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(4.9) |
The flexible curriculum allows students to study whatever they feel they need for their future careers.
The faculty is impressive.
Since the first day, all the program is really focus on make a career improvement. Career services helps you to shape your resume, practice your elevator pitch and networking like a rockstar.
The vast majority of the most well-known firms come to campus to meet the students. All of them do interviews on campus and seem to be really interested in hire boothies.
My classmates are amazing. The level is incredibly high but they are also always open to help with any of your needs. The culture of paying forward is really implemented and second years spend a lot of time helping out first years.
Overall, I-m really glad to come to Booth
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The support for job search, for both summer internship and full time, is exceptional and backed by the professionals in the Career Sevices Office as well as by fellow students who volunteer through a structure support program.
The curriculum is extremely challenging and allows for extensive development of both soft skills and quant skills. The ability to study under professors such as Eugene Fama is something that I have truly enjoyed.
The students within the program are all very supportive of each other in the classroom and during the job search.
The social life is amazing. Lots of trips around the world you can sign up for as well as student groups that plan a wide range of activities around the city. For students coming with significant others, the Booth Partners Club is the best thing ever. It's a group specially designed for partners of students that organize events throughout the year. Events include fun activities to make friends and explore the city as well as job searching support for partners. This is really helpful since the student will be very busy with school and recruiting. The Partners Club makes the partners feel like they are part of the Booth B-School experience as well.
Added bonus: Living in downtown Chicago is the best. Affordable apartments compared to other large metro areas with lots to do and an endless amount of great restaurants.
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The first three months here at Booth have been mind-blowing! The greatest element for me has been meeting such a diverse, incredibly accomplished, yet humble group of people. Further, while many of us have been recruiting for the same industry, there is basically zero competition amongst us - we are all helping each other.
I have only taken introductory courses so far, but the quality of teaching is very high - as is the class discussion.
I've been overwhelmed by the career services available, as well. There are literally sessions on every week, and endless opportunities to receive help from 2Ys, that it is making an otherwise stressful / daunting period much more manageable.
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Overall, Booth is a great school for those who like to think analytically. Flexible curriculum and excellent faculty are fortes. The career services is very good and is one of the few programs that let's you opt for in campus recruiting. Overall, I had a wonderful experience and it definitely helped me gain the career traction that I was looking for. Furthermore the alumni network is strong and widely spread across the globe, making it easy to look for opportunities anywhere in the world. The brand name name and reputation further helps in gaining opportunities. Feel free to reach out me if you have any questions.
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the MBA has been one of my best experience, wherever you make it will be really fun and you'll learn a lot, in particular, Booth is a school that helps its peers a lot so having the opportunity to be here will allow you not only to creat a network of really talented people but also of people that will help you throughout your whole life! Additionally, Booth has boosted my career exponentially in several ways: first I have learned in classes more than I expected with the flexible curriculum allowing me to choose what's important to me; second, booth gives a lot of support to entrepreneurs and this allowed me start my own business this year; lastly, being part of the family business group has increase my family business knowledge with all the speakers and lunch learns that they organize throughout the year and also it has increased my network which has allowed me to have people helping my family business with the generation transition.
The resources booth has for entrepreneurs and family business are a lot, you have the Polsky center to start with, this is a place specially for entrepreneurs where they can help you connect with people and give you advice on any question or concern you have. Then you have the New Venture Challenge (NVC), which is a class designed to launch a business, this has been the greatest class I've taken so far at booth, imagine sharks tanks and this is what the class is about you present twice in the quarter to VCs and investors your business and then you qualify to the finals to win up to 80k, in addition, this class will prepare you to present in front of a board and prepare business plans. There is also a place call CIE which is part of UChicago, this is a place where they provide you with space to work and mentors all year long, you can leverage all the expertise of this mentors to any topic you'd like to improve in. Additionally, there are several her programs such as the Accelarator or EIP (Entrepreneurship Internship Program) which gives you the opportunity to work on your own business or launch a new one on the summer and they'll give you some stipend for you to work on it full time, and classes such as building the new venture or new venture strategy that are design specifically for entrepreneurs.
