Full-Time MBA Recorded Admissions Events

Admissions Director: Applying the ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ booth. Let's talk about the strategies and tips for creating your best application. Especially now this year, we have a couple new aspects with our application, so want to go over those as well. So our application process, where it happens is you submit your application, it goes through initial review- At that point, you guys would potentially get. No, it goes through two reviews. Then there is a potential for an interview that is by invite only. After the interview, everything comes together for a final review, and then there is the final decision. Now, when we talk about the application process, I know there are maybe some schools, and I know our Evening Weekend Program does kind of a rolling admission, so where doesn't matter if you submit your application before the deadline, you might get a decision or contacted before the deadline date. For us, the Full-time Program, it doesn't matter when you submit. So we won't start looking at those until after the deadline date, so the very next day. So I say that to say, take your time in submitting your application. Don't rush and feel like, oh, I need to submit it a week ahead of time so I can get it back a week ahead early. Just make sure that the application is the best that you can have it and then submit. 


Admissions Director: So what we require, our application requirements are completing your online application. And by complete application, I mean fully. Everything that we're asking for, make sure that you answer every single question, fill out every single box. Our short answer questions, you have to submit a resume. One letter of recommendation, which has changed from previous. In the past, there used to be two. Now we're asking for one, and I'll talk about that a little bit later. A set of transcripts and the transcripts will be from any school that you've attended where you've earned a grade. A test score, I'll talk about those a little later too, but it's a GMAT or GRE. And then finally after that, as I said before, if you're invited to interview, that is by invitation only. 


Admissions Director: So let's talk about your professional resume. Really what we're looking at for your professional resume is we want to see really your progression, your professional progression, your educational background. We want to see how you've worked with teams, what projects you've worked on, all of those things that kind of encapsulate your professional background. So we're really asking for it to stay one page. One page is preferred. I know some of you guys have probably extensive work experience, so maybe in that case, maybe two, but really prefer one. Make sure you spell check on your resume, make sure all your dates and degrees and all of those things are correct, and really try to avoid jargon and acronyms. It makes perfectly good sense to you, but obviously for admissions, some we are familiar with, some we are not, but you don't want to leave it up to us to guess. So just make sure that you spell everything out correctly, and then make sure your resume is in a font where we can read it. You will not believe how many times I see resumes where the font is so little, like eight points or something like that where people are really trying to fit all this stuff in. So you want to just make sure that it's legible and readable for the admissions committee to review. 


Admissions Director: Second is your academic transcripts. Now, transcripts are required from any post-secondary education. And when we say that, that's any one that you've attended, right? Doesn't matter. Only the unofficial transcripts are needed during this application process. And I know sometimes the question is what's the official versus unofficial? Unofficial are transcripts where you can get them yourself. So a lot of times your school will have them where you can download or your ex-school or previous institution will have them where you can download from a website, or I have seen people that take pictures and upload them. We prefer not that, but you can submit that. So anything where you can actually touch these transcripts is called a unofficial. And at the time of your application, that's all we require. And then make sure that these transcripts include your courses, the grades, the year in which your degree was conferred. If you have, some courses I know are maybe still in process if you're doing a master's or something, but your undergrads and all of those should be. Make sure the degree is on there and then the year. And then if there is a international transcript, just make sure that it's English translation there. 


Admissions Director: So this is new for us this year. We have replaced our essay with short answer questions and they're four short answer questions. And really the questions are super short and they're like, what is your immediate post MBA goal? What is your long-term post MBA goal? So there are things that we just want to get very specific and straight to the point. I get questions all the time of what should I write? The very honest answer is just be yourself, be genuine and get to the point. Not a lot of fluff. You don't have a lot of time to add a lot of fluff around there. So just get straight to the point and answer what we're asking. Adhere to the prompt. 


Admissions Director: Also another change this year - In the past we've asked for two letters of recommendation and this year we're asking for one letter of recommendation. And what we're asking for is that that one letter of recommendation come from a current supervisor. We do understand that there might be situations where your current supervisor does not know that you're applying to an MBA program. So in that instance, a previous supervisor is totally acceptable. But if you use a previous supervisor, that is you would use the optional part of the essay, I'm sorry, optional part in the essay, which is in the application, just make sure you tell us why you used a previous supervisor and not your current supervisor. But regardless, make sure you give them ample time to submit this. So if you're submitting your application next week, you don't want to ask them the week before. You want to give them enough time so that they have enough time to gather what it is they want to write about you, what projects you help them on, things that they really want the admissions committee to know about you, and why they feel like you would be a good candidate for our program. So it just benefits you to give them enough time to do that. 


