Chicago Booth's Three Components You Need To Know
The best way to understand what an MBA program wants to see is to dissect their marketing material. But it goes beyond just understanding the business schools’ mantra, motto or mission statement. Rather, it means understanding the reasons why the school describes themselves in a certain way. What should we know about what Chicago Booth wants the world to see? How does Chicago Booth position themselves face to face with their competition? Let’s look directly at some of Booths latest marketing material and branding documentation.
The new marketing manta is, “We are more than a business school. We are a business force.”
Booth then follows that up with the following explanation:
“Three components of our brand make us a business force.
COMMUNITY
Our culture is unparalleled. We are a meritocracy of ideas. This keeps us on the cutting edge, collaborative and energized. We value self-awareness, intellectual curiosity, empirically grounded examination, and an eagerness to engage in debate. Above all, we value honesty and transparency: about what we know, and in the way we engage with one another.”
What does this mean for you? Booth wants those who seek truth, wallflowers need not apply. The only way Booth’s learning culture works is through the participation of everyone in a direct, forthright, and meaningful way.
“IDEAS
Our ideas change business, public policy, and the world. We believe in freedom and competition. We are not content to teach existing knowledge or follow fads. We believe in the power of empirics — as a source of inspiration and as a reality check. We focus multiple disciplinary perspectives on the underlying forces that drive markets and organizations; these perspectives enable us to uncover new facts and frameworks, crack open seemingly intractable challenges, and produce solutions that are both surprising and enduring.”
What does this mean for you? Booth is academically rigorous, and they expect a lot from their students intellectually. Have you thrived in similarly intense environments? Not just survived, but thrived because of this intensity?
“PEOPLE
We produce leaders who create lasting value. The intellectual energy that makes us a business force expands beyond our campuses; it becomes part of our graduates and distinguishes them in organizations. Our alumni are known for their astute understanding of themselves, for making knowledge richer and more relevant, for reframing problems to reveal new opportunities, and for making any team stronger. They push conversations both broader and deeper to achieve better answers. Chicago Booth people fundamentally increase the trajectory of organizations and sectors through the power of bigger and more enduring ideas.”
What does this mean for you? Booth wants to know that you want to make an impact in this world. They want to know that you want the ball when the game is on the line. They want to know that you don’t fear uncertainty but embrace it because while you may not have the answer, you sure as hell can find it.