Booth helped me with my career switch, I'm switching from the manufacturing industry to Tec. All the best companies recruit there and now I'm deciding between two of the best companies in the world for a job. This wouldn't be possible if I haven't been at Booth!
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Booth is a pretty incredible place, but it is a unique environment that is best suited for those who are comfortable dealing with ambiguity and driven by intellectual curiosity.
The biggest factors that made me decide to attend Booth were:
(1) The flexible curriculum: I didn't appreciate this as much until I actually got into the program; it is incredible to choose what courses to take, what professors to have, and even what days of the week you want class.
(2) Student culture: If I had to sum it up, it would be the "pay-it-forward culture" -- 2Ys help 1Ys more than any program I have heard of. They help with everything from selecting classes to helping with interview prep. Since you take classes together (see #1), you build deeper relationships between classes.
(3) "Challenge everything": this is a motto of the school and it resonates within the classroom -- if you aren't challenging someone's ideas, then you're doing them a tremendous disservice.
(4) Chicago is an awesome city: the main campus is down in Hyde Park, but 80%+ students live in downtown Chicago (the 'Loop') closer to the Gleacher Center (Chicago Booth downtown campus). It would be better if the main campus was right down town, but by everyone coming together in HP, it creates a pretty cool student experience.
(5) Brand / rankings (if I am being honest).
Even with all these high expectations, the full-time experience exceeded them in almost every capacity. The support that you receive -- from the school, from second-years, and from your classmates is incredible. They never "get you a job" or "tell you what classes to take", but they're there to answer questions every step along the way.
If there was one thing I would recommend future applicants to do -- it'd be to figure out what makes Chicago Booth unique, and really ask yourself whether or not it's a good fit for you. A lot of people simply apply to the "top 5" schools, but the differences in culture, curriculum, and "focus" (whether it is social, academic, professional, etc.) can be stark. Do the "soul searching" before / while you apply to schools... not after you've made the decision.
Career placement is second to none -- every major company (consulting, IB, IM, and tech) recruits on campus. If anything, I think Booth's technology placement and entrepreneurship programs are underrated to its peers.
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Chicago Booth is an incredible program in one of the great cities in the US. If you have not visited Chicago, I highly recommend a visit. It is a huge draw that Booth should play up far more. For me, it was a big sell to be in a global city. If you enjoy a metropolitan experience, Booth should be high on your list. As Booth has also just moved to the #2 spot in the MBA rankings, every applicant should have Booth on their short list.
My first goal going into school was to have a diverse network of students to bond with. I was immediately blown away by the global nature of the class. From Moscow to Yugoslovia to Guatemala, if you are looking a program who truly is serious about a diverse class, Booth is highly committed to finding students from all the world.
Secondly, I was seeking a program that had the career services to help get my career to the next level. I will confidently say that Booth's career services is one of their great competitive advantages. They are a powerful force with intimate connections in every industry you can imagine and with the ability to help students land the most niche, specialized jobs. I've witnessed them help students get very specific jobs in the most far away countries they were targeting. Although Booth is known for finance and consulting, their career services is powerful enough for any student. Booth career services is a machine that will get you wherever you want to go.
Third, I wanted a program with a strong alumni network. I tested this by cold calling alums after my admittance. The responses were 100%. Some late but all replied. I actually didnt truly realize this until later on via conferences and networking that the Booth alumni network is powerful, loyal, and embedded in every industry. For those seeking a voluminous network, Booth fits the bill.
Lastly, I wanted to have the best two years of my life. Booth works harder and plays harder than any program I encountered. Chicago is the perfect place to encapsulate both; a serious global business city, but the epicenter of great social and nightlife events. I was fantastically surprised by the nature of the admits, they were over the top helpful and friendly. Booth admissions has done a fantastic job of selecting students. For those who seek a good balance of work and play, Booth is also a great fit.
