December 10, 2019 Live Admissions Chat Transcript
Chat Participant: I am early career applicant and wanted more information on Fellow program of booth for Weekend MBA.
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: You can find more information on our website here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/weekend/admissions/early-career-candidates. If you would like to learn more information about the program, my contact information is listed at the bottom of the webpage.
Chat Participant: Do the Evening and Weekend MBA students have the same access to recruiting if their work schedule allows?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: The Evening and Weekend students have the same access to campus recruiting for full-time positions as the Full-Time students to. In fact, aside from a specific internship component to the Full-Time program, Career Service Resources are the same among the Evening, Weekend, and Full-Time programs.
Chat Participant: Regarding the Weekend Program, what is the typical protocol for handling unexpected weather/flight delays and cancellations? Is there a way to make up a missed session?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: 70% of our Weekend students are from outside of Illinois and commute in every weekend. Booth is very well equipped to handle unexpected weather/flight delays and cancellations including the recording of classes. Boothies are also very generous with their notes and catching you up on what you may have missed. The Professors will also take the time to do the same. Rest assured that there will be a plan in place for when these situations arise.
Chat Participant: Hi, does one need to be employed full-time in order to be considered for the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: That is correct, all applicants for the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs must be employed full-time.
Chat Participant: Is it possible to transfer from part time program to full time program?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: It is not possible to transfer between Part-Time and Full-Time programs. Evening and Weekend students may however accelerate their program by taking more than two classes at a time. Evening and Weekend students can take 3 classes without issue, which would allow them to graduate under 2.5 years. These three classes may be taken within the Evening or Weekend program at the downtown Gleacher Center, or within the Full-Time program at the Harper Center at the main University of Chicago campus in Hyde Park. Either way, your program distinction would remain as an Evening or Weekend student.
Chat Participant: How are undergrad and graduate (MS) school grades weighed in the admission process?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Undergraduate and graduate grades are considered within your academic ability in the application. Graduate studies are not required however can provide additional insight into your success as a student. We don’t have a percentage weight on any component of the application but are a large part of how we see a candidate’s academic profile.
Chat Participant: How often are networking events with current students, alumni, or companies?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Every week our students receive an email alerting them of all the various events taking place at Booth and there are always numerous opportunities throughout the week to network! Most often these events take place early in the morning before working hours (Alumni Breakfast), in the Evenings after work, and on the weekends to allow for Evening and Weekend students to participate. Events are hosted by Student Groups, Student Life, Career Services, Leadership Development, and various Centers. There is typically always something going on.
Chat Participant: Is there financial aid available for the MBA programs? Also, are there any “full-ride” scholarships?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: The Evening and Weekend office awards top candidates the Chicago Booth Merit-Based Scholarship in the weeks following admission. This is a highly competitive award given in the weeks following admission. The Admissions Committee and Deans work to identify applicants who have excelled both academically and professionally. The overall strength of the applicant pool also factors into scholarship decisions. We let candidates know as soon as these scholarships are awarded. The only full-ride scholarship that is offered by the Evening or Weekend program is the Civic Scholars Program for those working in the nonprofit space. More information can be found here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/civic-scholars
Chat Participant: What is the acceptance ratio of the Civic program? Thanks
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Unfortunately, Chicago Booth does not disclose the admissions rates for its programs.
Chat Participant: How much debt is the average student graduating with?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: I unfortunately do not have the answer to that question, as it very much depends on each person. Students tend to use a combination of personal savings, financial aid including loans, and potentially corporate sponsorship and Admission scholarships. As you can imagine these can all vary per person. You may reference the cost and fees of the program here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/tuition-financial-aid
Chat Participant: Is there one part of the application that is the most important? Or more heavily weighted?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Undergraduate and graduate grades are considered within your academic ability in the application, as is your GMAT or GRE score. Graduate studies are not required however can provide additional insight into your success as a student. Equally as important is your motivation for a Booth MBA and impact within the community in which we will analyze your essays, letters of recommendation, short/long term goals and potential interview. We don’t have a percentage weight on any component of the application and take a holistic approach to review.
