The Booth MBA admissions committee focuses on three key dimensions in evaluating applicants:
- Intellectual fit in terms of ability and motivation to optimize its Curriculum
- Personal and cultural fit in terms of synergy with its Community
- Professional fit in terms of past and future Career
This short series of posts will explore each of these 3 C’s and how you can integrate them into your application successfully.
We’ll start with the first one.
Fit with Booth’s curriculum
The renowned analytic rigor of Booth endures – it is part of the University of Chicago DNA. Its curriculum reflects and embodies this quality. While it contains a practical aspect being a professional program, mastering and making the most out of the academics demands intellectual energy and a capacity for sustained analytic work.
Here are the three components of this dimension of fit that Booth identifies and looks for:
- Academic preparedness.
Do you have the skills and knowledge to handle the curriculum? For Booth, the academic record is particularly important. It should include relevant quantitative coursework with good grades and demonstrate an appetite for intellectual challenge and exploration. You need a solid and thorough academic foundation to navigate the classroom demands and team projects. - Intellectual curiosity.
Do you relish and are you energized by probing ideas, testing possibilities, pursuing root causes? You’ll manage the challenging curriculum a lot better if you actually enjoy this type of pursuit, if you are driven by genuine curiosity to push those conceptual boundaries. If it’s a grind, you’ll suffer (and might make others suffer too). - Communication skills.
Being intellectually prepared and engaged is great, but as a classmate and team member, you must be able to express your ideas and interact effectively – you need sound communication skills to participate in and contribute to the communal learning.
The Booth website lists some obvious things in your application that address this curriculum fit (e.g. test scores). In addition, it cites some interesting factors the adcom pays attention to: “interest in current affairs” and in areas outside your immediate environment, and “willingness to engage in debate or to ask questions.” Weave these elements into your essays and interview! Ideally with a deft touch; not heavy-handedly. In fact, the 2nd main essay question (“Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life?”) is ideally suited to accommodating such a message.
Do you want to ensure that your application demonstrates your fit with Chicago Booth? Do you need help highlighting your strengths and proving that you truly encapsulate the Chicago approach? I would be happy to work with you on your application and guide you to acceptance at Chicago Booth or any other of your top-choice MBA programs. Click here to get started.
Cindy Tokumitsu has advised hundreds of successful applicants, helping them gain acceptance to top MBA and EMBA programs in her 20 years with Accepted. She would love to help you too. Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
• School-Specific MBA Application Essay Tips
• Chicago Booth MBA Class Profile [Class of 2020]
• Chicago Booth MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.
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