Chicago Booth's Rose Martinelli Gives Reapplication Advice

Last week Chicago Booth's Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions, Rose Martinelli, wrote a followup to her first blog post about how reapplicants can approach the MBA admissions process. While the first post gave very general information that our readers have seen multiple times (e.g., think about what aspects of your application you need to bolster, consider if your goals are the same this year...), Rose's second post contains some more concrete info that provides a good insight into how Chicago Booth reads reapplicants' applications.

About your data forms, Rose writes, "Do not rely on last year's application to provide us with that information since the forms change a little bit each year. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself -– why is this information important for the admissions committee to know about me?" While each school has its own approach for how much of your old application will make it into your new file, Chicago Booth includes your entire old application with your new submission. However, Rose stresses that your new application must present your candidacy fully.

About your resume, Rose says, "Your resume should be one that you would use for any job search, highlighting your role and accomplishments. " While she doesn't say it here, we would add that, although your resume should be complete and assume that the reader has no prior knowledge of your candidacy, you should put extra care into emphasizing what's new in the last year.

About your letters of recommendation, she has this to say: " While we know you may choose to use the same recommenders as in your prior application, ask your recommenders to update the information with your progression. It might also be helpful for you to take the time to meet with them to review your progress during this period and to highlight areas they might use as examples within the recommendation." This is all great advice -- don't assume that your recommendation writers know how to write you a great recommendation, no matter how smart they are or how strongly they support you.

Regarding your essays, Rose says, "Avoid regurgitating information you used last year -– whether essays or elements of your presentation. Be bold and start from scratch." One question is specifically meant for reapplicants: Essay question 1B asks what has changed since you last applied. Rose says, "This could be anything from work experience, new goals or a greater self awareness. Here's your chance to help us understand your growth from last year."

This is consistent with what we always tell our clients: You are absolutely welcome to reapply to any top business school, but you really need to highlight what's new since last year. While we appreciate Rose's comment about greater self awareness, ideally you will have concrete achievements that you can point to as new and different since the last time you applied. Our reapplicant clients are most successful when they're able to do just that.

For more advice on applying to Chicago Booth, visit Veritas Prep's Chicago Booth information page. And, be sure to follow us on Twitter!

Chicago Booth Application Deadlines and Essays for 2009-2010

Chicago Booth recently released its admissions deadlines and application essays for the coming year. These will help you start planning your Chicago Booth application. Our comments follow in italics:

Chicago Booth Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 14, 2009
Round 2: January 6, 2010
Round 3: March 10, 2010

(These deadlines haven't changed much vs. last year's. Note that, like other top MBA programs, Booth is is pushing to get all of its Round 1 decisions out before the holiday season. If Booth is your top choice, this will give you a chance to know your status with the school before you decide whether or not you need to work on Round 2 applications at your backup schools.)

Chicago Booth Application Deadlines

1. How did you choose your most recent job/internship and how did this experience influence your future goals? What about the Chicago Booth MBA makes you feel it is the next best step in your career at this time? (750-1000 words)
   
   (This is a new question for Booth his year, although, at its core, it's still the same "Why an MBA? Why now?" question that every business schools asks. What's interesting is how much emphasis this question places on your most recent job. This suggests that Booth wants to know more about your career choices to date, rather than just your future goals. If your experiences don't all line up into a perfectly neat, well-thought-out career trajectory, that's okay. But be prepared to communicate credible reasons why a Booth MBA is a logical next step.)


2. For reapplicants only: Upon reflection, how has your thinking regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (250 words)

(Again, Booth looks for true introspection. What makes this different than many other schools' reapplicant questions is that it asks what's changed about your thinking, not what new jobs you have taken on or achievements you have earned. A strong answer to this question will still highlight these things, but the school also again wants to see evidence that you're really digging deep to understand why a Booth MBA is right for you.)


3. Please choose one of the following (500 - 750 words):
   
   Describe a time when you wish you could have retracted something you said or did. When did you realize your mistake and how did you handle the situation?
   
   or
   
   Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?
   
   (Both of these options are new this year. Usually, when a school replaces or changes its essay questions, it's because the old ones weren't giving the school what it needed in terms of really getting to know applicants and distinguishing one from the next. Both of these questions are a little different than the norm, and we even consider the first one a bit risky. However, that's a good thing -- don't shy away from discussing a serious mistake you made and what you learned from it, because such an experience can make for a terrific essay. The key, as always, will be to not only discuss the mistake, but also write about what you learned from it.)

Slide Presentation

In four slides or less please answer the following question: What have you not already shared in your application that you would like your future classmates to know about you?

We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach to this essay.


• Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.


• There is a strict maximum of four slides, though you can provide fewer than four if you choose.


• Slides will be printed 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. Color may be used.


• Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.


• You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.