Chat Participant: I had heard that the Weekend Program classes took place on a different campus than the Full Time Program. Is this true?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes that is correct - classes for the Weekend Program take place at the Gleacher Center in downtown Chicago. Classes for the Full-Time Program take place at the Harper Center on the University of Chicago's main campus.
Chat Participant: Does career service at Booth help part time students locate an internship if the part-time students can quit to take the internship job?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Evening and Weekend MBA (EW) students can participate in Campus Recruiting for full-time jobs. This is the same recruiting process that full-time students participate in. To be eligible, you need to have 12 courses completed by the time Campus Recruiting begins (autumn quarter) and participate in all required preparation (offered on evenings & weekends). However, in regards to your specific question, internship recruiting is open to full-time MBA students only. If you feel an internship will be an important part of your career goals, we suggest you explore full-time programs. Please keep in mind that Campus Recruiting is only one of many sources students use to find a new job (if that is their goal) - job posting database, student and alumni network, etc. are also common sources. Many EW students are not seeking a new job, rather are looking to advance in their current organization. You can view our comprehensive Employment Report data here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/career/impact.
Chat Participant: Do I have to have a minimum amount of work experience for the Weekend MBA Program?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We do not require a minimum amount of work experience for either programs. Typically, we will see candidates have at least 1 year of work experience because we prefer to have a letter of recommendation from a current supervisor.
Chat Participant: Do you consider someone running their own company employed full-time?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes, running your own company would count as full-employment.
Chat Participant: Hello, I have a couple of questions – 1. What are the characteristics of the students Booth is looking for? 2. Is there any recommendation or advice on how to write outstanding application essays? Thanks!
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: 1. We expect applicants to showcase their ability to handle the academic rigor of Chicago Booth, career progression and leadership potential, and fit with the particular program they are applying to. 2. We expect applicants to fully answer the prompts within the word limits. These essays are relatively open-ended, so applicants are able to provide their personal, unique responses. Consistency and authenticity are important themes we will be looking for.
Chat Participant: What is the total tuition cost for weekend MBA?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: You may find the total cost and fees here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/weekend/admissions/tuition-financial-aid
Chat Participant: Question: Do weekend students have access to the Rustandy Center?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Yes! Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students have access to the same Centers as full-time students. Most popular is participating in the Social New Venture Challenge hosted by the Rustandy Center.
Chat Participant: Can part time students pursue internship opportunities if they decide half way through the program that they are committed to a career change? If that is possible, then can part time students take a full course load to finish out the program? (I do know it's not possible to switch into the full time program)
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: The Evening and Weekend students have the same access to campus recruiting for full-time positions as the Full-Time students to. In fact, aside from a specific internship component to the Full-Time program, Career Service Resources are the same among the Evening, Weekend, and Full-Time programs. Though there is not a formalized internship process for Part-Time students, they can work with Career Services to identify companies, alumni, and networking events that can help facilitate internship opportunities. As these take place organically students can take advantage of them as they are able.
Chat Participant: Is the Fall Program more competitive to get accepted to than the Spring Program?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: All of our available applications are equally competitive. The application review process is exactly the same throughout the year.
Chat Participant: What changes do you expect to the evening program over the next few years?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions We do not expect any significant program changes in the near future, but we are always looking for innovative ways to enhance the curriculum. For example, we are introducing several new leadership classes this coming year.
Chat Participant: You mentioned the internship component that differs from FT, could you elaborate more on that?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Career Services facilitated internship recruiting is open to full-time MBA students only. Because Evening and Weekend Students should be working, they do not participate in internship recruiting via Career Services. If you feel an internship will be an important part of your career goals, we suggest you explore full-time programs.
