Following are the essay tips from Chicago Booth’s Admissions Director, Rose Martinelli.

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 essay requires you to know the basics of your personal career path inside and out. How have your decisions made you ready to apply to an MBA program? While we understand that not everyone will be crystal clear in their future plans, you should be prepared to discuss your goals and how they relate to obtaining the degree.

Re-applicants have an extra question to answer: 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)

This question is designed to give our re-applicants a place to tell us what, if anything, has changed since the time of your last application. What has happened in your life or career that has made your goals change or remain steady? What actions have you taken or lessons have you learned in this past year?


2) 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?

This essay is about self awareness. At Booth, you’ll constantly be asked to evaluate and re-evaluate your personal development. Both questions give us a sense of your life experiences; specifically, how you handle feedback and how you bounce back in those not so positive situations. What did you learn from the experience and how will it impact your future actions? In order to be powerful, we often find that situational essay questions command authentic stories.

3) 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?

There has never been a right or wrong way to answer this question. From the very artistic to the bold black and white, it’s always been about the content.

Be strategic; take an inventory of what you’ve shared with us elsewhere in your application. What else would you like the Admissions Committee and your future classmates to know? We encourage you to think less about what the committee wants to hear, and more about how to illustrate those facets of yourself and your personality that make you unique. This is your chance to make sure when each reader closes your application file, they walk away with a sense of who are, what makes you tick and what it might be like to eventually meet you.

We hope the process of writing your application is a time of discovery and adventure as you look to prepare for your future, whatever that may be. Yes, we understand how time consuming and expensive this process can be, but investing in yourself always brings great returns.

She also posted some excellent admission tips on her blog:

Deciding whether to reapply is a personal choice. For those of you considering, I would encourage you to go back and review your original application. If you were on the waitlist, include the information that you submitted through that process. Consider asking a friend or colleague to give you feedback too. The objective is to understand how well you presented yourself in your original application and identify if there are any areas that you can improve upon this year.

Next, take stock of what you learned through the process of applying last year. Have your goals changed or crystallized? Are there things you can do this year to strengthen any of the main components (academic preparedness, career progression, community involvement, personal/professional focus and/ or self-awareness)? In summary, are there things that you would do differently now just because you know the process AND yourself better?

Once you’ve completed your review, it’s time to approach the application (see instructions for reapplicants). Be strategic about the messages you wish to convey in the application from data forms to essays and your presentation. While we will include your prior application in your file as background material, make sure that your new application presents your candidacy fully. My recommendation is that you take a fresh approach to crafting your application this year and avoid adapting old essays or presentations.

Now that you’ve had a chance to review and reflect on last year’s application experience, it’s time to start thinking about the process of putting together your new application. It’s important to approach this as if you are writing your personal business plan for the future. Know what messages you want to convey and map them into the different components of the application before you begin writing.

Every part of the application should be considered as “precious real estate”, with each question having a specific purpose, so take the time to be clear and concise in your answers. Let’s look at the different components.

Data forms: Take the time and effort to carefully complete the data forms – do not rely on last year’s application to provide us with that information since the forms change a little bit each year. Be thoughtful about your responses and make sure that you balance your desire to give us everything, with our desire to limit the amount you provide. A good rule of thumb is to ask yourself – why is this information important for the admissions committee to know about me? If you can answer this, be sure to make your responses concise and relevant.

Resume: Follow the instructions we provide. Your resume should be one that you would use for any job search, highlighting your role and accomplishments. Again, if you are wondering if you should include particular information, use the relevance factor in making your decision.

Recommendations: 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.

Essays: As I mentioned in my earlier blog, avoid regurgitating information you used last year – whether essays or elements of your presentation. Be bold and start from scratch. Our newest Admissions Insider spends time explaining the purpose of each of the essays, so check out that resource. Essay question 1, part B is the only essay specifically for reapplicants which asks what has changed since you last applied. 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.

The Evaluation Process: Each application will be evaluated in this year’s applicant pool. One caveat for you to consider: Don’t expect to be invited to interview this year just because you were last year. Your success in the admissions process this year will be solely dependent upon how you approach your application this year. So take the time and make the effort to put your best foot forward in the process. The ball is in your court now!

We at TotalGadha would like to thank Rose for providing such insightful tips for the prospective candidates.