Skip to main content

Booth vs Wharton MBA: Post-MBA Placements,Scholarships & Fellowships

Wharton Vs Booth MBAIf you have missed the first two parts of the series, Read Booth vs Wharton MBA: Location, Ranking, Cost & Class Profile
Wharton vs Chicago Booth MBA: Experiential Learning and Global Learning

8. Scholarships and Fellowships

Wharton has 40 scholarship and fellowship opportunities, whereas Chicago Booth offers 34 scholarships and fellowships. The Wharton funding opportunities are mainly concentrated within industries and for second-year MBA students. Chicago Booth funding opportunities are widely spread for women, underrepresented minorities, regions, and for students from emerging economies.

Scholarship/Fellowship Type Chicago Booth Wharton
Women Forté Foundation Fellowship Forté Foundation Fellowship
  Herman Family Fellowship for Women Entrepreneurs  
  CREW (Commercial Real Estate Executive Women in Chicago)  
     
Social Impact and Innovation Global Innovator Fellowships Social Impact Fellowships
     
Leadership Distinguished Fellowship  
  Zmijewski Scholarship  
     
Industry Kilts Marketing Fellowship Alcoa Inc.
  Canfield Private Equity Fellowship American Express Philanthropic Program
  Association of Management Consulting Firms Richard Metzler & Roland Berger Scholarship Bain & Company, Inc.
  Ray E. Brown Fellowship Bank of America Corporation
  McKinsey & Company Emerging Scholars Bechtel Foundation
  Pension Real Estate Association Scholarship Citigroup Foundation
  The Royal Academy of Engineering Sainsbury Management Fellowship Credit Suisse
    Daimler Chrysler Corporation Fund
    Deutsche Bank
    Exxon Mobil Corporation
    Ford Motor Company Fund
    General Mills, Inc.
    General Motors Foundation
    The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
    Merrill Lynch & Co., Inc.
    New America Alliance Institute
    Pension Real Estate Association
    Robert A. Toigo Foundation
    Robert R. Nathan Memorial Foundation
     
Emerging Economy Marvin Zonis International Scholarship Emerging Economy Fellowships
  A. H. Tobaccowala Fellowship (India)  
  Chicago Booth Mexico Opportunity Scholarship  
  The Nelson Germanos Fellowship (Brazil)  
  Ramakrishnan Family Scholarship (India)  
  He Family Scholarship (China)  
  Instituto Ling Fellowship (Brazil)  
     
Underrepresented Minorities The Hispanic Scholarship Fund Fellowship Howard E. Mitchell Fellowship
  The ROMBA LGBT+ Fellowship  
  The Wharton Prism Fellowship  
     
Military David W. Fox Scholarship Yellow Ribbon Program
  Yellow Ribbon Program Friends of Israel MBA Fellowship
    The Chapman Taylor Family MBA Fellowship
     
Regional Dennis W. and Jane B. Carlton Fellowship (Israel)  
  Ehara Scholarship (Japan)  
  Fundación Rafael del Pino (Spain)  
  LIFE Scholarship (Lebanese International Finance Executives)  
  MBA Strategy Company, Ukraine  
  Onsi Sawiris Scholarship Program (Egypt)  
  Paul and Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans  
     
Second Year Students Siebel Scholars Program Penn Wharton Innovation Fund
  The University of Chicago Obama Foundation Scholars Program Summer Venture Award
    Startup Internship Award
    Edward B Shills / Leonard L Zeidman Fellowship
    Ford Fellowship – First year, best student
    Academic Excellence Fellowship – Terms 2 and 3, best student
    Inselbag Fellowship – First year (Top 5% eligible)
    McGowan Fellowship – First year (Top 5% eligible)
    Director’s List Fellowship – Each semester (Top 10% eligible)
    Dr. Bruce I. Jacobs Scholars in Quantitative Finance – Second-year, exceptional students in Quantitative Finance Major
    Behrman Family Fellowships
    Real Estate Fellowships
    Whitney M Young Fellowship
    Toigo Fellowships

 

Diversity (Funding): Chicago Booth > Wharton
Number of Scholarships: Wharton > Chicago Booth
Scholarships and Fellowships (By Industry): Wharton > Chicago Booth
Scholarships and Fellowships (By Function): Wharton > Chicago Booth
Scholarships and Fellowships (Women): Chicago Booth > Wharton
Scholarships and Fellowships (Underrepresented Minorities): Chicago Booth > Wharton
Scholarships and Fellowships (Emerging Markets): Chicago Booth > Wharton

9.  Post-MBA Opportunities

By Industry

Wharton superseded Chicago Booth in the employment of its graduates in the finance industry, with the percent hired at Wharton at 30% versus 21% at Chicago Booth.

