Experiencing Booth: 2 years of triumphs, setbacks, and continuous learning
When I first applied to Booth, I didn’t think I would be accepted. I applied to five schools in a month with fee waivers from the Forté Foundation and joked about wasting Admissions’ time for free. I thought I didn’t make sense as a Booth candidate: I was young, didn’t have a consulting or finance […]
Chicago Booth Study Abroad Stories: T’estimo, Barcelona
I knew I wanted to study abroad in graduate school before I even knew I wanted to go to Chicago Booth. Whether or not a school had a study abroad program was one of the make-or-break factors for if I applied to it or not. I wasn’t able to study abroad while in undergrad, and […]
Study Abroad at Booth: How to Apply for IBEP
The International Business Exchange Program, better known as IBEP, was one of the main reasons I applied to Booth. It’s Booth’s version of study abroad and students can apply for programs that last a couple weeks or an entire quarter at one of Booth’s 30 partner schools. Fast forward two years and I’m living in […]
Rejection & Resilience: Surviving Recruiting Struggles
A common interview prompt is, “Tell me about a time when you failed.” As Booth students, we have spoken to this over and over again. From our past jobs to our MBA admissions interviews, we have at least one good story about overcoming failure. The theory behind the prompt is that candidates who have failed […]
A Guide to Surviving Overcommitting
Before I came to Booth I was warned of the dangers of overcommitting myself. Alumni and second year students alike advised that I know what I wanted, guard my time, and to be unafraid to say no, but to also open myself up to new experiences and say yes to as many things as I […]
Where Students Go to Thrive
September in Chicago brings the first crunchy leaves, chilly breezes, and countless adorable children headed to their first days of school. Boothies, laptops and nameplates in hand, aren’t far behind them. We usually cross paths with the UChicago Lab school’s morning dropoff as we head to our 8:30 classes, weaving through the crowd of tiny […]
From Safety to Startups: Lessons Learned from Reconsidering Options
When I arrived at Booth and began recruiting discussions the clearest thought I had was no startups. Growing up in the Bay Area I had seen enough of them start and fail. They didn’t seem stable enough and I love stability. So, I pursued what are typically considered the stable routes…consulting, corporate strategy, and big […]
Get to Know Samantha Malone
Hello world! (Or, at least, hello prospective student who’s trying to learn more about Booth!) I’m Samantha Malone, a rising second year originally from the Bay Area. I did my undergrad at Santa Clara University, studying business and graduating a year ahead of schedule while working and commuting to school (yes, I was that nerd). […]
Tips from an Under the Wire Applicant
“Those are terrible excuses,” my mentor said as she shook her head at me through Zoom. It was the end of April 2020 (aka March part two) and I was telling her why I couldn’t apply to MBA programs before the end of May. I listed all of the things I didn’t have, like essay […]