Booth (Chicago)

"Hello all, just finished my interview with an alumn. It was quite conversational. We finished in exactly an hour. Questions were: 1. Introduce yourself 2. what is your ideal team and what role do you play 3. personally what has been your area of growth in the last few years - We somehow led to introspections which led to this question 4. Why MBA, why now, and what are your goals 5. Why booth These questions took about 35-40 mins. For the remaining 20 mins he answered some of my questions"

"It was a very standard interview. It was with a current student who worked in admissions. She asked me: Walk me through your resume Why MBA Why can't you accomplish what you want without an MBA What are the criteria on which you selected schools, and why Booth in particular? Short term goals, long term goals How will Booth help you achieve these ST/LT goals A time you had to ask for help A time when you had to engage with someone with an opposing opinion, and how did you approach it She went into quite a bit of depth on the behavioural questions Then she asked me if there was anything else I wanted to share, so I talked about one diversity program I worked on because it was one of my resume "hero points" that had not yet come up Then she asked if I had questions for her. I was able to ask pretty specific questions ebcause she had shared information about herself in the interview process also. This part was very conversational and I felt that we were really vibing, so it was a nice way to end the interview."

"Hey guys! So I had my interview with a second year student on Zoom. After exchanging Hellos, we talked about the weather for next 2-3 minutes. It was a great ice breaker. (Chicago weather is worth talking about) The next 45 minutes were questions one after the other but it never felt rushed. My interviewer was very patient. He asked me about my resume, time when I motivated a team, when I helped someone and received help, biggest professional achievement, follow up questions on my answers, LT and ST goals and what inspired me to have these goals, why MBA, why now, why Booth, courses I am particularly interested in at Booth, how will I contribute to Booth. I also took pauses after the questions because I didn’t want to sound overly rehearsed and I guess it’s only human to think of relevant situations for every question and then answer. The last 15 minutes were all about understanding his experience at Booth, Chicago city and the food there! His international trips with Boothies, some of the school’s traditions etc. All in all it was a very warm and comfortable interview experience. Hope this helps. All the best :)"

"Just had my Booth interview, off-campus with an alum. Was super friendly and conversational, went through my resume and tangential questions around it, my goals, why mba and why booth. Went for 1hr45mins, but honestly didn’t feel the time and we discussed a lot of random things as well such as my views on the economy and even geopolitics. Make sure you are well-informed in general and have planned your concentrations and electives for Booth, and why the Chicago Approach makes sense for you. Look at it as a conversation with an interested peer who wants to understand your journey, rather than an interview."

"Just had my Booth interview, off-campus with an alum. Was super friendly and conversational, went through my resume and tangential questions around it, my goals, why mba and why booth. Went for 1hr45mins, but honestly didn’t feel the time and we discussed a lot of random things as well such as my views on the economy and even geopolitics. Make sure you are well-informed in general and have planned your concentrations and electives for Booth, and why the Chicago Approach makes sense for you. Look at it as a conversation with an interested peer who wants to know your journey, rather than an interview."

"Why MBA Why now (a few follow ups) Why Booth (had to insert my ST/LT goals) What's the biggest weakness I wish to plug at Booth TMAT I had to motivate a team TMAT I had a conflict (follow ups)"

"Just finished my on-campus interview today. Super friendly second year interviewer. The questions asked were "very-very-untraditional" in a sense that she did not ask me anything about why MBA nor why Booth, not even how I contribute to booth, but threw me about 7 different behavioral questions. The vibe was super nice though. Everything flowed and before I paid attention to the time 55 mins passed by. I dont know man, was it a red flag or the questions been asked were pure random. But man, 7 behavioral questions, there were definitely something else going on. Good luck everyone."

"I also just had mine virtually - second year student. Questions are basic - why mba, why booth, longterm shortterm goal. She also focus on how I interact in a conflict situation and constructive feedback. Went 40 mins. I cant really tell how it went actually since she kept it very professional"

"The interview was great. It was with an alum- 2022 pass out- Director of a private equity firm. 1. Walk me thru your CV/career. 2. Leadership style 3. How do you empathize with people 4. Why MBA now.- STG and LTG, why energy club? 5. Why Booth 6. Any you would like to add? 7. Any questions?"

"Interview atmosphere was relaxed, and definitely very conversational! Nothing radically surprising that popped up during the interview. See below for questions: 1. Walk me through your resume. 2. How do you prioritize your time? (Follow up: how will you prioritise your time between academics, networking and social life at Booth?) 3. What are you most proud of? 4. Tell me about a time when you fell short. 5. Tell me about a time you motivated a team. 6. You could pursue IB without an MBA. So why MBA? 7. Why MBA? 8. Why Booth? 9. Any questions for me?"

