December 15, 2021 Live Admissions Chat
Evening Weekend Admissions Live Chat
12/15/2021
Admissions Questions:
Chat Participant: What is the admissions process like for the evening and weekend program?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Good question! You can learn more about our admissions process by visiting this link: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/how-to-apply
Chat Participant: Hi, I am very interested in applying to Booth's evening MBA program. How many applications do you typically see? What are key characteristics you look for on applications?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Unfortunately, we are not able to share application numbers and acceptance rates. We expect successful applicants to demonstrate the ability to handle Booth's academic rigor (test scores, GPA) and strong career progression and potential (resume, rec letters, goals). Also, we expect applicants to make a strong case why they are applying Chicago Booth and why the program they are applying for is their program of choice (culture, logistics, course choices, extracurriculars, career goals, etc).
Chat Participant: Can Weekend MBA student switch to Evening MBA or Full Time MBA?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: You can switch between the Evening MBA and Weekend MBA Program once during your time at Booth. We most often see this play out when someone who lives outside of Illinois and starts the program as a Weekend student moves to Chicago and then switches to Evening. However, with the flexibility of our program you are not limited to taking classes to your home program and can take classes outside your home program. Thus, as a weekend student you could take Evening classes or daytime classes with the full-time students. Please note that you CANNOT transfer into the full-time program. However, you dictate the pace of your MBA and how many classes you take per quarter.
Chat Participant: Hi, Thank you in advance for holding this session. Given Booth's rolling admission deadlines, can you please speak a bit more around how does it work? Will we get an opportunity to specify when are we looking to start? For example, if I'm interested in the Summer or Fall 2022 program, should I apply now?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: We typically publish applications about 6-7 months prior to their respective deadlines. Our Spring, Summer, and Autumn 2022 applications are available now. When you start an application account, you will decide what application you want to start, which will reflect which quarter you plan to start the program. The timing in which you submit your application does not have any impact on your application competitiveness. You can submit your application months prior to the deadline or on the deadline and it will be reviewed the same (typically a 4-6 week decision timeline).
Chat Participant: I am interested to know more about the weekend/evening MBA program, is there any upcoming in-person networking event/campus social events scheduled or planned?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - you can learn more about upcoming Part-Time MBA admissions events at Chicago Booth by clicking this link: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/events
Chat Participant: Are interviews part of the application process? I know Civic Scholars do require one, but I'm wondering about the regular admissions.
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes! Once you submit your application, our admissions team will be in touch with you sometime in the next 5-7 business days letting you know whether or not you have received an invitation to interview. These interviews are with our admissions committee which is comprised of current students and alumni
Chat Participant: Also, is it possible to be admitted if you did not receive and invitation to interview?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: If we were to admit somebody, we would make sure an interview would be a part of the process at some point!
Chat Participant: Hello! On your website, I read that there’s student-at-large option where we can take courses ahead of admission, and these courses could get transferred to the MBA program. What percentage of your students go this route?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Unfortunately, we do not have hard numbers or percentages on this. However, I can say we see at least few applicants each quarter with experience with the UChicago graduate student at large program. It is a great opportunity to "test drive" a Booth course and have up to 3 courses transfer towards Booth degree requirements if you are admitted. While strong grades in any Booth course will have a positive impact on the application, we encourage applicants to focus on getting the highest test score possible, as this piece of the application is required.
Chat Participant: Hi. There may not be an answer to this, but which program would you say your students of color have shown the most success and select the most often? Do you have any ideas on why?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: Our Evening and Weekend students of color have access to the same resources among the Evening and Weekend Program including the ability to participate in various affinity groups such as the Coalition for Minorities in Business. So you are correct that there is not one program that students are more "successful" at than another. It's really about which one makes the most sense for you. The Evening and Weekend Program is exactly the same in terms of resources, structure, and design. The biggest difference of course is when you take your classes. Success and resources for our students and specifically our students of color, live in both programs equally.
