Booth Admissions Essay Requirements

Approaching the prompt

With only 300 words available for each of the three prompts, Booth is showing you that they want you to get to the point quickly with these essays. View them as the introduction to this section of the application. Be direct and sincere. Also, this can be a great way to gather your thoughts for the more challenging second and third prompts.

For the first section, Booth wants to know what is going on in your life and career that makes this the right time to pursue an MBA education. Why now? Have you reached a plateau? Are you changing career paths or making a lateral transfer within your industry? Show Booth that your situation is such that you are ideally positioned to take full advantage of their program.

In the second section, outline your vision for Booth. Tell Booth your plan for re-entering the workforce, either with an established company or as an entrepreneur. Show how you will develop yourself and invest in your career such that you will make steady progress toward your goals. Last, give Booth insight into your overarching career goals and what this will mean for you, your industry sector, and the communities in which you work.

The final section is directly tied to the second one. Convey specific aspects of the Booth program that align with your goals. Matching Booth’s offerings with your particular career aspirations will demonstrate to Booth that you have made an informed decision in applying to their program and will be able to maximize your Booth experience.

Common pitfalls

Trying to impress: Because of the small space available, Booth is not looking to be dazzled here. Show your ability to convey your ideas clearly and succinctly.

Citing reasons for choosing Booth that are not specific to Booth: Booth wants to choose people who really want to be there. Therefore, give reasons for applying to Booth that distinguish it from other schools. Instead of stating why the school is impressive overall, convey why the school made a significant impression on you.

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Approaching the prompt

It is perfectly acceptable to choose a situation that resulted in great accomplishment. However, Booth is ultimately looking for an essay that is insightful, regardless of the outcome. If there was an incident that resulted in failure or a risk that was taken out of foolishness, show Booth the process you went through and how you have learned and grown from that experience.

For this essay, instead of trying to find the risk you have taken in your life that was the biggest gamble, focus on the one that was the catalyst for the biggest change. Did you know going into the situation what the challenges were? What new obstacles were presented along the way? How did you go beyond what was comfortable and familiar to you in order to find creative and innovative solutions to those problems? What skills do you have now that you did not have before?

Finally, conclude the essay by showing how this situation has better prepared you for a tough program like Chicago Booth.

Common pitfalls

Not focusing on your internal experience: Booth is looking to understand this incident from your unique perspective. Although you do need to explain what the situation was and the actions you took, the balance should be with the path you took more than precisely what you did. If you are wiser now and view the situation differently than you did at the time, state so. Don’t depend on the admissions committee to fill in the blanks.

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Approaching the prompt

Booth is giving you more guidelines than you might initially think for this prompt. There is a strict four page maximum, and you are limited to text and static images. Most of all, Booth is asking you to provide something that directly connects to your motivation in applying to the Booth MBA program.

Since the first essays were more about your reasons for applying to Booth and the second essay was more reflective, it is reasonable to conclude that Booth wants you to use this opportunity to focus on accomplishment.

Therefore, you may wish to brainstorm using something like, “What’s my most important achievement?” This may not necessarily be the one that others praised you the most for or the one that received the highest award. Choose the one that is most important to you. Then, use text and images to convey this message to the committee.

Conversely, you may wish to take a more future-oriented view and show what you would like to accomplish post-MBA and why. Particularly if you have social-oriented career goals, this can be an effective approach.

It is entirely up to you. However, no matter what you choose, make sure to display passion and purpose. These are the characteristics that show Booth you have the ability to make a strong contribution to their program.

Common pitfalls

Wanting to not only think outside the box, but completely transform the box into something else: Booth wants you to exercise your creativity, but that does not mean that you can ‘do anything’. While you may interpret the guidelines differently from what is mentioned above, articulate to yourself what you believe the guidelines to be and follow from there.

Using only text or only images: Booth is giving you the opportunity to use both, so take it. The other essays are text only, so add images such as photographs or graphic designs. Yet, the other extreme is not particularly effective, either. Images alone cannot provide sufficient context for the committee members. It is your job to convey the meaning of your experiences.

Focusing on razzamatazz technical aspects: Remember this is not an application to art school. Booth is looking for someone who can use modern tools to create a modern presentation. Stylish presentations are welcome and appreciated. However, the main factor is still substance.

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"My editor was outstanding! He not only provided advice but also explained why he was making those suggestions. I really appreciated his guidance." - Tsung, MBA Standard Service