I hope I've been able to cover the major topics!
Chicago Booth's core competency is their career office; it is a machine with an expertise in helping find students jobs in any area far and wide no matter how niche.
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For me Bschool is about taking two years to do what you normally wouldn't, socialize with people you would never even think to say hello to, or try a new working environment. I will readily say that Booth was not the school that felt like home to me. However, I did like the intellectual energy I felt in Harper Center, the advice I'd received from alums, and the positive endorsements about career services.
One of the questions that I am often asked about Booth from prospective students and recent admits is, "If there are no cohorts and students live all over Chicago does Booth really have much of a community?" I've also repeatedly read comments like, "the flexible curriculum does not allow for bonding," and "Booth is a commuter school." So does Chicago Booth have much of a community? I think that there are two main ways to define a school's community: tight-knit and engaged. I will say upfront that Booth does not have a tight-knit community. However, I would argue that neither do schools like Kellogg and Wharton (both of which are known for having strong communities). When people say a school's students are tight-knit they often are saying that everybody knows one another. I'd argue that when any class has more than 400 students it's impossible for the students to be tight-knit by that definition. So then if a school isn't tight-knit by the above definition does that mean that it does not have a strong community? Of course not! The biggest misconception is that Booth students are dispersed all over Chicago. The fact is that over 80% of students live within a 2 mile strip of the downtown neighborhoods the Loop, South Loop, and Streeterville. Heck, over 60% of students live in three buildings that are often referred to as the dorms (Millenium Park Plaza, Columbus Plaza, MDA). Just because Booth students do not live in close proximity to the school does not mean that they don't live in close proximity to one another.
Now let me address the lack of cohorts. Technically, Booth does have cohorts. Cohorted learning is only in place for Booth's one required course, LEAD, which takes place during orientation and the first 4 weeks of the first quarter. After LEAD there are a few big cohort based activities like Golden Gargoyles and Leadership Challenge, but for the most part cohort activities are spearheaded by cohort members and the graduate business council (i.e. cohort trivia, cohort t-shirt day, etc.). Although students aren't required to be at these events there is always a very healthy turnout. I think this illustrates the beauty that is Booth. At it's core this place is an exercise in free markets. Everything is driven by students' choices and Booth students choose to be actively involved with the school. Even without the typical structures to build school loyalty and student body engagement, students are so tied to Booth we often struggle to excoriate ourselves from the "Booth Bubble." There is more activity going on at Booth than any person can keep track of and the majority of it is student run. Booth students choose to invest their time in making sure this community is thriving. There is an overflow of people clamoring to participate in admit weekend, career services, admissions, and more. Oftentimes these activities require hours of work and we still want to do it. I think this speaks volumes to the ties people have to Booth.
I will readily admit that although Booth has a very vibrant community it is built differently than at other schools. In allowing people to pick their classes, schedule, and professors it's very much so a choose your own adventure kind of place. Booth fosters breadth of socializing, but it's up to the individual to determine where to seek depth. One of the best consequences of this breadth is a greater sense of cohesion between the 1st & 2nd year classes. This is the very opposite of the structure at most schools where the depth of socializing is built into the program and it's up to students to seek out a wider breadth. Truth be told the breadth was difficult for me at first. I felt that I was meeting a lot of people but not really forming deeper relationships. It wasn't until ski trip when I had a week of consistent socializing with people that I started really making friends. The opportunities to really bond with people are all over the place at Booth. However, it might take a little patience and being proactive to figure out what those opportunities are for you.
I will tell any prospective student how much I love being here, but I will also say that it isn't for everybody. If you really like structure and aren't looking to try something different then Booth isn't the school for you. If you tend not to be proactive in getting to know people then you probably shouldn't be here. However, if the bevvy of choice appeals to you or you want to try a social environment that is different from what you're used to then this might could be the place for you.