Chat Participant: Hi, Another question around Diversity. I heard from other schools that they were looking for "Culture Fit" which seems to be a slight red flag in today's context (DE&I) in the industry. Can you please shed some lights on Booth's philosophy & approaches in fostering a diverse class profile?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Thank you for the great question! Your assessment is fair and applies to MBA programs. We have spent a great deal of effort implementing implicit-bias training in the interview and application review process across our MBA programs. Many individuals are involved in the review process for a single applicant, which heightens the importance of this area of our work. As you will see in our commitment to diversity and inclusion https://www.chicagobooth.edu/why-booth/diversity we have and continue to enhance our recruiting efforts with much more diverse markets and affinity groups. I can speak from personal experience that the qualities of empathy, self-awareness, and resilience have stood firmly as areas of focus in our review process - doing away from terms such as "culture fit".
Chat Participant: What are key characteristics you look for on applications outside of test scores?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: We definitely look at the entire application, taking into account every component of your application. We have a holistic review and look at academics ability, professional background, professional accomplishments, career goals with an MBA, and interests/community involvement outside of work. In short, we are looking for well-rounded individuals who have a high level of intellectual curiosity. You can learn more about what we are looking for here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/requirements
Chat Participant: For the evening program, when are the essay questions available for each term? I have only been able to find the length, but not when they are released
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - applications are live for Spring, Summer and Autumn! You can see essay questions by starting the application.
Chat Participant: As someone who will be applying early in career (>3 years), is there a recommended balance when talking about how the MBA would help you reach both short-term and long-term career goals?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: In general, we expect applicants to refer to their short-term goals as what will happen between graduation and about 2 years afterwards. Long-term can be considered as 10+ years down the road. However, there is some wiggle room with these timelines, as everyone can think about their goals and timelines differently. I oversee the Chicago Business Fellows program on the admissions side and would be happy to discuss this further if you are interested!
Chat Participant: For the Chicago Business Fellows Program, will having 2 years of experience rather than 1 help your application or does that have no effect on your admission process?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: The majority of CBF applicants have at least around 2 years of experience and we rarely see applicants with under 1 year of experience. This is primarily because most prospective students want to spend enough time working full-time to determine that the part-time program is the best fit. It is also beneficial for applicants to use this time to build rapport with their current supervisor and other professionals in their network to use as recommendation letters. With all of this said, it is absolutely possible to still submit a strong application with closer to 1 year of experience.
Chat Participant: Are there varying application standards depending on if you are applying to the full time MBA program v evening MBA program?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - good questions! Although they are two separate application processes, admissions standards/expectations are the same between the Part-Time and Full-Time programs.
Chat Participant: What's the typical experience range for admitted class to the Evening/Weekend MBA Program?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We have a wide range of experience from our applicants. In our current class profile, we have students with anywhere between 1 and 21 years of work experience. For more information, I recommend checking out our class profile https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile
Chat Participant: Is it possible to reapply and how long should you wait in between applications?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes it is definitely possible! We ask that applicants wait 6 months since their previous application submission before they submit a new application
Chat Participant: Is there a preference for early round applicants? Typically, full-time MBA recommends early application and wondering if it is the case for part-time MBA too?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - good question! We encourage applicants to take as much time as they need completing their application - you should submit when you feel confident that you are putting your best application forward. We do evaluate applications on a rolling basis, but there is no benefit to applying early.
Chat Participant: I know that in a full-time program, it is recommended to apply first round, but in the part-time program, is it recommended to apply earlier since it is on a rolling basis? Or do we just need the applications in by the deadline?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: 80% of our applicants submit the week of the deadline and because we are not limited by seat availability there is no advantage to applying early (other than finding out your decision 4-6 weeks after submission). You should submit your application when you feel it is at its strongest and the best representation of your academic potential. Don't rush it, but know that we will process the application whenever it is submitted. If that happens to be 11:59pm CST the day of the deadline that is no problem!
