Calling All 2011 Booth Applicants!!

There is another business school where recommenders are asked about the attitutude of candidate for dealing with ambiguity. Booth is asking it directly from its students. According to researchers, leaders use ambiguity to their advantage. They look at ambiguity as an opportunity instead of a problem.

This essay is definitely a "make or break" essay as it will show how you act if you are given ambiguous problems. And it is not that difficult. Just a bit of soul searching, creativity and self promotion is needed.

count me in for R2, respectt...

Booyakasha - big up yourself Matador

In for R2

I don't think they're looking at it as a test for how you deal with ambiguity. They're just giving you an opportunity to say whatever you would like to say. If you focus on it as "make or break" you're doing yourself a disservice. My powerpoint was good but it wasn't outstanding. I worried about it for months, ran out of time, and then just decided to tell my story. In the end, I put it together from start to finish in about 4 hours, and half of that was fixing small things. Just tell your story. If you can get creative with it, then it will be even better.

I agree with shana22.

Taking it as a test of ambiguity seems somewhat farfetched. Ambiguity and broad direction are two different things and I think the essay #3 is the latter.

And since the essay is probably the most important part of the app, all essays are make or break in my opinion. I like how Booth adcom changed the direction though. I think last year, it specifically said "you can include notes at the bottom, but don't make it like essays" or something like that.

This year, the format seems really free, but I can't think of any other format than ppt.

Video? unless I am good with cutting and editing scenes, it would be nothing more than me babbling in front of camera.

Word doc? another essay?! nope.

ppt? AAAHHH... I think i can handle that

Essay Question 3 Guidelines

We have set forth the following guidelines:

* The content is completely up to you. Acceptable file formats are PowerPoint or PDF.
* There is a strict maximum of four pages, though you can provide fewer if you choose.
* The document will be printed in color and added to your file for review; therefore, flash, hyperlinks, embedded videos, music, etc. will not be viewed by the committee. You are limited to text and static images to convey your points.
* The file will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.
* Files need to be less than 9 megabytes in order to upload. If your file is too large you may save your file as a PDF and upload your essay.

Thanks, hazay.

I guess there are more stuff for the essay #3. I thought what was mentioned in pg.1 of this thread is everything :p

Your comment was on the format, not the content required.

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/fulltime/ad ... lides.aspx

And you ve got everything

When you have blank pages to fill, whatever anyone says is a point of view and not a rule.
So I guess its natural for people to have different opinions about it.

I was going through the chat transcript and there were a few questions on the 3rd essay. I found the answer quite useful. So I thought I will paste them here. Hope it helps.

John: Hi, I have a query regarding how to approach the third essay question (PPT one). Should we relate any perwsonal o pofessional experience here that demonstates the quality of "How to think", ability to navigate thru ambiguity ?

Kurt: Again to reiterate an answer from earlier, it is your choice. Focus on what you want to convey to the committee that essentially completes your story. Content might focus on your professional life, personal life, a combination. The choice is up to you. That in essence is the ambiguity you need to navigate for us.

israstro: can u pls give example of ways to deal with Essay Question 3?

Joanna: Hi Israstro. Unfortunately there are literally hundreds of ways to approach this essay---and we have no preference. It truly is up to you how you convey your message to the committee using these 4 pages of white space! We are looking to see how strategic you are in using this space to complete your story effectively.

mattia: Regarding Essay 3, is there a specific font, font size or any other type of fomatting we would need to pay attention to?

Donna: We do not have any specific fonts. Keep in mind that using uncommon fonts may not print correctly on our printers.

G-256413371: Can you please explain what criteria you will be using to rate Essay #3? Is creativity more important than content?

Kurt: Content and substance always trumps creativity and flare. Essay 3 is an opportunity for you to complete your strategic message to the committee. We provide a fixed number of opportunities/tools for you convey your message in (essays, resume, recommendations etc). Even with these tools there is always potential to add greater texture to your story. That is what Essay 3 is for. From our perspective we are looking to see how strategic you are in using this space to complete your story effectively rather than can you simply be creative for creativity's sake.

Dele: Good morning! I was looking over the essays for the fall admissions process for 2011, and noted that there isn't an essay concerning whether there was any extra information that we would like ad com to know. I know that this was an essay of the past, and I was wondering, would it hurt an applicant if they were to construct an essay concerning possible employement gaps, lack of work experience, or low GPA's?

Kurt: Dele that is essentially what essay 3 can provide you. Since the creation of this question that was its intent, to allow you some "white space" to complete your story to the committee.

ANTONIOS: Good morning. I am a little confused about essay No3

Joanna: Essay 3 is an opportunity for you to complete your strategic message to the committee. We provide a fixed number of opportunities/tools for you convey your message in (essays, resume, recommendations etc). Essay three gives you a more open opportunity to share more of your story. We are looking to see how strategic you are in using this space to complete your story effectively.

https://www.chicagobooth.edu/fulltime/chat/transcript/2010-07-22.aspx

please count me in for rd 1

Question for those who may be able to answer this: On the application, under the extracurricular section, which is more preferred? Bullet-point listing the extracurriculars or adcoms prefer to see a small paragraph (or a short essay) talking about all the extras. I have several things I'd like to mention, but I'm not sure whether I should use the bullet-point format, or I should incorporate everything into a short essay.

Thanks!

I am reapplying to Round 1. Any plans for a Google Doc roll-call spreadsheet?

In for Round 1.

Question for current/prospective students or alums: I have not yet made my campus visit to Booth. Do you think its crucial? I can do a visit in the next few weeks, but since there are no ongoing classes, the only visit option is an "abbreviated schedule" visit that includes an info session and a tour, amounting to a total of about 1.5hr. Is this something I should consider?

The question of "is the campus visit crucial" always pops up, and the correct answer is..it is entirely up to you. You need to demonstrate to the school that you know enough about the school and made an informed choice based on your personal chemistry with the school when you put in your application. Visiting school and attending classes can help you to throw in personal anecdotes both in application and interview. But then you can do the same by meeting alumni/current students or just talking to them over phone/email and reading up about Professors. If you can complete your story without visiting, then perhaps it is fine to not visit.
But, in my case, I fell in love with Booth when I attended the Booth Live event. That perhaps resulted in me putting in that extra love in my application, which perhaps helped in getting accepted.

count me in for rd 1

Count me in for round 1!

Does anyone have a copy of the recommender questions? I wanted to see them before sending them to my recommenders.

Daniel

It is a letter, there is no direct question as far as I know.

Recommenders are provided the following guidelines:

Please provide a written letter of recommendation. Be sure to include how the applicant ranks comparative to his/her peer group. Other items to consider are the applicant's:

* most salient strengths
* areas of development, including efforts the applicant has taken to show improvement
* team skills and leadership ability
* initiative, curiosity and motivation
* other matters which you feel we should know about the applicant

Source: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/fulltime/admissions/letters.aspx