Essay 1: Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1,500 word maximum) Our general guidelines for the standard career goals essay apply to this document, but the above-average length and the nature of Chicago’s other questions add another strategic consideration. While the second and third essays certainly provide ample opportunity to share information about oneself, there really isn’t much room for narrative. This is a distinct contrast from schools like Stanford and MIT, which ask applicants to recount the details of their actions in several specific kinds of situations across the application essays. With this in mind, Chicago applicants might want to use a portion of their 1500 words in this essay to briefly share the details of some professional achievements and significant experiences.
Essay 2: If you could step into someone else’s shoes for a day, who would it be and why? (500 word maximum) The most common trap that applicants fall into when answering this question is writing more about the person whose shoes he or she would choose to occupy than about the reasons for this selection and the way it fits into his or her candidacy. While this can be a fun question with an answer that is sure to be telling, it’s important not to lose sight of what should be the main objective of one’s application: sharing impressive information about oneself that is relevant to one’s business school candidacy. Selecting a prominent figure whose work is in line with one’s professional goals or favorite hobby can be a great strategy for producing an interesting essay that allows for detail about the applicant’s background as well.
Essay 3: We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application. In this portion of the application, we invite you tell us about yourself using a non-traditional application format–a PowerPoint presentation. In four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are. This approach isn’t exactly revolutionary - Stern’s usual Essay 3 asks for a personal expression that gives candidates complete freedom with content and medium (except for the exclusion of edible/perishable personal expressions) - but it does speak to Chicago’s interest in a candidate’s interests and personality. While all this “white space” might be daunting to some, an easy way to approach this process is to ask oneself a few simple questions. Are there four personal themes to which you would like to devote a slide each? Would you prefer to use the four frames to create a sense of progression through a day, event or activity? We’re hesitant to provide too much guidance given the free-form nature of the task; the best advice we can offer is to think about who you are (and how this might be of interest to the GSB adcom), consider how you could translate this into words and images, and then try it out. Showing the initial result to someone who knows you well could be a great way to determine how successful this draft is. Good luck, and have fun!
***Updated applicant list: 1/9/08 RiverRipper
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Last edited by ncp on Wed Jul 25, 2007 7:26 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Status: Um... what do you want to know? Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 Posts: 5472 Location: SF, CA, USA Schools: UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010 WE 1: Social Gaming Followers: 40
Status: Um... what do you want to know? Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 Posts: 5472 Location: SF, CA, USA Schools: UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010 WE 1: Social Gaming Followers: 40
rough idea is mostly pictures and icons, with a few words here and there for emphasis. The last thing the adcom wants to read are more bullet points. =P
I'll be applying to Chicago, although unlike most people I am not excited about the powerpoint essay. I would have done better on the essay last year that allowed you to write about a book or movie since I love to read. My main problem with that one would have been picking the book that I enjoy that also sends the right message. The powerpoint thing im not so sure of.
rough idea is mostly pictures and icons, with a few words here and there for emphasis. The last thing the adcom wants to read are more bullet points. =P
Maybe everyone will have this same brilliant idea and I can set my self apart with just bullet points.... Yup, me's on the Chicago bandwagon as well.
I was on the Chicago GSB website and they have some info sessions around the country and a few overseas in August. I signed up for the event in Boston on August 12th. A few have already been filled, notably the one in Delhi.
I am trying to book my trip to Chicago for the end of Sept to visit GSB and Kellogg.
I was on the Chicago GSB website and they have some info sessions around the country and a few overseas in August. I signed up for the event in Boston on August 12th. A few have already been filled, notably the one in Delhi.
I am trying to book my trip to Chicago for the end of Sept to visit GSB and Kellogg.
Status: Um... what do you want to know? Joined: Mon Jun 04, 2007 Posts: 5472 Location: SF, CA, USA Schools: UC Berkeley Haas School of Business MBA 2010 WE 1: Social Gaming Followers: 40
I was on the Chicago GSB website and they have some info sessions around the country and a few overseas in August. I signed up for the event in Boston on August 12th. A few have already been filled, notably the one in Delhi.
I am trying to book my trip to Chicago for the end of Sept to visit GSB and Kellogg.
Come say hi...
definitely...I mean come on. One thing I have already learned is use whatever you have available to help strengthen you application and the whole contacting current students. Besides you live in Chicago so I will need a list of some places to eat and things to do.
anybody work on their resume yet? the application asks for it in a very specific format, which makes it much lengthier than normal. can i assume going over 1 page is ok?
anybody work on their resume yet? the application asks for it in a very specific format, which makes it much lengthier than normal. can i assume going over 1 page is ok?
I'm done with my 'generic' resume. I still haven't looked at the GSB app, so I really wouldn't know what format they want that in. However, I am assuming that it won't be radically different from the usual. On a side note, I came across a couple of applications where the resume wasn't explicitly asked for. Am I missing something here?
I am also on the GSB bandwagon and am attending an Info session conducted by them in Dallas this Friday. Can somebody pls give me some pointers on how to make the most of this oppourtunity.
Thx
anybody work on their resume yet? the application asks for it in a very specific format, which makes it much lengthier than normal. can i assume going over 1 page is ok?
We would like you to adapt your current resume to include the following items, preferably in the
order listed below. An example of the expanded resume been included as a guide.
1. Company Name
2. Date of Employment
3. Industry
4. Starting and Finishing Salary
5. Number Supervised if any
6. Any significant activities professional or otherwise that you participated in (please include any
relevant roles you may have held)
7. Key Professional Responsibilities
8. Reason for Leaving for the position
Please note the expanded resume is designed to give us a more comprehensive view of your
professional and personal life at various stages of your career. Our hope in requiring this
additional information is to get a snapshot of who you are at various stages of your professional
and personal development. This can give us a greater perspective on your potential overall
impact on the GSB community.
interesting to me the small tweaks they made to the application. they cut down on the additional info section where they used to ask about any significant experiences abroad...
anybody notices the differences in the pdf version and the online one? it looks like the pdf one requires you to enter in all employment since you began college...which would include internships...however the online version asks for "all full-time post-undergraduate positions held" only. What's the deal with that?
interesting to me the small tweaks they made to the application. they cut down on the additional info section where they used to ask about any significant experiences abroad...
anybody notices the differences in the pdf version and the online one? it looks like the pdf one requires you to enter in all employment since you began college...which would include internships...however the online version asks for "all full-time post-undergraduate positions held" only. What's the deal with that?
Question: What if part of the full time work was during undergrad? Can I add that in the resume and the professional info?
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Yup, me's on the Chicago bandwagon as well. 