Chat Participant: On average, how long does it take students to complete the weekend MBA?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: Our students have 5 years to complete the degree. On average students take 2 classes per quarter. For a weekend student those two classes are usually on Saturday (9:00-12:00 and 1:30-4:30). At that pace and taking classes year round without taking any quarters off a student would graduate in 2.5 years. However, most of our students do take a quarter off here and there. So, what we've seen is that some weekend students who commute into Chicago and arrive on Friday might take a Friday evening course + 2 courses on Saturday. That is a heavy lift but maybe they do so to allow themselves a quarter off (perhaps over the summer). I'm also going to assign this question to our Weekend student on the chat to see if she has additional insight.
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Stephanie is right, most Weekend students do take 2 classes per quarter and including Summer quarters it will take about 2.5 years to complete. But this is really varied and a highlight of the Booth education. I have peers who have taken quarters off due to personal commitments, job-related commitments etc.
Chat Participant: In regards to essays, how specific are you looking for answers to be? When it comes to goals or our reasons to apply to Booth, are you expecting a successful applicant to name classes, projects that the MBA would help in, etc?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Speaking to the first essay, applicants are expected to share why they are considering an MBA, why Booth, why the Evening or Weekend program, and why now. These are very broad areas to cover in 400 words, so I recommend focus on being clear and concise with these points. The separate short-term and long-term goals section will allow you to go more specific into this part of your application. Whether it is the courses, faculty, network, and so on, we hope the essays allow you to talk about what is personally getting you excited about the possibility of being a Booth student.
Chat Participant: One more question- does the joint MBA and MS Comp Science degree (both part time) have a separate application process?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - good question! Yes, you would need to complete an application for both programs and indicate that you are interested in the join program. The Booth application itself, however, is the same!
Chat Participant: If your current supervisor doesn't know you too well because you were promoted recently, will a letter of recommendation from your previous manager be sufficient?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: We require two letters of recommendation and strongly encourage that one come from your current manager/supervisor. However, there are instances, such as a short reporting relationships (usually 6 months or less) where asking that person does not make the most sense. If you do NOT select a current supervisor/manager the application will prompt you to provide an explanation as to why. 99% of the time it is a perfectly reasonable explanation, but could potentially raise some red flags. If you determine that the reporting relationships is in fact too short, then I would urge you to look at your previous manager. However, keep in mind that you do need 2 letters so you would still be required to find one additional person at that point.
Chat Participant: It is said in the application page that one recommendation should come from supervisor while the other one is expected from other offers new insights outside of professional environment (working environment). Does it mean it might not be a good case to request a second letter from colleagues at work? For previous applicants, what's the general cases (people) for them to request the second letter?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We do not have any specific recommendations here, but ideally someone who is familiar with your work performance and contributions. We look at the content closely, so it is important to pick someone who is familiar with you and can speak to your abilities. Who this is can vary based on your own personal experiences. We see letters from former supervisors, colleagues, clients, etc. There is no right answer, but again the content of the letter is key!
Chat Participant: Can you say more about the Civic Scholars Program?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Yes! The Civic Scholars program was created for non-profit professionals/government employees interested in pursuing a MBA. It is our only partial to fully-funded MBA program at Booth. The application process is a bit more in depth, and includes an additional essay question and faculty committee review. This is one of our more competitive programs, so it is possible that you could be admitted to Chicago Booth, but not to the Civic Scholars Program. I hope this helps!
Chat Participant: Does Booth have any live class room visits coming up soon?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: While we do not have a specific timeline on when in-person class visit opportunities resume, you can expect this to be at some point in 2022.
Chat Participant: Are the part time MBA students awarded any scholarships?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: Yes! The Evening/Weekend programs offer a limited and competitive number of merit based scholarships for admitted students. These scholarships range from $10,000-30,000. Scholarships decisions are typically released a few weeks after the admission decision is released.