Chat Participant: Any student clubs for Weekend MBA Program?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes! We have a variety of clubs that are available to Evening and Weekend students. You can find some of those groups listed here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/student-experience/beyond-classroom/groups
Chat Participant: Hi, I'm a candidate who is interested in the weekend program. However, I'm also part of the army reserves and will have to report for duty one weekend a month and annual duty 2 weeks a year. Will Chicago Booth be able to help me in this scenario? Will I be able to take classes at a later time or online?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: It can vary case by case and while there is not an official policy in place, you would work with your professor to make up the class and leverage the flexibility. For example, if you knew you were planning to miss a class once a month every week, you might make arrangements to make it up during the week. During the time where you need to report annually to duty for 2 weeks a year, you might consider leveraging the flexibility once again and taking that quarter off. If you email us at eveningweekend-admissions@ChicagoBooth.edu we can also put you in touch with our students in the Armed Forces Group who can connect with you!
Chat Participant: Hi. As a Weekend MBA student, do I get access to the Department of Mathematics seminars?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: As a Booth student, you may take up to 6 courses outside of Booth and within the University of Chicago. These may be undergraduate or graduate courses which you would pay at the same rate of a Booth course.
Chat Participant: I was a transfer student during my undergraduate years, how are community college grades factored in admissions?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: We will look at all of your grades earned at every institution. They are not regarded any differently but will need to see the actual grade earned. Typically on the degree conferring transcripts all that shows up is that you earned credit for a particular class. You would need to supply a copy of the community college transcript so we could also evaluated the grade itself earned in those classes.
Chat Participant: In order to compensate for a low quant GMAT score, what other alternatives are recommended?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We will definitely review your transcript(s) to identify other ways you are showcasing your ability to handle the academic rigor that Booth provides. We will also take the letters of recommendation, essays, and other materials into account prior to making a final decision.
Chat Participant: What are the hours for the weekend and for the evening programs?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: The Evening classes take place from 6-9pm during the work week. Weekend classes take place on Saturdays from 9am - 12:00pm and 1:30pm to 4:30pm.
Chat Participant: Can part time students sign up for courses at the same time as full time students? If jobs allow flexibility to take classes during the day, is that possible for part time students?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Absolutely! You can take classes in the Evening, Weekend, or Full-Time Program, should your schedule permit. There is plenty of flexibility to carve out the class schedule that is right for you.
Chat Participant: Between UChicago & Northwestern, UChicago seems to be more finance/entrepreneurship oriented while Northwestern is generally geared toward marketing. As admission counselors, what do you feel makes Booth different from other MBA Programs?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Both programs are great in all of the areas you mentioned. What makes these programs different is the culture and their classroom approach. The qualities that we believe differentiate Chicago Booth from our peer schools is the Chicago Approach. You can find more information on this here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/about/chicago-approach
Chat Participant: Is there any data on how many hours the student need to spend out of the class room? on average.
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Students spend on average 5 hours per week outside of class. We have specific data on each class itself that current Booth students may access when selecting their classes.
Chat Participant: I have requested a recommendation from my supervisor of last two years, however he has very recently switched jobs to be closer to home (Had been traveling for last 15 years). Would there be any issue if I continued to use him as my recommender?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: There is no issue with this at all! I encourage you to make not of his recent job change in your application to avoid any misinterpretations by the application reader.
Chat Participant: How much weight is applied to the IR and AWA scores for the GMAT?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We do not have a specific weight tied to any of the GMAT components, but we will take the IR into account. We rarely consider the AWA since you will provide writing samples in the application itself with the essays and so on.
Chat Participant: Does career service help PT student switch jobs if needed?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: The Evening and Weekend students have the same access to campus recruiting for full-time positions as the Full-Time students to. In fact, aside from a specific internship component to the Full-Time program, Career Service Resources are the same among the Evening, Weekend, and Full-Time programs. Though there is not a formalized internship process for Part-Time students, they can work with Career Services to identify companies, alumni, and networking events that can help facilitate internship opportunities. As these take place organically students can take advantage of them as they are able. Career services does also help facilitate career changes, or career advancements through workshops, alumni connections, 1-1 coaching, and industry-specific events.
