Short Answer: Short-Term Goal
Prompt: What is your immediate post-MBA career goal? (300 CHARACTERS maximum, about 60 words)
What is your immediate career goal, just after you graduate from Chicago Booth? Tell them what job role that you seek; in which industry; and possibly your target companies. Tell them why this is your career goal (your motivation), and what experience and skills you will bring from your current professional experience.
Short Answer: Long-term Goal
Prompt: What is your long-term post-MBA career goal? (300 CHARACTERS maximum)
"Long-term" means 5-10 years after your graduation from Booth. Also tell them why this is your goal and how the short-term goal will naturally lead to this longer-term objective.
Chicago Booth tends to be a "mission-based school," meaning that they like to admit people who have a definite, specific, and ambitious purpose for pursuing an MBA, outside of the simple "I will go up the career ladder."
Short Answer & Image: Something Significant to You
Prompt: Upload an image and explain its significance to you. (300 CHARACTERS maximum)
Keep in mind four things:
- Booth is a mission-based school, in that its students often have specific missions that they wish to pursue while in school. You might want to choose a photo of something that is related to your mission.
- In the past, Booth would have asked about your values. You might choose a photo that seems to depict a favorite value(s), and tell them what is the value(s) that you see in it. (See below for a list of values.)
- Traditionally, Booth application questions require creativity in the response. I believe that they seek a mind balanced between structure and evidence-based, and free-thinking ability to put ideas together in new ways. You might want to depict an area of individual creativity or a talent in your photo. (Whatever the photo that you choose, they are expecting some originality and creativity in that choice.)
- Booth seeks independent, self-directed MBA students because it offers a program in which there are no cohorts and the curriculum is very, very flexible - so you have to be comfortable with making your own way. You might choose a photo that indicates an independent action or decision that you have taken.
Values that Booth values
- Ability to voice an independent, individual viewpoint
- Ability to utilize learnings from past experience
- Respect for different viewpoints
- Open mindedness / broad mindedness
- Curiosity
- An appetite for risk
- Willingness to collaborate with others
- Willingness to learn from others
Short Answer: Fun Fact / Something Unique about You
Prompt: Share a fun fact or something unique about yourself. (300 CHARACTERS maximum)
Another way to think about this is, what about you would your classmates find unexpected or refreshing?
- If you want to talk about a hobby or interest in this fun fact, include revealing details such as your background, your motivations, or what you have learned.
- Mainly consider what might be different about you than others, which would allow you to make a different contribution than others.
- Although a random fact like "I met the Queen" is certainly fun, but by itself doesn't tell us anything about YOU. Include details that tell us about your personality or interests: "I am super-clumsy, and when I went on my annual trip to loiter around Buckingham Palace, I stumbled and landed headfirst in front of the Queen's carriage." Now that is informative. And fun!
Optional Essay
Prompt: Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (Maximum 300 words.)
By "unclear," they mean, "something that might be unclear to the Admissions Committee," something that might need further explanation. This space can also be used to address any extenuating circumstances that you would like the Admissions Committee to consider. Use to address:
- why your current direct supervisor is not writing your recommendation
- gaps in work experience
- low GPA or inconsistent or questionable academic performance
- interruptions in academic career
- difficult issues (i.e., Driving Under the Influence or other types of arrests)
- areas of weakness (i.e., less than five years work experience - why you are not waiting to apply)
Use this essay to turn a potential weakness into a strength. Tell the Admissions Committee what happened and why it happened. Be honest in your self-evaluation. Most importantly, tell them what you have learned from a negative experience, and how this learning has influenced future actions.