Deciding to attend Booth ultimately came down to determining that it was the school where I'd receive the best support in terms of recruiting. I was absolutely correct in that assessment. The career services team at Booth is phenomenal. Career coaches helped me plot my target list of companies. Second year career advisors gave me great feedback on my resume, cover letters, and interview skills. I had access to every company I came to school knowing I wanted to target and many more that I hadn't even thought of before getting here. I found job openings that weren't posted. I interviewed through both on-campus and off campus recruiting methods. In February I landed an offer from the world's largest retailer for the exact job I came to business school to get. Three weeks after receiving the offer I declined it in favor of joining Google in a role very similar to what I was doing pre MBA.
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I had an amazing experience at Booth. The program and culture live up to the mantras of "Challenge everything" and "Independent thought" in my experience. Personally, I was drawn to the fact that there is no one path at Booth -- you're not forced into a cohort, you're not told which classes you have to take, you're not assigned to study teams and instead, you have the freedom to chart your own course (within some guidelines of course!) and you gain much wider exposure (e.g., taking classes with 2nd years). Looking back, the LEAD course was extremely helpful and I apply those lessons about leadership and self-awareness everyday now. The student culture is very strong (and different than what many perceive) -- it's a bit different from other schools where there's a concentrated campus that everyone lives near and again, things aren't dictated for you. I was incredibly impressed by my classmates -- not just their intelligence and career drive but also their passion for traveling and experiencing the city of Chicago. I did not find it to be competitive at all - I think because of the grade non-disclosure but also in recruiting, I had so much help from my classmates.
A bit about my experience: I was a career changer. I worked in HR before and worked in consulting afterwards (boutique/startup firm in Chicago). My course specializations were Strategy, Economics, and Marketing. I was very involved with the Admissions team while there, serving on the student adcom, leading tours, planning admit weekend, etc. I also loved the Business Solutions Group where I worked on a pro-bono consulting project for a non-profit education company. I lived in Hyde Park (rare for Booth students, but I loved it).
My advice to future applicants: engage with the Booth community as much as possible. Visit campus, sit in on a class, talk to students and alums, connect with the alumni group in your closest city. Be prepared to have reasons for "Why Booth" beyond just the finance reputation and flexible curriculum.
Amazing professors - my personal faves were Murphy's Turbo Econ, Epley's Managing in Organizations and Boethner's Strategy and Structure. Also recommend taking advantage of the many lab classes and the Polsky Center for those interested in entrepreneurship.
Strong across the board but especially strong in consulting and finance. Companies that recruit for marketing are really impressive too, and they seem to value Booth's data-driven approach to marketing. Some classmates recruiting for jobs in California had to do more of their search on their own, but that may have improved since I was there.
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For a career in finance, I think it's common knowledge that Booth is top. What people often don't realize is how well the school also does in marketing, tech and consulting (McKinsey, Apple and Kraft are top employers). I went the traditional finance route into investment banking and don't think there is a better choice for it ( including even Wharton). Booth bankers are all over the Street and in Silicon Valley at all the top banks, and they command a lot of respect.
Culturally, the school has really improved its atmosphere through the LEAD program and number of clubs and activities. It also allows students a great deal of independence and freedom to choose the friends and teammates they want without forcing anything (in true Friedman form). Finally you have th opportunity to live in on of the most underrated cities in the US, Chicago. It is better than Boston and Philly by a long shot and even New Yorkers enjoyed the break.
I think it would be hard to choose this school above Harvard or Stanford but it definitely holds its own against Wharton... Wouldn't even bother comparing with any other schools as only the three above compare.
Look up Goolsbee, Kaplan, Dhar, Thaler to get a feel for the talent
Everything is strong except probably general management. Finance, consulting, marketing and tech are all strongly represented
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Thank you for the review... we really appreciate it. Though it does not look like you have started classes yet.... Would be really great to hear about the program in about a year. Good luck and congratulations!