Rishav Dhar

Hometown: Calcutta, India

City Before Booth: Delhi, India

Undergraduate School and Major: VIT, Engineering

Pre-Booth Job: Public Health Consultant for India’s COVID program at Clinton Health Access Initiative

Summer Internship: Product Manager (Technical) at PayPal

Concentrations at Booth: Entrepreneurship, Behavioral Science

Favorite Booth Class/Professor: Application Development by Raghu Betina

Current Leadership Roles: Editor-In-Chief, ChiBus; LEAD Facil

What are some of the student groups you’ve been involved with?
Public Speaking Group, SABG, BOLD, MCG

One thing you wish you had known when applying for MBA programs? 
The city and campus type (urban vs rural) can be a significant factor in the overall MBA experience 

What’s your advice for admission applicants?
The Booth application is challenging since, in contrast to other colleges, there is no word limit. There is, therefore, a sizable canvas on which a candidate can develop a wholesome picture. I’d suggest making the most of the available space and communicating three reasons for choosing an MBA. Why MBA? Why now? Why Booth?

Why did you choose Chicago Booth?
The Chicago Booth curriculum is incredibly distinctive because of the freedom it provides. The MBA is truly whatever one wants it to be because there is no required core curriculum. This allows students the freedom to study a variety of fascinating courses concurrently and at their own speed. People with a clear sense of what they want can thrive at Chicago Booth. The school offers them the resources and room they need to achieve their goals.

The culture at Booth was another distinctive feature. I cold-emailed Booth alums throughout the application period. The #payitforward ethic was evident in the response rates of these cold emails. Among the alumni of the few colleges I applied to, the Booth alumni had the highest response rates. I was pleasantly surprised that a group of people as successful as those at Chicago Booth were prepared to set aside time for a candidate even before receiving an interview request. Additionally, they were more than happy to open up their networks and connect me with everyone they knew. That, in my opinion, just demonstrates the faith and trust each member has in the Booth neighborhood.

What is your favorite Booth Experience?
During spring break, a few hundred 1Ys went to Colombia on a mega trip across 10 days. It was a lot of fun to explore a new continent with friends and I hope to travel much more during the second year.

What do you hope an MBA will help you achieve in your future?
I hope it gives me the opportunity and network to steer my career in the direction where my passion aligns with my work

Fun Fact: I was a waiter, entrepreneur, writer, and event manager — all within a week’s time as a full time student

Your Chicago Neighborhood: Lincoln Park for its awesome restaurants and coffee shops

What is your favorite thing to do in Chicago?
Go for a walk by the riverfront or lakefront

Articles by Rishav