Kellogg 2007 Application Deadlines and Essay Tips
As I have done on other essay tips, my comments are in red. Kellogg's copy is in black.
Kellogg 2007 MBA Application Submission Deadlines
Round 1: October 20, 2006
Round 2: January 5, 2007
Round 3: March 9, 2007
2007 Kellogg Application Essay Questions
1. All applicants must complete A, B, or C as appropriate.
A. Master of Business Administration applicants only. Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (one to two pages double-spaced)
This question is the same as Kellogg's #1 for the last several years. Kellogg wants to know your goals and how Kellogg will help you achieve them. As I have said repeatedly, goals are front and center in the MBA application. You need to connect the dots between your past, your desired future and Kellogg to answer this question well. Thought and research are prerequisites for this essay.
Just today we received an email from a client who started working with us last year. In the mail, he thanks his advisor for pushing him to clarify his goals -- which he didn't want to do. He now recognizes how important they are.
(There are variations of this question for MMM and joint degree applicants. Click on the link above for exact wording.)
2. Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (one to two pages double-spaced)
Again, the same as last year (and if my memory serves me, the last several years). What are you going to bring to the Kellogg party that every other IT professional, investment banker, marketer, and consultant cannot bring? Is it a commitment to community services? a sports craze? musical talent? dance ability, auto racing, a unique personal story? This essay begs for an anecdotal approach and individuality. However, don't forget Kellogg's commitment to community and teamwork. If you can show those qualities too, this essay will be a home run.
3. You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (one to two pages double-spaced)
Evaluations, hmm. Does that mean the kind of objectivity your grandmother provides? Definitely not. Clearly you are trying to market yourself so you should emphasize the positive and provide a cogent argument for acceptance using Kellogg's criteria, but most of you will have weaknesses in your profile. What compensates for them? Why should Kellogg admit you despite your weakness? This is a great place to show why a substandard GMAT or GPA should be overlooked.
In general you want each essay to reveal something new about your experience. How can you do so with this question, which by its very nature requires you to use the information found in other parts of your application? Include at least one or two elements that you either discussed in your interview or intend to discuss in your interview. Or go into more depth about something mentioned in an application box or your resume, but clearly this essay is not going to provide a lot of new information.
Someone recently asked me about the first sentence in the question. That sentence implies you should pretend you are an adcom member and evaluate your file. Don't ignore that intro.
4. Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)
A. What have been your most significant leadership experiences to date?
Last year's questions included this question and added, "What was the most valuable lesson learned?" I suspect they dropped the second question because the analysis was coming back sounding all the same. "I learned blah blah blah..." However, don't be fooled. While the adcom does not necessarily want to know what you learned, it will want more than just a description of this experience. Include analysis and reflection. What did you learn? Why is it so significant? Why were you successful? or not? What was the impact of your leadership?
Don't be taken in by Kellogg's teamwork mantra and laid-back reputation. Employers wants to see leadership in Kellogg's grads, and you need to show leadership in your application -- especially in answering this question.
B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved?
Please see :
C. Outside of work I…
enjoy doing what? Again, if you have multiple pleasures, choose one that shows teamwork or other qualities Kellogg values.
D. Describe a professional situation where you were able to successfully persuade others to see things your way.
New this year. The instructions are quite clear. Choose a professional situation not discussed in other essays where you used persuasion, not rank or title, to get others to follow your lead.
E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
Have fun with this one. Again let this essay show a different facet than is revealed by the other essays.
F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? **
** Question 4F must be answered by all re-applicants as one of the required three questions.
No trick questions here. How are you a better candidate today than when Kellogg rejected you last time? Have you addressed weaknesses in your previous application?. If you aren't sure where you fell short, see if you can still obtain feedback from Kellogg or obtain an MBA Application Review.
Responding to the Kellogg application essays will tell the committee a lot about you, your character, and your interests -- if you do a good job. It is a solid and comprehensive set of questions. And Kellogg provides them to you early enough to get a head start.
If you want to start now on your Kellogg application, please keep in mind that Accepted.com is running an Early Bird Special through the end of this month: 10% off all essay packages. In addition we just introduced our Kellogg consulting and Editing Comprehensive Packages. They too are 10% off this month. Start your applications early, submit first round, and save money.
Linda Abraham
The Kellogg 2008 essay questions, deadlines, and tips are available now.
We are closing comments on this article. If you have questions about Kellogg's application, please post a comment to the Kellogg 2008 application article or a question in the MBA Admissions Forum.
Linda Abraham
in MBA Admissions, Northwestern Kellogg
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Source: Kellogg 2007 Deadlines and Dates
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Reader Comments (36)
I do have a couple of essays that are 2 pages long (double-spaced), but each paragraph just covers one specific part of the "story." I just hope I don't get penalized for an extra half page or something.
Does anyone know the font and/or page margin limits? "one to two pages double spaced" leaves a lot of flexibility in these two areas. All I was able to find in the application was that the TOP margin had to be at least 1".
I submitted my application for Kellogg last 20th October. Anybody who also did has received confirmation about being considered in round 1?
They say this will not negatively affect my application.
Linda - do you know if having my interview requirement waived is a positive/negative sign? Or did they just randomly pick applicants to interview up to the number they can handle?
"I received an email informing me that my interview was waived. What does this mean, and am I at a disadvantage?
"There are times when interviews are waived due to unusually heavy demand or remote location. Interview waivers have no bearing on admission decisions. They are based purely on geographic availability of alumni interviewers. If we feel an interview would be helpful in further assessing a candidate or would significantly aid in rendering a decision, we will contact the applicant to schedule a telephone interview. Applicants may not request a telephone interview; we will invite waived candidates for telephone interviewers throughout each application round. Many of our admitted students initially received an interview waiver and were subsequently contacted for a telephone interview."
I noticed that last year they interviewed 100% of accepted applicants. To me this means that they will consider your file first and if they are interested will approach you for a telephone interview.
Sounds like Kellogg might just not have enough alumni in our area and, therefore, will interview us only if necessary. So if we do get a request to interview that will be very good news. Obviously, if we don't then...what's your second choice school?:)
Now that makes sense... I know a couple of guys from my area who are in Kellogg now and they were interviewed over the phone. Indeed if we receive the request will be good news.
Billy, I studied computer engineering and my work experience is basically in research (first as a researcher myself and then in management of research projects).
I am production manager of an educational TV program and magazine in Taiwan. Also co-host the TV show. Before that I founded/directed a community center in Taipei for two years.
I asked what people TYPICALLY use it for, but of course she couldn't answer that, which is fair.
My question is whether applicants should use this space for such a thing. Is it better to try to squeeze such an explanation into an essay earlier on? Or more to the point, I know, Linda, that you advise against ending your applications on a negative, but outside of that, is there a reason not to use this space for such an explanation?
Thanks!
I usually advise Kellogg applicants to address a low GPA in the context of question #3, the evaluative assessment, but I certainly recognize that there are times when what I usually do should change for a given individual.
Good luck!