Kellogg: Calling all applicants - Class of 2016

I just submitted my application for Round 1, so I thought I'd post about my overall experience.

As I was doing a final check of all the sections, I was shocked to find the awards / certifications page blank! I had typed up descriptions for six awards eons ago and knew the page had saved. Like everyone else I'm sure, I've done check after check of each page and never found any issues. I have no idea how they were erased. There's no way I clicked delete next to each description or went into each box, highlighted everything, and pressed delete. In any case, I'm glad I did a final review. It wasn't too much of a hassle re-typing the descriptions... and thankfully all of the other pages (including the more verbose ones) were fine.

In hindsight, I should have copied and pasted each short answer / description into a MS Word document for safe-keeping.

Now onto the video essay, which users seem to be quite shy about sharing.

To prepare, I searched the internet in length to see if anyone had posted their questions. I only found two: "What is one thing you've always wanted to try?" and "What is one piece of technology you can't live without?". I needed more to practice with, though, so I searched the internet for random personal questions. I ended up picking a few from this site (I'm sure there are other resources out there, too): https://www.dwanollah.com/blather/082006/

For each question, I typed out an outline of points I wanted to hit. Then, I recorded myself on my computer and watched each video afterwards to dissect my areas of improvement. (My goodness you really get to know your flaws...) Once I got the right tone down, I started to time myself. After I picked a question, I gave myself a minute to prepare my response. (You actually get 90 seconds, but I wanted to be prepared in case I somehow lost a few seconds.) Then I immediately started recording. It was a more realistic environment making myself perform under pressure.

So, how did my preparation help me for the real deal?

My first question was: "What is the most interesting course you took in university?"

I felt as if I had ample time to come up with talking points (like as if I had an extra 30 seconds... ). When the actual recording began, though, I totally choked and had to discard the video. It's tough remembering all the classes you took in university, much less the details about those classes!

(It was my first try, okay?! Call it stage fright. )

The second question, unfortunately, completely caught me off guard: "If you could meet anyone (living or dead), who would it be and why?"

My mind raced through historical figures, athletes, musicians, but ultimately I didn't have enough substance to talk about any one person. To be honest, I didn't feel strongly about this question, though I know it probably resonates with some people. So I made a tough decision... to discard this one, too.

Dun dun dun... I was resigned to my third and final question. My heart was beating so fast; the pressure was on.

"What is your most treasured possession and why?"

OMG. I struck gold. This was a question I had prepared for already! I just used the 90 seconds to go over my points again and calm myself down. Then I recorded my best video yet.

So in conclusion, preparation for the video essay definitely helps.

Oh, and once you click "Submit Application," there's no going back. I mean nothing prompts you to ask if you're sure or to ask you to sign anything. There's no preview of your application. Your application is just...submitted, and then you pay. So be sure to do a final check before you click submit! There's also no way to see your application after you've submitted it. I guess that's so no one bothers the Adcom about changing anything in their application. It certainly forces you to stop poring over your already-submitted-and-unchangeable application!

Hope this helps! Good luck everyone!