Current Student
Joined: 09 Apr 2008
Posts: 197
Given Kudos: 2
Concentration: Finance, Ibanking
Schools:Chicago Booth '11
Re: Admitted to Chicago Booth Class of 2011 Thread
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Updated on: 07 May 2009, 08:16
Admit recap:
Thursday night I met up with Kwam and his Brazilian gang for a few at Fado. My wife and I had a blast and Kwam was very helpful. I decided to pass on TNDC because I wanted to be coherent the next day.
Friday morning: Friday was sunny and warm....I could see the beach filling up with people early in the morning as I drove down Lakeshore. The day started with a speech from the co-chairs of the weekend, Rose, and Dean Snyder. Rose highlighted the diversity of the class by asking people to stand when she made a comment that was relevant to them (e.g. stand if you're from the Midwest, stand if you speak more than three languages, etc.). The most attention went to the individual that flew in from Shanghai. I spoke with the guy from Shanghai later in the weekend and he isn't even sure if he is going to come to Booth--he's running his own company and it sounds like he'd have to shut it down to attend....the weekend was probably much more important to him than it was to those, like me, that have already made up their minds.
The only part of the weekend that seemed really slow was when Dean Snyder interviewed (unscripted) two members of the faculty. It was hard to hear and not too interesting. IMO, the faculty at Booth speaks for itself. The two professors that were interviewed were great but the Q&A setup wasn't very captivating.
LEAD: After the intro speeches we broke into our cohorts and did the LEAD activity (see prior write ups as the activity was the same).
Career panel lunches: The career lunches were a great way to learn what internships and jobs current students are landing and how they developed their skills at Booth. We also heard from the Director of career services and she was very impressive. I sat in on the IM lunch and the IB lunch. There were four current students at each one and I'd have to say that their career searches have led them to some great places. The common theme was that internships and jobs are available but you have to work harder to get them and career switchers have to work a little harder.
I didn't participate in the Booth campus tour or the trivia because I sat in on some of the partner information sessions instead.
Campus: I did a separate campus tour and, most importantly, I toured the gym. The Ratner center was really nice and it was definitely large enough to accommodate the entire campus. The walk from Booth to Ratner is about 10 minutes (could be tough during the winter but it's doable). I'm not sure if anyone has heard about the library being built on UofC campus but the renderings look amazing. Our guide told us that the technology is insane. Allegedly, you type in the book you're looking for and a robotic arm gets it from the basement for you.
Random walks: The random walk overviews were great. I'm doing a couples trip so I only had to choose between three but they're making everyone else list their top six choices. I really wonder how many people are going to get their top two pics. I don't even know if there was enough time to learn about six trips.
LPF: LPF was great and I really wish I had more time to spend there. If admit weekend LPF is any indication of what it's like all year, I'm excited. All the clubs had tables set up so it was fun to walk around to see what was really out there...while drinking, of course.
Friday night: Friday night was the best night. We started with cohort dinners at different restaurants throughout the city then we all converged at Joe's bar. The "Booth" group was out on the patio. $6 pitchers so everyone was filling up your cup as you walked by. The NBA game was projected onto the brick wall of the building next door--watching the game on a 250 inch projection was pretty cool. I guess there was some MMA fighting going on in a ring inside the bar but I missed it. Once the MMA ring was broken down (about 1:00am) they closed down the patio and "Booth" took over the indoor bar and dance floor. I don't remember much after that.
Saturday: The morning started with breakfast at 8:30. It was a hearty buffet so we could all sober up a little.
Financial aid: If the breakfast didn't sober you up, the financial aid discussion definitely did. For those in the dark: the full amount right now is $78k per year. Take that for two years and your 10-year payback schedule will equate to about $1850/month. Perspective: the mortgage on a $500,000 home (20% down, 5%) is around $2150. The director of financial aid was great. She's a no BS kinda lady and she's been doing it for around 35 years.
Quote of the trip: "if you live like a CEO when you're a student, you'll live like a student when you're a CEO."
Resource fair: The fair was pretty useful because I learned a lot about the various neighborhoods that Booth students live in. The actual resource fair breakouts were okay but I didn’t learn too much. If you had a specific question about the curriculum or career services, it was beneficial but I didn’t really have any questions.
Chicago style lunch: The Chicago dogs and Italian beef sandwiches were great. We broke out with a couple other cohorts and ate our lunch in a classroom. While we ate, we asked two current students anything that was on our mind. I don’t want to get personal but there was a guy in the back row (the only guy in the back row) that asked “what is the least amount of work I can do without failing?” in about 5 different ways. It honestly became comical.
After lunch I skipped the “explore Chicago” tours so I could catch up on some sleep.
Cocktail party: The Class of 2011 Celebration was well planned out and it was a great capstone to a great weekend. Rose gave the best advice during her speech—“drink your beverage of choice, then a water, then your beverage of choice, then a water; you’ll thank me in the morning.”
We all went to Max’s bar after the celebration. It seemed like a fun place but it was way too packed. Joe’s was much better because we all had room to move around and socialize.
Lincoln Park tour: I did a neighborhood tour of Lincoln Park on Sunday and the host was great. Lincoln Park is very exciting and the rent is quite reasonable. I’ve got a lot of information on Wicker Park, Bucktown, Lincoln Park, etc so PM if you would like me to send it to you.
Most importantly: I met some great people this weekend. Everyone was so impressive and inviting. I look forward to meeting everyone this fall.
Originally posted by
pguard on 30 Apr 2009, 22:32.
Last edited by
pguard on 07 May 2009, 08:16, edited 1 time in total.
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