Calling Fall 2010 Chicago Booth Applicants

Had my on-campus interview today and I don't remember all of the questions asked, but the main points were...

Why MBA?
Why now?
Why Chicago?
Short and Long term career goals?
Leadership experience?

It is pretty straightforward since all of these are addressed in the essays.

How did it go?

I had my interview today too. I went to an alum's office in NYC.

The interview was very conversational, a quick run through on the resume, what I hope to gain from an MBA, why Chicago, career plans afterward, etc. Nothing out of the ordinary. I asked a bunch of questions afterward about life at Booth, and his recommendations about courses to take. Alum was a great guy and I had a nice time talking with him. Obviously hoping for the best.

Also, I'm just curious about the front page. What does an asterisk mean next to a name, and how to I become included on your spreadsheet?

Thanks. GL to everyone.

Happy Friday! Now that Round 1 has passed, I thought I'd take a break from reading to share a few pointers about what I've learned about this year's application. After you've completed your self-assessment and researched which schools fit your needs, then it is absolutely important that you READ and ANSWER the questions each school is asking. I say this largely because many schools have quite similar essays this year. For example our Essay 2 asks you to answer one of these two choices (500-750 words):

A. Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?

or

B. Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

HBS asks: What have you learned from a mistake? (400 word limit); and

Wharton asks: Describe a failure that you have experienced. What role did you play, and what did you learn about yourself? (500 word limit)

While we recognize that you are likely to apply to multiple schools, it’s important that you make sure you answer each schools’ questions carefully. Your attention-to-detail, effort, thoughtfulness, judgment in choosing which essays to answer, etc., help us to learn more about you and your candidacy for Booth. It’s not just the words you use.

So, as you prepare your essays, make sure you understand the subtle differences in questions across schools, and make sure that we know which Booth Essay 2 you’re answering. A simple A or B will suffice. Good luck

are the on-campus interviews performed blindly? anyone know if they've seen resumes or essays?

An adcom lady on campus noted that Booth has a tradition of calling admitted applicants in the few days prior to decision day (12/16 this year).

First, can anyone else confirm they've heard this? Also, what other top schools are known for this method historically?

Had my interview last night. I had it locally with an alumus, and I feel like it went well. Here were the questions:

Walk me through your resume.

Why MBA? Why Chicago?

Tell me about a time when you stood up for something at work?

Management case problem from the interviewer's job

Anything else you would like us to know

I asked three or four questions. Then we talked about business and the economy for about 30 minutes. Overall, it lasted about an hour and a half.