Sally Watson, Chicago Booth MBA Class of 2019
Age: 26
Hometown: St. Andrews, Scotland
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Stanford University, B.A in international relations
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Professional golfer on the Ladies European Tour (four years)
Why business school? Why now? I always wanted to return to school at some point in my life, and halfway through my 2016 season I decided for a multitude of reasons that now was the right time. I missed the intellectual environment of university and wanted to return to a school where I knew I would be challenged and where I could best prepare myself for whatever career I chose to pursue next.
Why Chicago Booth? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? There were a lot of reasons why I chose to apply to Chicago Booth (the flexible curriculum, the faculty, the experiential learning opportunities, the location on Lake Michigan), but the main reason I chose to attend was without a doubt the people. When I came for my interview and spent a couple of days on campus meeting various students I was so impressed by how friendly and helpful everyone was. Booth has a great culture of paying it forward, of giving back to our fellow Boothies, and this culture was evident even from my short time on campus this past May. Since starting in September this culture is only more evident as the second-year students continually give their time to help the first-years with recruiting, interview prep, class selection, and just having a good ole time!
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2019? I’m not exactly sure what my most valuable contribution to the Class of 2019 has been so far. (You might need to ask my friends for the best answer.) I can say that I enthusiastically co-captained the Davis cohort to a respectable third-place finish at Fall Frolics, which surely counts for something.
I am also hoping to start a women’s golf club in the spring quarter with the hope of introducing my fellow female classmates not familiar with golf to the sport and providing them with the confidence to take advantage of any business opportunities that might arise through the game.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? I went skydiving in New Zealand after the Ladies European Tour event there in 2015—by far the most exhilarating experience of my life!
Post-MBA career interests? In the short term I am focused on finding a career that continues to develop my skill set and puts me in a position to be surrounded by people who are going to challenge me intellectually on a daily basis. I am still in the process of figuring out exactly where I would like to “end up,” but at the moment, it is difficult to not see myself working within the sports industry in some capacity. Sports is what I am passionate about, and it is important to me that my career ultimately reflects who I am as a person.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Visit Booth. No matter how great the website makes Booth sound, nothing compares to coming and meeting the people here, which as I’ve said is, in my opinion, Booth’s strongest asset.
–One thing you would change or do differently? Apply in the first or second round to give myself more time to prepare for the start of the school year. That being said, I still believe that you should apply in whatever round you think you will be able to put your strongest application forward, so don’t rush the process just to meet an earlier deadline.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? Honestly, I am not sure I would have skipped any of the application process… even the GMAT. Having been out of school for almost four years, I think it was good preparation for Booth to get back into the habit of studying.
Greatest highlight so far at Chicago Booth? Wow, this is a hard one. I’m not the most decisive person when it comes to questions like this—I always want to pick my top three or five or however many I can negotiate. That being said, my Random Walk experience in Belize was amazing, and not just because of the week vacation in Central America, scuba diving and relaxing by the pool drinking piña coladas, but because of the friends I made during that week. A few of the girls I met during that week have become my best friends here at Booth, and at the end of the day, wherever you are in the world, whatever you are doing, it is the people you spend your time with that will make your experience all that it is.
One thing about Chicago Booth that you didn’t expect before arriving? The summer sunshine! Everyone talks about how cold the winters are in Chicago, but they forget to mention how amazing the summers are. From when I arrived in August until maybe mid-October, we had beautiful 80-degree weather most days. As a result, my friends and I were able to take full advantage of Chicago’s beaches and location on the lake by renting a boat one weekend.
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year? Getting an internship… It might sound silly, and we are constantly reminded that we will get an internship, but I still can’t wait to know exactly where I will be spending my summer.
Thing you are most excited about in your first year? Continuing to meet my fellow Boothies. My friend and I went through the student directory the other day and figured we both had met around 150 people. That means that there are more than 400 of my classmates for me to either get to know better or meet for the first time.
