Kellogg values individuals; who you are as a person, what you’ve done, and how you will engage with the school’s greater community are all very important. Yes, academics and work experience are also key parts of your profile, but the school’s essay prompts seek to elicit more information about your personality, values, and goals so the admissions committee can determine your “fit” with its program. That is one of the reasons they also require video essays.
Kellogg has three excellent videos on preparing its application, and I urge you to watch all of them so you’ll understand better what the school is looking for. In addition, Kellogg provides detailed explanations of its different MBA programs so you can find the one that is right for you. Each MBA program requires that you write these essays, and in some cases, you must provide an additional essay related to the specific dual degree being pursued (e.g., MBA/JD, MMM, MBAi).
Ready to get to work on your Kellogg application? Read on.
Kellogg application essay tips
Question 1: Intentionality is a key aspect of what makes our graduates successful Kellogg leaders. Help us understand your journey by articulating your motivations for pursuing an MBA, the specific goals you aim to achieve, and why you believe now is the right moment. Moreover, share why you feel Kellogg is best suited to serve as a catalyst for your career aspirations and what you will contribute to our community of lifelong learners during your time here. (450 words)
This essay seeks to elicit an honest answer from you as to why you want an MBA from Kellogg. It isn’t that different from the typical question “Why do you want an MBA?” but requires a more thoughtful and personal answer. I suspect that Kellogg has chosen this specific wording to weed out essays written by AI, which tend to be vague generalizations. Please don’t respond with canned responses like “I need to hone my business skills” or “an MBA from Kellogg will enable me to advance in my career.” That really says nothing! You can hone your business skills on YouTube; you can advance your career by having a mentor. Reflect on your real reasons for earning an MBA, and respond with specific examples. This could be an instance from your past when you realized you didn’t know how to manage your team well, or perhaps you’ve observed coworkers with MBAs and seen how they approach problem-solving strategically.
For this essay, you need to think back on times when a lightbulb came on, and you thought, “Wow, if I had studied XXX, I could do this job faster and more efficiently.” This is true whether or not you have a business background or degree. And you need to be specific about your goals. “I intend to be a project manager with Amazon, Google, or Microsoft” is a poor answer, as is “I want to do strategic consulting.” Many of these companies have recently been laying off people, so if you don’t know about current trends in your area of interest, shame on you! These are also banal answers, because every computer engineer who applies answers the same way.
Look at the job descriptions on your target company’s website. What positions is it hiring for, and what do applicants for that position have to know? Having this information will show the committee that you have done your research and that you have feasible goals.
As for what you will contribute to the Kellogg community, find something in your background that sets you apart from other applicants. This doesn’t have to be a professional quality. If you say, for example, “I am a strong leader and good at managing my team,” how does that help you stand out from the pack? Don’t you think that other individuals applying to Kellogg also have this quality? Think about values you cherish, hobbies that might help bring a group together, ideas for a business to start discussions, or even research you’ve done on your own. And take a look at the class profile to see where your classmates have come from. Finally, if you are an international candidate, you can always discuss how things are done in your country, compared to how they are done in the United States.
Question 2: Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods.
Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style. (450 words)
Again, this essay requires a specific example, not a hypothetical situation. They don’t expect you to discuss how you found a cure for cancer or peace in the Middle East. It can be something relatively small that still made an impact on the company, on you, or on someone else. For example, you realized that women were underrepresented in a specific department, so you brought that up with the department head and volunteered to help recruit more women and develop programming to keep them. The key here is to refer back to the values you hold that propelled you to take this action.
Reapplicant Essay: Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)
For this and any other reapplicant essay, you need to show what’s changed from your former application. It could be a new test score, it could be a promotion, or it might simply be a reevaluation of your goals and the realization that what you thought you wanted to do wasn’t really feasible. Keep your message short and to the point, and don’t reiterate anything you said in your previous application essays.
Video essays: Things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:
- Video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.
- A video essay link will appear on your Application Status Page after you submit your application and payment.
- You will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.
- The video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, including setup time.
The video essay doesn’t need to be a Hollywood-perfect documentary! Don’t over-rehearse or read from a script. You won’t know the questions until you’ve submitted your application, but the questions are usually about something you know, and you will have time to prepare for them.
Practice speaking into a camera, and record yourself to be sure you are looking at the camera and not somewhere else. Also, speak slowly and clearly. If you rush, you’ll look nervous, and worse, your listeners might not be able to understand what you are saying.
Have a neutral background with lighting in front of you. And lock the doors so no one can interrupt you while you are recording. If you want to discuss something personal that defines you, you could consider, for example, filming yourself in the outdoors hiking, in your studio creating art, or playing a musical instrument.
Kellogg isn’t trying to trip you up with this video component; the admissions committee wants to find out who you are apart from your work, and they are looking for reasons to admit you, so breathe deeply, do a few practice runs before you begin (to be sure your equipment is working), and don’t forget to smile!
For expert guidance with your Kellogg MBA application, schedule a free consultation with an Accepted MBA expert. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Kellogg’s MBA program and look forward to helping you, too!
Kellogg application deadlines
| Application Deadline | Decision released | |
| Round 1 | September 11, 2024 | December 11, 2024 |
| Round 2 | January 8, 2025 | March 26, 2025 |
| Round 3 | April 2, 2025 | May 7, 2025 |
Source: Northwestern Kellogg website
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Kellogg directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***
Kellogg class profile
Here is a look at the Kellogg MBA Class of 2025 (data taken from the Kellogg website):
Class size: 529
Female: 48%
International: 39%
U.S. students of color: 42%
LGBTQ+: 9%
Average GMAT score: 731
GMAT score range: 620-780
Median GRE Verbal: 163
GRE Verbal range: 148-170
Median GRE Quant: 163
GRE Quant range: 146-170
Average GPA: 3.7
GPA range: 2.8-4.0
Average years of work experience: 5
Undergraduate majors:
- Economics/Business: 50%
- Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics: 38%
- Humanities: 25%
Industry background:
- Consulting: 26%
- Financial services: 19%
- Technology: 19%
- Other: 9%
- Healthcare/Biopharma: 8%
- Consumer products: 5%
- Government/Education/Nonprofit: 4%
- Media and entertainment: 4%
- Manufacturing: 3%
- Military: 3%
- Energy: 1%
Getting into Kellogg, or any of the top-tier MBA programs, is very competitive. Schedule a free consultation and we’ll match you with an experienced admissions consultant who will work with you one-on-one to create an outstanding application and prepare you to ace your interview. So give yourself the edge, and get accepted!
Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
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