Chicago Admissions Director Nails It
Rose Martinelli, head of admissions at the Chicago Booth Business School, just posted an insightful piece about the MBA admissions process on her blog. Admissions committee members are increasingly transparent about what they are looking for. No matter what school you are applying to: Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Chicago, or any other, her words ring true:
In the midst of all the preparations to apply for business school – studying for the GMAT, researching schools, drafting essays (and trying to keep up with your regular life) — it’s very easy to forget about the importance of taking some time for reflection. Here’s an excerpt:
“There are many tools you can use to help facilitate your self assessment process, but one of the simplest is creating a timeline and inserting points of importance on that timeline (whether good or bad) that were critical to your development. Don’t limit your reflection to work and school alone, but expand it to your interests, passions and community. Once you have completed this, go back and reflect on each point – What did you learn? How have you changed? Etc. The goal is to gain an understanding of your history so that you can build upon it as you pursue the next phase in your life. This process should also help you come up with the “whys” behind your decision to go back to school and which degree may be right for you.”