B-Schooled Podcast Episode #306: Kim on Chicago Booth’s New MBA Application

This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length. Timestamps refer to the audio.

Erika Olson: Hi there, everybody. Today I’m so excited because I have my fellow Stacy Blackman Consulting consultant with me, Kim, who has been with the firm for nine years.

Prior to coming to SBC, Kim was a Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Chicago Booth, which is our topic today, where she served as a key member of the admissions committee, evaluating thousands of applications for the full-time MBA program. We’re really lucky to have her on our team. In addition to serving on the admissions committee, she managed all the strategic initiatives for global outreach and events. That must have been fun.

Prior to Chicago Booth, Kim worked at the University of Chicago’s Career Advancement office as a career advisor, advising students interested in business careers. And before working in higher education, Kim held positions in campus recruiting and university relations at several corporate firms, where she recruited for management consulting and corporate strategy positions. She earned her BA in hospitality and business at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and later earned her master’s degree in counseling for higher education and student affairs from Montclair State University. So thank you so much for being here, Kim.

Kim: Of course. Thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited for this conversation.

Erika: We’ll let you tell us a little more about your background at Booth. But I also wanted to say that my husband went to Booth. I don’t even know if it was the executive program. It was the weekend program. He was working for GE Capital and they sponsored him, so he’d go on weekends. Some of my best friends went there as well, and I’m in Chicago, so I feel like I know the school very well.

But why don’t you tell us a little more about your background, and then we’ll get into talking about Booth.

[02:40] Kim: Sure, that sounds great. That’s exciting to have all those connections with Booth. It’s a great community overall.

I was lucky enough to spend three years at Chicago Booth, from about 2015 to 2018, and my ending title there was Senior Associate Director of the full-time MBA program. So, like you said, I got to evaluate applications. I had the opportunity to interview prospective students, and I worked with both prospective and admitted students through all kinds of recruiting events and events on campus, which was really great because it gave me the opportunity to see our prospective students around the world. I also got to see how the admissions committee worked with candidates, and I spent a lot of time getting to know people who were considering Booth. Now that I work on the other side at SBC, I get to see the same process from the other side, which actually makes me appreciate my experience in admissions.

Erika: I bet. And again, anybody listening to this, we’re really lucky to have Kim and all of her experience. We’re going to get into what Booth is looking for and their updated application this year, and we’re really lucky to have Kim’s insight because they changed it drastically.

It’s funny, because you and I have both been doing this for a long time, and I get kind of cynical sometimes about differentiating the top programs. Maybe I’m biased because my husband went there and so many of my friends went there and I’m here and I know the school. But I really do think Booth is one of the schools that does a great job of differentiating itself. It really is different.

So I’d love to hear from you. What do you think Booth is looking for in general? We’ll do a little bit about the program at a high level, and then we’ll get into the actual essay questions this year.

[04:53] Kim: OK, great. I totally agree with you. I think Booth does a fantastic job of differentiating itself.

A few things always come to mind when I think about Booth, my experience there, and what they continue to do through their marketing and events and how they present themselves. They’re always talking about being intellectually curious. It’s a place where people are comfortable asking why, challenging assumptions, questioning an answer, and changing their mind based on the evidence or data presented in front of them. I think that’s a huge characteristic of Booth students.

The other one would be self-direction. Booth gives students so much freedom. They give people the opportunity to really thrive, and there’s a sense that they get to explore and understand their purpose and their why. They don’t need their entire life, or even their two years at Booth, planned out. There’s constantly this flexibility to create your own path.

And finally, and I think this has come up in just the couple of minutes we’ve been talking, is that community piece. There’s sometimes a stereotype that Booth is highly analytical, and they are. But they also have a culture that goes beyond the individual. It’s really community-focused, with people trying to help one another navigate different classes, student groups, and internships, and then post-MBA career choices. I always heard amazing stories when I was working at Booth, and I still do as a consultant, that people at Booth become your besties. They’re really the people in your circle, not only professionally, but also personally.

Erika: Absolutely. That’s certainly been my husband’s experience, and some of my best friends’ as well. I’d also say my husband ended up using the alumni network for a lot of what he does. It’s always an open door to other alumni he’s reached out to.

He’s also in a band with a Gen X group of guys who are doctors and CEOs and lawyers and business people, and they’re all rocking out, living out their rock star dreams. They’re all from Booth, so that’s fun too.