Chat Participant: To be considered for a scholarship do we have to apply for it separately?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: You do not! Just by applying to the program, you will automatically be considered for merit-based scholarships
Chat Participant: Is it possible to get some courses waived if we have completed some courses in our under graduation?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: All Booth students are required to complete 20 courses to graduate, which includes completing courses in our foundation areas. On this page https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/academics/curriculum you will see the curriculum requirements for Booth students. As you will see, there are advanced alternates available for the accounting, statistics, and microeconomics courses for students with previous experience in any of these areas.
Chat Participant: Does part time MBA offer joint degree with JD? If so, do I have to take LSAT separately and what is the total cost of joint degree?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Unfortunately, this joint degree program is only available in the full-time student format.
Testing Questions:
Chat Participant: What's the generally range of GRE score for those get admitted?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: We definitely look at the entire application, but a strong test score (EA, GRE, or GMAT) is helpful. We have a holistic review and look at academic ability, professional background, professional accomplishments, career goals with an MBA, and interests/community involvement outside of work. In short, we are looking for well-rounded individuals who have a high level of intellectual curiosity. You can view our GRE and other score ranges and averages here: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile
Chat Participant: What is the average GRE score required for Weekend MBA program?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We do not have a minimum test score requirement in the application process. In the past year of incoming students, the average GRE verbal score is 159 and the average quantitative score is 160
Chat Participant: What would be a strong test score if you're taking the EA?
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - good question! The average EA score of admitted students in the Part-Time MBA program is a 153.
Chat Participant: What's the eligibility criteria to write the EA test? Can we choose between GMAT/GRE/EA per our own choice?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We do not have any minimum score requirements or preference on which test you choose. For the Evening MBA and Weekend program, we accept the EA exam, and our average is a 153. You can see that data and our class profile here https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile.
Chat Participant: What is a strong test score for the GMAT?
Bobby Ganzer | Assistant Director of Admissions: We don't have a minimum test score requirement as we take a holistic approach when evaluating applications. But if you are more curious about our test averages, I recommend checking out our class profile page for more information: https://www.chicagobooth.edu/mba/part-time/admissions/class-profile
Academic Questions:
Chat Participant: Hello! Is there any difference in the classes available in Hyde Park and at Gleacher? And if so, is it possible for PT students to attend classes at Hyde Park?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: Thanks for joining us! As you will see in the course search tool, https://intranet.chicagobooth.edu/pub/coursesearch/coursesearch, the majority of courses will be available at both campuses at least once during the academic year. Evening, Weekend, and Full-Time students can take courses across these programs throughout their time at Booth. Evening/Weekend students have the option to enroll in Full-Time courses in any given quarter if their schedule permits.
Chat Participant: What is the expectation for virtual vs. in person learning for the upcoming term?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: There are a mix of classes that are remote-only (online), dual-modality (class in-person and accessible via Zoom), and in-person only.
Chat Participant: Hi! Thank you for putting this on. In regard to the Weekend MBA, I would plan on flying in from CA and I think it's safe to say Chicago has slightly colder winters than us. How do professors and students handle flight delays/cancelations due to weather?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: I believe previously (pre-pandemic) students would need to rely on fellow students for notes, maybe seek help from the professor or TA for the actual content. For attendance, most professors are understanding about these things.
Chat Participant: Is it possible to complete the weekend MBA program in 2 years?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: Perhaps technically, though not necessarily advisable. Our program is designed for full-time working professionals and students have up to 5 years to complete the degree. On average our students tend to graduate in 2.5-3 years. Most part-time students tend to take 2 classes per quarter and if they do that year round without taking any quarters off they would graduate in 2.5 years. Now, you could increase your course load and take let's say 3 classes per quarter, but that is a very demanding and rigorous schedule to maintain year round while working.
Student Life/Career Development Questions:
Chat Participant: Directing this post to Aparna for her perspectives as a current student. 1) What key factors led to you select Booth over other weekend programs? 2) What have been your most enriching experiences to-date at Booth? Thank you for your time today!