Wharton was dominant in Investment banking, Private Equity, and Venture Capital. However, Boothies secured a median base salary of $175,000 in investment banking, $25,000 higher than Wharton graduates. But, the upper hand is reversed in the private equity industry, with Wharton graduates securing salaries of $167,500 as compared to Boothie’s $150,000.

Booth is ahead of Wharton by the percentage of graduates hired in Consulting and Technology. Healthcare salaries were higher for Boothies by $1,500, whereas Wharton’s graduates secured higher salaries in Technology (>$8,000)

 

Industry Chicago Booth - Percent Hired (%) Wharton - Percent Hired (%) Chicago Booth - Median Base Salary Wharton - Median Base Salary
Consulting 34% 27% $165,000 $165,000
Healthcare 3% 5% $132,500 $131,000
Investment Banking 7% 13% $175,000 $150,000
Investment Management 4% 4% $150,000 $150,000
Private Equity 7% 11% $150,000 $167,500
Technology 23% 19% $133,000 $141,000
Venture Capital 2% 3% $150,000 $157,500

By Function

Wharton and Booth have similar placements in Investment Banking and Product Management functions. Boothies secured the highest salary in investment banking ($175,000). Wharton’s best-earning function was in private equity/venture capital ($170,000).

Booth has the upper hand in Consulting, whereas Wharton emerges the winner in securing its graduates in private equity/venture capital functions.
 

Function Chicago Booth - Percent Hired (%) Wharton - Percent Hired (%) Chicago Booth - Median Base Salary Wharton - Median Base Salary
Consulting 35.9% 34.1% $165,000 $165,000
Investment Banking 11.1% 11.1% $175,000 $150,000
Private Equity/Venture Capital 8.5% 12.2% $150,000 $170,000
Product Management (Tech) 7.4% 7.8% $144,000 $144,000

Top Recruiters
Chicago Booth’s top 5 recruiters represented a mix of consulting, technology, and finance industries. In contrast, Wharton’s top employers were heavily dominated by consulting and technology firms. The median salaries at both Booth and Wharton were $155,000.

School Name Top Employer 1 Top Employer 2 Top Employer 3 Top Employer 4 Top Employer 5
Chicago Booth McKinsey & Co. BCG Amazon Bain Credit Suisse
Wharton BCG McKinsey & Co. Bain Amazon Google

10. Alumni Network

Wharton’s Alumni network has a size of 100,000+ spread across 153 countries, while Booth has over 55,000+ spread over 120 countries.

Conclusion

Wharton’s strength is the employability of its graduates in the Consulting and Finance industry, particularly private equity and venture capital, whereas Booth’s stronghold is the employability of its graduates in Consulting, and Technology, with both offering equivalent opportunities in Investment Banking.

Wharton’s curriculum flexibility, a larger alumni network, gender equity and inclusivity, and international experiential learning opportunities make it a lucrative school for prospective MBA students, as evident in the high application volume. However, these advantages come at a $10,000 higher overall cost for the duration of the program compared to Chicago Booth.

Boothies enjoy the location advantages of living in a larger city with higher wages.

A larger variety of scholarships and fellowships are offered at Booth with diverse inclusivity metrics, but Wharton offers 6 more opportunities for finance professionals and provides support for second-year students.

If candidates know their post-MBA industry and function, prefer a structured curriculum, and like to explore an industry in-depth, Booth is the clear winner.  
Wharton is ideal for those entering Consulting as the Global experiential learning opportunities is one-of-a-kind experience.

Related Downloads

About the Author 

Atul Jose - Founding Consultant F1GMAT

I am Atul Jose - the Founding Consultant at F1GMAT.

Over the past 15 years, I have helped MBA applicants gain admissions to Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, MIT, Chicago Booth, Kellogg, Columbia, Haas, Yale, NYU Stern, Ross, Duke Fuqua, Darden, Tuck, IMD, London Business School, INSEAD, IE, IESE, HEC Paris, McCombs, Tepper, and schools in the top 30 global MBA ranking. 

I offer end-to-end Admissions Consulting and editing services – Career Planning, Application Essay Editing & Review, Recommendation Letter Editing, Interview Prep, assistance in finding funds and Scholarship Essay & Cover letter editing. See my Full Bio.

Contact me for support in school selection, career planning, essay strategy, narrative advice, essay editing, interview preparation, scholarship essay editing and guiding supervisors with recommendation letter guideline documents

I am also the Author of the Winning MBA Essay Guide, covering 16+ top MBA programs with 240+ Sample Essays that I have updated every year since 2013 (11+ years. Phew!!)

