Deferred MBA Student Profile Nehir Mentes

The application process for the Chicago Booth Scholars Program is effectively an exercise of early self-reflection. Since you’re applying without full-time work experience, it’s less about having everything figured out and more about how thoughtfully you approach your future. You have to get comfortable with ambiguity and think more deeply about how Booth’s flexible curriculum and analytical rigor will help you navigate different paths when you’re ready to enroll. One advantage of applying as a senior is that you’re still in an academic mindset, which makes test preparation much more manageable.

My biggest advice is to make the experience as tangible as possible. If you can, take a Booth class or experience class for a day through the Class Visit (PT) or Campus Visit (FT) Programs. It’s the best way to understand whether the Chicago Approach resonates with you. I would also connect with professors and internship supervisors who know you well. Those relationships helped me clearly articulate the value of a Booth MBA in my career and how I would make the most of those two years when the time came.

Yes, I found applying to the Chicago Booth Scholars Program very advantageous. One of the biggest benefits is the flexibility, because it allows you to secure your spot early while keeping control over when to matriculate. Applying during college is also simply more manageable, as you can prepare your application and tests while still in an academic rhythm, rather than balancing them alongside a demanding full-time job. More importantly, the process creates a valuable moment for early goal setting and honest reflection. It pushes you to think about whether an MBA is truly meaningful for your own path, rather than something you pursue because it’s the default next step for your peers.

During my deferment period, I stayed engaged with Booth mainly through people. I connected with Booth alumni and students at my firm, from summer interns still in the program to senior partners who had graduated years ago. Sharing my progress and goals with them helped me better understand how to make the most of my time at Booth when I eventually enrolled.

That said, engagement doesn’t have to be constant. It’s completely normal to focus primarily on work during the first couple of years and not think about Booth every day. For me, it was more about periodically reflecting, planning ahead, and creating very specific plans for how I would make the best out of the two years when the time came.

Before coming to Booth, I worked as a management consultant for four years and will be returning to my firm after graduation. At the same time, Booth gave me the flexibility to explore new interests—I spent my summer interning in FP&A at a leading premium wine company, which was an incredible opportunity to extend my experience in retail and CPG into wine, apply the finance and leadership skills I developed at Booth, and build a strong network in a new industry.

Booth courses helped me the most in strategic thinking and being a business leader, creating confidence around my analysis and leadership. Commercializing Innovation strengthened my ability to evaluate investments and approach new ventures with a rigorous, data-driven mindset. Brand Management in the Digital Age helped me understand how to translate consumer insights into effective strategy, especially in modern, digital-first contexts by applying key consumer-driven marketing concepts in case studies involving firms such as Lululemon, Porsche, Ikea, and Glossier. Strategy Simulation was a hands-on capstone where you manage a company in a competitive environment, integrating concepts across finance, strategy, operations, and marketing. That experience, more than anything, built confidence in making decisions under uncertainty and leading in complex, real-world situations.

I serve as a co-chair of the Chicago Booth Wine Club, one of the school’s largest student organizations, where we organize weekly social, educational, and partnership events that bring people together over wine. Through the club, I not only built some of my closest friendships at Booth, but also found a platform to connect with an incredible community by designing events that share my passion and knowledge of wine. It has also been professionally valuable, allowing me to develop a strong network of industry professionals across restaurants and wine companies in Chicago through our partnerships. This year, I also became an Empeiria Fellow, where experiential leadership workshops, coaching, and shared reflection have helped me build deeper, more authentic connections with my peers, strengthening my ability to lead and collaborate meaningfully.

• Nehir enjoys staying active through pilates, running, and long walks along the lakefront—it’s her favorite way to reset and recharge.
• Nehir is also passionate about exploring Chicago’s food and drink scene, from discovering new restaurants and coffee shops to organizing wine tastings and trying unique bars around the city.