Admissions Director: The next thing we're going to talk about is the test scores. Test scores are really what helps admissions committee to just determine your MBA readiness for the program. Can you handle the rigor, right? And so we accept two test scores, the GMAT or the GRE, does not matter to us which one you use, whichever one that you feel is right for you, that's the one that you would use. There is no minimum test score requirement. However, on our website, we do have averages there. So you want to just look at those averages and at least try to get within the average, I would say would be my advice. But sometimes that doesn't happen, right? Sometimes you're lower than average or maybe you're even higher than average, and that's okay. That's why we don't have a minimum. What you would do then is just then highlight other areas in your application to show readiness for the MBA program. And that can come from your undergrad grades, that can also come from other higher ed degrees that you've done. So that is really good. And then also there are other MBA courses that people sometimes take and upload those as well. 


Admissions Director: So after all of that, as I said, you submit your application, go through a couple of reviews by ADCOM, then you are invited to an interview on an invitation only basis. So a couple things. Either you're invited to an interview or you're just denied at that point, but if you're denied, you can absolutely try again next year. But if you're invited to an interview, you are then paired with a member of our Booth community to conduct your interview. This year, all of our interviews will be done virtually. They'll last about 40 to 60 minutes, and you will work directly with the person that will be conducting your interview on a date and time that works best for you two. So what are we looking for in all of this? In the application, in the interview, what are we looking for? We are looking for really what is your career progression? Is it logical? Does it make sense of why you want an MBA? Are you able to articulate really well why you want an MBA? Is the career advancement potential there? Can you articulate and very clearly tell us, "Hey, an MBA will help me to reach X, Y, and Z in my career path." We're looking for, like I told you in the previous slide, a good academic record, right? We want to see that once you get here, you're able to handle the demands and the pressures of an MBA program, and the rigor that comes with those type of programs.


Admissions Director: We want to see that you're able to complete, and that you have a commitment to complete the program, that you're really interested in attending Booth and can tell us why you feel like Booth is a program for you. We want to see your contributions, what you can contribute to our Booth community and how you will potentially be a leader as an alumni. And all of that will come from the application as well, as when you talk about nonprofits, things that you're interested in, things that you feel really passionate about in your community. All of those things kind of show us how you would contribute to the Booth community as well. And then like I said, yes, the GMAT and the GRE are important. I don't want you to think they're not, they are, but every single piece within our application is important. It's all equal weight. So if you maybe are not hitting that average, it's okay. You can just pop up possibly another area of your application. We review the whole thing. We look at it very holistically, and so don't feel like all hope is lost. 


Admissions Director: So our application deadlines, we have one coming up in just about three weeks. September 15th is our first deadline. Round two is January 7th. Round three is April 1st. If you feel like your application is not as strong as you would like it to be, okay, that's okay. Hold off for Round Two. But if you're ready to go Round One, then hit the submit button.

Admissions Director One: Hello. Thank you for taking some time out of your morning, afternoon, evening for joining us today.

Admissions Director Two: And we're so excited for the session because it gives us a chance to debunk some of the most common misconceptions about our program, the application process, and even ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ itself. So we can jump right in and see some of those popular misunderstandings about Booth.

Admissions Director One: So our first myth is Booth doesn't have a cohort system, so it will be harder to form close friendships.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, I'm so glad we're talking about this because at Booth, you're not limited to a single group of classmates for your entire MBA experience. Instead, you'll meet a wide variety, a wide range of students across different courses, clubs, treks, social events.

Admissions Director One: Yes. And also, Lauren, community building happens before classes begin throughout orientation. The LEAD program, Booth offers various leadership experiences and also fun programming designed to help our students connect with one another.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, definitely. Community at Booth is much more than a fixed cohort. You'll find your people throughout your entire MBA experience. All right, myth number two, finding housing in ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ and commuting to campus is challenging.

Admissions Director One: Yes. So this is a fun one. Most students live in the downtown area of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ, which is not very far from Hyde Park. They also all live within a few blocks of each other. So a lot of the popular buildings you've probably heard of are MPP, 73 East, MILA, and there are a few others that are popular with our Booth students.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, definitely. And getting around town with classmates is very easy. Many downtown residences are within walking distance of the Metra station, public transit, making commuting very convenient. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is also a highly walkable city with extensive public transportation. And so making it easy to go between work, home, campus, friends, things like that.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. Yeah. And like I mentioned before, most of our students choose to live in the downtown area, but you do not have to commute downtown to take courses unless that is your preference.

