Typical Early Career Profiles - Chicago Booth

Below you will find the suggested admissions criteria posted by Chicago Booth at http://www.chicagobooth.edu/. I will discuss this post and Stanford's post later in the week (Stanford's suggestions will be uploaded immediately following this post).

Chicago Booth
Early Career Applicant Profiles

Admissions Criteria for Applicants in Final Year of College

• Quality work experience (such as summer internships, full or part time work experience or an entrepreneurial spirit).
• Competitive GPA (3.3 or higher on 4.0 scale); while there is no minimum GPA to be considered for admission to Chicago Booth, it is important for the Admissions Committee to know that you'll be ready for the rigor of our classroom experience.
• Competitive GMAT score; Chicago Booth doesn't have a minimum requirement for the GMAT, but does use the results of the exam to evaluate your potential for success in a graduate-level business program, especially with regard to your quantitative and verbal skills.
• Strong extracurricular involvement or student leadership role(s) during college; Chicago Booth values community involvement, as well as leadership skills. A past record of involvement is a good indication that you'll get involved as an MBA student too.
• Intellectual curiosity as evidenced by courses taken in college; our belief is that diversity of education makes for a richer classroom experience and Chicago Booth welcomes students from all college or university majors. We're also interested in knowing if you ventured outside your “comfort zone” and challenged yourself by taking a rigorous course load.
• Strong personal and professional recommendations, including one from an internship supervisor and one from a professor (two letters are required, but three are preferred). These third party endorsements demonstrate your ability to work well in a team setting and can attest to your level of engagement in the classroom. They also serve to highlight your motivation and dedication, as well as comment on the decision to apply to an MBA program upon college graduation.
• Demonstration of the ability to question the status quo, engage in the process of learning, and thrive on an academic challenge. This can be seen in your course selection, letters of recommendation and the personal interview.
• Personal maturity as evidenced by recommendations, essays, and the personal interview.
• Ability to talk about why you want to get an MBA now. As an Early Career candidate, it is important to articulate why entering business school prior to obtaining full time post-graduate work experience makes sense for your career and life plans.

Admissions Criteria for Applicants with One to Three Years of Full-Time Work Experience

• Quality full-time work experience, including opportunities for promotion, supervision or other leadership in your company.
• Competitive GPA (3.3 or higher on 4.0 scale); if you've completed additional classes or certificates, be sure to add this to your application, highlighting your readiness to perform in a rigorous MBA program
• Competitive GMAT score.
• Leadership role(s) during college and/or in current outside organizations; use your application to highlight both your recent involvement (volunteer work, athletic clubs, etc.) and your most important college or university-related experiences.
• Intellectual curiosity as evidenced by your work, hobbies and by taking current classes or certificate programs.
• Strong letters of recommendation (one must be from a current or past supervisor who can talk about why entering an MBA program at this point in your career makes sense).
• Demonstration of the ability to question the status quo, engage in the process of learning, and thrive in an academically challenging setting.
• Top performance at work, getting noticed by supervisors as having above average potential. While this will mostly come from your letters of recommendation, be sure to highlight your own successes in your essays or resume.
• Personal maturity.
• Ability to talk about your desire to enroll in an MBA program now; this could include, but is not limited to, a natural break in your career path, as well as the desire to switch careers after a few years in an industry.