(Here the school asks you to present yourself creatively and succinctly. Almost nothing is out of bounds, but you really must ensure that these slides add something new to your application -- don't use it to just show off professional achievements that you already cover elsewhere in your application. Be creative, and show some personality!!)

For more advice on applying to Booth, visit Veritas Prep's Chicago Booth information page. And, be sure to follow MBA Game Plan on Twitter!

New International Loan Program at Chicago Booth

International business school applicants received more good news last week, when the University of Chicago Booth School of Business announced a new loan program for international students. Launched in partnership with JPMorgan Chase, the program will give these students access to private educational loans without requiring a co-signer.

Under the terms of the new deal, JPMorgan Chase will provide financing to qualified international students for amounts up to the total cost of attendance, minus any financial aid received. Exact terms will be announced later this spring, when students will receive more information on the program.

"Almost 20 percent of our students are from abroad, and they add a great deal of intellectual vibrancy and cultural richness throughout the University and our community," said Kimberly Goff-Crews, Vice-President for Campus Life and Dean of Students, in a release on the school's site. "We have focused our attention on finding loan programs that will meet the needs of this important segment of our student body."

For more advice on applying to Chicago Booth, visit the Veritas Prep Chicago Booth information page, or follow us on Twitter!.

Chicago GSB Announces Curriculum Changes

Yesterday the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business announced changes to the school's curriculum to increase the program's flexibility and to add a leadership development component to the evening program's requirements.

The school's graduation full-time MBA requirements remain unchanged: It still includes nine required courses, 11 electives and a leadership course. The important change is that more approved substitute classes have been added to satisfy the nine required courses. Chicago GSB continues to offer several hundred courses (across the GSB and the rest of the U. of Chicago) to satisfy the other 11 elective courses.

Dean Edward Snyder attributed the changes in part to the increasing quality of the students entering the class. "We have added a hybrid finance class containing five weeks of corporate finance and five weeks of investments that will allow all the standard corporate and investment classes to be taken up a notch in difficulty," said Dean Snyder in a release on the school's web site.

As for the evening students, the new leadership development course requirement means those students will take 21 courses, the same as the school's full-time students. The faculty cited the importance of giving all Chicago GSB students tools for self assessment and opportunities to improve their interpersonal skills -- no matter what Chicago GSB program they attend -- as the reason for the change.

If you are considering applying to Chicago, visit the Veritas Prep Chicago GSB information page.

Chicago GSB Application Deadlines for 2008-2009

While we earlier posted Chicago's application essays for 2008-2009, we wanted to get the word out about Chicago's deadlines for this season:

Chicago GSB Application Deadlines
Round 1: October 15, 2008
Round 2: January 7, 2009
Round 3: March 11, 2009

To get a feel for your chances of gaining admission to Chicago and other top MBA programs, try the Veritas Prep Business School Selector. And for more information on business school application deadlines, visit our MBA application deadlines page.

Chicago GSB Application Essays for 2008-2009

Although Chicago GSB hasn't yet released its full 2008-2009 application, the school recently announced its admissions essays for the upcoming year. Our comments are in italics:

Chicago GSB Application Essays

1. Why are you pursuing an MBA at this point in your career? (750 word maximum)


(This is similar to last year's first question, although the maximim word count has been cut in half vs. last year.)


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?

(These questions replace last year's "If you could step into someone else's shoes for a day" question. We wouldn't be surprised if they weren't quite getting the information they wanted -- i.e., true introspection on the part of applicants -- and so they've replaced that with questions that are more explicitly about the applicant. We think this was a good change. The takeaway for you is to remember to keep the focus on YOU, how you've grown, what tough decisions you've made, what setbaks you've faced, etc. This is what the admissions committee needs in order to evaluate your candidacy, not a bland statement about being in some world leader's shoes for a day.)


Chicago GSB PowerPoint Presentation

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.

We have set forth the following guidelines for you to consider when creating your presentation.

• The content is completely up to you. There is no right or wrong approach this essay. Feel free to use the software you are most comfortable with. Acceptable formats for upload in the online application system are PowerPoint or PDF.



• There is a strict maximum of 4 slides, though you can provide fewer than 4 if you choose.



• Slides will be printed 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. Color may be used.


(This is a tiny change, but "Color may be used," is new this year. Don't go crazy with color, though.)


• Slides will be evaluated on the quality of content and ability to convey your ideas, not on technical expertise or presentation.



• You are welcome to attach a document containing notes if you feel a deeper explanation of your slides is necessary. However the hope is the slide is able to stand alone and convey your ideas clearly. You will not be penalized for adding notes but you should not construct a slide with the intention of using the notes section as a consistent means of explanation.


(Stick with the PowerPoint presentation. Resist the urge to spill your story into a verbose extra essay. The challenge here is to present yourself succinctly. Rise to that challenge!)

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.

For more advice on applying to Chicago, visit the Veritas Prep Chicago GSB information page.