Calling Chicago (Booth) Applicants for 2009

Ok, thanks guys. I was also thinking the same as yellowjacket - do less of why chicago in this one, and concentrate more on what led to my goals and the why now. I just wasn't sure if others are mentioning why chicago at all. I guess the safer option is to mention it. I don't think I would do anything about why chicago in the ppt.

Just don't forget that question 1 isn't asking "Describe your career to date, your short and long term goals, and your desire to pursue an MBA at the university of Chicago." It's asking why now. All that other stuff is good, but don't forget what the actual core question is.

Rhyme:

How can you discuss why you want an MBA now w/out giving an explanation of how an MBA fits into your career plan (goals), and where you are in that career plan (career progress)? It would seem empty without them, therefore I am largely addressing this as if it included all of the standard questions.

Careful. The question isn't asking for why you want an MBA, its asking for why now. That's not the same thing. Assuming that's what you meant, you are absolutely right, I don't think you can answer "why now" without answering where you've been and where you are going... but be careful to actually answer the why now question.

Often people will write:

* Here's what I've done
* and I want to do A short term
* and I want to do B long term
* And this is why I want to get an MBA from Chicago
* Which will help me achieve A and B

Take note that nowhere in that outline is an explicit response to the "why now" question. If it helps, think of it differently - if someone asked you "Why do you need to go to graduate school this year as opposed to next year?" - would there be a clear answer in your essay? Or to put it differently, will it be clear why you've chosen to apply this year? What has happened in your career that DEMANDS you get an MBA now? Or, what is going on in the industry that requires you to get it now - why would next year be too late? Or why would staying at your current job another year not get you any closer to your goal?

This isn't an easy part to answer. It's the hardest part of any essay, because frankly, the most honest answer is usually "My career isn't going anywhere". I have to run but I can post some general ideas later.

This is my thought on this question. What are other plausible ways to answer it?

If you absolutely can't stick around in your job for one more year, chances are that you're not good at it or that you're not going to gain anything from it. For me, it's the latter. I am no longer intellectually challenged in my position and there is nowhere for me to move up within the organization because my boss isn't going anywhere.

How do you address this question without sounding negative?

I'm confused with the way you started your response, I did say "why you want an MBA now." At any rate,I think your reply was helpful and I'm definitely including a solid paragraph which directly addresses why right now is the ideal time to pursue an MBA. I think this question is easier to answer if you're trying to change careers.

Even then, why is this year the best year to change careers, and not next year?

You right. Me Wrong. Me doing too many things at once. I read too fast. First year was asking me questions while I read / typed.

Would a Saturday visit be helpful at all?
This is the only time I can squeeze out of my schedule...

No. No one, and I mean no one, will be here. Most rooms are locked. Classrooms are empty, lights off, locked. No one from admissions will be in. I think even the elevators require student keycards on a saturday. Not that it matters, there's nothing but professors on the upper floors.

You can see the Harper Center building from outside as rhyme stated, if you REALLY just have a Saturday available, I believe you can see classes at the Gleacher Center on Saturday (do professor allow on Gleacher too rhyme?).

Bus as rhyme mentioned, you won't get the "real full time MBA" one day experience.

I suppose they do, but I've actually found there's a pretty big difference between the two. The caliber of students isn't the same and the professors don't seem quite as energetic for some reason (maybe its cause its a fricking Saturday). I really wouldn't consider a Saturday visit at Gleacher a reasonable proxy for a visit to the full time program. The student body has a totally different feel .... In fact, I'm not sure I would have been as excited about the GSB as I was way way way back when if I'd just visited something on a Saturday.

I'd encourage you to see about coming on a Friday - in particular a GSB Live Friday. The value of that will so dramatically surpass the value of a Saturday visit.... You'll get a chance to hear Rose speak, go to a mock class (or come with me to the most amazing class ever, period), you'll see a mock application review, get to have breakfast and lunch with students, see the buzz in the atrium for yourself, have free food all day, go to LPF and have free beer... etc.

All -- Any thoughts on this one? I'm getting ready to submit and just want to see what thoughts are. My take is that the extracurricular section is more of a list and brief description, not a whole lot about involvement and what it means to me.

Matt

Thanks for your insights rhyme.

after GSB introduced the powerpoint requirement..i have lost all respect for this school's adcomm, apart from patronizing micorsoft (an argument I dont even want to get into rightnow)..check out the following link:

https://www.unc.edu/~mumukshu/gandhi/gan ... rpoint.htm

I feel my story is complex enough that it is an insult for GSB to ask me to put into a powerpoint slide..I work as MC and whenever we have to present a very complex idea, we write a white-paper..infact I am rated based on how many white papers I wrote. Powerpoint is a tool our sales/marketing office uses..not to convey anything meaningful..Even the finance types will agree that an excel spreadsheet presentation goes a long way in making your point than a powerpoint slide!

so what really ticks me off is that GSB asks me to put a slide presentation on who I am ..which quite frankly is a very complicated topic..even more than some of the questions on the essays ..

aight..enough ranting..as you can all imagine..i am having a tough time with this powerpoint thing..

I would argue the PowerPoint is one of the absolute best ideas for an essay of any of the top schools. You are essentially given a blank slate to convey any ideas you want to share that the other essay questions don't hit on. It gives an applicant the chance to fill in any holes in their application. Also, as you said in your post, a PowerPoint presentation is for Sales & Marketing, which is exactly what you are trying to do now. You are creating a brand for yourself and trying to sell it to the adcoms. Seems to me it is really the perfect essay format.

To argue the other side:

In the link you describe, it says that "It is easy to understand how a senior manager might read this PowerPoint slide and not realize that it addresses a life-threatening situation,''... but would a senior manager have read a 20 page thick technical assessment? Would that have truly been a better medium? If you can't get a point across in a 30-second slide with less than 100 words, why would I believe you could get it across in 1000 words?

If the engineers failed to convey their point appropriately, they failed to master the art of being concise. That's not powerpoint's failure - it's their failure to be able to convey the material. (Thats not to say that powerpoint documents are not often terrible)

As an MC, I'm surprised to see you chose a whitepaper over a deck. Do clients actually ask for this? I've never seen a CEO say "Ok, type up all the analysis, all the metrics, interview details, primary and secondary arguments, issues, concerns, sources and other assumptions and provide me with a fully documented thesis on the issue that I can read over the course of a few hours" Rather, I see clients say, "Look, I trust you've done the analysis, show me the basic steps you took to get there, give me the upshot, and if my staff have questions I'll direct them to you."

Thats 98% of the art of consulting as I know it - condensing large amounts of data into clearly demonstrated, well researched, easily digested recommendations. The reason the consulting firms (bain, bcg, mck, deloitte, etc) have case interviews with lots of irrelevant detail is to see if you have the ability to look at information, extract the important facts and present a cogent argument.