Meet Chicago Booth’s MBA Class Of 2023

P&Q: The Chicago Approach is often described as data-driven and evidence-based. How does that play out in a Booth classroom? Why is this approach so fundamental to innovating and making good decisions?

Marcello: “The Chicago Approach is rooted in the fundamental scientific disciplines at the heart of business—economics, accounting, psychology, sociology, and statistics. This approach grounds all Booth students in theoretical frameworks that help them define problems, ask better questions, and develop better solutions. Innovation and problem solving requires an understanding of people, their motivations, and the markets in which businesses operate. Rather than relying on intuition or familiar patterns to make decisions, at Booth, we seek data to validate or invalidate assumptions and identify more promising outcomes.”

P&Q: Booth 2nd years operate off a “Pay it forward” expectation, where they closely support [1]st years. How did this start? How is it sustained class after class?

Marcello: “One of Booth’s core values is collaboration—you can see it in the pay-it-forward culture among students, in the classroom experience, in the way alumni stay connected with the school and support current students and broader communities. We look for students who are collaborative by nature and value the benefits of helping their peers.”

P&Q: What are your two most popular MBA student clubs? What are the biggest events put on by these clubs? Why do these clubs resonate so deeply with your students? 

Jaggers: “Our most popular clubs are the Management Consulting Group and the Booth Technology Group. Both of these clubs host large events for professionals, including recruitment and job fairs, meet-and-greets with company representatives, networking with business leaders, info-sharing among peers, as well as conducting mock interviews and educational seminars. These events resonate with students, as these fields are the most popular in which they enter after attending business school.”

5 REASONS TO CONSIDER A BOOTH MBA

1) Flexible Curriculum: “The choice-rich culture. The system here is one that understands your need to choose and respects the choices you make. A big part of that is the flexible curriculum; while researching B-schools, I was very excited to learn about this top MBA program that affords you the opportunity to design your MBA experience with minimal restrictions. Now that I am here, I see a solid system of support, but you are ultimately responsible for what the two years will look like. I see how this system builds intentional leaders.”
Omotunde Odedeyi (’23)

“The aspect that appealed to me most was the flexible curriculum. First, being able to own your schedule and path is a very attractive proposition to me since there are so many classes I’m interested in. I want to be able to take what I want at my own pace, including classes at other UChicago institutions such as the Law School. Second, the flexible curriculum helps you find people in your class that share similar academic and professional interests. You can’t always meet everyone in any given club or social event, so knowing that the people in your class bid to take it means they likely also find it interesting. That’s a great way to connect.”
Peter Pilone (’23)

“The flexible programming. I can’t overstate this. I want to take entrepreneurial electives and I don’t want to wait until year two to start taking them. I know I have a lot to learn about start-up strategy and Booth has fantastic faculty in this concentration. With their help I will be able to further improve my business model; they have a track record of personal success and of helping others succeed. As an entrepreneur, the value in this proposition is obvious. However, think of the possibilities as an investment banker, a strategic consultant or a Big Tech PM looking to enhance or learn industry specific and highly applicable skills before that all important summer internship! What better way of ensuring you get the return offer than going into the business with an understanding of what it is you will be doing?”
Edward Kent (’23)

“I chose Booth because I loved the “choose your own adventure” culture. Both academically and socially, Boothies are expected to chart their own unique paths…For me, this was important because I wanted to change functions and industries, so I needed to gain hands-on skills right out of the gates that would help build my resume for internship recruiting. Socially, we don’t have the traditional cohorts or sections that other schools do. In my opinion, the flexible curriculum and lack of cohorts leads to more organic friendships and relationships. Classes are a great example of this. Since Boothies create their own curricula, they spend bid points to be in certain classes for their own unique set of reasons. When they arrive in that classroom – and look around at the other 60 students there – they know deep down that everyone chose to be there for some set of common reasons. I love uncovering the reasons behind why the people I meet have chosen to spend their limited time or resources on the same things I have. This has led to some long-lasting, organic relationships founded upon common interests that I know will continue post-graduation. At Booth, one of our slogans is “Why are you here and not somewhere else?”. Boothies follow their passions and interests to chart their own unique Booth experiences, and I’ve loved being a part of that.”
Tess Belton (’21)

2) Entrepreneurship: “I was drawn to Booth’s entrepreneurship electives and concentration, along with the flexibility of the program. I was looking to learn quantitative finance skills, grow a network of ambitious peers, and incubate my next startup idea. Classes like Entrepreneurial Discovery and the New Venture Challenge, the Entrepreneurship and VC Club, and the Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation all made Booth the right fit for my goals. As I’ve gotten more involved, I’m continually excited about the learning and resources available to entrepreneurs.”
Emma Lawler (’23)

”The New Venture Challenge at the Polsky Center. The New Venture Challenge is recognized as the top-ranked university accelerator program in the nation. Companies that have been successfully launched through the NVC include household names such as Grubhub, Braintree/Venmo, and Simple Mills. During the NVC competition, we were able to significantly improve our business idea by getting valuable feedback from the faculty as well as well-known venture capitalists and entrepreneurs. In particular, the questions that they have been asking us helped us to improve our business plan and later in the summer raise significant funding from strategic angel investors and VC firms.”
Leo Mindyuk (’21)