Chat Participant: is it common for students to take classes outside of the booth school? or do most MBA candidates stick with classes offered within booth?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: I'm not sure the percentage of students that take advantage of this, but you can take up to 6 classes outside of Booth, within the greater University of Chicago! Some popular ones include classes at Harris School of Public Policy or Law School for example.
Chat Participant: I heard Weekend MBA students can take classes on Friday night. Would you elaborate more on that?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Weekend MBA students have priority enrollment for classes offered on Saturdays as well as Friday evenings. Friday evening class priority enrollment is shared with Evening MBA students. This allows Weekend MBA students to easily take on 3 classes for example. However, Weekend MBA students are able to enroll in open Evening and Full-time classes throughout the week after the priority enrollment phase passes each quarter.
Chat Participant: do part time students take any courses/classes along side full time students
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Full-Time and Part-Time students can take classes together. It tends to be more likely that full-time students will take classes with Part-Time students since they are not working. There may be up to a handful of Full-Time students in a Part-Time class in a given quarter.
Chat Participant: Is there a typical % of students who receive a merit scholarship each year? Is there a predictable award size range for these merit scholarships?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Booth offers a limited number of merit-based scholarships and there is no set number each quarter, as the overall strength of the applicant pool factors into scholarship decisions. Keep in mind, these merit based scholarships are a highly competitive award that you are automatically considered for when you submit an application. All award decisions are determined from your MBA application by the Admissions Committee and Deans, and are typically awarded in the weeks following admission. The Admissions Committee and Deans work to identify applicants who have excelled both academically and professionally.
Chat Participant: Is there any difference in coursework between the spring quarter and autumn
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Full-Time and Part-Time students can take classes together. It tends to be more likely that full-time students will take classes with Part-Time students since they are not working. There may be up to a handful of Full-Time students in a Part-Time class in a given quarter. The offerings in the Autumn and Spring will vary, however in general the same types of classes will be offered, potentially taught by different faculty. You may filter through our Course Catalog for a list of classes over the next few quarters, which you can reference here: https://intranet.chicagobooth.edu/pub/coursesearch/coursesearch
Chat Participant: Are there any qualities in the current weekend/evening students that you would want to see more in applicants or something that they lack?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: No lacking qualities stand out to me. We are very proud of the diversity and various backgrounds personally and professionally of our students and we expect that to continue for future incoming classes.
Chat Participant: What is the acceptance rate of Booth's weekend/evening MBA? Will every application receive a full assessment including interview? What's the weight of GMAT score in the candidacy assessment?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: 1. We do not provide acceptance rates for Booth students. We however can sit and speak with you about your specific background and provide specific feedback about your competitiveness as an applicant. 2. We have an invite to interview process where every Booth Evening & Weekend applicant is reviewed and within the first 10 days of applying notified of an interview. 3. We don’t have a percentage weight on any component of the application and take a holistic approach to review. The GMAT/GRE is an important part of a candidate’s academic profile.
Chat Participant: Is there a profile review service?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes! You can request a resume review here to determine if the program is a good fit: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/resume
Chat Participant: I took a graduate course in a non-degree track from a local university after my undergrad. Will I also need to include a transcript for that single course in my application?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes you will need to provide this transcript. Keep in mind we only need unofficial transcripts at the time of application, and we will require official transcripts if you are admitted to the program.
Chat Participant: I am not in Chicago and interested in the Weekend program. Will I have to take some courses during the weekdays? It seems that not all the courses will be available on Saturday or Friday evening.
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Weekend students do not have to take any classes during the week if they wish not to. Faculty are required to teach across the Evening, Weekend and Full-Time programs and the vast majority of classes are available on the Weekend.
Chat Participant: Up to how long can be ok to take until the Weekend MBA student graduate?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Students in the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA program take 2.5-3 years to complete the program, while we also see students complete the program in shorter/longer amounts of time.
