This thread is for the Booth 2011 Application Year, meaning applicants that are starting School in the Fall of 2011. Please direct all of your questions for this year into the 2012 thread calling-all-2012-chicago-booth-fall-applicants-116701.html If you are a current student/admit, please consider visiting the thread for Admitted Students admitted-to-chicago-booth-class-of-2013-full-time-mba-thread-107432.html At Chicago Booth, you get more than just a world-class education. You become part of a global business force. Please use the following form to add your stats to the spreadsheet: Form link Edit Link: https://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0Av3d03301eNIdFozSUpyT2lUQzN0TG41MTFDWG83eHc&hl=en#gid=0 Spreadsheet 0Av3d03301eNIdFozSUpyT2lUQzN0TG41MTFDWG83eHc GMAT CLUB STATS Round 1 Deadline: October 13, 2010 Notification: December 15, 2010 Round 2 Deadline: January 5, 2011 Notification: March 16, 2011 Round 3 Deadline: April 13, 2011 Notification: May 18, 2011 Evening/Weekend MBA Deadlines: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/parttime/a ... #deadlines SCHOOL INFO Excerpts from Admissions Chat Events Application Review Process At minimum three people will review an application. We do not review applications in groups but the reader will have access to the previous readers' reviews. Our office hires students to serve as Admissions Fellows. These students will review the files(and conduct our on campus interviews.) Once the Fellows complete their review an admissions officer reviews and will make a recommendation. At this time a candidate is invited to interview or recommended for denial. If denial the Associate Dean will review the file. If invited to interview, after the interview takes place, the file is reviewed again by an admissions officer. A recommendation is made and ultimately the Associate Dean makes the final decision. We do not compare students between rounds; we only evaluate applications based on each round. The chances of being admitted are very similar from one round to the next. Interview As for interviews, Interviewers will NOT have access to your applications. We conduct interviews either on campus by admissions fellows or off campus by alumni. All applicants have the option of coming to campus or interviewing with a local alumni. Academics The Booth MBA is based on a discipline based approach to business education, with finance being at the cornerstone. Chicago Booth boasts a legendary finance curriculum, covering both corporate finance and investments. In addition, our long-standing relationships and success in recruiting with the biggest investment organizations in the world. General Guest: what are the top features booth is looking for in an mba candidate and how can i improve my chances of admission Kurt: The best way to be successful in this process is to really know your story. Where have you been? What skill and experiences have fostered over time? How do these things prepare you for an MBA, and a career post MBA? And finally, how does a specific program i.e. Booth bridge the gap effectively between where you are and where you want to be. Think through this effectively and convey this story utilizing all the aspects provided in the application will give you your best chance of success. To be candid we expect that students applying to a top school are smart, engaged and demonstrate signs for leadership potential. With those things being staples it is at the margins where you can most directly impact your outcome. And your story and fit is what lives in the margins. Neel the overwhelming majority of our students in the FT program are looking to make a career change. To do so you have to think through what you know about the desired industry, what skill and experiences do they covet and what do you bring to the table. In most cases once you do this exercise you will realize where your strengths and weaknesses lie, and at Chicago because of our flexibility and commitment to analytics you will have every opportunity to round out your necessary skill sets and go after the role you desire. Essays 1. The Admissions Committee is interested in learning more about you on both a personal and professional level. Please answer the following (maximum of 300 words for each section): a. Why are you pursuing a full-time MBA at this point in your life? b. Define your short and long term career goals post MBA. c. What is it about Chicago Booth that is going to help you reach your goals? d. REAPPLICANTS ONLY: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? These short essays will require you to know yourself. You will need to understand where you have been and where you are going. Before you begin drafting the responses to these essays, take some time for self-reflection. Why do you want to return to school? Why is the MBA the right degree for you? We know that many of you will use your MBA experience to help you figure out what kind of job to pursue next. Even though your future career plans may not be clear at this time, you should still be able to discuss your goals and how they relate to obtaining an MBA. For our reapplicants, question 1d is where you can tell us what, if anything, has changed since the time of your last application. What has occurred in your life or career that has either reinforced or changed your goals? What lessons have you learned or how have you grown since you last applied to Chicago Booth? 2. Chicago Booth is a place that challenges its students to stretch and take risks that they might not take elsewhere. Tell us about a time when you took a risk and what you learned from that experience (maximum of 750 words). You’re probably wondering, “What kind of risk do you want me to discuss?” To be honest, we’re not looking for one kind of risk in particular. It can be a risk related to your professional, academic or personal life. It can be a risk that resulted in either a positive or negative outcome. We want to hear about a time when you challenged yourself and what you learned from that experience. How has that experience influenced your future actions? 3. At Chicago Booth, we teach you HOW to think rather than what to think. With this in mind, we have provided you with “blank pages” in our application. Knowing that there is not a right or even a preferred answer allows you to demonstrate to the committee your ability to navigate ambiguity and provide information that you believe will support your candidacy for Chicago Booth. Earlier this year, there was some discussion as to whether we would continue using the presentation as part of our evaluation process. With the presentation proving to be such an important tool in helping us determine who is a good fit for Chicago Booth, we decided it was necessary to include in our 2011 application. However, this year, we are giving applicants even greater freedom to decide what information they want to convey in the presentation. Since we’re providing you with “blank pages,” what you decide to address in your presentation is up to you. Look at the other aspects of your application. Are there messages or activities that you have not yet been able to communicate to the committee? If so, then the presentation will be an opportunity for you to provide us with this type of information. After reviewing your presentation, we want to have a better understanding of who you are and how you think. Also, please remember that it is the content – not the design – that should be the focus of the presentation. We understand that not everyone is a design guru. So, whether it’s through photos, images, graphs, or just words, the goal is to communicate your messages as effectively as possible.

