Chicago Booth Sample Essays

Chicago Booth MBA Application Essays for 2019-20

 

Essay One: How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

Essay Two: Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum)

Optional Essay: Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (300 word maximum)

Re-applicant Question: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 word maximum)

Chicago Booth Winning Sample Essay – 1

 

How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

As a teenager, I was fascinated by personal computers which could screen movies, engage me for hours in visually-striking games and find me answers to all my questions. I picked computer science as my major for bachelor’s degree and was drawn to the practical applications that access to real-time data can provide. My curiosity led me to pursue my Masters in computer science at the University of Illinois, where I started my career as a Research Programmer. Noticing my communication, leadership and organizational skills, the IT director soon tasked me with leading a multi-campus team to implement a student portal.

The transition from a non-profit to a startup software company gave me the opportunity to help architect the digital buying system which played a vital role in transforming the company to a market leader. My deep knowledge of the products earned me Product Manager’s role which is more aligned with the core business and provides more opportunities for growth. My experience as a technologist has been invaluable in performing my current role as a product manager, helping me provide commercially viable and technically scalable solutions.

My short-term goal is to rise to a senior product role in the advertising technology industry, and in order to achieve that I need the marketing, operations and management skills that an MBA has to offer. Also, working together with future leaders at Booth will help me identify my unique style of leadership. The skills and the network I will acquire through an MBA, along with my industry experience, will help me achieve my long-term goal to be an entrepreneur in the digital marketing technology space.

Describe a time when you were surprised by feedback that you received. What was the feedback and why were you surprised?

I was recruited to the army after participating in an intelligence program for which only 120 out of over 10,000 candidates were selected. In addition to daily shifts of running the compound’s intelligence operations, my peers and I were given several project options. I elected to train 20 soldiers and improve the work methods of a prestigious department. I discovered it was difficult to find the opportunity to initiate meaningful change in an already efficient department. I did my job of co-managing about 30 intelligence personnel on a daily basis and assumed that would suffice to get my commanders’ attention.

A few months afterward, I was called into my commander’s office and notified I wasn’t selected to be among the first set of officers to go to officers’ course. I was surprised – I thought I was doing my work well enough and assumed that I would be noticed and chosen to be an officer. My commander explained to me that I wasn’t making a significant impact on the base intelligence abilities and that I failed to show leadership potential in the short period of time I served on the base. It was my first real disappointment as a young adult. I was used to achieving whatever I aimed for.

Although I was glad for my friends who were chosen, I was disappointed for myself. I tried to analyze my actions so I could understand the reasons for this negative feedback on my performance. First, I admitted that I wrongly chose a project based on superficial impressions rather than real opportunity. Second, I was a competent young manager, but not a leader who reached beyond the job requirements. Third, I learned that I was naïve for thinking that I don’t need to market myself. I realized that in order to be recognized as a future officer, I had to make sure my commanders were aware of my achievements and potential. Otherwise, why should they choose me to be an officer? As in the business world, a good marketing plan can make the difference between success and failure.

Now that I had the experience to identify opportunities, I asked to be assigned to a different project, where I could make a positive impact on a different department. I also decided to be more pro-active about promoting my opinions and ideas in our work meetings. Three months later, I was nominated for officers’ course.

This early feedback influenced the rest of my professional military career. I learned how important it is to make decisions based on knowledge and analysis. I also learned that my ability to deeply analyze a situation increases with experience. When I was offered my recent promotion to Head of the Technological and Intelligence Research Section, I conducted thorough research to validate my intuition that it was the right move for me. I similarly did my homework before I chose an undergraduate program of study and have been researching MBA programs since 2007.I also learned the importance of getting attention in a big organization. When I was promoted to compound commander, I understood that a major part of my success would be to market the achievements of my compound and my part in them. Ultimately, due to strategic upgrade program I initiated and executed, my compound received additional resources and managerial attention. I was proud to be associated with those achievements and to be promoted to Assistant of the Head of Military Intelligence Corps, as well as to receive a citation from the unit’s commander, a senior officer of the rank of Brigadier General.