Chat Participant: When will applicants be invited for interview after application materials are submitted?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: You will know within 10 business days of submitting your completed online application if you will be invited to interview.
Chat Participant: I currently work in finance, but want to leverage an MBA to get into a more analytical space (i.e. private wealth management to corporate finance/equity research/etc.). How effective would an evening/weekend MBA be in this goal?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Chicago Booth's program flexibility and faculty access would allow you to advance in this space. Feel free to reach out to our office after today's session and we will be happy to connect you with a few current students and alumni who made a similar move with a Booth MBA.
Chat Participant: If I am currently running my own business, but I've secured a letter of recommendation from a previous supervisor, do I need to indicate in my application the reason why I've selected a supervisor from a previous role? Or will you assume that this is because I don't currently have a supervisor and thus no explanation is necessary?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Under the "Recommender" section of your application there is a box which allows you to identify why you've chosen the recommenders you have. This is a great place to identify this.
Chat Participant: Does Booth's admissions team offer a resume review?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes, you can find that here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/resume
Chat Participant: The admissions information mentions that Booth students are able to benefit from Booth's arrangement with local hotels if weekend students need to spend the night. Is there an estimate on what the typical discount rate is for these stays?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: The discounts are helpful, but not very significant. In my experience, I have seen discounts in the 10-20% range. Our Weekend MBA students work with each other to reduce accommodation costs when possible, including booking rooms together on select weekends and so on.
Chat Participant: Is there any specific timeline that the student needs to graduate by then?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: All Evening MBA and Weekend MBA students are required to complete 20 classes within 5 years in order to graduate. Students will typically complete the program within 2.5 to 3 years, but the pacing in which you complete the program is up to you.
Chat Participant: Does the Neubauer Civic Scholars program cover a substantial portion of the Booth program?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Yes it would be considered significant ranging from half of tuition covered to full tuition covered. The Civic Scholars Program was recently expanded to include Evening, Weekend and Full-Time. You can learn more here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/civic-scholars
Chat Participant: Am I too old (33 years old) to applied for Booth weekend MBA?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: No, we do not have an age limit nor are candidates older or younger impacted by their age in the program
Chat Participant: What percentage of incoming MBA students are in the Insurance/Risk Management field?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: You can view our student profile here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening. Based on the 2018 incoming class data, 2% indicated that they are in the insurance industry. This varies year to year. Keep in mind that we look to bring in students from various backgrounds and diverse perspectives.
Chat Participant: Are evening classes offered every evening or are there set days for classes to take place?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Classes take place every evening each quarter. To get a better sense of what this looks like, please refer to our course search tool: https://intranet.chicagobooth.edu/pub/coursesearch/coursesearch.
Chat Participant: What is the age range of the Booth evening and weekend MBA vs the executive?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: The range for the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs is typically anywhere between 23-35. The Executive MBA program age range is usually 30+.
Chat Participant: How common is it for a student to change employers during their time in the program?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: It is not uncommon to see students make a job change at any point during their time in the program. We also see students making job changes upon graduating.
Chat Participant: Do you know what % of students receive some/complete financial corporate sponsorship?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Approximately half of our students receive some type of funding from their companies, but the amount varies widely from company to company. Students also rely on loans and scholarships to fund their MBA.
Chat Participant: If I am able to reduce my employment to part time status, is there a maximum number of courses part time students can take per quarter?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We rarely see students take more than 4 classes in a given quarter. The Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs are designed for full-time working professionals, so going to part-time status is discouraged in these programs.
Chat Participant: What is the upper part of the range of the executive MBA? I'm a little further along.
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: The average years of work experience for students in the executive MBA program based on their 2019 incoming student data was 13 years. Given that is the average, there are students with more experience in the cohort. I recommend you connect with someone on the Executive MBA team for specifics on their class profile. They can be reached at: xp@chicagobooth.edu
Chat Participant: Except the Civic scholars, what are the scenarios of merit based scholarships? How much does that cover?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Any Evening MBA or Weekend MBA applicant is taken into consideration for merit based scholarships. We primarily use the academic record and letters of recommendation as the main criteria. Amounts typically range from $10,000-$30,000.