I am an Admissions consultant who writes and edits Essays every year. And it is not easy to write good essays. 

Contact me for any questions about MBA or Master's application. I would be happy to answer them all 

Founding Consultant - F1GMAT, Author, EditorScholarship/Fellowship Essay Editing - Work with Atul Jose (Founding Consultant and Essay Specialist)

With the word limit typically in the 500 to 1500 range, it is not easy to structure the essay without losing momentum.

I, Atul Jose - F1GMAT’s Lead Consultant and Essay Specialist, will help you structure the scholarship essay by:

1)  Life stories

I will help you find unique life experiences that would differentiate you from the highly competitive scholarship application pool.

2)  Storytelling

I have developed a keen sense of storytelling from over a decade and a half of editing essays and writing essay examples for F1GMAT’s Essay Guides.

The skills that a writer/editor brings to the table are different from what a former admissions officer or a consultant who has limited writing skills brings

Review Skills # Writing Skills
Movie Critics # Movie Directors

It is easy to comment, but it is tough to structure the essay from the perspective of the applicant and turn the essay into a winning scholarship essay.

3) Aligning with the Mission of the Fund

A big part of editing and guiding applicants is in educating them about the mission of the fund. 

Some funds have very ‘specific’ traits that they are looking for in an applicant. 

If you don’t highlight them and lean towards general leadership narratives, the essay won’t work. 

I will guide you through the writing process. 

I will also iteratively edit the essays without losing your original voice.

Subscribe to F1GMAT's Scholarship/Fellowship Essay Editing Service for help

For any questions about the service, email me, Atul Jose, at editor@f1gmat.com

Winning MBA Essay Guide - A Complete Guide for M7 and Top 15 MBA Application Essays 


F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay guide will teach you how to transform your essay into a life journey with trials and tribulations that will move the admission team.

+ Over 245 Sample Essays (Read Previews of F1GMAT's Winning MBA Essay Guide Sample Essays here)

+ Top 15 MBA Programs (Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Columbia, Booth, MIT, Kellogg, Yale, Haas, Darden, INSEAD, LBS, NYU Stern, Tuck, Duke Fuqua, Ross)
+ The Art of Storytelling 
+ Leadership Narratives
+ Review Tips
+ Persuasion Strategies
+ The Secret to "unleashing" your unique voice
+ How to prepare and present for the Video Essay
+ How to write about your Strengths
+ How to write about your Weaknesses
 
 

Want to try the individual school Essay Guides before upgrading to the Winning MBA Essay Guide? Try below.

F1GMAT's Essay Guides

  • Harvard MBA Essay Guide (20 Sample Essays)

    Growth-Oriented Essay: Curiosity can be seen in many ways. Please share an example of how you have demonstrated curiosity and how that has influenced your growth. (up to 250 words) 

    Example #1: Persistence Narrative 
    Background Information: The applicant – a design and music talent, shares her journey through several setbacks. She attributes curiosity to her growth.  
    Curiosity: Philosophy  
    Curiosity (Explained): Curiosity as a philosophy is tough to translate into a narrative unless you are from the creative industry or your contributions had an influence on a solution or an initiative.  
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to capture the humanity of the applicant and her influence in music instead of just highlighting how she overcame multiple roadblocks to gain attention as a designer.  
    Theme: Persistence  
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Life Starts at NO (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example) 

    Example #2: International Community Building 
    Background Information: The applicant, a Machine Learning (ML) entrepreneur specializing in healthcare diagnostics, shares how his curiosity to learn other ML algorithms’ evolution in diagnosing Alzheimer’s, cancer, and heart disease transformed his platform into a global community. 
    MBA Essay Strategy: I wanted to show the applicant’s contributions in diagnostic from 2020 to 2024 by citing two events. Such examples build credibility instead of engagements that were recent. The evolution of the platform from an AI development community to a community for discussing the application of AI in diagnostics is captured through a ‘curiosity’ angle.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Growth through Collaboration (AI in Healthcare) (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #3: Culture
    Background Information: The applicant, an Entrepreneur from India narrates his first entrepreneurial experience – facilitating exchange of stamps in the late 1990s.
    Theme: Culture
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Instead of addressing the biases in the investor community that could turn preachy, I wanted to focus on the applicant and his entrepreneurial journey by citing two entrepreneurial experiences – a platform(club) for stamp collection and his Grocery delivery App.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – The American Dream (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #4: Addiction
    Background Information: The applicant – a beneficiary of the foster home system, captures the sacrifice his adopted grandparents made to save him from a path of addiction. Paying it back through early intervention among teenagers and community engagement is the curiosity narrative.
    Theme: Addiction
    MBA Essay Strategy:  My strategy is to capture a gratitude narrative in the first one-third of the essay to demonstrate motivation for starting the venture and dedicate the latter part of the essay to the unique solution
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Drug Addiction and Gaming (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #5: Scarcity
    Background Information: The applicant, an education major, recognizes that 70% of all students in Kenya don’t have a computer. The curiosity that drives him to pivot from one solution to another is the growth narrative.
    Theme: Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Often, innovation is captured with a ‘hero’ narrative where the applicant is the sole originator of an idea. I wanted to break that cliché and include a person from whom the applicant learned to use a concept called ‘scaffolding.’
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Scarcity (Growth-Oriented HBS Essay Example)