3) Pay-It-Forward Cuture: “Booth believes in the pay-it-forward culture and that was reflected when I cold emailed Booth alumni during the application phase. The response rate of Booth alums stood out as one of the highest amongst the alumni of multiple schools I applied to. I was very pleasantly surprised that a community as highly accomplished as that of Chicago Booth was willing to take out time for an applicant even before an interview call. They are also more than willing to open up their networks and put you in touch with whoever they know. I think that only shows the trust and faith every member has in the Booth community.”
Rishav Dhar (’23)

“I chose Booth for the incredible pay-it-forward culture. From the Boothie executive at Buildout who mentored me, to 2Ys who reached out to help with mock interviews, to the alums who met with me to help figure out my career direction, I was already surrounded by Boothies who proactively reached out to help even before I got to campus. Then, while at Booth, I have been inundated with support, from Random Walk leaders, LEAD facilitators, the amazing LGBTQ+ members of Outreach, the incredible cadre of 2Ys who taught me how to case, the AudioBooth community, alums, and so many more sources. I’ve benefited immensely from the generous help of other Boothies, and I look forward to continuing to give back to this amazing community.”
Theodore Lim (’21)

4) Quantitative Mindset: “The Chicago Booth MBA is centered on data and that makes it one of the most, if not the most, academically strong MBA programs in the world. I think that puts Chicago Booth in a unique spot as a thought leader in the 21st century when leadership is all about decision making with complex data.”
Rishav Dhar (’23)

“I cannot deviate away from the obvious here: ‘Evidence based’. The temptation would be to say quantitative, but it is more than that. Data is, of course, central, but it is the foundation for the real proposition that the school offers. How to effectively and deliberately analyze that data to tease out the value behind what it portrays is what the school is really trying to teach its students.”
Edward Kent (’23)

5) LEAD: “My favorite tradition is LEAD, a required 5-week intensive and experiential leadership class. Booth MBA journey starts with LEAD. It’s a great channel to introduce the new students to the community through fun activities such as the Leadership Retreat that took us to Lake Geneva for a weekend. (Luckily this experience wasn’t impacted by COVID for me). LEAD for me didn’t stop after the 5-week class was over. In my 2nd year, I was fortunate enough to be accepted into the LEAD Facil program as one of the 40 second-years to design and teach the material to the next generation. LEAD Facil is a close-knit and super supportive community. I not only became a better leader, but also made great friends. Overall LEAD exemplifies Booth’s supportive and pay it forward culture.”
Xiangshi Guan (’21)

ADVICE TO FUTURE BOOTH APPLICANTS

“Timing is everything. Apply when you’ve discovered your authentic path and understand how this MBA will help you achieve those goals. Spend meaningful time on every part of the application, and focus on your story — what have you done, what do you want to do in the future, and how the Booth community and curriculum will help you get there, Throughout every part of your application, interviews, and decision, stay true to your personal journey. This reflection and clarity will help you stand out from the crowd and also lead you to a meaningful career where you’re happy.”
Emma Lawler (’23)

“It’s important to understand your own goals and priorities. Upon self-reflection, you can pick the program that best fits what you’re looking for since they are all unique. Talking with current students and alumni, visiting campus, and sitting in on a class are helpful in this process as well. If you’re still in college, you can consider taking the GMAT during the end of senior year since it may be more challenging after a few years of working.”
Anna Li (’23)

“Try to understand the people and culture of the MBA program you’re applying to. I think that people make the mistake of only focusing on grades, test scores, and rankings before applying to MBA programs, but they don’t try to really connect with the community. Grades and test scores are important, but forming strong relationships is what an MBA is all about. I was blown away by the Masterclass lectures held by Booth professors as well as the passion of the Booth students in information sessions. Booth’s culture excited me, and that genuine excitement came through in my application.”
Ashley Fields (’23)

MBA Student	Hometown	Undergrad Alma Mater	Last Employer
Ernesto Amador Mesa	Bogota, Colombia	Universidad de los Andes	Financial Superintendency of Colombia
Rishav Dhar	Kolkata, India	Vellore Institute of Technology	Clinton Health Access Initiative
Ashley Fields	Whitehouse Station, NJ	University of Chicago	Goldman Sachs
Jaron Hite	Rockford, IL	Cornell University	AEG Partners
Caroline Hughes	Highland Park, IL	Georgetown University	Jet.com/Walmart eCommerce
Edward Kent	London, UK	Coventry University	The Golf Foundry
Emma Lawler	Denver, CO	University of Colorado at Boulder	theSkimm
Anna Li	Atlanta, GA	University of Chicago	L.E.K. Consulting
Omotunde Odedeyi	Abeokuta, Nigeria	Redeemers University	Afreximbank
Katie Pelkey	Brighton, MI	Cleary University	United States Coast Guard
Peter Pilone	Valley Cottage, NY	Manhattanville College	Intrepid Studios
Andrew Triggs	Nashville, TN	University of Southern California	Boston Red Sox