Ihn Shin     

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“An objective, curious, and fun-loving night owl.”

Hometown: Incheon, South Korea

Fun Fact About Yourself: I lived with a number of different host families during high school, and I once lived with a family that had no internet and electricity (Old Order Mennonite) – talk about embracing an analog lifestyle in a digital world!

Undergraduate School and Major: Franklin & Marshall College, B.A. in Economics and Spanish

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: APAC Co-Development Lead at AB InBev

Aside from your classmates and location, what was the key part of Chicago Booth’s MBA programming that led you to choose this business school and why was it so important to you? Flexible curriculum. Booth uniquely gives its students complete academic freedom, which would allow me to make the most of my academic experience by tailoring my own course schedule to fill gaps in my financial knowledge and experiences as I plan to pivot into investment banking post-MBA. With just one course requirement, I’ll have ample room to gain foundational frameworks and build quantitative tools to successfully navigate the financial world.

The Booth MBA is also known for being highly data-driven. Why does the program’s focus on quantitative analysis and decision-making appeal to you? How have been able to leverage this approach in your career so far? Throughout my career, I learned the importance of data and evidence-based decisions in the business world. Meaningful insights extracted from concrete and logical information allow us to see key matters in a more objective manner. Therefore, quantitative data analysis helps firms make decisions and/or predictions more reasonably and confidently. Through the Chicago Approach, which is rooted in the fundamental scientific disciplines, I’ll be able to equip myself with robust analytical skills which will be essential to navigating uncertainty in today’s highly volatile business landscape.

What has been your first impression of the Booth MBA students and alumni you’ve met so far. Tell us your best Booth story so far. Driven and supportive. It’s been quite humbling and inspiring to see and hear about what the Booth students and alumni have achieved in their personal and professional lives. It has been especially impressive how down-to-earth and supportive they remain to be despite their remarkable accomplishments. After all, it was truly the people at Booth that sealed the deal for me.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA? Chicago is a vibrant cultural and business hub where you would never go hungry. As a Booth MBA student, you will have an exciting opportunity to fully experience all that this wonderful city has to offer, ranging from its rich culture and food scene to phenomenal networking opportunities with market leaders in nearly every industry. Also having beautiful beaches (on Lake Michigan) within walking distance doesn’t seem so bad to me, either.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Kellogg, Sloan, and Stern

What advice would you give to help potential applicants gain admission into Chicago Booth’s MBA program? Talk to as many Boothies as you can! Driven by its pay-it-forward culture, the alumni and current students at Booth are incredibly accessible and supportive. From referring a friend that has similar career interests as mine to sharing useful application tips and advice, each and every single Boothie I reached out to went out their way to answer my questions and to help me put my best foot forward during my application process. Trust me – we want you to come to Booth!

DON’T MISS: MEET CHICAGO BOOTH’S MBA CLASS OF 2025