Patrick: So, finally, once the interview is complete, breathe a huge sigh of relief. The ball is no longer in your court. We have it from here. Overall, our team is looking for fit. Can this person be successful in the Booth classroom? Will this person add value to our community? Do their goals make sense? These are overarching questions our team asks themselves when reviewing an application. One last bit of advice is to remember that these components are viewed in combination, not individually. That means you want to use each area as an opportunity to build and shape your narrative as a candidate. Give each area of the application a role and purpose. So now you know all of our secrets. It's time to go home and click the submit button, right? We have several intakes each year, and we don't want you to wait for a certain season to start your degree. Applications submitted before our deadline will be read when they're submitted and receive a decision within four to six weeks. That said, there's nothing wrong with applying at the deadline. If you feel you need the extra time to put forth a great application, definitely wait until that application quarter that works best for you. Thank you for joining us today. We wish you the best of luck as you move forward with your MBA journey. We look forward to meeting you along the way and receiving and reviewing your application. Thank you.