Experience during the program

Chicago Booth is an incredible program in one of the great cities in the US. If you have not visited Chicago, I highly recommend a visit. It is a huge draw that Booth should play up far more. For me, it was a big sell to be in a global city. If you enjoy a metropolitan experience, Booth should be high on your list. As Booth has also just moved to the #2 spot in the MBA rankings, every applicant should have Booth on their short list.

My first goal going into school was to have a diverse network of students to bond with. I was immediately blown away by the global nature of the class. From Moscow to Yugoslovia to Guatemala, if you are looking a program who truly is serious about a diverse class, Booth is highly committed to finding students from all the world.

Secondly, I was seeking a program that had the career services to help get my career to the next level. I will confidently say that Booth's career services is one of their great competitive advantages. They are a powerful force with intimate connections in every industry you can imagine and with the ability to help students land the most niche, specialized jobs. I've witnessed them help students get very specific jobs in the most far away countries they were targeting. Although Booth is known for finance and consulting, their career services is powerful enough for any student. Booth career services is a machine that will get you wherever you want to go.

Third, I wanted a program with a strong alumni network. I tested this by cold calling alums after my admittance. The responses were 100%. Some late but all replied. I actually didnt truly realize this until later on via conferences and networking that the Booth alumni network is powerful, loyal, and embedded in every industry. For those seeking a voluminous network, Booth fits the bill.

Lastly, I wanted to have the best two years of my life. Booth works harder and plays harder than any program I encountered. Chicago is the perfect place to encapsulate both; a serious global business city, but the epicenter of great social and nightlife events. I was fantastically surprised by the nature of the admits, they were over the top helpful and friendly. Booth admissions has done a fantastic job of selecting students. For those who seek a good balance of work and play, Booth is also a great fit.

I hope I've been able to cover the major topics!

About job placement process

Chicago Booth's core competency is their career office; it is a machine with an expertise in helping find students jobs in any area far and wide no matter how niche.

Overall BSchool experience (5.0)
Schools contribution (5.0)
Classmates rating (5.0)

Strengths of the program:

Location
Brand/Ranking
Culture & Student Support

Best fit at this program:

Consulting
Finance
Investment Banking
Entrepreneurship

Can be improved:

Specialization in a particular area (e.g. Finance, Consulting, Healthcare, etc)

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With my goal of attending a top-10/M7 school, I knew an admissions consultant was a must (a huge amount of M7 admits work with a consultant in some way). I did consultations with 4-5 firms and Admissionado clearly stood out. Their culture of energy and enthusiasm was unlike any company I encountered and they really won me over with their client first attitude and I felt I could get high quality work at a reasonable price.

I was applying to 6 schools- 4 M7 schools and 2 other top 10s. I planned to use the Jr Deluxe for my top twp M7s and apply that work we did across my other applications. After meeting with 3 different consultants, I settled with Mandy- she had a great and infectious positivity, and her story really resonated with my personal history.

In working with her for 2 essays, lets just say she shredded me to pieces (in a good way). She really helped me connect the dots and each of my essays would come back with tons of reviews and great insights. She was prompt and worked within my timeline.

Long story short, using the work I did with Mandy, I landed interviews at 5 of the 6 schools and was admitted to 3 programs, ultimately attending an M7 program that used the same essay I had worked on with Mandy.

Mandy, Lauren and team were there through the process going above and beyond to provide advice and helpful insights during the months of stress, waitlists, and interviews.

Highly recommend Admissionado!

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My biggest GMAT mistake was trying to glean insights from all the different test prep companies. I would be on Kaplan, Princeton, MGMAT, Magoosh, amongst others reading and trying new strategies. I'm here to save you a LOT of time. If you are serious about scoring 90th percentile of better (or for that matter 80th or better), you MUST go with Manhattan. No other tests are more accurate or will kick your butt like MGMAT.
The Veritas and Kaplan tests were usually very poor at mimicking the actual test and often inflated my scores (I was scoring 720s easily which was incredibly wrong.)
Manhattan's quant is the gold standard. It will be the toughest and hardest, but if you are serious about improving quant, Manhattan will get you there. Plus the suite of online tools they provide with their classes is second to none.
Additionally, their verbal was best at mimicking the actual GMAT and was strong enough to challenge a high verbal scorer like myself.
Manhattan will give you that test day pop- you will score higher on test day than your practices. Why? Manhattan will challenge and prepare you so well that when you try the actual test, you may find it mildly easier! So do not be discouraged if Manhattan kicks your butt, cause it did the same to me. (I saw a 20 point test day pop which is HUGE.)
Quick comment on my instructors, they were AWESOME and full of energy. But the competitive advantage isn't necessarily the class itself, but the high well organized study strategies and software they provide which give you a clear and crisp study roadmap.
In conclusion, I went from 550 after 6 months of self study, to 700 after the MGMAT class. Disclaimer- you MUST be a self starter and self motivated to get the most from it. But, if you are, do not skimp based on price. During my first round, I tried to go with the cheapest options- big mistake. Go with the gold standard. Manhattan has the best online tools, strategies, and tests in the business hands down! After experiencing both sides, I'm now a believer.

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