"Had mine today, ofcourse the obvious goals, why mba, why this school, but also dived into leadership, self evaluation, leading teams, approach to learning, so on, went roughly 50 minutes, semi informal, and very conversational (which makes it harder to judge how it went tbh)"

"I met with a current student of Booth at Gleacher Center. It was a relatively casual interview which I enjoyed. Stressed out beforehand but shouldn't have. She had a list of questions from Booth to ask me and my resume she reviewed in advance. I managed to answer several of the questions at the same time which I think she appreciated, e.g. when answer why my career once I got through the past/present I talked about what my future career I wanted and why an MBA, and she mentioned she was going to ask me but moved to the next one. It was very clear from how she responded that giving in-depth answers specific to why I wanted Booth (clubs, classes, teachers, etc...) impressed her. 1. Why the career path/degrees you have? 2. Why an MBA and why now? 3. Why Booth? 4. What are your short and long term goals? 5. Tell me about extracurriculars? 6. How do you prioritize/balance time? 7. How do you motivate your reports? 8. How do you ask for help? 9. How will you give to Booth? 10. How will you get involved at Booth? 11. Anything else I should know about you? 12. Any questions for me?"

"1. Walk me through your resume. 2. Why MBA? Why now? 3. Why Booth? 4. Tell me about a time where your perspective on something was changed. 5. Tell me about a time you were challenged and how you tackled it. 6. Tell me about a time you had a conflict with someone and how you handled it. 7. Where do you think you have generated the most impact, professionally or personally? 8. What is your ideal team? What kind of role do you play in a team? 9. What do you do for fun? 10. Any questions for me?"

"Interviewed with alumni, went really well. Casual conversation to start and then began ticking of the boxes. Asked typical questions: Walk me through your resume Biggest accomplishment Tell me about a time you failed and what you learned Strengths and Weaknesses How do you give back to the community outside of the professional side Short and Long term goals Why an MBA and why Booth"

"Walk me through resume ST, LT Goals Why MBA Tell me about a time when you had to convince a team or a group of something Tell me about a time when you faced conflict Tell me about a time when you helped someone - personally Tell me about a time when you helped someone - professionally Tell me about a time when you received feedback that surprised you Tell me about your greatest weaknesses 2 years from now - looking back after you graduate from Booth - what legacy would you have left Any questions for me."

"I had 2 interviews previously with other programs and I was interviewed by adcom member. This is the first time when I was interviewed by an Alumni, which is really the easiest among all. When interviewed by adcom member, the questions are very standard. Questions asked would be what people typically see online, e.g. Why MBA, why our program, walk me through your resume, what are you strengths and weaknesses, some scenario questions etc. When interviewed by alumni, she only asked me 2 standard questions. 1. Walk me through your resume, 2. Why our program. And after that it was all about me asking her questions of any type. We talked about school life, sports, holidays etc. However, we should not take this for granted because the purpose of interview is to "get to know you more". In other word, it means that if this candidate is sit right next to you in the classroom, would you like to talk to him or have him as your classmate? If the answer is yes, then good for you, you will get a recommendation from the interviewer. If the interviewer doesn't feel comfortable speaking with you, then good luck. Overall, please be respectful in the conversation, listen and speak appropriately, be yourself and take it easy. I think I did well in the interview and hopefully the rest of my application are strong enough to land me with an admission offer."

"My interview happened 10 days ago. It was a conversation with some interview questions. Why MBA, what value I will bring, if my management is supportive of my plan to study, conflict I managed in a matrix organisation. Waiting to hear from the school"

"I had my interview a few hours ago. It was with the admissions director for the London campus. It was mostly about my work experience and what I want to do with the MBA"

"I applied early round and am heading there next fall so I'll share my experience a bit: Upper 30s female in marketing. Fair EA (thankfully stronger quant score) I bought the GMAC bundle and took online. Applied right before deadline, invitation to interview following day. Interviewed with an alum for about 45 minutes. I think they have much more flexibility with interviews and just have to hit on certain questions. We obviously talked about Why MBA/Why Now/Why Booth, some leadership talk, a little on my background, etc. Good luck!"

"Interviewed with a Booth alum over the phone. They tried to match me with someone who works in a similar industry. We spoke for about 50 minutes and I felt like it went well overall! See below for questions: 1. Walk me through your resume 2. Why MBA now, why Booth, why Weekend MBA? 3. Tell me about your short-term and long-term career goals. 3. What is a strength you're hoping to expand upon at Booth? A weakness you're hoping to improve? 4. Tell me about a time you didn't see eye to eye with a colleague; how did you resolve it? 5. Tell me about a time you had a miscommunication with someone; how did you resolve it? (This was tricky because it was a similar question to the last one) 6. Describe your leadership style. 7. What does leadership mean to you?"

"Interviewed with a 2nd year student over Skype. They had previous access to my resume. 1. Tell me about yourself. 2. Why do you want an MBA, and why do you want it now? 3. What field do you plan to transition to after graduation? 4. Tell me about a time you had a challenge at work and succeeded despite it. 5. Tell me about a time you had a challenge at work and failed (and what you learned). 6. Why do you want to attend Booth specifically? 7. Tell me about your leadership style. Overall, a pretty casual interview."

