Booth is a pretty incredible place, but it is a unique environment that is best suited for those who are comfortable dealing with ambiguity and driven by intellectual curiosity.
The biggest factors that made me decide to attend Booth were:
(1) The flexible curriculum: I didn't appreciate this as much until I actually got into the program; it is incredible to choose what courses to take, what professors to have, and even what days of the week you want class.
(2) Student culture: If I had to sum it up, it would be the "pay-it-forward culture" -- 2Ys help 1Ys more than any program I have heard of. They help with everything from selecting classes to helping with interview prep. Since you take classes together (see #1), you build deeper relationships between classes.
(3) "Challenge everything": this is a motto of the school and it resonates within the classroom -- if you aren't challenging someone's ideas, then you're doing them a tremendous disservice.
(4) Chicago is an awesome city: the main campus is down in Hyde Park, but 80%+ students live in downtown Chicago (the 'Loop') closer to the Gleacher Center (Chicago Booth downtown campus). It would be better if the main campus was right down town, but by everyone coming together in HP, it creates a pretty cool student experience.
(5) Brand / rankings (if I am being honest).
Even with all these high expectations, the full-time experience exceeded them in almost every capacity. The support that you receive -- from the school, from second-years, and from your classmates is incredible. They never "get you a job" or "tell you what classes to take", but they're there to answer questions every step along the way.
If there was one thing I would recommend future applicants to do -- it'd be to figure out what makes Chicago Booth unique, and really ask yourself whether or not it's a good fit for you. A lot of people simply apply to the "top 5" schools, but the differences in culture, curriculum, and "focus" (whether it is social, academic, professional, etc.) can be stark. Do the "soul searching" before / while you apply to schools... not after you've made the decision.
Career placement is second to none -- every major company (consulting, IB, IM, and tech) recruits on campus. If anything, I think Booth's technology placement and entrepreneurship programs are underrated to its peers.
Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)
Curriculum, Classes, Professors
Career opportunities provided by school
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support
Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Tech
Entrepreneurship
Location