The University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business

Chicago Booth Interview: Tips for Success

Chicago Booth’s Round 1 invitations went out this month. To help applicants put their best foot forward, Booth admissions fellows offered a few tips for success for the interview process.

DO YOUR RESEARCH

Prior to your interview, admissions fellows recommend doing some basic research on your interviewer.

“It was always impressive when a candidate would reference things I was involved in at Booth and ask more questions about my experience,” an admissions fellow says. “Or if they were recruiting for a similar industry that I interned in, I appreciated when they referenced, ‘I saw you interned at XYZ firm…’ It’s so easy to take 5 minutes looking at your interviewer’s LinkedIn profile and it showed that applicants had taken time to personalize the conversation.”

Admissions fellows also note the importance of highlighting speaking points that you want the admissions team to know about you.

“Sometimes an interviewer may ask if there is anything else you want to share that hasn’t been covered,” an admissions fellow says. “If the interviewer doesn’t prompt this, you could simply say something like – ‘I’ve really enjoyed our conversation so far, but if time allows, I want to be sure you and the admissions team are aware of this part of my background as it’s very meaningful to me.’ Always keep it humble, but it’s helpful when there are specific things that you want Admissions Fellow interviewers to highlight in their feedback on you. Help them help you by highlighting the most exciting aspects of your application and background.”

WHY BOOTH?

One of the most important questions that you’ll be asked in the interview is this: why Booth? Answering this question correctly requires an understanding of yourself, as well as the qualities of the Booth community.

“All interviewers are looking to understand how you will succeed at Booth and a big portion of that is by how you will be involved,” an admissions fellow says. “Are you from a country with small representation at Booth? Share more about how you will represent your region and build the Booth community back home. Have specific industry experience that will allow you to take a leadership role within a Student Group at Booth? Make sure you’ve expressed this to your interviewer so they can help envision your future at Booth.”

Lastly, be sure to prepare specific examples to speak to in your response.

“For example, don’t just say you’re interested in finance classes, name drop a few specific courses that you plan to take,” an admissions fellow says. “Interested in travelling with classmates, make sure to reference a few of the traditions like ‘Random Walk.’ Every business school has their way of calling specific programs or groups, so make sure you’re using Booth’s specific terminology.”

Sources: The Booth Experience, Clear Admit