Chat Participant: Can a student transition from the weekend/evening MBA program to the Executive MBA program?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Unfortunately, that is not possible. Students can only transfer between the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA programs.
Chat Participant: What is the most important piece of advice you'd give someone entering the Booth evening/weekend program?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: To enter Booth with a general area you’d like to advance in career-wise and for skill-development while at the same time being open-minded to exploring opportunities in classes and the community that might stretch you or provide a new take on business. Essentially, the greatest advice I can give is not to be too specific as to where you limit yourself from other opportunities while also not too broad and creating confusion or an overwhelming experience with all the resources/directions you can go while at Booth. Find the balance between the two that works best for you to maximize your experience.
Chat Participant: Do you have information on average student salary upon graduation?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: You may reference our Evening and Weekend specific Career Data which indicates average salaries per industry here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/career/impact
Chat Participant: Is it too early to apply for the Fall Term?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: No it is not too early! The application is open for autumn 2020 for both Evening or Weekend.
Chat Participant: Is PhD research experience with stipends considered as full-time work experience?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We typically let the candidate define this either way, but we usually see it count as full-time work experience is it is relevant to their overall career progression.
Chat Participant: What does the interview process focus on specifically?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: It is a conversational interview that primarily focuses on interpersonal skills and program fit for the applicant.
Chat Participant: Is the complexity of the undergraduate degree taken into consideration when evaluating the GPA?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Undergraduate and graduate grades are considered within your academic ability in the application, as is your GMAT or GRE score. We consider the specific school, academic program, and each class of a grade earned when evaluating transcripts. Graduate studies are not required however can provide additional insight into your success as a student. Equally as important is your motivation for a Booth MBA and impact within the community in which we will analyze your essays, letters of recommendation, short/long term goals and potential interview. We don’t have a percentage weight on any component of the application and take a holistic approach to review.
Chat Participant: A student with less than 3 years of experience, does he/she have to apply through the CBF or can he go through the regular process? I believe the CBF requires a mandatory interview with only a couple of dates to choose from.
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: If you are under 3 years of full-time working experience and you do not feel like the opportunities of CBF would not benefit you, you can apply at any point as a regular Evening MBA or Weekend MBA candidate. Please note that we operate on an invite to interview process for these candidates.
Chat Participant: Who conducts the interviews? Can you elaborate more on what you look for to determine "program fit"?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Interviews are conducted by select current students and alumni on our admissions committee. By program fit, it includes you answering why an MBA, why Chicago Booth, why Evening/Weekend format, and why now in relation to your experiences so far and your short-term and long-term goals.
Chat Participant: many part time program offers 1-2 week project work, nationally to internationally with various companies, does weekend program also have something similar?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: What you are referring to sounds very similar to lab courses at Chicago Booth. You can learn more about lab classes here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/academics/lab-courses. Outside of short term study abroad, the lab courses sound the most like your example.
Chat Participant: If we are invited for an interview, do we have to pay for our airfare?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Yes, you would be responsible for your own travel accommodations to Gleacher for your in person interview. We do not provide stipends or reimbursements for travel expenses. Most of our applicants make a few days out of it attending a class visit, coming to an event, and going to their interview (all while visiting Chicago of course!)
Chat Participant: I am interested in continuing to pursue a career in health care, can you comment on the availability of resources and courses to support careers in this field?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Our career coaches are equipped to work with all of our students, regardless of their background, industry, and career goals. On the student-facing side, we have a healthcare club, which holds events throughout the year to help students in this field expand their network and learn from one another. Please feel free to reach out to our team after the chat and we will be happy to connect you with a few students and alumni in this field.