OK, so you talked about what they’re looking for in general, and this is maybe along the same lines, but what do you think makes Booth unique?

[07:56] Kim: I think it’s the freedom to carve out your own experience during your two years in the MBA program. You’re not being told, “Here’s the MBA experience you’re going to have.” You’re essentially told, “Here are the faculty, the classes, the resources, the people, the student clubs. Now build the experience that you want.” Having that flexibility to make it customizable to each individual is really a highlight of what makes Booth so unique.

I think sometimes that can be overwhelming to people. Like, oh, I get to create my own path? But again, going back to the community piece, the support is in place from second-year students, faculty members, career services, and even admissions representatives. So there really is the support to create your own path in the program.

Erika: And I’ve got to say, as more time goes on, and in the world we’re currently living in, I think it’s so important to have a place that values critical thinking and intellectual rigor, and, like you said earlier, being able to change your mind. I feel like right now the country, the world, everybody digs into their opinions, and people are too proud or embarrassed to change their mind, even when they’re presented with evidence or facts or reality. I don’t think you’re going to find that kind of weirdness at Booth.

People are very smart. And being around other people who value critical thinking and intellectual curiosity can only up your own game. It’s like the old adage that you play tennis, or whatever it is, with people better than you to make yourself better. I think that really sums up Booth.

[10:04] OK, so big, big, big changes this year in the application. First off, why don’t we talk about what changed and why you think that might be?

Kim: Absolutely. I couldn’t believe the change, because it’s been the same for probably 10-plus years. There were two essay questions, one more professional and one more personal. There was a maximum, and then they went to a minimum word count. So the fact that they’ve now narrowed it down to basically four short answers is wild.

In the 2025-2026 season, the most recent past season, they had two required long-form essays, each with a 250-word minimum. One was basically about how Booth would help candidates achieve their short-term and long-term post-MBA career goals, and the second was a values-based essay using photographs Booth provided. For this cycle, those are completely gone. Applicants now have to answer four prompts with a maximum of just 300 characters each, which is a big change.

The first question asks about your immediate, short-term post-MBA career goal. The second one is your long-term post-MBA career goal. Then you’re asked to upload any photo that you want.

Erika: And now it’s their own photo, right? Before, it had to be one of Booth’s?

Kim: Exactly. Now it’s your own personal photo.

Erika: That’s cool.

Kim: I think so too. And then you get to explain the significance of that photo. The last one is to share a fun fact or something unique about yourself. So there are still two questions on the professional side and two on the more fun, personal side. They’re still looking for similar things. I think they’re just trying something new.

Being on the other side, it is exhausting reading all these essays from thousands of candidates, and there can be very real fatigue from doing that. After a while, everyone starts to look the same. The world is moving toward explaining yourself more quickly and digesting information a lot faster, and I think that’s one reason for the change. I also think that because AI is so present in the world today, they’re trying to keep you from leaning on those tools and to hear your own thoughts.

Erika: Don’t use AI, people. Good God.

Kim: I know. So I think those are the main reasons. They’re trying to find a happy medium for the admissions committee and for the information they’re getting from candidates.

[13:07] Erika: And they also removed the “Why Booth.”

Kim: Yes.

Erika: What do you think about that?

Kim: I think it’s kind of easy to name all the reasons for “Why Booth,” and it’s typically the courses, the faculty, the culture. But people are just regurgitating information they find on a website, or through AI, or hear at an admissions event or from another student. I don’t think the information the school was getting was particularly unique, or that they were getting the most authentic reasons. So that’s probably why it was removed.

Erika: That makes a lot of sense. When we work with clients, it’s the same for every school that asks it. You’re finding classes and tying them to your goals, and I don’t think it tells them as much about what that person would bring to the classroom or to the school.

I also personally like, and I know we’re going to go through each of the mini questions, that they have your own photo and a fun fact. Like you were saying before, I think Booth unfairly gets a reputation that people are super smart but maybe a little more serious and analytical. So I feel like that was probably purposeful, to say, hey, we want to know about you too.

So as a segue, let’s jump into it and go through each of the mini questions, and you can give a little bit of advice.

[14:56] Kim: I wouldn’t treat these as four independent questions or prompts.

Erika: That’s a good point.

Kim: I’d treat them as a portfolio of your profile, your story, because collectively you only have 1,200 characters across the four of them.

