Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class Of 2022

The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

P&Q: How has COVID-19 impacted your business school?

Marcello: “In the face of the global pandemic, the Booth community has come together and worked incredibly hard to continue to support the mission of the school and its commitment to excellence with amazing enthusiasm, creativity, and flexibility. Our faculty has responded by adapting their pedagogy to remote learning with great success, while also providing vital research and thought leadership to address the COVID-19 pandemic. Our students have risen to the challenges of continuing their education, while also contributing to the battle against the pandemic in myriad ways. And our staff has worked tirelessly to ensure the safety and health of our community, support remote learning, and plan ahead for the challenges still to come.

Below are a few examples of how Booth faculty and alumni have leveraged the Booth approach to finding solutions and paths forward in the face of enormous global challenges:

* Professor Sendhil Mullainathan’s #time4voiting initiative is calling on American companies to provide PTO for all employees to vote

* The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation launched Booth COVID-19 Volunteers, a new volunteer program to connect students interested in offering their time and talents to organizations in need.

* Weekend MBA student and GE Healthcare employee Chandan Singh put his past experience to  work to help GE double its ventilator production.

* Alumni around the globe pivoting to provide solutions.

As you see, the Booth community shines when faced with challenges. Although Booth’s Autumn Quarter will have a different learning model due to the pandemic, we are working diligently to ensure that we maintain our distinctive academic environment, operate at the highest caliber, and foster vital connections for our students around the world, all while protecting the health of our community.

P&Q: What are the two most important qualities possessed by Chicago Booth students? Why are these traits so invaluable in an atmosphere like Booth?

Marcello: “The Booth community possesses a special combination of collaboration and competition. We celebrate curiosity and encourage asking questions and challenging ideas. Booth also fosters critical thinking. Yet the atmosphere is inspiring, positive, and constructive, and everyone is passionately invested in each other’s success. Students learn alongside high-achieving peers who inspire them to move beyond their comfort zone to take risks, challenge themselves, and become more self-aware, self-assured global leaders.”

Booth faculty member heading to class

P&Q: What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA?

Marcello: “At Booth, we develop transformational business leaders who are engaged, passionate, and inquisitive, and who go on to make a positive imprint in the world. Students develop both lifelong friends and a lifelong global network committed to helping them rise. We’re proud to claim more than 54,000 alumni who have succeeded in nearly every field and industry in all corners of the globe. Our graduates are known throughout the business world as leaders who bring people together, solve problems, and drive meaningful change.”

BENEFITS OF THE BOOTH MBA

The Chicago metro – home to 37 Fortune 500 companies – is just one of the perks of being a Booth MBAs. Here are six more benefits to being a Boothie:

1) Flexible Curriculum: “Most of the other programs have the more “typical” core classes for everyone regardless of the student’s previous backgrounds. Booth has one mandatory class (LEAD) and three foundational courses. And even in those foundational courses (Microeconomics, Accounting, and Statistics), students have the ability to choose between three different levels (Basic, Medium, Advance) so for people like me that come from a solid business background gives us the best flexibility to push our learning to the next level.”

Given that my undergrad was in Business Administration and Finance, I was intentionally looking for a MBA program with a very flexible curriculum. This was of paramount importance to me since I did not want to repeat many of the intro classes that a regular/typical MBA along with their core curriculum would have made me.
Alejandro Cadena (’22)

“Booth’s academic autonomy truly sets the program apart from its peers. Booth allows me to craft a precision guided MBA, acutely tailored to my unique requirements and allowing me to explore parts of the business environment that I haven’t been exposed to before, all at my discretion.  Booth was the only school I researched that respected each individual’s needs in this manner.”
Ryan Hall (’22)

2) Robust Academics: “Booth, to me, symbolizes “intellectual curiosity.” It is most evident in the distinguished professors and their stimulating treatment of even the most basic subjects. I saw this in my accounting class and the flexible curriculum, which allows students like me to create their own academic experience from the very first semester. I chose Booth so that this intellectual curiosity becomes a part of my DNA and I keep questioning my surroundings and finding ways to improve my communities”
Richa Goyat (’20)

“Academically I think Booth is the top school you attend. It has the most Nobel Prize winning professors of any business school. At the same time, Booth is one of the most quant heavy MBAs, which is important for me as I believe data is the present but more importantly the future. Originally I wanted to do a Business Analytics Master’s degree.  Thanks to Booth’s comprehensive analytical approach, I will be able to study that plus other MBA classes that are important for success (Finance, Marketing, Operations).”
Jorge Nicolin (’22)

Booth Students meeting outside the Harper Center

3) Access To Faculty: “One of my favorite things at Chicago Booth is the frequent talks and seminars we have with our highly-acclaimed faculty and alumni. We recently attended a fireside chat with Professor Eugene Fama (Nobel Prize laureate) and David Booth (namesake of the school). I recall a joke that Professor Fama made about the efficient market theory and the room erupted in laughter. It was my favorite Booth moment by a mile; we shared an understanding that we are casually in the presence of leading academics (and in on the joke with them), which is what makes us proud Boothies.
Joshua Lah (’20)

