Again we pose the rhetorical question: Chicago Booth is only a finance school, right? Wrong. In the past, we have discussed the strengths of its marketing program to the surprise of some. We feel that not enough applicants are aware of its robust "hands on" offerings, through its Michael P. Polsky Center for Entrepreneurship. Where to begin?

Booth's practical academic programs extend into the field of entrepreneurship with the "New Venture and Small Enterprise Lab." Herein, students work for up to ten hours per week for an entire quarter within a host firm or take on a dedicated project in a class designed to train those who intend to ultimately join start-ups or consult to them. Additionally, the Polsky Center sponsors the New Venture Challenge (NVC), a business plan competition, which, during 2008-2009, offered more than $80,000 to students as seed money for winning bids. And, up to four winners of the NVC are invited to join the ARCH Venture Partners New Business Incubator for one year (or until they receive funding to launch their businesses), where they benefit from faculty support and office resources. The center has launched more than 50 companies that, in turn, have raised $100MM in capital in spaces as diverse as payment solutions, flexible solar panels, food preparation and children's toys. Further, entrepreneurially minded Booth students can also apply for funding from the Hyde Park Angels (HPA), a group of Booth EMBAs who make investments of up to $1MM in start-ups. While the HPA is an arms-length organization and does not exclusively source investments from Booth, it maintains a connection to the Polsky Center, which supports the HPA's mission. The HPA offers students the opportunity to intern as Associates and gain venture capital experience while at Chicago Booth. In 2009-2010, seven Booth students served as HPA Associates.

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We are just scratching the surface - in short, again, Chicago is not "just a finance school."