Are you getting ready to apply to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management this week? This checklist will keep you focused on crafting a competitive MBA package before you hit that “submit” button.
First, ask yourself are you portraying that Kellogg is the right fit for you? Kellogg’s values lie in a diverse and philanthropic community. What’s the right combination of the “Kellogg DNA”? High-impact leadership and humility. According to Lance Bennett, Kellogg director of diversity admissions, "Kellogg is dedicated to building a community of students who are creative, who seek out diverse teams to lead, and who meet challenges with innovation."
Essay One: Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? (450 words)
The clue to this essay is “provide a recent example…” This is essay is prompting you to use a behavioral essay framework to talk about your leadership. Here is a good reference of how to use the STAR method. Have you included examples of what specifically you did, said, and learned in your leadership story? This is an opportunity to tell the admissions committee how you approach issues and learn from experience. Another clue to this essay is “creating lasting value”. Think about what you have done that has had a lasting impact.
Essay Two: Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)
Kellogg seeks out MBA applicants who can integrate their values into their personal and professional goals. Therefore, this essay question is a fusion of the classic career goals essay and a personal essay. Have you asked yourself, "how have my values directed my actions in work and life?”
Kellogg is a place that puts a premium on soft skills.
It is still a place that prizes passionate teamwork. It's a place that features a "play hard" dynamic of people having fun and enjoying the experience inside and outside the classroom.
The Video Essay: We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.
Video essay 1: Please introduce yourself to the admissions committee.
The admissions committee is looking for a sense of who you are and your personality by asking for a video essay submission. According to Kellogg, “Be yourself. We don’t want scripted answers — we want to get to know you and learn something new. Please do not try to reuse an example from an essay that might, in some roundabout way, answer the video essay question asked. We already read that essay, so why tell us that story again?”
Video essay 2: What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you?
In this video focus on your professional path. Are you talking about aspects of your career path that engage you and express that excitement to the admissions committee? Oh, and don’t forget… be excited!
Video essay question #3: Share your resilience with us.
The goal of this video essay is to address the events of the past year. Think about your feelings about the pandemic, social justice, and political unrest. Have you described how you channeled those feelings in a positive direction? According to Bennet talk about, “how you’ve been specifically challenged and how you’re managing yourself through it. At Kellogg, so much of leadership is actually about how you lead yourself. And your answer will help us get a better understanding of who that leader is.” Bennet describes more details in this blog post.
Finally, play to the full, rich culture of Kellogg. Be yourself and let your natural and appealing qualities come through without trying to package them into a slogan that sounds like the Two Bobs from "Office Space" wrote it.