Rachaita Shah, University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA Class of 2025
Rachaita Shah, University of Chicago Booth School of Business MBA Class of 2025Age: 30
Hometown: Ahmedabad, India
Undergraduate Institution and Major: S M Patel Institute of Commerce, Gujarat University; Bachelor of Commerce: Major in – Accounting & Business.
Graduate Institution and Major: Amrut Mody School of Management, Ahmedabad University; Master of Business Administration: Concentration in – Marketing & Finance
Pre-MBA Work Experience (role, company, years): Art Amore (Oct 2019 – Present), Founder, a fine arts organization focused on reviving dying Indian folk arts by promoting them through educational and recreational events and workshops. RACHAITA SHAH (Jan 2015 – Dec 2016), Founder, Luxury designer label partnering with women artisans to handcraft vegan shoes and women’s accessories.
Why did you make the decision to attend business school? Why now?
Having founded two creative start-ups in the past seven years, I knew early on that my passion lay in integrating art and business. I love traveling to different countries to learn more about the art and culture of that place. While on these travels, exploring folk arts, I realized that the issue of dying indigenous arts is prevalent across country borders. While, I could elevate this problem a fair bit in my home country- India, with my start-up, I aspire to resolve this problem globally. For this, I need an understanding of global businesses, international markets, cultural barriers, and country-specific laws and regulations. I also need access to expansive entrepreneurial resources to scale my start-up to the next level. Realizing that I can have this experience while interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, I determined that a global business school education is the best way to gain this exposure for the next phase of my career and my start-up’s growth.
Why did you choose Chicago Booth? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
It was extremely important for me to have the flexibility to chart my own academic experience in business school. Having a previous MBA with concentrations in Marketing and Finance, I was certain that I wanted to take courses that challenge me and help develop a deeper understanding of the constantly evolving global business environment today. Booth was the only school that offered this unique opportunity with an added emphasis on a collaborative culture. The flexibility to design your journey and opportunities to participate in numerous experiential programs like the Social New Venture Challenge spoke the most to me. Additionally, I cannot emphasize how much the Pay-it-forward culture at Booth is ingrained in each student. Each student that I reached out to was willing to connect me with more people to give me more specific insights into how the program could be tailored to my non-traditional career journey and how it could add value to a diverse class at Booth. I wanted to be part of such a community that is willing to go that extra length to help out their fellow classmates. Selecting Booth as the top and only preference was an absolute no-brainer for me.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the University of Chicago Booth School of Business Class of 2025?
I am among a pool of extremely talented candidates and every single one of them is so diverse and adds immense value to any discussion. But if I had to point out a single differentiating contribution, it would be my creative start-up background in a rapidly evolving Indian economy where female-owned start-ups come with their own unique set of challenges. I believe this background brings a perspective often overlooked or not top of the mind in situations in more developed business environments with an overflow of resources. Every introduction I have made has instilled a curiosity in the other person to know more about my start-up, how I launched it, the struggles I face, how I plan to expand my start-up, etc. Due to this unique background, my insights and perspectives are also out of the box in any group projects or study teams.
Tell us a fun fact about yourself that didn’t get included in your application.
I love DIY! There’s just something about crafting a coffee table from scratch that a store-bought piece of furniture will not have. And no, it’s not the stress of mess. I have put together my art studio by making almost 20+ such projects and saved $2000 in the process, a major chunk of which was spent on ordering take-out food because I was too busy crafting.
Post-MBA career interests:
I plan to join a strategy consulting role post-MBA to gain a holistic understanding of structured frameworks that can be leveraged to curate business strategies for global businesses.
Advice for Current Prospective Applicants:
–What is one thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process?
I loved talking to current students during the process and getting to know their life stories, backgrounds, their career aspirations, their challenges, and their thoughts about their school. I remember so many of my coffee chats going over time with students because both of us got so engrossed in talking and lost track of time. For all prospective candidates reading this article, I have put together a basic set of 5 questions that will help you start conversations during your coffee chats
1. What is your favorite part of being a student at XYZ Business School?
2. What is the one thing that you’d like to change about your business school?
3. Are there any (insert concentration/interest area) courses that stand out to you or that you’re pursuing? (Alternatively, ask about clubs that they are a part of if the conversation is light in tone)
4. How frequently do students meet outside of classes for non-academic reasons?
5. What are your priorities that you’ve set for your MBA and are you able to maintain them?
This set of questions balances all aspects of a business school – personal, academics, peers, social life, caution areas, popular areas, etc. I’d say that the sweet spot for the number of students you should reach out to is at least 4-5 from each school, and then understand the common talking points between those conversations to make your decision. However, this is my opinion, and feel free to take inspiration and devise your own questions.