Question number one is, what is your immediate post-MBA career goal? This is not a place for storytelling. Answer the question as directly as possible, including function and industry, and perhaps the type of company, the problem you want to solve, or a company you’d want to work for. Answer it completely and get to the point: what do you want to do right after you complete your MBA at Booth?

For example, “Join a global consumer technology company as a product manager focused on AI-enabled healthcare products” would be ideal. It’s purposeful and understandable, and it shows you have the intention and understanding of what you want to do. I know we’ve talked about how things can change, and they’re not going to hold you to this when you graduate. But having some thought behind what you want is what they’re getting at, along with being direct and purposeful.

Question two asks, what is your long-term post-MBA career goal? This answer should ultimately build on what you said in the previous question. They want to see a logical relationship between the two. Your long-term goal can absolutely be a little more ambitious, but there should be a clear connection between the immediate post-MBA goal and the job that moves you toward this goal 10-plus years down the line. They want to know where you’ll be working, doing what, and for whom, and ideally the outcome you hope to achieve in that position. It’s about tying the two together so they make sense.

Erika: We always like to remind people that if you’re saying something like “I want to start a company,” that’s too broad. Everybody’s going to say that. You need to have thought it out. Nobody’s going to hold you to this, but ideally your short-term and long-term goals should make sense together. And based on what you’ve done in your life so far, what your passions are, and what they can see from your resume, if something’s coming out of left field, that might be weird as well. So just think about what you’re saying.

Kim: You don’t have the space to explain it, so it’s got to make sense.

Erika: And that’s why you said this is all like a portfolio. OK, question three, the picture.

[18:00] Kim: Yes. This is an exciting one. You get to upload your own personal image and explain its significance to you. This may be my favorite one, because you don’t have to choose the most impressive photo. You want to choose a photo that unlocks an interesting story you can share, because this is one of the places where you can elaborate a little bit on a story, so to speak.

For example, they don’t want to see a marathon photo. It’s awesome that you ran a marathon, but spoiler alert…

Erika: Everybody runs marathons.

Kim: Exactly. It’s not super unique here. Don’t do it. But maybe you can make it more interesting, right? Maybe you ran every year with your father, or you hated running and made a bet with your sister, or training taught you something unexpected about yourself.

Erika: Sure. If there’s an angle, fine.

Kim: If there’s an angle, fine. But we don’t want you just stating what’s obviously in the photo.

Erika: Yeah.

Kim: Make a story out of it and show something about yourself, maybe something you learned, a common thread or characteristic, or an experience you keep coming back to. I’ve seen some really cool ones from clients I worked with this past season. Some chose a picture that relates to why they’re interested in their short-term and long-term goals, because that interest isn’t apparent from their resume. They worked it into the photo, which was really smart. Again, it’s the whole profile, the whole portfolio.

I’ve seen others where people pick a really cool image of a baseball field and share that they visit ballparks across the US every year with the same group of four friends. It’s their common bond, learning about different baseball teams and seeing the beautiful grounds. So those are two ways you can go. Either way, it allows you to tell a little bit of a story instead of just stating the obvious about what’s going on in the photo.

Erika: Right. That’s great.

Kim: And then the fun fact, which is another good one. I feel like this is an icebreaker you usually do when you join different programs, or when you’re getting to know your classmates in business school. Let this one be fun. Show a side of yourself that’s not as serious. I’d avoid fun facts like “I was the youngest vice president in my firm’s history.” That’s an accomplishment, but it’s not a particularly fun fact.

Erika: Yeah, I feel like somebody should say that about you in a recommendation letter. It shouldn’t come from you.

Kim: Exactly. Something much better might be, “I’ve ranked every slice of pizza I’ve eaten since 2017 in a spreadsheet.”

Erika: I love it.

Kim: When I was on the other side, I knew a lot of business school students who had spreadsheets of all the restaurants in Chicago ranked on different criteria, and they’d share them with their classmates and people coming to visit. So just make it fun. My test is, if you told this fact at the dinner table or out to dinner with friends, would someone naturally ask you a follow-up question? That tells me it’s interesting. They want to learn more. And that’s what you want the admissions committee to take away from it as well.

[21:57] Erika: Absolutely. OK, so there’s also an optional essay, and a lot of times people ask, what do I do about this? What is the optional essay for, and what is it not for?

