Breaking Down the MiM Application

Are you a recent or soon-to-be college graduate interested in exploring the world of business? Chicago Booth’s Master in Management Program might be right for you. Designed for high-achieving recent college graduates in the liberal arts or STEM fields, the program provides the skills you need to bring your passions and potential to fruition and join the business world with confidence.

The application for the program has several components: two essays, two letters of recommendation, test scores, a resume, transcripts, and an interview (by invitation only). Below, our admissions team has outlined what’s needed for each. They’ve also shared some tips to help you put forth your best application and excel throughout the entire admissions process.

Admissions Essays

You are required to submit two essays as part of your application. For each essay, it’s essential that you be genuine and tell us who you really are. We want to know what motivates you and how those things will influence your journey in the program. It’s also important to adhere to the essay instructions and prompts:

• Essay 1 Prompt: How will Booth’s Master in Management Program help you achieve your immediate and long-term career goals? Maximum 300 words.
• Essay 2 Prompt: Graduate management education is as much about personal growth as it is about professional development. We’d like to learn more about you outside of the classroom and work environment. Use this opportunity to tell us something about who you are. Maximum 400 words.

You have the option of submitting a third essay to further explain an aspect of your application you may be concerned about. For example, let’s say you had a low GPA due to a particularly difficult event that occurred over the course of a semester. You can use the third essay to acknowledge the slip in grades and highlight how your grades were stronger before and after that semester.

Letters of Recommendation

Your application requires two letters of recommendation. The first letter must be academic, ideally coming from a professor who can speak to your skills, accomplishments, and contributions in the classroom.

The second letter can be either academic or professional, for instance, from a past or current supervisor or colleague. Ask someone who knows you well and can offer additional examples of your achievements—either inside or outside the classroom. Consider how the letter writer’s perspective will offer new dimensions to your candidacy for the program. These insights are much more important than the individual’s title or status.

Be sure to allow recommenders as much time as possible to submit. We recommend at least six weeks, but two months is even better. This gives them ample opportunity to ask you any questions they have, resolve any issues, and craft a thoughtful letter on your behalf. You can also use this time to share your goals for pursuing a Master in Management at Chicago Booth, and to remind them of your accomplishments and any challenges you’ve overcome.

Test Scores

Whether you take the GMAT or the GRE, your test scores will help us assess your readiness for the Master in Management Program—particularly regarding your quantitative abilities—across a diverse applicant pool.

We do not have a preference between the two tests. We recommend you take the one that you feel you’ll do best on. Try a practice test for each to see which you’re more comfortable with.

Each exam includes verbal, quantitative, and integrated reasoning questions. The GRE takes a little longer to complete (3 hours and 45 minutes versus 3 hours and 7 minutes), but it’s a little less expensive. The GMAT is oriented solely toward business-school applicants; if you’re also applying to nonbusiness-school programs, the GRE probably makes more sense for you.

There is no minimum score requirement, as the application is about much more than a single test. If you get a low score, focus on strengthening the other parts of your application: GPA, essays, recommendation letters, and aspects of your resume such as leadership experience or internships. If you’re strong in several or all of these other areas, your test score will matter a lot less to us.

The Resume

The resume is often one of the first parts of the application a reviewer looks at, as it provides a snapshot of your professional and educational background.

Keep your resume short and to the point—no more than a single page. Providing a lot of extra information could hurt rather than help your application. Focus on the most important aspects of each experience, and avoid using jargon or acronyms that a reviewer wouldn’t understand at a glance. Make sure all dates, titles, and degrees match what’s on your application, and be sure to spell-check!

Being early in career, especially if you’re straight out of undergrad, you may have limited work experience. You can highlight any internships, part-time jobs, volunteer experience, or extracurriculars on your resume—all experiences that you will draw on in the program.

Transcripts

You’re required to submit all postsecondary transcripts for your application. Transcripts give the admissions committee a full view of all your courses taken, grades received, and degree(s) conferred.

Unofficial electronic transcripts are acceptable at this point in the admissions process; should you be admitted to the Master in Management Program, you’ll need to submit official transcripts.

Transcripts should be in English. If your original transcript is not in English, you will need to submit a translation.

Do not send an original copy of your transcript if it cannot be replaced.

The Interview

A virtual interview with Booth staff is granted on an invitation-only basis and lasts about 30 minutes. Dress is business casual.

Interviewers only view your resume, not your transcript, test score, or essays. This means that you should build your resume to help the interviewer get a good idea of who you are and what you’ve been doing the past several years.

During the interview, be yourself! We want to get to know the real you, including what you want to accomplish and how you hope to contribute to the Booth community. Here are some additional tips for acing your interview:

• Review your resume beforehand so you’re prepared to answer any questions about it.
• Know your story and how to clearly articulate why you want a Master in Management from Booth.
• Be ready to discuss concrete examples of leadership, problem-solving, and other skills relevant to the program, including instances when you’ve learned from your mistakes.
• Prepare thoughtful questions to ask your interviewer. Asking questions demonstrates you’ve taken the time learn about Booth and the program.
• Participate in a mock interview first. College career services teams are a good resource and may be able to facilitate interview practice. If this isn’t available to you, have a friend or family member ask you questions prompted by what you include on your resume. The important thing is getting comfortable answering questions extemporaneously.

Learn more about the admissions process, upcoming admissions events, and application steps below. Please feel free to reach out to Booth Admissions with additional questions about the Master in Management Program and the application process.

The next application deadline is March 1, 2024. The deadline for the final round is April 30.