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February 02 I have been terribly remiss in writing. January was filled with a whirlwind of activity in admissions with the Round 2 application deadline, traveling to meet some of our admitted students on the East Coast, as well as trying to keep up with all the visitors, calls and e-mails normal for this time of the year. In between reading Round 2 applications, I hope to get back on track with writing weekly. Fingers crossed!
For those of you still waiting to hear about an interview invitation, I want to assure you that we are still evaluating applications. In fact, we' ve just crossed 50% as of today. So we'll need every day between now and our mid-decision on February 17 to complete our task. Hang in there!
In an earlier post (November 10, 2009), I talked about the purpose of the interview. Preparation is key to success. Make sure you are prepared to answer fairly basic questions about the MBA and your goals going forward: Can I clearly articulate my career plan and future goals? What do I realy want from my MBA experience? What is my motivation to obtain an MBA? Why is Chicago Booth the right place for me, and why am I right for Booth? How do I plan to use my MBA in my career? etc... You might want to consider writing down answers to these questions in order to organize your thoughts.
In addition, since much of the interview will be behaviorally-oriented (discuss how you handled "x" in the past), think about experiences that you can use to address these types of questions. Once you've practiced a few times with friends or colleagues, you'll be able to communicate your thoughts in a clear and concise way despite any nervousness you may experience.
Here's the hard part -- once you've practiced and prepared, you need to set aside all that preparation so that you can focus on having a conversation with your interviewer. Remember, the interviewer knows Booth well, but not you. So feel free to allow the conversation to be two way. Getting to know the person sitting across the table will help you to relax and relate your stories more effectively.
And finally, remember, the interview is only one additional component in your application. That experience will be captured in a report that will be added to your entire application for the final evaluation process. Good luck with your preparations! Warm regards, Rose January 03 Happy New Year! It's a beautiful, and crisp Sunday afternoon here in Chicago, but a bit too crisp to go out for a walk, so I thought I would catch up on a bit of work before returning to the office tomorrow. Hopefully, you received our e-mail just before the holidays with tips and sundry reminders. Based on a few questions I've received over the holidays, I want to remind you of a few things:
- Chicago Booth will accept recommendations up to one full week after the January 6 deadline (up to January 13). With the holidays so close to our deadline, we wanted to remove some of the pressure you may feel in having your recommenders submit on time. So as long as you click "submit" by the deadline (January 6 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time), we will accept your application as part of Round 2 even if your recommenders are a few days late. The one caveat, however, is that we cannot start reviewing your application until we receive both letters.
- Chicago Booth does not require official transcripts to be sent until after a candidate has been admitted. As long as you scan your transcript(s) into your application, that's all we need right now.
- Regarding tests, as long as you have taken your GMAT/TOEFL/IELTS exams prior to the deadline, all you need to do is self-report your scores in the application. We will receive the official score reports directly from the test providers as long as you identified Booth as one of your schools.
The full team will be back in the office tomorrow and happy to answer any remaining last minute questions you may have about the application or evaluation process. Our full campus visit program will be back in full swing on Monday, January 11.
Wishing you a wonderful 2010!
Rose December 16 The winter holidays are here and though it’s time to celebrate, be with family and reflect, I know many of you are also putting the finishing touches on your Round Two applications. I’ve blogged over the past year about so many aspects of the application and admissions process -- from my advice on how to prepare to what we expect from applicants. But as time passes, things change: the economy, our jobs, your goals, and mostly importantly, how we view the world around us! So to prepare us for Round Two, I want to focus on some major observations and experiences we’ve learned from Round One.
Timing
Many people ask if they’re at a disadvantage in Round Two versus Round One. The answer is no. While your fellow Round One applicants have set the bar, so to speak, we get the majority of applications in Round Two. So overall the level of competition between the rounds is not that significant. If you’re debating between Rounds Two and Three, however, there are some things to consider. In Round Three, we simply have fewer seats left and most scholarship and fellowships have already been awarded. While there still will be plenty of time for our International students to apply for visas in Round Three, it may cause a bit more stress if you are placed on the waitlist. All in all, you’ve heard us say it a million times before: B-school is competitive and the application process is even more competitive. What’s our standard advice on this one? Apply when your application is at its best. Timing is all about tradeoffs and so we do our best to be clear about what those might be. Now the decision is yours.
Preparation
First, know yourself well -- make sure you've done a self-assessment and can easily address where you have been and where you think you are heading. Know what you want to get out of your MBA experience. Second, do your research on schools -- know why a particular program fits your educational and personal needs. While there is only one MBA degree, no two MBA programs are exactly the same. You must be sure to demonstrate you fit as well. Fit is linking a school's particular approach with your developmental needs. Third, know what is required by each school in the application process and strategically plan how you want to use each of those components.
Let's look at essays. Many schools have quite similar essays this year, so if you want to stand out from the pack, it is absolutely important that you answer the questions each school is asking. Look closely, they're NOT the same. Your attention-to-detail, effort, thoughtfulness, judgment in choosing which essays to answer, etc., help us to learn more about you and your candidacy for Booth. It's not just the words you use.
Aside from the time spent tweaking and reflecting, our hope is that you’ve also been ‘out in the field’ meeting students and alums or engaging with us on some level. As some less than perfect weather closes in on most of the country in the coming weeks, it’s not too late to pay us a visit, participate in a live chat, or join us for one of over 70 student hosted events this month in your city.
Lastly, you’re not alone. Please reach out to us with your last minute questions before the deadline. If you can’t make it to campus or an event, feel free to connect with my staff and current student via our discussion forums as well.
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