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Calling All 2011 Booth Applicants!!

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wmcrockett

Joined: 17 Nov 2009

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18 Nov 2010, 08:27

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madmax

I had my interview last night with an alumn.

It was very difficult. Differently from my interviews at CBS and Tuck, the interviewer was doing everything by the book, with a poker face on all the time and gave me no feedback whatsoever.
Excluding the small talk and the session when he opened for my questions about Booth, it lasted about 30 minutes, which was kind of short for me to cause an impact.
He only asked the usual resume/why mba/why now/why booth and was trying to discover any lacks of coherence in my answers.
I am now expecting a ding... I just really wish that you guys have better luck being assigned to your interviewer.
If I knew it would be this hard I think I would have flown to interview on-campus.

I am open to questions.

Best,

What made it so difficult, other than the lack of feedback and response from your interviewer? It sounds exactly like the type of interview you would have gotten on campus.

takingback

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18 Nov 2010, 08:52

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Had my interview yesterday on campus with a second year student. Very receptive and nice in a very conversational and relaxed atmosphere. Asked the basic questions that everyone has already commented on, however, did not ask them in order. I was thrown a bit off track when I was explaining why an MBA when the question was why Booth, a minor issue that I think I was able to recover and reconnect back into the proper context of the interview. My advice therefore is not to just think of what you are already going to say before hand, but to just respond thoughtfully to the question as it is asked. It went about 45 minutes and was overall a great experience.

SLISeattle

Joined: 08 Nov 2010

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18 Nov 2010, 09:33

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madmax

Sorry to hear that Madmax. Some folks mistake interview to interrogation. But that by no means imply that you will get a ding, so hang in there...

madmax

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18 Nov 2010, 11:02

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w103psp, SLISeattle

I truly appreciate the support. I hope this is the case mentioned by Rhyme.
It will be less of an anxious waiting until Dec 17th, though... hehe.

wmcrockett,

Let me clarify. For an intl applicant, interviewing in your own country is supposed to be a better choice because the alumn is should be able to tell if you are someone outstanding or not (when compared to other applicants of the same country). For example, I worked full time throught college and attended to evening classes, and this was in a top 3 public university in my country. This extra effort is appreciated here, but from what I heard, is given less value in the U.S..

