Get an insider’s view of the University of Chicago Booth School of Business with Donna Swinford, Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions for MBA Programs, in this installment of our Admissions Director Q&A series.
Donna is a longtime Chicago resident and has been at Booth since 1997. She joined the Office of Admissions in 2005 and has seen the admissions process at Booth from practically every angle over the course of her tenure serving in several roles including head of Operations and Evaluation before transitioning to her current position as Associate Dean for Student Recruitment and Admissions. Donna oversees admissions for the Full-Time MBA, Evening MBA, Weekend MBA, Executive MBA North America, and the Specialized Masters Programs at Chicago Booth.
Get Donna’s insights into the application process, advice on how to prepare for interviews, and hear some of her favorite aspects of Booth’s MBA program in our Q&A.
Clear Admit: What is the one aspect of your program that you wish applicants knew more about?
Donna Swinford: Not everyone realizes the extent to which Booth provides a collegiate lifestyle and built-in community, all with the advantage of modern amenities in a metropolitan setting. Somewhere around 70% of students choose to live within a few blocks of each other in downtown Chicago, mainly in a cluster of apartment buildings known as the “Booth Dorms.” These contemporary high-rises are located right in the Loop near nightlife, dining, retail, transportation, entertainment, river and lakefront recreation, as well as the business district and Chicago’s corporate center. Actually, our students have written several blogs if you’re curious about their perspective on living in Chicago.
From what I’m told, Boothies love the central location and sharing their MBA experience together. The comfort of having so many fellow classmates as neighbors creates a fun atmosphere within the backdrop of a big city. Taking the train to campus, having dinner, getting coffee, running errands, preparing for interviews, planning trips—it seems it’s rare to find alone time during your two years at Booth! Our students fully embrace the ease of making friends while taking advantage of all Chicago has to offer.
One other aspect of Booth’s thriving community is our unique cohort structure. Incoming students are placed in cohorts of ~60 people for our Leadership Development course (called LEAD), which occurs during the orientation period. Students get to know each other as they work through modules together and build a foundation for their two-year program. Once LEAD is completed, the cohorts become organized social groups versus traditional curricular tracks. The main benefit is gaining the same sense of community without being locked into a fixed course path. Students appreciate the ability to expand their networks quicker while continuing to connect with their cohort friends and choosing the classes they want to take every quarter.
CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision?
DS: At Booth, we take a holistic approach to our evaluations and believe each section is an essential part of the assessment. We do not weigh application components and no section is more important than another (your test scores do not have more value than your essay or letters of recommendation or anything else!). We review your submission in its entirety—background information, academics, test scores, recommendations, resume, career goals, essay responses, etc. And each application has multiple readers who provide input during the first read.
As for the process, all submitted applications enter a preliminary review that begins after the deadline. No apps are reviewed prior to the deadline. There is an initial check of every single submission to ensure it is complete and nothing is missing. If there are any outstanding materials, we reach out directly to the applicant to request the missing piece(s) and allow a grace period for them to be submitted.
All complete applications receive multiple read-throughs in their entirety by our Admissions staff. Probably relevant to note we do not use AI for evaluations or application review. The individual evaluations are then accumulated and a decision is made whether to continue with an interview of the candidate to learn more or deny. Invitations to interview are released via our status portal. Those who are not invited to interview will also find out via the status portal. All applicants will get an email notification to check their portal for their update. Interviewees can choose whether to schedule their interview in person on campus or virtually with a member of the Booth community. They are also asked to submit a short video in response to a supplemental question.
Following the interview, our team once again reviews the application in its entirety, this time including the interviewer evaluation and video response. A recommendation for admit, waitlist, or deny is made and the application goes through one last review by the Admissions Committee before a final decision is determined. On the day of decision release for the Round, applicants will receive an email notification to log into their status portal for their decision letter. I know applying to business school is no simple task and I hope candidates get something out of the experience, regardless of the outcome.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read an essay? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
DS: We consider the essay as an opportunity to share your personality with us and to let your authentic self come to life. Our team is looking to get to know candidates and understand who you are as a whole, as well as what you hope to achieve with your Booth degree. What’s your motivation for an MBA from Chicago Booth specifically? And what unique perspective do you bring to our community?
There is no word max for our essays, so use the space as you see fit. Don’t be afraid to dig deep internally—this is often a journey of self-discovery for people, and candidates uncover a lot about themselves. We want to know what drives and inspires you, and how that influences your future aspirations. The best advice is simply to be yourself and connect the dots for us about why this is the next step you want to take in your professional development.
As you are working through your essay, getting an outside perspective can be very insightful. Have someone else read through your essay(s) and tell you their takeaways. My other little bit of guidance is to make sure your response is aligned with the prompt or question versus using the essay as a catch-all for everything you want the Admissions Committee to know about you. Above all else, your response should be an authentic reflection of your individual viewpoint and hopefully it provides a glimpse into who you are as a person, both professionally and personally.