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Happy to answer this! Booth programs had a lot of flexibility in the course offerings, when you can take which course, when you can graduate etc. which I felt was more rigid in other programs. I felt the student body was incredibly diverse, not to mention the alumni-network which is huge and located across the world. For me, the Booth experience has not just been about the coursework. The school provides a lot of experiential learning opportunities through the Rustandy and the Polsky Centers that I have really enjoyed and found valuable. Can't recommend it enough.
Chat Participant: Is the Obama Foundation Scholars Program available for PT students? If so, how would the "last year" be defined? Based on credits?
Stephanie Gunn | Director of Admissions: It absolutely is and in fact one of the scholars selected for 2021-2022 is an Evening Student. You can read more about the scholars here: https://harris.uchicago.edu/academics/design-your-path/obama-scholars/meet-the-scholars. Booth Full-Time, Evening, and Weekend MBA students who completed between 10-16 classes by the end of Summer 2021 were planning to graduate sometime in 2022 were eligible for this round. I anticipate similar criteria going forward so it appears to have some flexibility built into the definition of "last year"
Chat Participant: What resources are available for those students who may wish to switch careers?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Booth has an excellent Career Services team with helpful and knowledgeable coaches who can provide guidance on career transitions. There is also an extensive student body/ alumni network to tap into to set you up with those needed perspectives and opportunities.
Chat Participant: Hi. Does Booth expect MBA students to have strong inclinations on their future career paths, during the admission process? Personally speaking, after worked in both Consulting and Tech industry, I view an MBA program as a platform where I can figure out what else do I want to try, or even find THE PATH for the rest of my Career. Thank you!
Skyler Adams | Associate Director of Admissions: Hi - great question! We do ask applicants to elaborate on short-term and long-term goals in the application, but we certainly understand that these goals may change! We often see more detailed/fleshed out short-term goals than long-term goals. We also have numerous students that change paths during their time at Booth and after. I hope this helps!
Chat Participant: For the weekend MBA/Chicago Fellows Program, is in person attendance expected every weekend, and if so, do most of these students live/work in Chicago as a result? I currently work in Washington DC and want to gauge expected travel if that was the case.
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: I can speak for the Weekend program. Pre-pandemic, attendance was expected every weekend in-person. With Covid (which is when I started), I haven't travelled to Chicago because classes have been remote. However, since Fall 2021 quarter, fellow students have been commuting every week from across the country for classes that are in-person / dual modality. The quarter is 10 weeks including exams - so you will likely need to travel 10 weekends per quarter (9 if exam week can be remote).
Chat Participant: Who do the placements vary between full time vs part time MBA students?
Patrick McHale | Associate Director of Admissions: We have seen there are no significant differences in job placements through recruiting for full-time positions between full-time and part-time students. More full-time students will use this resource, but the experience itself is the same across Booth's programs.
Chat Participant: Are the part time students allowed to take part in on-campus recruiting events?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Part time students are allowed to take part in on-campus recruiting events once during their program. This would be for Full-time job roles and not for internships.
Chat Participant: Besides the pacing of the curriculum, are there any big differences in what part-time students can't access that full time students can?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Full-time students have on-campus recruiting for Internships which Part-time students don't have access to. That is one difference I can think of. Each program also has its own set of clubs and associated activities. Otherwise, the larger activities through the Rustandy, Polsky Centers and also Career Coaching etc are available / tailored to both programs.
Chat Participant: Aparna, can you speak to the culture at Booth? From your perspective, are there any traits shared by the people who are thriving? How do you feel being part-time impacts the culture in your cohort?
Aparna Srinivasan | Weekend MBA Student: Sure, I have found the culture here to be very supportive and welcoming individual thought / dissenting opinions. I think people I have found thriving are the ones who set their own path here at Booth, and aspire high - they're very driven, don't take No for an answer and always thinking ahead. I have enjoyed being a part of the Weekend / Evening Community here - there are shared conversations we have about work and we build off each other's advice and experiences