On the other hand, an alumn (foreign or not) is expected to be a worse interviewer than an Adcom member since he/she naturally has less experience interviewing people and gets less training.

So, in my case, if my particularities (which were supposed to differentiate me from other applicants from my country) weren't enough for me to engage my interviewer, if we didn't "connect", so to say, then I prefer to be interviewed by an Adcom member, who is a well trained professional who interviews hundreds of people each year, and can give a more accurate evaluation on my candidacy.

I know I didn't mention I was an intl applicant, so there was no way you could know about all this. Anyway, that is my rationale behind my post...

How was your interview experience?

kittu

Joined: 14 Jun 2010

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18 Nov 2010, 11:24

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madmax

My interview lasted under 15 minutes. And I am not kidding. By the watch it was under 15 minutes. All he asked were 4-5 standard questions on my work, why mba and why booth. Did not even give me a chance to highlight any of my leadership or extra currcs.

I dont have a good feeling about my interview.

BruceLee

Joined: 17 May 2010

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18 Nov 2010, 11:31

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It's disturbing how luck plays such a huge factor in how experienced, nice and helpful you interviewer will be. It's frustrating that after hours of hard work and stress one person's bad attitude can mess up your chances. However, I'm not sure on the level of importance the adcom at Booth place on the interviews. I know it varies from school to school, but I think at Booth it's about 20% of the entire application.

futurestrategist

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18 Nov 2010, 11:34

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BruceLee

Agreed

dundundun

Joined: 25 Oct 2010

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18 Nov 2010, 11:53

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I have to think adcom anticipates and accounts for potentially sloppy interviews, especially w alums. I think important point is that the interview is more of a screen than a boost. I don't think anyone gets into bschool because of a great interview, but a bad one can keep you out. So it's unfortunate if you don't hit all your key points in an interview, but hey, that's what the written app that gets read by 3 adcom members is for. Your interview is primarily to make sure you are personable, speak English, and can thoughtfully discuss your career. An interview non-event sucks but I don't think it's a huge missed opportunity or will in and of itself cause a ding... Good luck!

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w103psp

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Location: United States

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Schools: Michigan (Ross) - Class of 2013

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18 Nov 2010, 20:33

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Just finished my interview with an alumni (2010 graduate). It went well, it was definitely fun. 90 minutes in total, at a Starbucks.

We talked briefly about each others day at work, and she led that conversation into describing my current role. It wasn't strictly structured, more conversational but covered all of the questions: Why Booth, Why MBA, Why now, What if I hate my internship what is plan b, Describe my leadership style with an example, Teamwork, Professional groups at Booth, Social clubs at Booth, 3 things my friends would describe about me, What other schools I've applied to, Hobbies/volunteer activities & interests (and inspiration for those). We shared an interest and coincidentally it was the theme of my powerpoint, and I had taken the color printouts. I shared the relevant slide and she asked if she could keep the rest. She then asked me to talk about things that are important to me but aren't on my resume. This took up the first 45 minutes, and she made copious notes. Often times, after my answer, she would talk briefly about Booth.

The next 45 minutes, I asked her questions about Booth and she was super excited to talk about the city, the school, students, etc. She loved her Booth experience! She offered to introduce me to people in the industry I want to switch to.

All in all, I think it went well. And now we wait until December 15th!

rhyme

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18 Nov 2010, 20:35

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w103psp

And thats a nice positive interview. Congrats.

w103psp

Current Student

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18 Nov 2010, 20:38

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rhyme

w103psp

And thats a nice positive interview. Congrats.

Thanks Rhyme for the great webinar coaching the other day, definitely helped!

cwhs

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19 Nov 2010, 08:15

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Is there any status indicator anywhere on the Booth application site that shows whether the interview report has been submitted or not?

w103psp

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19 Nov 2010, 08:17

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cwhs

Is there any status indicator anywhere on the Booth application site that shows whether the interview report has been submitted or not?