Admissions Director Two: Yes, correct. The Harper Center located in Hyde Park is our home campus and for the full-time MBA program. So you can anticipate making or taking most or if not all of your courses in Hyde Park at the Harper Center.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. So I think continuing on talking about ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ, another myth, living in ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ isn't as great as in other cities.

Admissions Director Two: Of course, we're definitely a bit biased and believe ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is the best city in the world, but we're not alone. Sources like different publications have named ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ the best city in the US for nine years straight. So Heather, what makes ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ so great?

Admissions Director One: Yeah, I love this question. So for one, public transportation. ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ has an extensive public transit system, makes it easier to maneuver all over the city, car free. We have efficient buses, trains, the Metra, which we mentioned earlier is a commuter train we also have. Also being a big city, we have options like bike and scooter rentals, water taxis, so you can easily navigate around the city without the stress of driving or parking. And that goes both for either taking class, getting to campus, or just your day-to-day life.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, definitely. Also, my favorite part of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is the lakefront. It is along Lake Michigan and is truly a selling point on its own. It's very picturesque. It's waterfront that spans 30 miles, great place to relax, go for a walk, enjoy the views. People also like to bike and jog along the lakefront trail. I am one of those people. And it's a very safe environment throughout the year, day or night.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. And entertainment-wise, there is a lot of options here between classes or between quarters. We have sports teams, great food scene festivals. So living in ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ can be a lot of fun and there's really something for everyone to enjoy. So we have a vibrant cultural scene here, world-class museums like the Art Institute of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ, which is really close to where a lot of our students live. We also host a variety of festivals throughout the year. So if you've ever heard of Lollapalooza, we have Taste of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ, the ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ Air and Water Show, all great opportunities to meet new people. Lastly, also if you're a big sports fan, we have athletic teams represented in almost every pro sporting arena, so ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ is an exciting place to experience sports.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, definitely. And continuing on that, if you're still wondering about why is ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ so great, on the business side of things, ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ serves as the headquarters for many Fortune 500 companies like McDonald's, United Airlines, Hyatt Hotels, Northern Trust, Motorola, and Grubhub. So actually fun fact, Grubhub's co-founder and former CEO is actually a Booth Alum. So you'll be in the presence of a lot of amazing people and companies when you live in ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ.

Admissions Director Two: All right, let's do our next myth here. Booth's flexible curriculum is more limited than it seems. Ooh, that's a good one.

Admissions Director One: Yeah, yeah. So I feel like we get this question a lot. So beyond a set of foundational courses, students are able to truly create a learning experience that's going to fit their needs. So students can take up to 10 elective courses, which you can use to pursue different concentrations or explore new subjects.

Admissions Director Two: Yes, definitely. And you can explore new concentration areas such as our AI concentration, which is very new, and adjust your academic plan as your goals evolve throughout the program. So you can definitely work with our Academic Services and they're able to help you take you through that whole process of picking through which concentrations you're excited about.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. And then I think something also very interesting about our curriculum that some of you may not already know yet is you can take up to six of those electives outside of Booth within the University of ºÚÁÏ´«ËÍÃÅ. So this really does allow further customization to pursue how your other interests may intersect with business without going formally through a joint degree path. So I know a lot of students are interested in taking classes at the Law school or the Harris School for Public Policy, or just might have something of special interest they might want to explore during the two years.

Admissions Director One: Oh, yeah. So moving on, we have a couple more myths to bust for you. The next myth is everyone at Booth only goes into consulting or investment banking. So I don't know if you want to give us some insight, Lauren.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, I laugh at this one because while consulting and investment banking are popular paths, Booth students pursue successful careers across a wide range of industries and functions. Booth is actually designed for diverse career interests and provides that ecosystem to support your goals.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. And if you visit our website, you can also find our most recent employment report to see the wide range of career outcomes and how students are leveraging the Booth resources. And I think Lauren also has just linked the employment report, so feel free to take a look at that because I think you can get a lot of great information there.

Admissions Director Two: Yes, definitely. Our extensive employer network supports students interested in careers in technology, entrepreneurship, healthcare, marketing, private equity, social impact, product management, and more.

Admissions Director Two: All right, myth number six here, I need to have a traditional business quant background to succeed at Booth.

Admissions Director One: Yes. Yeah, another one we definitely hear a lot from when we meet students. So Booth students, the class comes from a really wide variety of backgrounds, and we welcome students with experiences in the military, the arts and media, nonprofit organizations, other government entities. So yeah, there's not one particular background that we're looking for.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, definitely. And if you're concerned about the quantitative coursework, Booth provides many resources to help you succeed, and there are always student groups and an entire community to help you along the way.