Kim: It’s interesting, because my opinion on what I’d use it for has changed slightly this year. Usually you’d use it if you have a career gap that needs explaining, or a low undergrad GPA that needs an explanation.

Erika: Right.

Kim: Something in your application that needs further explanation is usually what the optional essay is for. But because we only have these four answers at 300 characters each, it’s so minimal. So if there’s more that needs explanation in your story, your profile, your portfolio, this might be a good spot to elaborate. If you’re making a huge career pivot and there’s not a lot of evidence on your resume or in what your recommenders will share about you, this might be a place to elaborate a little and explain more of your thought process on the why.

I wouldn’t use it as just another essay because it’s there. I wouldn’t write a “Why Booth” love letter. That doesn’t make sense. It wouldn’t make sense to repeat your resume in paragraph form, because they have that, or to repeat something your recommender is already going to cover. That’s not the purpose. And it’s not for telling another story just because you like to tell stories. It’s really for bridging any gaps in the other materials that need explanation.

The question I’d ask my client is, does the admissions committee understand something important about your candidacy after reading everything they have? Is something missing? Do they understand everything you’re giving them? If yes, consider leaving it alone. They already have all the information they need. If you feel there’s a missing piece to the puzzle, then you can consider using it.

Erika: Right. I feel like people get scared when they see an optional essay and feel like they have to put something in there. But sometimes that can backfire. Be confident in what you did. If you think everything makes sense, just leave it. And if there’s something that needs to be explained, that’s why it’s optional.

[25:00] And then there’s also a reapplicant essay. Tell me about that.

Kim: Sure. The prompt is, “Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application?” You’ll notice they’re not asking what you’ve done to improve your candidacy.

Erika: Right. Very specific. Very important.

Kim: Exactly. They want you to show your growth and your career progress. A promotion, a higher GMAT score, or a new leadership responsibility can absolutely be part of the answer, but those things need to come with evidence of the change. It’s not enough to just share them. It’s about how you think differently today. Why has your career goal gotten more specific? What experience exposed a skill gap you hadn’t appreciated when you last applied? How has your understanding of your own leadership changed? Maybe you originally viewed the MBA as a credential, and now you understand exactly how you’d use it and why you need it. And maybe you understand Booth on a deeper level now and why it continues to be your top-choice school.

I’d always tell people to reread your previous application so you know what you put.

Erika: That should be a duh.

Kim: Come on, people. The admissions committee is looking at your previous application too.

Erika: They’re going to know it.

Kim: They’re going to know it, so you need to know it like the back of your hand as well. That would be my thought process on how to approach it.

Erika: So the point is to look at your old one and answer, what would you say differently today? How do you think differently today? It’s not just listing stuff you did, because they know that from other parts of the application.

Well, this has been great. You gave some really excellent advice about this completely new set of very concise short answers. People really need to use their space wisely. Is there anything else you want to throw out there before we wrap up?

[27:45] Kim: I think the final takeaway is realizing that the application has to work as a whole.

Erika: Yeah, I know.

Kim: As consultants, we talk about that with every school.

Erika: Right.

Kim: But I think it’s really important that prospective students listening to or watching this understand that the whole application is telling their story, and that story has to show different things in different parts of the application. What I mean is, for the resume, they want to know: what have you actually done? What has your impact been? For the recommendations, how do other people experience you? For your immediate goal, where are you going next? For the long-term goal, why does the trajectory matter? For the image, what matters to you? For the fun fact, who are you when you’re not performing for the admissions committee?

Erika: Right.

Kim: And for the optional essay, think about what important piece could still be missing. If you can think through each of those things, I think you’ll put together an application that gives the best insight into who you are and where you want to go. The admissions committee can walk away from reading your application thinking, “OK, aha, I get who you are. I’m interested in learning more about you.” And that’s when, of course, the interview invitations come out, and we always pray for that next step.

Erika: Great. That’s wonderful. As a writer and editor, I don’t envy people having to write in 300 characters. It’s tough. We actually have another episode specifically about how to cut down your essays, with little tricks for doing that, so people should listen to that episode as well.

Kim: That would be an important one as well.

Erika: It really is a great school, and I think these are cool changes. We really appreciate you coming on, Kim, and giving us your insights. We both wish everybody applying to Booth good luck.

Kim: Yes, thank you for having me, and good luck to everyone.

Erika: Thanks, everybody. Bye.