As per Booth email, no.

7. Please note that your application status as "Invite to Interview" WILL NOT change even after the interview is completed. Your status will only change once a final decision has been made.

cwhs

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19 Nov 2010, 08:22

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Well, there's also another status area when you click into the "interviews" link, then "view your interview schedule", my status shows as "In Progress". Is it the same for you? It's been over a week since my interview and I believe the interview report needed to be submitted in a week.

w103psp

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19 Nov 2010, 08:26

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cwhs

I finished mine last night, so even if it's supposed to change I don't expect it to for a few days. Perhaps a question for adcom?

automatic03

Joined: 17 Feb 2010

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19 Nov 2010, 15:50

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I just completed my offcampus interview today with an alum at starbucks. The conversation was causal for me and it lasted about 45 minutes. Most questions are general:

Why MBA?
Why Booth?
short and long term goals?
What's my background?

I also had question about my internship in college. My interviewer definitely studied my resume beforehand.

This question below came to me as an odd ball, but I just went with my first instinct. Good luck people.

What do I consider successful?

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19 Nov 2010, 17:28

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cwhs

The status will change again. Mine now reads:

In progress
Interview Completed

thatsku

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19 Nov 2010, 20:30

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madmax

If I knew it would be this hard I think I would have flown to interview on-campus.

I am open to questions.

Best,

madmax,

i had a similar experience at an on-campus interview... poker face, hard to read... i did catch her smile a few times though...

with that said, i think my interviewer gave me opportunities to talk about my resume and candidacy in general, and most of the questioned mentioned in this thread by fellow GMATClubbers were asked during my interview (so if your interview is coming up, start reviewing!)... overall i thought the interview went "okay" though not stellar.

at the end of the interview, she seemed to have left in a hurry though she did give me a business card with her email and phone number (pretty standard)... i wrote a quick thank you email after the interview and received no response...

the way we departed and the fact that she hasn't responded to my thank you note tells me that maybe the interview probably went a bit worse than i perceived...

Atsushi

Joined: 16 Mar 2009

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Schools: Chicago (Booth) - Class of 2013

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19 Nov 2010, 20:49

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thatsku

madmax

If I knew it would be this hard I think I would have flown to interview on-campus.

I am open to questions.

Best,

Don't worry so much! You probably did better than you think. Also, in my experience, interviewers--whether you're interviewing for a job or for b-school--don't generally respond to thank-you notes, regardless of how well you did.

Mandy4983

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Updated on: 22 Nov 2010, 01:54

Originally posted by Mandy4983 on 19 Nov 2010, 22:47.
Last edited by Mandy4983 on 22 Nov 2010, 01:54, edited 1 time in total.

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Hello All

I had my off-campus interview with an alum last evening. He had gone through my resume, and started off by "you have XXX, YYY and ZZZ...why do you want an MBA?" Now, I was expecting questions on XXX, YYY and even ZZZ, but not altogether

I somehow mumbled something out. However, he was clearly not satisfied and what followed were multiple rounds of questions on "Why MBA", "Why Now" and "Why Booth". I think he was trying to test how passionate I am about pursuing my goals. And about getting an MBA. "What if you are not able to get what you want, then what is the Plan B?"

After that, he asked me a couple of situation based questions - I suppose to test me again whether I know anything about what I want to do - such as, "if you are in your dream-job and AAA happens in future, how will you tackle the situation"!! I took 15sec to answer that

The above questions are more or less in order. He did not ask me how I'll engage the Booth community, any leadership or team-work oriented experiences! Overall, he seemed like a really nice guy, was very patient while I was mumbo-jumboing, and even asked me the same questions again a couple of times when I couldn't answer them satisfactorily the first time. I don't think he was trying to scare me or make me uncomfortable. And clearly, he was very happy with his Booth experience.

Any comments anyone? I can't believe that it's over and am not daring to think how it went