Chicago Booth MBA 2026-2027: What the new essays reveal

Chicago Booth released a completely redesigned MBA application for the 2026-2027 admissions cycle. The traditional essay has been replaced with 4 highly structured responses, each limited to 300 characters, asking candidates to define their immediate and long-term career goals, explain the significance of a personal image, and share a unique fact about themselves.

This session breaks down what the Chicago Booth MBA 2026-2027 application reveals about how the admissions committee evaluates candidates.

You have probably already seen the new prompts. What is harder to find is an honest answer to the question underneath them: with 300 characters, the room to explain yourself is gone, and the application now tests whether you can make strategic choices about what to include and what to omit.

Each response must perform a distinct role, and together the 4 responses need to present a single clear candidacy with almost no room for explanation. That is what this session is about.

This session is designed for candidates who are serious about Chicago Booth and want to understand not only what the application requires, but what the admissions committee is trying to learn through these questions and whether their candidacy is prepared to answer them.

During the session, we will discuss:

• What Booth’s move to 4 responses of 300 characters reveals about how the admissions committee now evaluates candidates.
• What each prompt is actually asking candidates to demonstrate, and how the 4 responses work together to build a single candidacy.
• Why the character limits make selection the real test, and where otherwise strong applicants are likely to misread the assignment.

Susan Berishaj, founder of Sia Admissions, will walk through what Chicago Booth’s redesigned application reveals about the school’s evaluation priorities this cycle. She will explain why these changes represent one of the most significant shifts in Booth’s admissions process in recent years, and what separates applicants who simply answer the questions from candidates who present a clear argument for admission.

Register to submit your questions in advance, attend live on Thursday, July 23 at 10:00 a.m. ET, and receive the replay directly in your inbox.

To get support on your Chicago Booth application before the September deadline, book a strategy consultation with Sia Admissions. Learn more about the Sia Method. Request a written profile evaluation.