Juan Pablo Jimenez

University of Chicago, Booth School of Business

“Super energetic person, always meeting new challenges and engaging with people on the way.”

Hometown: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Fun Fact About Yourself: I am a crazy fan of my soccer team (River Plate), so crazy that I borrowed a lot of money to travel to Japan only to watch it against Barcelona.

Undergraduate School and Major: ITBA (Instituto Tecnológico de Buenos Aires), Industrial Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: McKinsey & Company, Business analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Building great relationships with all my colleagues, managers, and clients during extremely dynamic and challenging projects (For example, I worked in the largest gold mine in the Andes, 4200 above sea level, that was so extreme!) at McKinsey and Company. The relationships and bonds I created in the journey, make me think I have done the things in the right way and, most importantly, have always gone the extra mile to achieve my aims and be authentic in my journey.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Hunger, curiosity, and motivation to learn, grow, and help others.

What makes Chicago such a great place to earn an MBA degree? The Booth community (hopefully life-long), the data-driven approach to real-life problems, and the very personal emphasis on leadership development will significantly enhance my skills and make me feel closer to what I aspire to become.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The flexibility you have to choose your path from the beginning. Other programs have six months or one year of core classes. I wanted to start exploring what I want and what I like from the kick-off. Now, I have a great opportunity to discover new dreams, strengths, weaknesses and learn from day 1. That, for me, is crucial as I am a very curious and dynamic person, who wants to find new challenges every day and week. I feel that Booth’s academic offer will let me be myself and continue growing as a person and as a professional.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? Apart from the academic ones, I will for sure participate in the Soccer Club, and maybe in the Wine Club and the Epicurean Club.
What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I think I need to learn new skills and enhance some that I currently have to take my opportunities in life to the next level.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? Stanford, MIT, and CBS

How did you determine your fit at various schools? Location (my girlfriend got approval to transfer to New York or Chicago in her job), program flexibility, and sense of community. Chicago excels on the three mentioned before.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? It was when I decided to study engineering in the most challenging university in Buenos Aires. From that time onward, I learned that if I set aspirational goals I can achieve them. So I always go for the high end and challenging scenario. This way of approaching things made me feel great, but the journey was not the ideal one (as I did not feel balanced personally and professionally). Thus, here at Booth, I want to learn the tools to achieve this balanced life.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I am a true lover of my country, Argentina, and would like to grow there. I see myself playing an important role in my country, but I do not know where I would like to play: in my own company, McKinsey, or the government.