This experience taught me that surprising, authentic feedback, taken in the right spirit, can really help me to understand my own weaknesses and to grow by improving them. Surprising feedback is really an opportunity rather than an insult. In this case, I gained a lesson that paid valuable dividends during the rest of my career: Making wise choices and getting the most out of every opportunity is the best way to help the goddess of luck help you. Sometimes, you have to make your own good luck happen.

Chicago Booth Winning Sample Essay – 2

What leadership characteristics do you feel make for the best leaders, and how do you strive to obtain them? And, on the flip side, what are you doing to avoid any potential leadership pitfalls that you observe in yourself or others? (750 word maximum)

In my opinion, a good leader should be able to communicate and collaborate, and in the process, inspire people to work towards the goal. Working closely with others, listening to the issues they are facing, and collaborating with them to work towards a solution creates a bond. Later, when faced with problems they will reach out to their leaders for solutions to deal with the situation.

A few months ago, I was working as Product lead on a critical and time-sensitive project to upgrade one of our key external integrations. The project had a huge operational impact for our clients and had a tight deadline which required the team to put in several extra hours. I worked out a plan with the technical team and stayed back late nights with the technical team though I did not have a role to play. My action boosted the morale of the team who volunteered to work harder to meet the deadline. However, a few days before the deadline, we ran into a serious issue that jeopardized the project. The solution I proposed was deemed risky as it involved significant coordination and required an explicit approval from all of our clients. In 24 hours, I coordinated a mass effort with 10 different account teams to get the needed permissions from 100+ clients.

Finally, the project was delivered on time and in the process has saved the company hundreds of thousands of dollars every year. When my group’s VP praised me for my effort, I told him that the real credit should go to the technical team who worked round the clock to make this project a success. Later that day, the technical lead informed me that my VP had appreciated the team’s effort. The technical lead thanked me for my gesture and mentioned that in the past projects the team was not given the due credit.

Another quality of a great leader, I believe, is the ability to identify the right talent in his team, groom their skills and build efficient teams. Earlier this year, our company went through a merger. We welcomed five new team members to our team, and as the lead of the digital product, I was tasked with integrating the team. The members of the team had varying experience and technical backgrounds and were spread across three different time zones. I first identified the strengths of each of the new members and assessed how their qualities and abilities could complement the team. Through discussions, I found out their interests and skill set. I then created several two-people groups and assigned them to work on specific areas so each member would complement the other’s skill-set, pick up new skills in the process and lead to cross training. Every few weeks, the members changed teams and the areas they worked on. Within a few months, this process created a well-knit and skillfully diverse team, which was efficient in handling various tasks. The integrated team was able to handle 30% more workload and improve their average response time for support by 50%. Its huge success motivated two other teams to implement a similar approach.

I think the largest pitfall that I have observed in a leader is being deceitful. Giving false promises and skewing the facts may work in the short term, but will eventually lead to losing peoples’ trust. A leader should be able to communicate factually and set realistic goals to inspire others. If I had not been truthful in communicating to the technical team that they will have to work long days and nights and set real expectations on the end results, the project would have been a Failure.

Another major negative quality of a leader I have noticed is being selfish and putting one’s self interest before that of the team/organization. I keenly notice the contributions of every specific team member and make sure everyone gets their due recognition. If I had taken the credit for the success of the project, the word would have gotten out which might have affected my chances of expecting the same level of cooperation for the next project. I strongly believe that having leadership in thought and vision is not enough to make one a leader. The small personal gestures enhance the perception of a true leader and can motivate others to work towards the ultimate goal. I am excited to further enhance my leadership qualities through the courses and workshops offered through the Lead Exploration and Development program offered by Booth.

Although the risk was real, it was well calculated. When, after all the calculations, you are still left with uncertainty it is time to force your throat to work again, wipe off that cold sweat, and make a decision. It is the added value of good managers. And it gets easier over time.

