Finding a 'Fit' at Chicago

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Rose Martinelli
University of Chicago

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Are there some things that applicants tend to focus on, thinking that they're really important for finding the best fit, but that aren't as important as the students think they are?
Well, I think a couple of things. I think sometimes when students get so narrowly tailored to just looking at schools within the top ranking, they begin to try to craft an application that's a little bit general and miss the mark.

I think one of the most important things that students need to recognize is that within the top-tier schools, they're all terrific programs. There's really no better program or best program for all students. It really does boil down to what individually suits one. So if you look at top-tier programs, you do have Harvard, Wharton, and Chicago, and you have Tuck, Stanford, Kellogg, and Columbia, and each of those programs are quite different. And sometimes, it's very difficult when I look at applicants who apply to a very flexible program like Chicago, also apply to a program that's not flexible, perhaps such as Harvard. It looks a little odd. I get it because of the rankings, but in terms of the content and the delivery, it looks a little odd to those people on the evaluation side.

So I think once you get past the initial ranking thing, then you really need to choose on fit and think in the set of schools that you're considering, what are your top schools, what are your middle schools, and what are your safety schools, and try to create a set of schools that you know you can get into and would be wonderful places for you to enroll.

You spent 15 years as an opera singer before finding a niche in college admissions, so I'm assuming you're quite understanding of career switchers? What are some of the concerns that someone with an unconventional background might have in determining which business school is the best fit?
A lot of times nontraditional applicants, liberal arts applicants, have a real fear around how quantitative a program might be and are there other people like [them] in those schools. I know at Chicago, people think of us as the economic finance powerhouse. Those are true statements. But we are really much more of an analytically focused school in learning how to be a critical thinker, and most liberal arts students are effective critical thinkers. And we want to help them build those skills, understanding the financial analytical tools as well as just the critical thinking tools.

So a lot of folks get very nervous when they hear of an institution that is known for X thinking that there are no people like myself and there would be no opportunity for me to recruit in other opportunities beyond the traditional finance and consulting.

And I would say to nontraditional students, we love you! I have a very fond place in my heart for liberal arts students, people who come out of government, nonprofit, Peace Corps opportunities, and also folks who are trying to explore more of the entrepreneurial things, and they're kind of walking to the beat of their own drum. Those people are very attractive because they have an internal drive and aspiration to make their mark, and what they need are some critical thinking skills in order to ensure their success long-term, and a place like the GSB and other programs that have more of an analytical approach would be terrific programs to shore up their competencies and also to give them the confidence within the marketplace that they have those skills and are able to do that. And they will not be alone at Chicago.