Last Friday I went to a "Chicago Booth Live" event where I spent a day in the life of a Full-time MBA student at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. The program is designed to help you determine your potential fit with the school and give you the tools to be successful in the application process. Early that morning I jumped on the Metra train that stops near my house and was on the campus in 15 minutes! The day started off at 9 AM and the admissions staff who met us at the door were extremely friendly and warm. I definitely got a good vibe from the campus. My morning was going great and as I was walking out of the coat check, a guy decided to hand me his coat to hang up. FAIL! I told the guy I didn't work there and proceeded to walk away. I didn't even wait around to see the expression on his face. Ironically he ended up seated at my table but we ignored each other for the rest of the day.

The other prospective students and I spent most of the morning talking to the admissions staff and asking questions of the student panel. A couple of the guys at my table were international students who were in the US visiting all the other top ranked business schools (e.g. Harvard, Dartmouth, Columbia, Wharton). Booth got high marks for their warm staff and transparent admissions policy. The Big H got failing marks from everyone who visited their Cambridge campus. As I was about to head out for a tour of the facility, someone from the office of diversity came up to me and asked if I wanted to have lunch with other black Booth MBA students. I was hesitant at first but when I remembered that I lived down the street and could tour anytime, the decision was a no brainer! The students I met were very cool and the guy I spoke to was willing to discuss how he was paying for his MBA (partial scholarship combined with loans). The highlight of the day was the application review. They took us through the application process using a real applicant from last year. It really made the process transparent to me and showed me the importance of my essays and letters of recommendations.

Next step, GMAT practice test...