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)

Already as a teenager I developed a special interest in economics, not surprising since both my parents have accounting academic background. Even through my military service I used to read economical daily papers and follow the stock exchange market.

Once I successfully obtained my bachelor degree, I started working for Earnst & Young accounting office. However, while I enjoyed the intellectual challenge of dealing with complex accounting issues, I was missing the stimulation and dynamics that exist in other branches of the financial industry. I decided to pursue a professional dream of mine, a job in the private equity industry.

Throughout the last year in which I worked for KCPS & Company Private Equity Fund I have learned that this is the line of work in which I wish to continue my professional development. I find the private equity industry fascinating.

Therefore I have set my short term post MBA goal to join a global private equity fund as an associate. I believe that through this line of work I would have the opportunity to deal with much larger and more complex transactions, learn about different business models and build a profound intellectual basis in the field of investments. In addition, I could gain a wider international exposure, which I had initially enjoyed as a flight instructor for Aeronautics Ltd. working in various developing countries such as Ethiopia, Angola and Azerbaijan.

Looking even forward, I hope to be promoted and be in charge of a regional investment portfolio. I believe that though my country’s economy resembles other western economies, it still has some way to go in the private equity field. While our high-tech companies are commonly acquired by global companies, it was only recently that global funds such as Apax partners have made any non technology related transactions in my country and it is still done to a very small extent.

My ultimate dream is to help develop my country to be a global center of financial services. I believe my country offers several advantages such as strong human resources, entrepreneurship culture and cultural diversification. I would like to see my country stand in the forefront of the region financial industry much like Singapore managed to do in the Far East. By acquiring an important role in the private equity industry, I hope to be able to establish global investment funds which will make the dream come true.

I strongly believe that pursuing an MBA at Chicago University is the first stepping stone in my career plan. There is no doubt that Chicago GSB is a prominent academic institution. Chicago holds a strong positioning within the financial industry in general and a well known reputation within private equity funds in particular. The school’s long legacy and extensive alumni network could surely make a strong contribution to my career advancement. I have heard a lot on how the school’s career services have outperformed many other top schools’ services during the recent recession which provides me a lot of comfort in light of today’s market ‘s behavior.

I believe that while I have learned the basic theory of economics and accountings, Chicago’s full time MBA program could enhance my knowledge in those areas I want to gain further understanding. Thanks to the very flexible curriculum I could skip some basic courses and take more advanced courses such as Financial Statement Analysis or courses which I am interested in obtaining further education such as Economic Analysis of Major Policy Issues. Furthermore, my studies were usually conducted using a theoretical frontal learning method. I am eager to take part in the program’s lab courses, namely the Private Equity/ Venture Capital Lab, and learn firsthand about actual business challenges and opportunity evaluation.

I am impressed by the wide elective courses selection offered in the concentrations. I am already intrigued by the Analytic Finance concentration, namely the Advanced Investments and Fixed Income Asset Pricing courses. I find the LBO Modeling seminar an important opportunity to compare the models with which I am currently working with the ones used in global private equity funds. I am sure these courses could provide me with a cutting edge advantage in this highly competitive industry and have a strong impact on my ability to achieve my professional goals. I would also want to take part in some courses with an international orientation such as Finance in Emerging Markets which is offered on another concentration. Along with the Emerging Market Group I think I could gain important insights of and experience in this sector.

I think that much like other skills, leadership could also be strengthened by rigorous learning. I believe that Chicago Booth’s unique Leadership training program, LEAD, is a wonderful opportunity to practice important skills and enjoy the process. Other than fostering this soft skill, I am sure that the more experiences I will go through the better I will get acquainted with the local and international cultural standards.