    Example #6: FinTech
    Background Information: The applicant captures a vulnerable moment of a beneficiary to compare his journey of side hustle before a technology giant noticed his talent. Although cryptocurrency is not a flavor for the year, capture niches where innovation is still happening. 
    Theme: Education, Child Welfare
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Empathizing with a techno solution is tough without a strong backstory around the beneficiary. For the essay, I wanted to clearly establish the beneficiary – Rami, before the applicant narrates the similarities to his journey and finally shares the solution that emerged from his curiosity.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – FinTech as a Tool for Good (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #7: Learning from the best
    Background Information: The applicant – a Remote Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, reflects on a value that has helped her learn from the best regardless of her geographical limitations.
    Theme: Learning
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The effectiveness of the case-study method depends on the assumption that peers in a Harvard MBA class will help elevate your learning experience. For the essay, I have highlighted the applicant’s recognition of this value proposition with three examples.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Learning from the Best (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #8: Military & Search for IMPACT
    Background Information: The most common narrative for US military applicants is to quote 9/11 and the reaction your immediate family had while watching the events unfold. The horrifying moment is captured as a motivation to join the Military. On digging deeper, most applicants would share that their motivations were diverse.
    Theme: Career Choice
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I wanted to quickly highlight that the applicant had the choice of entering any industry. One achievement to demonstrate his curiosity that I shared in the first half is the invention of a game. Since the game is mentioned in the resume and verifiable through search, I didn’t quote the name. By clearly highlighting the person’s curiosity and career options, the family legacy is used as a factor in joining the military.
    Read: Harvard MBA Curiosity Essay – Career Choice after a Military Career (Growth-Oriented HBS MBA Essay Example)
     
    Leadership-Focused Essay: What experiences have shaped who you are, how you invest in others, and what kind of leader you want to become? (up to 250 words)