4) Entrepreneurial Training: “This flexibility and the focus on entrepreneurship were keys as I intend to start a venture while at Booth. From “Entrepreneurial Discovery” to “Entrepreneurial Finance and Private Equity”, I can ensure that the knowledge I gain in class is applied to my future venture in a timely manner. Having the possibility to secure +$500,000 of funding through the “New Venture Challenge” made Booth a no brainer!”
Alexandre Lin (’22)

“I am very excited about the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship at Booth. You don’t naturally associate Booth with entrepreneurship, but the school has done a great job at nurturing the entrepreneurship ecosystem with entrepreneurs in residence acting as mentors, great courses allowing you to work on your idea in class, and strong ties with VCs.”
Alexandre Lin (’22)

5) Great People: “Being a Chicago native and having participated in some programming at UChicago during high school, I was already all too familiar with the prevailing stereotypes about University of Chicago students being anti-social math nerds, which initially made me hesitant. Subsequent conversations with students and a campus visit helped convince me otherwise. It was ultimately admitted weekend that converted me. I really got to see the spirit of the program and its students. Yes, folks were super smart and analytical and could nerd out about virtually anything, even in casual conversation. However, they were also all really friendly, humble, and down-to-earth—it was actually really disarming. Moreover, they were fun and had a lot of personalities which really drew me in.”
Yonas Zewdie (’20)

6) Extracurricular Activities: “In terms of clubs, as someone who candidly enjoys solving problems and working on challenging tasks, Business Solutions Group (BSG), and Booth Outdoor Leadership Development Group (BOLD) make some of the clubs that excite me the most. BSG gives students the opportunity to work on real consulting engagements with businesses and non-profits. These projects last ten weeks and students come up with innovative and practical solutions for the client, resulting in a very hands-on experience. Having the experience as a former athlete in martial arts, BOLD gives one the ability not only to develop mental stamina but also to develop the physical stamina making you a well-rounded, resilient and powerful future executive.”
Alejandro Cadena (’22)

Artwork in a first floor study area at Booth.

ADVICE TO FUTURE BOOTHIES

What does it take to land a spot at Booth next fall? Here is some advice from three members of the Class of 2020:

“I’d recommend being very clear about why you want to do an MBA and how Booth can help you, especially in these uncertain times. This is the most important question in the application.”
Richa Goyat (’20)

“The best way to learn about an MBA program is to speak with someone who has been through the process, either a current student or a recent alum. This is especially important for international students: make sure you highlight what is truly unique about yourself and how that contributes to the ecosystem of the MBA program.”
Joshua Lah (’20)

“Tactically, I’d say…

First, respect the GMAT and try and knock that out early in your process. You don’t want to have to be juggling essays, letters of recommendation, your day job, and studying for the GMAT simultaneously. So sequentially, get this done first!

Second, do your homework—be sure to do a deep dive on the school website, visit campus, and sit in on a class if you can. Most importantly, be sure to speak with as many students and alumni as possible.

Third, get extremely clear on your story—your background, what matters to you, your future plans, Booth’s role in those plans, what you’re bringing to Booth, and how you’ll use your time here. The hardest part here is the brutal honesty and self-reflection required to tell your authentic story, instead of the narrative you think people will want to hear.”
Yonas Zewdie (’20)

What led the Chicago Booth Class of 2022 to pursue an MBA degree? What programs did they consider? What was the toughest question they were asked in the admissions process? How did they determine the right school fit? Find out answers to these questions and many more by clicking the student links below. 

MBA Student Hometown Undergrad Alma Mater Last Employer
Doug Bowen Montego Bay, Jamaica Morehouse College BDT & Company
Alejandro Cadena Quito, Ecuador IDC Herzliya Global Cadena Inc.
Patrick Flood Mauel Houston, TX Harvard University Morgan Stanley
Dylan Geary Leawood, KS Lawrence University Cerner Corporation
Ryan Hall Leesburg, FL University of Florida U.S. Navy
Amala Krishnan Dubai, UAE University of Pennsylvania Flagship Buyout Fund
Alexandre Lin Meaux, France ESSEC Business School Block Renovation
Jorge Nicolin Mexico City, Mexico Universidad Iberoamericana Bain & Company
Lihi Shadmi Givatayim, Israel Tel Aviv University Israeli Intelligence Corps
Maya Shaposhnik Cadena Los Angeles, CA IDC Herzliya AIPAC (America Israel Public Affairs Committee)
Spencer Velarde New York, NY Cornell ILR National Basketball Association (NBA)
Chanel Walker Flossmoor, IL Ohio State University Kraft Heinz Company

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