A new post on the Chicago admissions committee blog addresses the new essay  in which applicants are asked to choose a picture and explain how the picture portrays the applicant’s fit to the school’s student community:

“Booth is a place that emphasizes individuality and diverse perspectives. The intent of the essay is to get a better feel for who you are, how you think, and the unique impact you bring to the Booth community. There are several photos to choose from, as each sheds light on different aspects of our culture or moment in Booth history.

How are people approaching the essay?

We quickly realized that image selection results are as diverse as our applicants. We’ve been really impressed and have seen applicants take a very personal approach with their chosen image, as well as give profound reasons for wanting to be a part of this community. Everyone reflects on these images differently, which is something we model throughout our community – valuing unique opinions and individual perspectives to make Booth a stronger place.

What exactly is admissions looking for?

We are looking for you to be authentic, to understand what connections you make to the program and the school, and what is it about the community you find interesting. We simply encourage you to utilize a photo to contextualize and personalize your response. At the end of the day, we are looking for you to bring a new element about yourself into the essay, something that you haven’t already shared in other sections of the application.”