I grew up in Parsippany, New Jersey and went to Rutgers for undergrad so I’ll always be a jersey girl at heart. After college, I worked in NYC at Barclays in Electronic Trading. I chose Booth for my MBA for lots of reasons, but perhaps most importantly I felt at home with the people here.
I wanted an environment where I felt truly comfortable and a school that presented the ability to meet people who shared my curiosity and thirst for learning. It was also important to me to have a strong academic focus and classroom setting. And Booth has some of the best faculty and curriculum in the world.
Booth gives you a platform for developing new skills and becoming a stronger leader while allowing you to stay true to yourself and your values. There is no ideal MBA student at Booth. We all come from different backgrounds, have different experiences and personalities, and we are able to maintain our uniqueness without feeling like we need to become a version of ourselves that Booth wants us to be.
I am excited to share my personal experiences with potential future Boothies to help you navigate your own business school careers. Hopefully, I can provide useful insight from my involvement with the Dean’s Student Admissions Committee (DSAC) and other clubs like the Adam Smith Society, Booth Dance Club, Follies, and as the co-chair for Chicagonomics.
I try to attend at least 2-3 events per week on campus ranging from lunch and learns by faculty to talks by distinguished alumni to make the most of everything available to me at Booth. It gives me a good sense of the various opportunities open to us students as well as exposure to the people involved in the Booth community.
So far, my favorite moment has been participating in Follies, our sketch comedy troupe that covers Booth culture, business, current events, and basically anything that’s funny. Follies allowed me to explore a different side of myself (creative) and meet fellow Boothies in a setting other than classes and recruiting.
Something else I’d like to note is the pay-it-forward mentality at Booth. It permeates everything we do. Not only has it helped me navigate my Booth experience thus far but it also inspires me to empower my classmates and to help them in any way I can to achieve their goals. I hope to continue mentoring and helping out fellow Boothies during my internship this summer at Amazon and in my second year at Booth.
I am also having a great time living in the Loop, where hundreds of Boothies choose to call home. I love being able to take a walk in Millennium Park or go for a jog by the lakefront. I’m also a fan of exploring Chicago’s many local breweries.
As part of The Booth Experience team, I will do my best to share as much of this fantastic experience with you along the way. Stay tuned!