Chicago (Booth) 2013 - Calling All Applicants

Fit is a weird thing that I don't entirely buy into. Booth, like any b-school, is a diverse place with lots of people from different backgrounds and different personalities. I don't think there is a "Booth type" person and I don't think the culture here (if there is one definable 'culture') is narrow enough that people would feel like they don't belong. All that said, there are types of people that, if I were interviewing, I would probably think twice about. This largely overlaps with the types of people I just don't see very often here at Booth and is really limited to people who are cocky, arrogant, overly competitive, etc.

I will also note that Booth, the students, and the admissions committees and fellows are all well aware of Booth's reputation as a bit of an introverted nerdy school. I have not found this to be the case at all, but people are aware of the reputation, and so they do take steps to address it in admissions. This means that interviewers are really looking for people who are normal, can carry a conversation, have interests outside of work and academics, and seem relatively social.