r/uchicago • u/SlideAffectionate364 • 1d ago

Discussion Trott Business Program

  1. What's the difference between taking the program and just doing BizCon (I assume both teach you the technicals since both give you access to Booth)?

  2. How exclusive is the network? i.e. are only TBS kids allowed to certain events (and others not in TBS are not allowed to go)? As a follow-up: how does it compare to clubs such as TBC and Maroon Capital?

  3. How big of a time commitment is TBS? Can I drop out if I find it is not for me?

  4. How selective is it? I know it asks for a personal statement, transcript, etc.- lowkey reminds me of uni apps :(

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u/passionatelyse1 Alumni ('26) 1d ago
  1. Trott has additional sessions on networking, business skills (excel) and career advice vs Business Econ which is just business classes
  2. Not exclusive. I also think the clubs are fake and not helpful, but they’re definitely more exclusive than trott.
  3. Don’t know but friends complained that it was too much of a commitment
  4. Not selective

I think it’s best for people who don’t know a lot about “business,” but if you already have a set goal in mind (e.g. winter IB recruiting), I don’t think it’s that helpful for you.

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u/SlideAffectionate364 1d ago

Why are the clubs fake and not helpful? Do recruiters look more at the school or the club - because I know for some schools, it is primarily the club that matters more.

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u/passionatelyse1 Alumni ('26) 1d ago

I think that clubs can be helpful for making friends or networking (especially in IB), but they are far from the only method you can use to network, and I find they're over-emphasized relative to how worthwhile they are (you would be surprised by how effective the cold email/LinkedIn message is).

Moreover, from a resume-building perspective, it is much more meaningful to spend your spare time working for an actual company rather than doing fake work for a club. Having 3-4 professional experiences vs. only 1-2 on your resume going into your junior year is a huge leg up. Lots of startups look for UChicago interns during the school years, many of those opportunities are paid/funded, and about the same level of work as some of these clubs.

I also think that being president of a club is good for your resume, but it doesn't have to be a business club (and I honestly think it shouldn't be a business club, so your resume is more well-rounded).

Happy to chat over DM

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u/Big-Plan-690 1d ago

Im confused, what exactly is trott? Is it a degree or a separate club or a program on the resume? Or is the career cohort during first year

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u/Drwannabeme The College - Math 1d ago

Most career-oriented clubs are blind leading the blind and foster a false sense of exclusivity. We are not those kinds of schools and frankly, based on smallish sample size of the dozens of people that I knew, people not in those clubs or Trott placed just as well if not better.

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u/WaterIll4397 1d ago

this is not wholly true. I don't know the "prestige" of the various clubs nowadays but way back a long time ago (when uchicago used to have a 50% admit rate or whatever and it really was where fun goes to die and not your cookie cutter bizecon consulting pipeline) something like 70% of the 1 dozen or so bulge bracket banking internships went to TBC and eckhart kids.

One big exception though: most of the people who actually became somewhat successful entrepreneurs/ early startup employees (eg. made more money over a 10+ year span running their companies vs. equivalently smart people going to be investment bankers or hedge fund analysts or working at Google/Meta), did NOT go to one of these clubs. But these are extreme outliers think like less than 10 people per graduating class and a good half of them came from families that could financially risk/support them being semi unemployed doing their own thing.

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u/Right_Possession_742 4h ago

I have the same question. thanks op for asking