Finally, I believe that a supporting environment is a crucial factor in order to achieve best academic and professional results. I have attended the two recent MBA fairs and used the opportunity to consult with admitted students and graduates of Chicago University. I was pleased to hear that they all indicated how great their MBA experience was and how exceptionally supportive the school’s faculty and fellow students were. In this context if admitted, I plan to arrive with my wife to be. As the most important support is that which one gets in his home, I find the Chicago partners club a significant element in my strong preferences towards Chicago GSB.

Chicago Booth MBA Application Essay Tips

 

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business ranks as a top choice school for many MBA students. Chicago Booth has a tradition of intellectual inquiry, non-conformity, and innovation. Along with strong academics, Chicago will be looking for leadership and team building skills, and community involvement. The Chicago MBA program has kept the same essay questions from last year.

Chicago is setting a word minimum for the required essay responses, while most schools set a maximum. This suggests that Chicago is asking for you to be thoughtful and thorough in your response.

Your first step is to do as much school research as possible on Chicago. Visit campus. Attend events. Speak to alumni. Read the admissions blog. Do what you can to experience the community for yourself before starting your application. This research will be invaluable as you set pen to paper.

The Chicago MBA admissions committee can see your academic skills from your GPA/GMAT, transcripts and other fixed data points. Also, focus on showing intellectual curiosity in the essays and the interview. In addition, personal qualities, leadership, and career goals can be covered in these essays.

Essay One: How will the Booth MBA help you achieve your immediate and long-term post-MBA career goals? (250 word minimum)

This career goals essay is the ideal way to describe your track record of success. You can also show that you have realistic expectations for your Booth MBA. For example, while career goals should be aspirational, they should also be achievable with your career skills and a Booth education. Think about what you have done so far in your career. What have you learned? How can you use your past experience to inform your future goals?

This question asks for both short and long-term goals. Also, the essay asks why Booth is the right place for you to pursue your MBA. Thorough research into your career path and the options for its development at Booth will allow you to answer this question fully and with conviction.

Essay Two: Chicago Booth immerses you in a choice-rich environment. How have your interests, leadership experiences, and other passions influenced the choices in your life? (250 word minimum)

Chicago Booth is looking for self-aware leaders with a sense of purpose. If you are immersed in an environment that offers many choices, how do you find your own sense of direction? This is an opportunity to provide context for the choices that you have made and to tell the admissions committee about your leadership experiences.

This essay should communicate who you are and what motivates you. Also, provide concrete stories about your interests, leadership experiences and other passions. And describe why those experiences impacted your life choices.

This essay is an opportunity to describe personal and extracurricular examples as well as work accomplishments to present a full picture of who you are. Perhaps you chose your career path out of intellectual curiosity for the field, but you chose to work outside your home country because of a passion for travel and new experiences.

Describing both the personal and professional thought process and decision making structure will add more detail to give the admissions committee a holistic sense of you and your potential.

Optional Essay:
Is there any unclear information in your application that needs further explanation? (300 word maximum)

This optional essay is flexible, allowing you to provide as much information as you need. Consider this essay if you have any areas that need to be explained in your profile. For example, some areas that may need to be explained are academic issues or gaps in work experience. If you have areas of concern like that, this is the ideal place to add more detail.

Because the essay is open-ended you can also use it to add any additional information you wanted to add to your application. Perhaps you have an interesting personal story that didn’t fit in the other essays. If it adds to your application and helps the admissions committee understand you, it may be worth telling. Also, you might have a strong leadership story or a meaningful extracurricular to add context to your MBA application.

Re-applicant Question: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 word maximum)

This is an interesting re-applicant question, because instead of asking how your candidacy has improved, Booth asks how your perspective has changed. This is more of a focus on your inner thoughts than your achievements. Improvements like better test scores, a promotion or a new job would still be useful information to communicate. However, the focus is to reflect on yourself and your goals since the last time you applied to Booth.

Consider how you have learned more about your career path, formed new relationships, or changed your future direction. This is an ideal essay to demonstrate self-awareness and leadership qualities. Another important angle is to communicate a realistic sense of how the Booth MBA fits into your future plans.