""I had the interview with a local alumnus in Istanbul. As she was also working at a pharma company, she could resonate with the examples I gave. I wouldn't say that it was very laid back as she asked much more questions than I expected and probed me to elaborate on my past experience by giving specific examples, how I approached them and what I learned from them. -Walk me through your resume. -What did you learn from your volunteering experience? -(Regarding my internship at Strategic Planning at Coca Cola) What were the insights you gathered through a specific project? -How did pursuing a career in marketing help you with your people skills? Give me an example where you convinced someone in a challenging situation. -How did you handle a challenging situation at work? (After I mentioned I worked without any line managers for more than 6 months) -Give me an example where you worked in a team with different point of views. -What are your strenghts & development areas according to your managers? -Elaborate on your development area. -Post MBA goals & target companies -Why Booth? -My view on Chicago Approach and how it will be different from education at college. -Which courses you want to take? -Which clubs you want to join? -How will you contribute to Booth? -What do you think will be the most challenging part of your time at Booth? It lasted 45 minutes. It was more challenging than my interviews with Kellogg, Ross and UCLA because she asked many follow up questions in a fast pace manner. Still, it was a positive experience."

"Interviewed with a second year on campus for Round 1. We started off with quick introductions and then we jumped into the following questions (no specific order, just what I remember). 1. Walk me through your resume/background. 2. What professional improvement do you want to get out of an MBA? 3. Why MBA? 4. Why Booth? 5. Follow up questions challenging my intended post-MBA career path. 6. Tell me about a challenging situation at work and what you did to resolve it. 7. Tell me about when you have had a disagreement with someone at work and what the outcome was. 8. Follow up questions on the stories I told. 9. Hobbies/interests outside of work? 10. Anything I didn't ask about but you feel is important? 11. Any questions for me? Overall the interview went well in my eyes. It was very conversational and the questions flowed from one to another. If you have the chance I would highly recommend visiting and taking a class to better understand how data driven Booth is. I was lucky enough to go to a class that is directly applicable to my current job and I was surprised at how little I used data in comparison to some of the approaches given in class. Fingers crossed for any news!"

"The interview was conversational and casual. The interviewer was really nice and showed genuine interest in learning about me. Overall positive experience as a candidate. Questions he asked (wasn't in order) Why I took the jobs I have Why MBA Why Booth Do I visit my friends who went to Booth? What classes I visited during my campus visit? He asked if I knew anything about the clubs at Booth Gender dynamic where I work Any questions for me? I asked him about the network at SEA, and he said that the network is small, but the connect is super deep. He was in one of the chat social group who is active every day. Something I really look for Overall, the interview lasted for 50 minutes. I'm sure it wasn't bad, but I can't say I aced it. I'm sure I could do better if I slept well the night before. I ended up speaking kinda fast (he said it's ok since he can keep up)"

"My interview was with a '07 graduate in his office in Mumbai, India. He started the interview off with a disclaimer that the interview is just another component and that it doesn't hold that much weight and is more like a sanity check. In fact, he said that it shouldn't be called an interview because it makes candidates nervous and it should be treated more like a conversation. Though this put me at ease, I had a peculiar interview experience. The interview focused a lot on the "why" of everything and also looked like he was in a hurry to finish the interview. Here are the questions I was asked: 1)Resume walkthrough: He dug very very very deep into my family background, childhood influences, motivations to choose a social impact path. He also focused a lot on decisions behind key points in my career 2)Short term and long term objectives: He asked clarifying questions wherever I rambled and was unclear in my communication. 3)Why MBA: Since he was from a finance background and lacked social impact knowledge, it was tough to convince him about why I really need an MBA (should've prepared better!) 4) Top 3 schools and Why Booth: Here is where I fumbled because of the way he asked the question. Instead of "which other schools did you apply to?", he asked, "what are you top 3 schools?". That threw me off a little, and I said Yale, Booth, and Fuqua (shouldn't have put Yale first and put two lower-ranked schools alongside Booth!). He was not very sure if Booth fared as well in social impact as Yale and Fuqua. At this point, I pivoted to Why Booth and talked about how Booth's data-driven approach and flexible curriculum and its experiential learning opportunities makes it unique and why I fit in with the program. He was mildly surprised at the level of research I did. 5)Anything else I would want him to know: I just reviewed the highlights of my career and said that I couldn't think of anything else to talk about. 6)Any questions for him: I asked about the one most important learning he had at Booth that he uses to date and what motivates him to volunteer for interviewing candidates. Surprisingly enough he did not ask any leadership questions at all. The interview ended there and we chatted about our hobbies (reading, restaurant hopping, gaming)as he waited for me to finish my tea. I think the overall experience was neutral to mildly positive. I think I would have performed better if I had a good night's sleep and just relaxed. Conversational interviews can be difficult not to ramble in if you don't structure your thoughts thoroughly well before the interview, so I learned that I should structure my answers really well to be more confident about myself. Hope this information helps. Good luck to everyone interviewing!"