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately how many applicants do you interview? Who conducts the interview and what is the nature of the interview? Will your admissions interviews be in-person or virtual for the 2025-2026 admissions season?
DS: We’ve always considered our interviews to be a conversation. It’s an opportunity to discuss your professional goals, why you’re seeking an MBA, and what in particular draws you to Booth. The number of applicants invited to interview varies from year to year. No matter the amount, all interviews are conducted by members of the Booth community. The interviewer receives the applicant’s resume beforehand, no other elements of the application are shared with the interviewer.
The candidate has the option to do their interview in person or virtually via video call. There’s no advantage or disadvantage to which you choose, it is offered to provide flexibility and ease in scheduling. For in-person interviews, applicants can decide whether to come to campus and interview with a current second-year student or connect with an alumnus in their local area.
Regardless of the format, the intention of the interview is to connect you with a member of our community to learn more about you as well as give you a chance to learn more about Booth and what our MBA program has to offer. So come prepared with questions of your own and keep in mind we view the interview as a two-way exchange, meaning you gain as much as you give during the interview.
CA: Is there anything in particular international students should keep in mind during the admissions process?
DS: Our university is profoundly enriched by the unique experiences, perspectives, and cultures of all students, including our international community. All MBA candidates are evaluated in the same way and international students follow the same application process as US-based students, with a few additional things to note.
We recommend that international students apply in earlier rounds to allow ample time for getting a visa, however, there is typically sufficient time to apply for and secure a visa in all rounds. If English is not your native language, you’ll need to submit proof of English proficiency with your application by taking one of the following exams: Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL), the academic version of the International English Language Testing System (IELTS), Pearson Test of English (PTE), or Duolingo English Test. You can learn more about exemption options in our FAQ. International applicants must have a college or university degree equivalent to a four-year American baccalaureate degree. In light of the Bologna Accord, Chicago Booth also accepts candidates with three-year international degrees.
International students who have accepted an offer of admission are eligible to apply for an F-1 or J-1 visa. Detailed information regarding the requirements and application process to obtain a student visa is sent to admitted students in the spring. We are committed to supporting our incoming international students throughout the admissions process and are navigating the current circumstances together. If you are considering business school, or any other educational endeavor in the U.S., I encourage you to continue your pursuit and stay in touch with your institution. UChicago’s Office of International Affairs provides updates and guidance, along with virtual sessions for students to ask their questions in real-time. International students can also sign up for the office’s curated email communications for F-1 and J-1 students to stay informed with the latest news, policy changes, and resources available.
CA: What is your favorite spot on campus?
DS: Considering I have been around campus for a number of years, I’ve developed several favorite spots. At first, it was the field house where the first-ever Heisman Trophy was displayed, awarded in 1935 to a UChicago football player who was in the business school (the trophy’s now located in the Ratner Athletic Center). More recently, I’ve enjoyed Plein Air Café, a French-inspired coffee shop frequented by Booth faculty, students, and staff. But if I have to pick one place above all, the Reynolds Club stands out because it is the center of student life. There’s an undeniable energy in the building, emphasized by the fast pace of students grabbing lunch, getting coffee between classes, discussing assignments, and chatting with fellow scholars. The other reason I’m drawn to the Reynolds Club is its rich history. When originally constructed, it held the president’s quarterly receptions as well as convocation dinners, alumni banquets, football feasts, and other social functions. The main dining hall is something straight out of Harry Potter with vaulted ceilings, chandeliers, stained glass windows, and portraits of the University’s presidents lining the wood-paneled walls.
CA: Is there anything else you’d like to highlight about your MBA program or admissions process?
DS: Every year, I am impressed by the innovative new businesses and solution-based ideas that come out of Booth. You may be aware of our highly-regarded New Venture Challenge annual competition, which has launched countless new companies over the years. We just had the NVC finals with record-breaking dollar amounts awarded to business plans, many featuring AI-powered technology and cutting-edge approaches to age-old problems.
Speaking of AI, this year, students will have expanded course offerings and options to learn about and explore the impact of generative thinking and machine learning in finance, ethics, decision-making, managing the workforce, etc. Chicago Booth is investing in the AI space, both in research and in education and practical application. Led by the school’s Center for Applied Artificial Intelligence, we are growing the footprint of AI within our MBA curriculum. It’s a rapidly evolving field and our faculty are immersed in the day-to-day of how it is transforming life and business in every industry worldwide. We’re committed to providing opportunities and knowledge relevant to what students will encounter as they graduate but can also leverage as the business landscape continues to change with the exceedingly ubiquitous presence of AI.
