Chicago Booth Essays and Essay Tips 2008-2009:

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 1

Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? Describe your personal and professional goals and the role an MBA from the University of Chicago GSB plays in your plans to reach these goals. (1500 word maximum)

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 1 Tips

The Chicago GSB admissions committee is extremely interested in EACH part of this flagship application essay question. Each year Chicago has decreased the size of the question while retaining the expected response from you! In 2005-2006 they had a three part 85 word question, in 2006-2007 a 51 word question and now in 2007-2008 a 37 word question.

2006-2007: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional and personal development. Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What or who influenced your choice of schools, and how specifically will Chicago GSB help you succeed?

2005-2006: Explain the path that has led you to pursue an MBA as the next step in your professional/ personal development. What steps did you take and how did you reach your decision? What or who influenced your choice of schools? What criteria will you use to decide where you will attend? What is it specifically about Chicago GSB that is going to help you succeed? Describe your short and long term post-MBA career goals. What steps will you be taking in order to achieve your goals?

But YOUR objective remains as clear as ever. Describe, specifically and at length, your career progression, and the reasons that connect Chicago GSB with your past, present and future. The question clearly expects you to delve into the Pre-Chicago, Chicago and Post-Chicago phases of your career (and life). This whopper of an essay is equal to 2-3 essays from another Business School; so endeavor to push yourself to look beyond a straightforward career narration - explore and reveal your personality to the Chicago GSB admissions committee in a manner that incites an interview invitation.

"Why Chicago GSB" is to be dealt with application, research and intelligence. Look beyond cutting/pasting info gleaned from the Chicago GSB website. Personalize your answer as much as possible.

Go for it!

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 2

Please select one of the following two questions to answer. (1000 word maximum)

Option 1: a) Please provide an example of a time when you had to make a choice between two equally important obligations. How did you decide which obligation deserved your attention? b) Did you try and predict other people's reactions to your decision? If so, how accurate were you? Why do you think you were or were not accurate in your prediction? c) Reflecting on this experience, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process?

or

Option 2: a) Have you ever made a decision that caused you to go against popular opinion? Please describe that situation and your rationale for you decision. b) Did you feel at any point that people misperceived your motives? Explain. c) In retrospect, how do you think an MBA from Chicago GSB would have affected your decision?

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 2 Option 1 Tips

Recount a dilemma you faced in choosing between diverging calls to duty. Your decision making and reasoning process while resolving the impasse would be the critical factor in part a) of the question.

Part b) would deal with how you make your judgments about people, specifically the methods you adopt to understand and predict the reactions of others who are close to you or to a project that you are involved in. Your ability to assess stakeholder/team opinion, identify trends and predict behavior can be the main areas of focus.

Use your research on Chicago GSB and the reasons you have chosen to apply to their program to identify the myriad ways in which an MBA from Chicago GSB might have aided in your decision making process. As usual information for this question can be gained from campus visits, discussions with Chicago GSB alumni/students and web research about the program.

Go for it!

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 2 Option 2 Tips

Selecting the specific situation for the essay might be aided by identifying general circumstances in which a person might find himself/herself fighting popular opinion. It could be the result of an innovative idea or a principled stand. The motivations and reasons that support your decision will be the foundation of this essay.

It is not essential that this be a "success" story where ultimately everyone agrees with your point of view. A display of your strength of character, robust value system and/or intellectual courage might be adequate to polish off the essay. However it will be even better if you can additionally showcase your diplomatic communication and effective reasoning - AND end the story with overall consensus (everybody lives happily ever after!).

Go for it!

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 3

We have asked for a great deal of information throughout this application and now invite you tell us about yourself. Using four slides or less, please provide readers with content that captures who you are.

Chicago Booth MBA Essay 3 Tips

Each such question presents you with the prospect of creating a well-defined advantage for yourself. This Chicago GSB PowerPoint/PDF presentation is undeniably one such opportunity, and if you can grab it, that might be the best thing you do this admission year.

First and foremost take some time to forget all the "creative" elements of this question - do not bother thinking about whether there should be more pics or less text or this color or that background. The basics still remain the same. What else and what more (even of the same) would you would like the Chicago admissions committee to know about you that have not been covered in your other essays? Get the answers to that question and ONLY THEN think of all the razzle-dazzle options [since only static slides are accepted there really can't be much of that].

Go for it!

Chicago Booth MBA Optional Essay

If there is any important information that is relevant for your candidacy that you were unable to address elsewhere in the application, please share that information here.

Chicago Booth Essay Tips

You can use the Chicago optional essay to explain shortfalls in your application which you feel are truly detrimental to your candidature. Areas of underperformance (academic or professional or GMAT) or events which stick out (gaps in your resumes or second MBA) can be commented on if you have an explanation that is intelligent, interesting and credible. The Chicago optional essay is also acceptable if you need to convey an extraordinarily positive information that CANNOT be accommodated in the other essays.