Calling all Kellogg Fall 2010 Applicants!

I have been trying to find the Kellogg MBA brochure for sometime, but with little luck. I saw the MMM brochure, but there doesn't seem to be one for 2-year MBA.

Anyone out there, who was able to get their hands on it?

They will mail you one if you request it.
https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Programs/FullTimeMBA/TakeAction/Request_Information.aspx

Also check out the latests facts and figures:
https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/Programs/FullTimeMBA/About_Our_Students/~/media/Files/FTMBA/FT_FactsFigures-09.ashx

ACNguy & highhopes,

Thanks for the quick response.I have manages to cut down two of the essays to around 620 words.However,Im finding it extremly difficult to prune it further,without losing the essence of the story.

Can any current Kellogg students give their opinion on the word count limit?I have read that this is the first time that Kellogg has given a word limit to be followed.

As hard as it may seem, I'd advise trimming essays down to the limit. When I was working on mine, I had the same concerns and found that cutting the final few words was always the hardest. Still, trimming the essays to the limits improved the final products by making them more concise and focused. So, trimming has two benefits: (1) it adheres to the rules set by admissions; and (2) it can make your essays more impactful.

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Pretty much the same issue here.

I read the general rule of thumb was 5% tolerance (here is the issue with all the sources - I dont remember where I read this) i.e. 570-630 words for the 600 word essays. So I've curtailed myself to the 620 word range. Guess I should trim it to under 610.

Frankly, I don't think 5% will make any difference. No one is going to sit and count how many words were in an essay.

When I wrote my essays, I tried to adhere to the word counts as much as possible. However, no one is going to penalize you if your essay is 585 words or 615 words as long as you have a good app. I think many of my essays were over the word limit by 5% or so.



I do agree with this. You need to say the most in the least amount of words so try to make your essays as impactful as possible.

Honestly, I can't believe that this is even up for debate. If the word limit is set at 600 words, then that's the limit. Not a suggestion. nor an approximation, but a LIMIT.

I think we'll just have to agree to disagree.

Here are two things I think almost everyone on here will agree on:
1) The adcom knows approximately what their word count should look like.
2) The adcom is not going to sit around counting words.

I'll stay just under the limit, mostly because of my constant state of paranoia It probably doesn't matter if you're 5-10 words over - it's a sentence. But to be honest, I found trimming the drafts I've written was pretty easy. I found I was constantly using passive voice which was eating my word counts. I also used words like really quite often. Taking these things out actually allowed me to ADD to my essay. So I think you can trim the essays, you might just need to put some effort in. Heck, if you send me your essay, I will get rid of the extra twenty words for you.

Thanks for sharing the stats...

I tried to stay within 5% of the word limits. I was over on most of my essays, but usually by only 8-12 words.

If you feel more comfortable staying within the limits, do that. If you think 5% isn't a huge deal, use that guideline. I think anything more than 10% over the word limit becomes noticeable so I'd avoid that

Count me in for R1.

So am I correct in assuming that you should submit Part I as soon as the application is available so that you can schedule your interview right away and then you can work on Part 2 until the deadline?

Yup! That's pretty much what I did.
PS highhopes - if you do the off-campus interview option, choose your location carefully. I was a bit paranoid about work people seeing me interviewing. I ended up picking Espresso Royale on State St as the downtown location worked best for my interviewer.

As soon as you're comfortable knowing your career goals and other little information that is required to put down in Part 1, I say that's a good idea. Especially if you know when you want to interview.

Even if you fill out part one early it does not mean you will interview right away. It took a while for the school to get back to me regarding who my interviewer was, which was strange since I am in Chicago. My interviewer also had to cancel twice because of work conflicts.

As everyone said, you should submit Part 1 as early as you can since that gives you a better chance to get an early interview. Mine was pretty early last year, even before the Part II was due. :D Although one drawback of that was that I had not finish my essay yet and the few questions she asked were the Part II essay questions.

Does anyone know if Kellogg requires official transcripts directly from the university or is an upload of an unofficial transcript satisfactory? the website says:

The following are required for the 2010 application:
Academic transcripts from all colleges, universities and professional schools attended

...and count me in for R1 JD/MBA app. best of luck everyone.