The University of Chicago Booth School of Business posted an innovative new essay topic today for prospective applicants seeking to enroll in 2016. “In the spirit of diverse perspectives and challenging the status quo—even our own status quo—we are excited to prompt applicants to think in a different way when responding to this year’s essay,” wrote Associate Dean of Student Recruitment and Admissions Kurt Ahlm in a blog post announcing the new prompt. Both the new prompt and the guidelines for responding to it provide applicants with a great deal of latitude. There is also a required essay for re-applicants, with a 300-word limit. Without further ado, here are the essay topics.
Chicago Booth 2015-2016 Essay Topics: Chicago Booth values individuality because of what we can learn from the diverse experiences and perspectives of others. This mutual respect creates an open-minded community that supports curiosity, inspires us to think more broadly, take risks, and challenge assumptions. At Booth, community is about collaborative thinking and tapping into each other’s different viewpoints to cultivate new ideas and realize breakthrough moments every day. Using one of the photos provided, tell us how it resonates with your own viewpoint on why the Booth community is the right fit for you. Essay Guidelines • Choose the format that works for you. Feel free to submit a traditional essay, slide presentation, or any format that you feel best captures your response. Please use the format you are most comfortable with, the Admissions Committee has no preference. • Determine your own length. There is no prescribed minimum or maximum length. We trust that you will use your best judgment in determining how long your submission should be, but we recommend that you think strategically about how to best allocate the space. Technical Guidelines • File Size: Maximum file size is 16 MB. • Accepted Upload Formats: Acceptable formats are PDF, Word, and PowerPoint. We strongly recommend converting your piece to a PDF file prior to submitting. • Multimedia Restrictions: We will be viewing your submission electronically and in full color, but all submissions will be converted to PDF files, so animation, video, music, etc. will not translate over. Re-Applicant Question Re-applicants to Chicago Booth must submit an additional essay. Re-Applicant Essay: Upon reflection, how has your perspective regarding your future, Chicago Booth, and/or getting an MBA changed since the time of your last application? (300 words maximum). | 
