Chicago Booth MBA Recommendation Questions
The Chicago Booth MBA application is now live, meaning that the Booth MBA recommendation questions for the 2025-2026 admissions season are now available for applicants and recommenders. Applicants must provide two letters of recommendation, one from a current supervisor, and one from someone who has worked with you in a professional capacity, organization or club, or volunteer project. If a current supervisor is not feasible, explain the circumstances in your optional essay. If you work for a family business or own your own company, you can submit a letter from a client or outside party who does business with you and can provide an objective assessment.
2025-2026 Chicago Booth MBA Recommendation Questions
Recommender information
- Contact information
- Relationship to applicant
- How long have you known the applicant?
- Do you have an MBA degree?
- Are you in any way affiliated with The University of Chicago or Chicago Booth?
Skills Assessment
Recommenders are asked to rate the candidate on a handful of leadership traits and skills on a scale of one to six, with one being “area of concern” and six being “exceeds expectations.” Unable to Assess is an option.
Please assess the candidate’s skills in the following areas. Your honest and candid assessment greatly helps the Admissions Committee in evaluating the candidate. Most candidates will have a range of marks; it is extremely rare for a candidate to exceed expectations in all areas.
- Self-awareness
- Initiative/Self-motivation
- Confidence and professional impression
- Openness to feedback and constructive criticism
- Ability to adapt to change and make the most of situations
- Collaboration with others
- Interpersonal skills with colleagues/subordinates
- Interpersonal skills with superiors/executives
- Respect for others’ perspectives
- Critical thinking and problem solving skills
- Leadership and development of others
Peer Comparison
Based on your professional experience, how does the applicant rate within his or her peer group?
- Best in Career
- Truly Exceptional (top 5%)
- Outstanding (top 10%)
- Very Good (top 25%)
- Average (top 50%)
- Below Average
- Unable to Assess
Please indicate the reference group for this comparison (fill-in).
Overall I:
- Enthusiastically recommend this candidate
- Recommend this candidate
- Recommend this candidate with reservations
- Do not recommend this candidate
Letter of Recommendation
Please provide a written letter of recommendation in support of the applicant addressing the following questions:
- How do the applicant’s performance, potential, background, or personal qualities compare to those of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? Please provide specific examples.
- What is the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant? Please describe the circumstances, your feedback, and the applicant’s response.
MBA Applywire
Background: 27, male, SouthAsia (non Indian). Top national undergrad, GPA just under 3, strong GRE (330/167Q).
Experience 5 years: Founder of a cross border consumer-electronics venture (led a successful B2B pivot) operating over 3 continents, and Director of Ops & Supply Chain at a Regional distribution company (in a similar domain to my own business).
Leadership: Elected civic role (thousands of constituents); founded an award-winning COVID relief effort.
Goals: Short-term consulting (MBB/T2, ops & transformation). long-term to build an advisory firm for emerging-market SMEs.
I have a strong academic background and a multidisciplinary profile across economics, technology policy, and social impact. I scored 92.4% in Class 12 and completed my undergraduate degree from a Tier-I college under the University of Delhi with a CGPA of 8.54/10. I further pursued a one-year full-time Post Graduate Diploma from the Indian Statistical Institute, where I scored 76.3% and graduated as the topper of my batch.
Professionally, I have around 4.5 years of experience across the tech policy and social impact consulting space. I began my career as an economist at a boutique technology policy consulting firm, where I worked on research and advisory projects at the intersection of digital economy, regulation, and public policy. I then worked closely with a state government as part of a fellowship, gaining hands-on experience in policy implementation and government systems. Currently, I work with a prominent Section 8 company in the e-commerce space, contributing to initiatives focused on digital commerce, inclusion, and ecosystem development.
Overall, my profile brings together strong quantitative training, policy experience, government exposure, and impact-oriented work in India’s digital economy.
Experience includes technical leadership, instructor tenure and digital transformation initiatives. Led cross functional teams and managed projects with multiple stakeholders.
Preference for STEM designated MBA. Scholarship opportunities are a major factor in school selection.
Would appreciate feedback on whether my profile is better suited for consulting or PM roles post MBA?
I want to provide a clear picture of my background, impact, and what drives me. I hold a B.Eng. in Civil Engineering, but I pivoted my career to finance, strategy, and operations. My profile is defined by hands-on business operations, a strong "Builder/Product" mindset in consulting, and community leadership.
Early Business Foundations (Family Automotive Business):
Before entering corporate consulting, I worked as a Digital Operations & Strategy Analyst at my family's automotive business. I transitioned the company from a low-foot-traffic physical storefront to an inbound digital sales model. I managed a rotating digital inventory of 20-25 vehicles across major automotive marketplaces. I also conducted pricing analysis using national pricing index trends and tested multiple acquisition channels to focus exclusively on high-intent leads. This hands-on commercial experience was the catalyst for my pivot into corporate strategy.
Professional Impact & Tech Automations (Big 4 Firm - Risk Consulting):
Currently, I work as a Business Consultant in Risk Advisory at a Big 4 firm, executing SOX controls testing for enterprise clients across 10+ countries. In my daily routine, I actively hunt for operational bottlenecks. For example, in a recent project auditing an industrial automation multinational, my team was tasked with manually reviewing 104 complex contracts and measurement bulletins. Recognizing the severe inefficiency, I mapped the workflow and implemented an AI-driven solution using Microsoft Copilot, Python, and VBA to extract data directly from system prints. Furthermore, I utilized DataSnipper and custom AI prompts to eliminate manual data entry, directly contributing to the fastest Phase 3 SOX delivery in the client's history for the EME region. I also acted as the sole regional beta tester for the firm's proprietary GenAI platform, providing direct UX and functional feedback to the US-based Product Management team.
Extracurricular Leadership (The Community Builder):
Outside of the corporate world, I am the Co-Founder and Treasurer of a local non-profit baseball association. I built custom Excel tracking models for our P&L and drove recurring revenue through multi-year commercial partnerships at major regional cultural events. I spearheaded grassroots expansion by partnering with local schools, successfully scaling the active organization to over 120 engaged community members.
Post-MBA Goals:
I am targeting MBB consulting post-MBA to rapidly pay off potential debt and solidify my strategic acumen. This will function as a direct stepping stone into my ultimate goal: Senior Product Management (Tech PM) at a Big Tech firm.