Chicago Women in Business Alumnae Network (CWIBAN)
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business
Chicago Booth alumnae are delighted to share our experiences with you. Below are real questions asked by prospective students and unedited responses from alumnae. This is the real story about Chicago Booth from women like you.
“It was the best two years of my life.” -- Cathy Carroll ’97
“I was most impressed by the people I met at Chicago Booth.” --Jennifer Nichols ‘01
How did you decide which business school to attend?“I looked at the top ten schools and decided to apply to those in large cities (NY, Philadelphia, Chicago). When I went for campus visits, the interaction with current students and the living environment were really the most important factors to me. I was most impressed by the people I met at Chicago Booth and the city of Chicago. I felt that it would be a fun, exciting two years; I also felt that Chicago was a place that I could make my home.” -- Jennifer Nichols ‘01
“Solid marketing program, flexible curriculum, geography.” -- Sindhu Ramana ‘03
“I went to business school to make a career change. I had a liberal arts degree and six years of experience in advertising and marketing. I wanted to do finance and strategy. Chicago was a natural fit because it gave me the complementary skill set that I was looking for.” -- Amy Sachtleben ‘00
Why did you choose Chicago Booth?“The people and the quality of the education. Everyone I talked to was friendly, bright, and down to earth, from alumni to students to the staff and faculty. My visit during Admitted Students Weekend was when I made my final decision. I walked in the first morning for breakfast and looked for a place to sit down. There was a table full of women laughing and having a great time. I sat down in the one empty seat and met a bunch of great people from all over, including my hometown. They each had interesting, unique backgrounds and a welcoming attitude. Those women turned out to be some of my best friends to this day.” -- Zina Markevicius ‘02
“I wanted a good finance education. From the start of my application process I had my eyes on the field of S&T (which I am currently in). I figured the best finance theories were formulated at Chicago Booth - nobel Laureates and all - so that's where I wanted to go.” -- Deepa Salastekar ‘00
“I wanted to sharpen my quantitative skills (finance etc. etc.).” --Kristin Finney ‘98
How did Chicago Booth Career Services help in your job search?"I used the on-campus job search to get my post-Chicago Booth job. It was everything for me - and organized by Career Services.” -- Deepa Salastekar ‘00
”When I came to Chicago Booth, I wanted a career switch to marketing and I thought the Career Services did a great job to facilitate this. Not only was there a solid list of Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) and pharmaceutical companies coming for on-campus recruiting, there were also series of preparation steps the Career Services group put together. They ranged from resume workshops to practice interview sessions with both the 2nd year students and alumni from recruiting companies. By the end of the process, I felt very comfortable with what to expect from the interviews and felt well prepared. As a result, I did my summer internship at Pfizer on Viagra, which was extremely interesting, and am now working at Clorox in marketing.” -- Jee Ahn ’02
“I got my job through on campus recruiting.” -- Kristin Finney ‘98
“Actually, Career Services has helped me much more since I graduated than when I was a student. I left my first job after five years to move back to Chicago and CS was a very good resource when I was looking for a new job.” -- Cathy Carroll ’97
How accessible are the professors at Chicago Booth?“Some were very accessible while seeing others required making an appointment; surprisingly, some of the most well-known were easy to find and willing to talk.” --Audrey Mathews ’89
“The professors were very accessible via email and telephone.” --Ricquel Harper ‘04
“I believe that Chicago Booth is a place for natural leaders, self-directed individuals. If you seek out your professors be it through office hours, class interaction, etc..., you will find them to be quite accessible. I wouldn't expect them to know you unless you make yourself known though.” --Jennifer Nichols ‘01
How much fun was your Chicago Booth experience?“ It was the best two years of my life.”
-- Cathy Carroll ’97“I enjoyed many aspects of social experiences at Chicago Booth - from friendships, to various clubs and outings.”
-- Deepa Salastekar ‘00“I’ve never had so much fun! There are many, many official Chicago Booth activities that are a blast—the Latin American Dance Party, the Belgian Halloween Party, formals, boat cruises, Olympics, the Follies talent show, soccer games, rugby, volleyball, the weekly Brats ‘N Brew on Friday afternoons, etc. On top of that, classmates are always getting together outside of school to try a new sushi restaurant, go running along the lake, celebrate somebody’s birthday, meet for weekly pub nights, and more. Honestly, there are so many fun things going on, it is difficult to choose! One of my favorite memories is a night of international beer tasting with a group of marketing and strategy professors. It was part of the annual Charity Auction, and we were out until 3am… with professors! And the fun continues now that we’ve graduated. We see old friends at weddings, meet new friends at alumni happy hours. This is the brightest, most fun community I’ve ever been a part of.” -- Zina Markevicius ‘02
“ The greatest city in the country, easily. It is cold in the winter but there is so much to do, you won't even think about it! The fall, spring and summer are amazing and the city is real sight when newly snow-covered. The city has so much to offer- food, sports, the lake....I could go on and on. It is simply the best.” -- Jennifer Nichols ‘01
“Love the city!!! It has so much to offer and it's constantly changing.” -- Sindhu Ramana ‘03
“Chicago has so much to offer: restaurants, museums, shopping, nightlife.... The weather makes things tricky in the winter, but I always had plenty to do as a student at the U of C - either on campus or in the city.” -- Audrey Mathews ’89
“I love Chicago.” -- Kristin Finney ‘98
“Beautiful, friendly, down-to-earth, fun, ethnically broad, politically interesting, less cosmopolitan than NY, but much easier to live in.” -- Cathy Carroll ’97
” I am very glad that I chose Chicago Booth! I have lived in different cities and potential employers and co-workers know the strength of the program and respect it. I am also glad because it provided me with knowledge that changed me and allowed me to pursue different areas that I would likely not have if I had not attended Chicago Booth.” -- Audrey Mathews ’89
" Absolutely.” -- Cathy Carroll ’97"I am very pleased with my Chicago Booth education and glad I chose the school to pursue my MBA.” -- Ricquel Harper ‘04
Send it to Zina Markevicius ’02 (zmarkevi@ChicagoBooth.edu ), and we will post the responses right here. We are happy to answer all of your questions.
