Homerfan's Experience Part I - Background

Kellogg is unique from most elite business schools in that it interviews all of its applicants. I suppose that's the least they can do for the $225 you shell out to apply

Anyway, it's suggested that you submit the basic personal information, along with your money, before you submit the 'meat' of your application (recommendations, essays, etc.) so that you can schedule an interview early on. I followed their advice and submitted part I of my application a month before I submitted the 'meat'. I interviewed a few weeks after I submitted.

The interview was very straightforward and mildly disappointing. The interviewer (an alumna who works in an unrelated field but lives in my area) only had my resume and asked the normal b-school questions. I won't go into details, as I think that creates an unfair advantage for some, but the interviewer didn't ask me anything that was unexpected. Sadly, I never 'connected' with her. Hopefully the interview doesn't count for too much!

I received word about my Harvard interview (by invitation only) about two weeks ago. Like Kellogg, they set me up with an alumna who lived in the area. But, unlike Kellogg, they did a good job in matching me up with someone who has similar interests as I do. Harvard's interview is unique in that the interviewer has access to your entire application, essays and all. It's supposed to be the most rigorous b-school interview. But my interview last Monday ended up being very standard; I got asked similar questions to what was asked of me from Kellogg, even though I know my interviewer had read my essays. The interviewer just asked me not to use any examples I might have used in my essays. Overall, this interview went very well as I made a great connection with the interviewer.

I just got my invitation to interview with a Stanford alumnus. Coming up in the next two weeks...my Stanford interview experience!

Very nice posts Homerfan. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

I have two schools common to the ones you have applied to; Stanford and Columbia.

However I belong to the slacker group.. applying to round 2, i made my decision too late for the first round.

I am going to take you up on your offer and ask you what made you choose the schools you did (i am esspecially interested in what Stanford and Columbia had to offer that made you choose them). Unfortunately I have not been able to visit any schools or information sessions so any input from you would be a great help.

And congratulations on getting interviews from Harvard and Stanford, that in itself is quite an accomplishment.

Thanks for the kind words, Dexterslab. And good luck to you on your applications!

In terms of my school selection, I chose the schools that I applied to with very incomplete information. When I reflect on them, I realize that the process seems almost whimsical. I nevertheless am happy with the schools I have chosen because I feel like I would fit in best at these schools. If friends of mine are at a particular school and enjoying the experience, then I figure that I would also fit in well at those particular schools.

Harvard - A good friend of mine is there and is loving the experience. Also, I think that to be the best, you must be around the best. And there is little doubt that Harvard has some of the best students in the world.

Stanford - Three friends of mine are there, and they are all fantastic people. I also like that the school is small and intimate. Finally, and perhaps best of all, Stanford GSB has a joint degree program with the School of Education. I'd like to pursue Education at some point in my life.

Kellogg - I know many people who have gone to Kellogg, as well as several people who are currently there. To a person, they have all loved their experience. Each person I know who has gone there is outgoing, humble, fun, and intelligent. I'm also interested in Marketing Brand Management, which is sort of the hallmark of Kellogg.

Dartmouth - I've heard many good things about Dartmouth, and the informational session sealed the deal. Each alum was glowing about his/her Tuck experience. I also love the small-school setting.

Columbia - A friend of mine is an alumnus, and he is wholeheartedly pushing for me to go here. I had my doubts (Finance-heavy, parochial student body), but my friend convinced me to apply. I'm waffling about this one right now because I'm kind of sick of city life.

UCLA - I've heard that their alumni are quite impressive in interviews. I will ultimately settle in Southern California, so Andersen's location is ideal.

Chicago - Great, great school. But I know about five people who are alumni of the Chicago GSB, and I realized that I would not fit in there. The people who came out of Chicago were very Finance heavy and would seemingly talk about it endlessly (before work, at lunch, after work). I suppose I should've given it a better chance...but it just fell through and I never became seriously interested.

Wharton - Another fantastic school (obviously). It has such a reputation as a Finance school, though, that I wouldn't want to be pigeon-holed as a Finance guy. I also was never really interested in living in Pennsylvania and have not heard great things about the area around the campus.

Michigan - Every person I know who has gone there has been outgoing and intelligent. Alumni also seem to love their two years there. Very similar to Kellogg in those ways. However, I don't want to be in Michigan for two years.

Haas - Went there as an undergrad. If I'm going to spend tens of thousands of dollars + two years of my life, it at least has to be a new experience!

MIT - I'm not really into technology. I know that MIT isn't just about tech, but it has that reputation.

Homerfan, thanks once again for the insights on your experience. My experience in selecting schools was a very subjective approach as well.

Sure you can look at a particular specialization and say a particular set of schools is good for it, but then again when there are thousands of MBA schools there are going to be a large number proficient in any given specialization. Location i guess can be a good criteria for narrowing it down, and then as in your case, peer advice seems to play a very important role as well.

Good luck for your interview.

I completed my Stanford interview today. I interviewed with an alumnus in my area who decided to start his own company.

The interview lasted just over 45 minutes, and he had a list of questions that the school had 'suggested' that he ask (not specific to my resume, like Harvard). This interview was different from the Harvard interview in that he was trying to get to know me and what motivates me rather than see what I have done and what I can do. From the interviews alone, I got a good idea of how the two schools are different. I honestly have no preference right now...

Anyway, I won't list out any specific questions that he asked here, but they were different from the 'typical' (i.e., Kellogg & Harvard) questions. They may not vary the questions much from year to year; I think the accepted.com interview database contained a lot of the questions that I was asked.

Overall, I think the interview went ok. Not as good as Harvard, but better than Kellogg. I think I was still in the Harvard mindset, where I was trying to brag about my accomplishments rather than talk about who I am.

The more I think about it, the more I realize that UCLA & Columbia aren't good fits for me. I'm from Southern California, so UCLA doesn't have the excitement factor that I'm looking for. I'm getting sick of city living (lack of parking, small apartments, expensive everything), so Columbia is going down on my list. Tuck might be the 4th and final school I apply to. I'll keep everyone updated.

Thanks for reading my posts!

Hi homerfan, I just want to let you know that I have been following your post here and it is a fantastic debriefing! Finding the right school involves a lot of soul searching and I can see that you painstakingly went through the process. Very inspiring story!

I was just notified last Friday afternoon that I have been admitted to Kellogg. Woohoo!

I had planned on applying to a couple schools in Round II, but those plans are scrapped now. I will not apply to any more schools. No more essays. No more résumés to tailor. No more begging for recommendations. No more paying $200+ per school. This is good news all around.

Two more weeks until I hear back from Harvard and Stanford...

Congratulation Homerfan, great, great story so far!

I've heard back from Harvard and Stanford. I've been put on the waitlist at both schools! Does that constitute a ding?

Anybody with insights on these waitlists? I'd love to hear what people think about the Harvard and Stanford waitlists.

In any event, I'm very happy about Kellogg and will be there for Day at Kellogg!