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Chicago Booth appreciates the individual experiences and perspectives that all of our students bring to our community. This respect for different viewpoints creates an open-minded environment that supports curiosity, inspires us to think more broadly, and take risks. At Booth, community is about collaborative thinking and learning from one another to better ourselves, our ideas, and the world around us.
The photos given, represent some of the values described above that we uphold at Chicago Booth. Select one and share how it resonates with one of your own values. (250-word minimum)
Essay 2 can be Booth's most time-intensive prompt, here's why:
Booth engineered this essay to resist AI shortcuts. It demands raw personal truth, lived experiences and emotions no tool can fabricate. Beyond that, it carries a dual tasks: prove cultural fit and reveal what genuinely drives you. Most applicants only solve one half.
A few places where applicants still fall short are:
Framework that can be used to tackle this question:
1. The content collection process
Start here, not at the photos. Before you open the application, list 8–10 values that genuinely define how you operate, not aspirational ones, but values you have actually paid a price for. Then you can narrow to 3 that appear repeatedly across your life, career, and relationships.
Ask yourself: "When have I made a decision others disagreed with because of this belief?".
Ask: "What do colleagues consistently attribute to me, even when it was inconvenient?".
Look for the value that is specific to you, not "hard work" or "integrity" (everyone writes those).
2. Map your top values to the 4 photos
Now open the application. The 4 photos represent Booth's core values: collaborative thinking, intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, and risk-taking. For each of your top 3 values, ask which photo allows the most natural, unforced connection.
Forced is equal to bad. If you are stretching to make your value fit a photo, pick a different photo or a different value.
The photo is only a bridge, you do not need to describe the photo itself in your essay.
3. Find the story that proves the value
Your value must be reflected through a specific episode, not stated as a belief. The ideal story has a concrete setting, a real dilemma or cost, a decision you made that expressed the value, and a tangible outcome.
One focused story told well beats three surface-level examples.
The story should be one the adcom cannot find in your resume or other essays.
The best stories have a moment of friction, a point where holding this value was hard.
4. Connect value > story > Booth community
The essay must land on community contribution, not just self-description. Close the loop, "this is who I am > here is the evidence > here is what this means for how I will show up at Booth." This is what separates a good essay from a great one.
Name a specific Booth element (a course, a group, a tradition) where this value will manifest.
Do not make this a generic "Booth is great" paragraph, make it hyper-specific.
5. Draft with discipline
Open with scene-setting or a direct statement of the value, never with "I have always believed..." Write at limited words around the original target. Every sentence must either advance the story, deepen the value, or build the Booth connection.
6. Authenticity audit
Try to read the essay aloud. Ask yourself, "Could any other applicant have written this?" If the answer is yes, you have not gone deep enough. The right essay is irreplaceable, it could only have been written by you, about this specific experience, for this specific value.
7. Cross-check against Essay 1
Ensure Essays 1 and 2 reveal two different dimensions of you. Essay 1 is professional ambition. Essay 2 is personal character. They should feel like two chapters of the same coherent person, not repetitive, not contradictory.
The photos given, represent some of the values described above that we uphold at Chicago Booth. Select one and share how it resonates with one of your own values. (250-word minimum)
Essay 2 can be Booth's most time-intensive prompt, here's why:
Booth engineered this essay to resist AI shortcuts. It demands raw personal truth, lived experiences and emotions no tool can fabricate. Beyond that, it carries a dual tasks: prove cultural fit and reveal what genuinely drives you. Most applicants only solve one half.
A few places where applicants still fall short are:
- Value specificity- Don't focus on writing what sounds impressive, write what's actually true about you. "Collaboration" and "curiosity" are table stakes. A memorable essay is anchored in a value so personal it couldn't belong to anyone else.
- Story as evidence- Choosing the photo may seem like the easy part at first. The hard part is using a real, specific moment from your life to prove the value, not just claim it. No story means no credibility.
- Community contribution- Self-awareness alone isn't enough. Booth isn't just asking who you are, it's asking what you'll add? Close the loop, connect your value directly to how you'll show up and contribute on campus.
Framework that can be used to tackle this question:
1. The content collection process
Start here, not at the photos. Before you open the application, list 8–10 values that genuinely define how you operate, not aspirational ones, but values you have actually paid a price for. Then you can narrow to 3 that appear repeatedly across your life, career, and relationships.
Ask yourself: "When have I made a decision others disagreed with because of this belief?".
Ask: "What do colleagues consistently attribute to me, even when it was inconvenient?".
Look for the value that is specific to you, not "hard work" or "integrity" (everyone writes those).
2. Map your top values to the 4 photos
Now open the application. The 4 photos represent Booth's core values: collaborative thinking, intellectual curiosity, open-mindedness, and risk-taking. For each of your top 3 values, ask which photo allows the most natural, unforced connection.
Forced is equal to bad. If you are stretching to make your value fit a photo, pick a different photo or a different value.
The photo is only a bridge, you do not need to describe the photo itself in your essay.
3. Find the story that proves the value
Your value must be reflected through a specific episode, not stated as a belief. The ideal story has a concrete setting, a real dilemma or cost, a decision you made that expressed the value, and a tangible outcome.
One focused story told well beats three surface-level examples.
The story should be one the adcom cannot find in your resume or other essays.
The best stories have a moment of friction, a point where holding this value was hard.
4. Connect value > story > Booth community
The essay must land on community contribution, not just self-description. Close the loop, "this is who I am > here is the evidence > here is what this means for how I will show up at Booth." This is what separates a good essay from a great one.
Name a specific Booth element (a course, a group, a tradition) where this value will manifest.
Do not make this a generic "Booth is great" paragraph, make it hyper-specific.
5. Draft with discipline
Open with scene-setting or a direct statement of the value, never with "I have always believed..." Write at limited words around the original target. Every sentence must either advance the story, deepen the value, or build the Booth connection.
6. Authenticity audit
Try to read the essay aloud. Ask yourself, "Could any other applicant have written this?" If the answer is yes, you have not gone deep enough. The right essay is irreplaceable, it could only have been written by you, about this specific experience, for this specific value.
7. Cross-check against Essay 1
Ensure Essays 1 and 2 reveal two different dimensions of you. Essay 1 is professional ambition. Essay 2 is personal character. They should feel like two chapters of the same coherent person, not repetitive, not contradictory.