    Example #9: Small Business Values
    Background Information: The applicant - a second-generation Asian American, is familiar with the values of fiscal conservatism, building relationships, and understanding the daily struggles of the community through his family’s department store.
    Theme: Customer-Centric
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The applicant’s role in developing an App for the store is highlighted in the essay at a crucial part of the narrative so that the essay is not all about his father. I have also humanized the journey – by sharing how upset the father was when the revenues fell by 40%. The essay is about the transformation in the applicant’s value from a person chasing productivity and optimization technique to someone who is truly thinking about the customers. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Small Business Values (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #10: Breaking Away from Family Business
    Background Information: A unique challenge that applicants whose parents are public figures or CXOs of businesses or entrepreneurs are the pressure to live up to the parent’s standards or milestones. For the leadership narrative, the burden of legacy is established before the narrative addresses his leadership principles.
    Theme: Authenticity  
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, I want to capture an entrepreneur’s journey to rise above his entrepreneur father’s image. But I didn’t want to make the entire essay about this complex dynamics. The narrative is around the applicant’s focus on customers and surrounding with teams who keeps him grounded. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Breaking Away from Family Business(Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #11: Creativity and Communication 
    Background Information: When the overall percentage of users with internet access is 62% in South Africa and the inequality accentuated by the rural and urban divide, the applicant endured the lack of digital infrastructure, and spending close to 22% of the family income on gaining relevant information on schools, global exams, and financial assistance. 
    Theme: Creativity, Communication
    MBA Essay Strategy:  The strategy is to share why the applicant values no distraction in a child’s home for optimum education experience. Then I highlight the many roadblocks the applicant’s non-profit faced in receiving fee waiver for their cooperative run ISP.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Non-Profit (Telecom) (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #12: Mental Health
    Background Information: The applicant like most didn’t pay much attention to the mental health epidemic until tragedy hit home.
    Theme: Communication, Innovation
    MBA Essay Strategy:  A question we frequently get from applicants is whether they should cite tragedy in the family as a motivation for a venture or a non-profit initiative. As long as you don’t linger too much on the tragedy and offer a balanced narrative, there are no restrictions on leveraging unique stories from your life. 
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Mental Health (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #13: Trauma, Healing & Finding Authentic Self
    Background Information: The applicant narrates the absurdity of war in the narrative about the duties in Kabul, and the trauma. Instead of wallowing in on the horror, the applicant takes what makes military applicants strong and guides unprivileged children build life and leadership skills.
    Theme: Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing PTSD in an essay, the healing process, and the cues that helped the applicant are too sacred to be shared in a Harvard MBA application essay. However, with the right motivation and narrative arcs, you can capture the essence of your journey without sharing the darkest secrets. That is what I did by merging two stories – the horrors of the war with a non-profit engagement.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Military & PTSD (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #14: Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra
    Background Information: In this narrative, the applicant captures Peru’s Silver mining boom of 2006. The growth experienced in her father’s business shifted the family’s economic status to a new stratosphere. Through the changing economic and family dynamics, the applicant finds her voice in a unique way, initially to record her unheard voice but later as one of the youngest subject matter experts in mining and commodities.  
    Theme: Failure
    MBA Essay Strategy:  For the essay, the strategy is to show how life’s unpredictability is a blessing. By narrating two setback events, the essay demonstrates the applicant’s resilience and her acknowledgment of people who made a comeback possible.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – Addiction, Setback and Leadership Mantra (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Example #15: War, Immigration and Starting Over Again
    Background Information: Despite a raging war in Syria, the family of the applicant was unblemished by the chaos. The strategic government assets near the applicant’s house would have made the region an easy target, but it was not. The calmness of her journey is shattered in one event. From the privileges of a cocooned life, the applicant is forced to think about survival, her sister’s future, and her future in the US. The second half of the narrative captures the change that was forced on her. 
    Theme: Gratitude, Resilience
    MBA Essay Strategy:  I consciously chose not to start the essay with a dialogue or trauma. Two lines are allocated to set up the narrative before the trauma event.
    Read: Harvard MBA Leadership Essay – War, Immigration and Starting Over Again (Leadership-Focused HBS MBA Essay Example)

    Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay: Please reflect on how your experiences have influenced your career choices and aspirations and the impact you will have on the businesses, organizations, and communities you plan to serve. (up to 300 words)

    Example #16: Creative or Finance
    Background Information: The applicant starts the narrative with the origin of her talents. The unbridled enthusiasm receives a reality check when in high school, the applicant’s father has a conversation with her about academics. While the applicant picked up her quant skills, she was reaching over 50,000 loyal fans, and her videos captured 1 million views. 
    Theme: Passion, Talent
    MBA Essay Strategy:  Capturing vulnerability is the toughest part for Harvard MBA applicants. For this essay example, I have captured the applicant’s uncertainty about career choice throughout the essay. Here the goal is to show vulnerability in the career choice essay while for leadership and growth essay, I could capture one example each from creative and PE industry respectively to balance the narrative. So don’t follow this example without a strategy.  
    Read: Harvard MBA Business-Minded Essay – Creative or Finance (Business-Minded HBS MBA Essay Example)

  • Stanford MBA Essay Guide (24 Sample Essays)
  • Columbia MBA Essay Guide (21 Sample Essays)
  • Wharton MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • INSEAD MBA Essay Guide (19 Sample Essays)
  • Darden MBA Essay Guide  (21 Sample Essays) 
  • Yale SOM MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Tuck MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays)
  • Haas MBA Essay Guide (18 Sample Essays)
  • NYU Stern MBA Essay Guide (15 Sample Essays + 6 Examples - Visual Essay)
  • LBS MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Essays)
  • MIT Sloan MBA Essay Guide (6 Sample Cover Letters + 3 Sample Video Statement Scripts + 3 Sample Optional Essays)
  • Kellogg MBA Essay Guide (11 Sample Essays)
  • Chicago Booth MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)
  • Ross MBA Essay Guide (31 Sample Essays)
  • Duke Fuqua MBA Essay Guide (10 Sample Essays + Two 25 Random Things Samples)
  • Cambridge MBA Essay Guide (12 Sample Essays)

Want to read the Essay Examples before purchasing the Essay Guides? 

Not sure if an MBA Program is right for you? See our Premium Research.

F1GMAT Premium

Salary Trends (3 Years)

Do you want to work with the expert consultant who has guided applicants to M7 and T20 MBA admissions?  Sign up now!

F1GMAT's Services 

Get Exclusive Events, Advice and Trends in your Inbox 

Get Exclusive Essay Tips (scholarship and application), Salary, and industry trends straight to your inbox!