Calling Chicago (Booth) Applicants for 2009

Oh man! I'm already gone on vacation. A new background image would have made the holidays just that much more maroon...

Oh well. So this is my first post on this thread(been posting at BW forums)

Got ADMITTED on wednesday with (almost) full scholarship. Keeping fingers crossed for one of the coveted fellowships (I'm a starving artist and could use ALL the help I can get!)

--jcl246

What was the consensus on the car thing? I forget if this has been discussed before.

So if I attend, I definitely won't be living in hyde park - and I'm trying to figure out if I will need a car. Although I really do not want to give up my car . What's chicago like transportation wise? I took the train while I was there but that was about it.

oh my goodness - congrats! almost full scholarship? you rock!

If you live in the Millenium Park/Downtown area, you can take the Metra train down to Booth in ~20 minutes and it is very convenient. For going out, you would likely take the CTA Blue, Brown, or Red lines up to the North Side, or take cabs. Grocery shopping is the only thing that is kind of a pain, but if you live near the CTA Red/Brown Line and do not have to walk too far, it shouldn't be that bad at all. Even if you choose to live in the new high rises at Lake Shore East, I think they're building a new grocery store there in the coming months.

If you choose to live in Lincoln Park/Lakeview/other North Side neighborhoods, it will be far easier to get to Booth by car than it would be by train (you'd have to take a bunch of connecting trains). These neighborhoods are far more active socially than the Loop, but you will pay the price in commute time down to Booth. You can always go party, shop, or go out in these neighborhoods, but not necessarily live in them. The Loop is similar to the Financial District in New York, where these neighborhoods would be more like Greenwich Village or Murray Hill.

Bottom line: A car is a bit helpful, but nowhere near essential. Parking in downtown runs approximately $250-300/month. Add in car insurance and gas, and I could certainly find better things to do w/ that money and deal with a slight inconvenience by taking the train for grocery shopping.

If I went to Booth personally, I would live west of Michigan in the Loop. There are several nice buildings around State/Monroe, State/Randolph, Wabash/Randolph, etc. A lot of Booth students live in the MDA City apartments (https://www.mdacityapartments.com/) which are very convenient (easy access to both the CTA Brown Line for Northside access and the Metra for Booth/Hyde Park access).

Thanks for the advice!

How did u guys tackle the "how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process" of the essay?
I have few ideas, but would wanna know from the R1 folks as to what they did!

I identifed skills, knowledge that would have helped me. Then described how I would have acquired all that at GSB - mentioned specific courses, clubs, etc.

Yep I did the same

thanks jlola21 and ac8706. U gals are the best!

I'm actually working on that question too. I think the "misperceived motives" part is the most difficult...still trying to figure it out.

maverick i really admire that you are working on R2 apps after getting an M7 admit in R1. way to stay dedicated and keep your eyes on the proverbial prize!

agold covered this pretty well, but let me throw this out there for people. (BTW, agold, your profile says SoCal, but you seem to have a pretty good grasp of Chicago.) Anyway, from what I've heard, GSBers tend to live in Hyde Park, the Loop, or on the Northside. If anyone is looking outside of those areas, I'd suggest you consider the Bridgeport neighborhood. My wife and I rent a nice two-bedroom apartment for under $700/month, with ample street parking. It would be very easy to keep a car in this area. No special parking permits (other than a city sticker-$75 or so) and crime is relatively low. Getting to U of C from here is also quick. The Dan Ryan expressway was recently rebuilt, so it's a really quick ride to 55th St. I would say 10-12 minutes is not unreasonable. Parking once you get there...well, that's probably harder, but doable. Depending on where in Bridgeport one was, they might be close to the Red line as well. Not as direct as Metra, but it'll get you there eventually.

This bitterly cold snap is making me really appreciate having a car. I guess if you're downtown and close to a grocery store, you can probably get along without one though.

Would you lean towards booth or K if accepted to both?

Haha, yeah it's not easy! Chicago was supposed to be one of my R1 applications, but I ran out of time. It was initially my top school so I feel obligated to apply. I've also decided to apply to HBS since I have nothing to lose at this point.

Sonibubu, if I get into Chicago I really don't know which school I would pick. There are advantages to each...right now I'm 50/50, so maybe money would be a factor.

I was wondering how everyone did the slide presentation. For everyone who has completed the question or thought about it please answer

Did you use Microsoft powerpoint or did it in pdf format? (I guess making it as a pdf offers more space )

Also can you guys please say if you used any software or tools to make some fancy slides ?

Coming to the content...
Did you pack the slides with a lot of information or just a quote or a comment and a picture ?
It would be great if you can tell how many words you have on average on each slide. I have a weird idea but I dont want my slides to be shown in the GSB live next year as what not to do with the slide presentation
(I have seen the sample presentation that adcom shows in the GSB live events .. and that guy george had done something like 3 lines per page and a cartoon on each page if I am not wrong.)

Exact same situation here. It's really hard applying to Booth since Kellogg is a great place to be, yet I owe it to myself to apply.

It's really strange how many people this year are appying/deciding between two schools so different.

In the simplest form, I used the following formula to draft the essay.

You (a) + Booth (b) = Something Totally Transformational (w. outcome only possible by entering Booth)

(a) – You are not a commodity (even though there might be another applicant from similar background). You need to make yourself standout while making connections to the current Booth culture. Think of yourself a new IPO. Discuss your potential, past experience, and strengths. Since a second year student also read your application, you need to write your essay in a way a second year can relate to (when 2nd yr was in your shoes 2 years ago before applying to Booth).
(b) – Booth is all about diversity, whether its gender, race, career background etc. This is most important. Don’t try to compare yourself to a fellow applicant with investment bank or consulting background. Instead, compare yourself to future “you”. If you need to figure out what benefits Booth can bring – just imagine yourself 10 years in the future and ask yourself, “I remember 10 years ago, I was this kind of person (both as individual and professional). I am glad I went to Booth because thanks to Booth MBA, I was able to attain….”

Show your engagement with community and your surroundings. Express your commitment to make impact on others and how you can improve yourself and others at the same time. (Win-win situation)