Admissions Director One: Yeah, yeah. And then again, there is not a mold that you have to fit into. We see that the most successful applicants are those who can bring their authentic experiences to the forefront and help shape the class. So next myth we have here kind of talking about those experiences.

Admissions Director One: Myth, I don't have any formal leadership experience, so I won't have the opportunity to lead at Booth.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, good question there. At Booth, there are plenty of ways to get involved in leadership. For example, LEAD, which is part of our orientation program, the Graduate Business Council, Career advisors, Wellness Fellows, Admissions Fellows, and then co-chairs of groups. There's lots of different ways to get involved.

Admissions Director One: Yeah, yeah. And so touching a little bit on what Lauren just mentioned about LEAD, that is one of Booth's signature leadership and development programs. It's designed to help students build meaningful connections, strengthen their existing leadership skills, develop new skills. So this is all done through small group experiences, hands-on activities, student development towards greater self-awareness, improve how they work with others, and then just ultimately become an effective leader, right? And so this is also done led by staff and faculty at Booth, but also by second year students who are selected for these positions and can also give back and give their real firsthand experience of what it's like at Booth.

Admissions Director Two: Which is another great opportunity to get involved. All right, another myth here. I have a better chance of being admitted and receiving a scholarship in round one.

Admissions Director One: Yes. Yeah, big question. I know we just opened our application, so people are probably already preparing to apply by round one. So there are a large number of candidates who do choose to apply in round one. However, there is no advantage from our perspective on when you decide to hit submit. So some things to note, all three rounds are viable and evaluated equally by our team. We will just have a little note that international candidates may consider applying earlier just so they can allow for any visa related things, the visa process. But rest assured, scholarship is based on merit and available in all three of our rounds. So something that I think we say a lot in when we're meeting people or doing presentations is apply when your application is at its very best and when you feel good about hitting that submit button versus trying to get it in as early as possible. So hopefully that eases some worries. And then going into kind of another myth that we like to bust about the application process is my GPA and GMAT or GRE hold the most weight during the application review.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah, good question here. And so, right, we take a holistic approach in reviewing applications, and maybe I should say that again. It is very holistic. It is, for example, we are equally interested in your professional accomplishments, your leadership potential, your career goals, your impact on the community, and any unique experiences that might have shaped who you are.

Admissions Director One: Yes. Yeah, I will 100% agree with Lauren there. Yes, very holistic approach. So not to get too hung up on your test scores just because that's one component. So just know that we accept all versions of the GMAT or GRE as long as the scores are valid. So they are valid if they have been taken within the last five years. So we do take the traditional GMAT, the GMAT focus, the online version of the GRE. I will note, I know that there is a new GMAT Superscore, so just do your research on that. Booth does not accept the Superscore, so we only accept a complete test score from one sitting. So just keep that in mind as you are preparing to apply for MBAs. And then we also have our class profile that you can take a look at what our average scores are. And thanks again, Lauren, for dropping that. So feel free to take a look. Just know that there is a wide range there, and just because we have an average doesn't mean if you have below that average, you are not a viable candidate.

Admissions Director Two: Yeah. And I'm so glad we're spending some time here on this question. Another note too is you only need to submit one test score with your application. However, if you choose to retake the exam after applying, you can submit updated score for consideration. It's also important to note that admissions will not accept Superscores, which Heather just mentioned, and you can self-report any test score that you'd like to be considered. So lots of options there. And then another myth here is I should have a letter of recommendation from an alumni and/or a Shape the Class as part of my application materials. So maybe we should chat more about what Shape the Class is before we kind of get into this. For those who may not know, Shape the Class is a portal where members of the Booth community can submit an informal recommendation for a candidate they know personally. It's an opportunity for current students, alumni, and other Booth affiliates to express their support for a candidate.

Admissions Director One: Yeah. Yeah. And so big piece of advice here for anybody that knows about the Shape the Class or is now learning about it and thinking about where that may come into play, and we strongly encourage that you do not solicit a Shape the Class from somebody that you know that is part of the Booth community. This is really meant to be initiated by an alumni or current student to speak on your behalf. So just keeping that in mind. And we always value quality over quantity as well, so considering that when thinking about who you may know in the Booth network and how strong of a relationship you have with them. And I think kind of finishing off here with this final myth, the strongest letters of recommendation that we receive are from direct supervisors or people who have worked very closely with you and overseen your work. We are really looking for a detailed and objective letter that provides insights into your performance, the growth that they've seen, and then also your potential. If that happens to be an alumni, that's great, but we also don't expect everyone to have a Booth alumni write their letter of support or letter of recommendation. And again, I'll say that one more time. The strongest letters always come from someone either that directly supervises you or has closely overseen your work.