Chat Participant: For international students, can we include copies of our original transcripts in the application?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: Yes that will be fine. We do not require the official transcripts at the time of the application. More information on international transcripts and what is required can be found here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/apply/transcripts
Chat Participant: Do we need to address why we are applying for part-time and not living locally in our optional essay?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Only if you are applying to the Evening program and are not local to the Chicagoland area.
Chat Participant: I don't see government broken out in the by industry stats, by any chance is it classified in other? link - https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/weekend
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: This is likely because this is a smaller population of students than others. If you would like to connect with any current students or alumni with this background, please reach out to our team after this chat and we will be happy to facilitate this connection.
Chat Participant: How difficult would it be to take 3 courses in a given quarter while working full time?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: It's certainly doable, but difficult to take on for multiple quarters. We collect data from students in terms of average amount of work required outside of class. This is helpful for students to make time management/enrollment decisions.
Chat Participant: Is there an average undergraduate GPA range for applicants, comparable to the mid-80% GMAT range you gave at the beginning?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: The GPA range is 3.0 - 3.8 for undergraduate transcripts however we consider the specific school, program, and each class you earned a grade in as well.
Chat Participant: Do you have any tips or considerations to share if a husband and wife are applying together for the Booth MBA program?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: I just recommend making note of this in your applications. It's helpful for us to keep in mind for interview and decision logistics.
Chat Participant: When evaluating "program fit" and why Evening/Weekend format, what are some common answers provided besides students also having full-time job obligations?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: They usually talk about how the program's format and flexibility works best for them professionally and personally. It is important for us to hear why this program makes sense for you specifically.
Chat Participant: If you are self-employed - for example, as an independent engineering consultant - with a high variable amount of business you're bringing in, is that considered full time employment? As with any business, sometimes the work is slow and sometimes you have a 6 month backlog.
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: That's correct, that counts as full-time work experience.
Chat Participant: Do part time student and full time students participate in the same clubs/groups?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We officially have separate Evening/Weekend student groups and Full-time student groups. However our student groups will collaborate across programs when it makes sense logistically and for the target population.
Chat Participant: I might have missed this, but what is the best way to get in touch with the team after this chat?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: You may email us at EveningWeekend-Admissions@chicagobooth.edu with any questions/concerns you'd like addressed.
Chat Participant: Can you disclose how many applicants do you receive for each QTR?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Unfortunately, we are not able to disclose this information.
Chat Participant: Is there a way to download a transcript of this chat?
Keenan Gannon | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions Operations and Analytics: The chat transcript will be posted on the following links:
Evening MBA program http://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/events/online-chats
Weekend MBA program http://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/weekend/admissions/events/online-chats. If we did not get to your question, please email eveningweekend-admissions@chicagobooth.edu and we will be happy to assist.
Chat Participant: How often out of state students come in for weekend classes?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Our quarters are 10-11 weeks long. Classes are held once a week, so Weekend students travel to the Gleacher Center once a week.
Chat Participant: do you need transcripts from undergrad and graduate school or just the last education
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: We require transcripts from your undergraduate institution as well as any advanced degree programs.
Chat Participant: is it possible to connect with a current out of state current student to ask how they manage their schedule?
Marcus Wordlaw | Senior Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes, you may email me directly with this question and I will connect you. My email is marcus.wordlaw@chicagobooth.edu
Chat Participant: also I would like to know about people on H1B visa specially Indians with pending green card as considered international or same fees as everyone else?
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: The application fee is the same for all candidates ($175) regardless of whether they are considered an international student. We only waive fees for military candidates, Chicago Business Fellows program applicants, and University of Chicago Employees.
Chat Participant: Are you required to submit your graduate school transcripts if you don't believe it will strengthen your application?
Patrick McHale | Assistant Director, Admissions: Yes, you are required to submit transcripts for all coursework completed regardless of your performance.
Chat Participant: I was asking for tuition fees
Stephanie Gunn | Senior Associate Director of Admissions: Tuition is the same for international and domestic students. https://www.chicagobooth.edu/programs/evening/admissions/tuition-financial-aid.