–What is one thing you would change or do differently?
In hindsight, I would have approached the topic of pursuing a 2nd MBA more confidently and as a strength rather than a shortcoming. Each of us goes through our own journey of self-doubt when we are going through this daunting application process. But, it just takes a little more courage to be confident about who you are and what you bring to the table to make the cut at a top-tier b-school. Authenticity can go a long way and unfortunately, I realised this a little too late. After all the conversations I had with current students, coaches, mentors, family, and friends, I realized that a second MBA was actually a part of my experience that I could have built upon more and not something I had to justify as a gap in my candidacy.
–What is one part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it?
I strongly wish that I could skip the letter of recommendation aspect of the application. I felt the process of following up with my recommenders and not having any control over the timeline of one part of my application that could potentially make or break my application was a scary place to be in, especially when only a “MAJOR CAREER TRANSITION” was at stake.
What is your initial impression of the Chicago Booth students/culture/community?
I am a big advocate of Chicago Booth’s community and culture. Being an international student, I can confidently say that I have found a home away from home. Not only do most Booth students live in a 2-block radius but we literally have someone to share every single meal with, no matter a school night or a weekend. You’ll never feel alone or isolated, because there will always be someone who you meet on the train to school or in the building that we all live in to ask you how your day has been. There will always be someone who can pick up groceries for you on their grocery run or just tag along if you want to go to a concert or shopping. The strength in numbers is a big advantage at Booth because you will always find a person with a similar interest as yours, whether it’s taking a Yoga class, going to a paint and sip event, going to a wine festival, attending a stand-up comedy show or go to a karaoke club.
What is one thing you have learned about Chicago Booth that has surprised you?
I was totally surprised by how early the recruiting kicks in for more traditional career paths. For international students who have just moved into the country, this is challenging at many different levels. The culture shift is massive. While you’re still exploring which winter clothes to buy from which store while putting your apartment together, you also have to draft your elevator pitches and networking chats with recruiters. But it’s a steep learning curve and if you made it to Booth, you are definitely capable enough to juggle all this while still staying sane. The free coffee at school definitely helps.
The one thing that blew my mind about Booth is that Booth will be there for you as much as you need it and whenever you need it. You want to talk about how challenging balancing a relationship has been with your school work, there are free therapy hours at school. If you want to talk to a professor about how much you enjoyed their class or want to give some feedback, they are just an email away. Want to get an aspirin for your throbbing headache, the on-campus guards will go and fetch it for you. From the smallest of help to the biggest of favors, there will always be peers, advisors, professors, campus staff, wellness coaches, seniors, alums, or somebody else who can help you. At Booth, we’ve got your back in all the cool and not-so-cool situations.
What is one thing you are most anxious about in your first year?
Coming from a non-traditional background in entrepreneurship and the start-up world, I am most anxious about the significant personal growth and transition that lies ahead. Moving to a new country, adapting to a different culture, and managing the rigorous academic workload can be quite overwhelming. For example, in my first course, we were given a case study on baseball. Back in India, baseball is a rarely talked about sport. While adapting to the nuances of American baseball was amusing, it’s also symbolic of the broader cultural transition I’m undergoing. The journey isn’t always a home run; sometimes, it’s a wild pitch or a swing and a miss. Yet, these experiences taught me resilience, the importance of learning from my mistakes, and embracing the unfamiliar. So, my first year is filled with anxiety, but it’s also peppered with moments of laughter, personal growth, and the occasional baseball bloopers.
What is one thing you are most excited about in your first year?
Just a few days ago, I made the overly optimistic decision to try and catch a train from campus to downtown, and the station is supposedly a 10-minute walk away from school. However, I found myself in the delightful company of another first-year student who shared my optimism. We embarked on an exhilarating four-minute run, only to watch the train pull away as we approached the platform. Not to worry, though – we hopped into a cab together, talking about everything from our travel adventures to our thoughts on peer schools. It was a hilarious and bonding experience that encapsulates the excitement of this journey. What excites me the most about this MBA experience is the opportunity to connect with a multitude of people and delve into their unique personalities in such a short span of time. Now, whenever my fellow runner and I cross paths on campus, we exchange friendly waves and smiles, reminding me that the chance to meet new faces and forge connections is a constant source of excitement during this remarkable MBA adventure.
