Kellogg 2012 - Calling All Applicants

For those who want to know here is a recap of DAK (Day at Kellogg)

1) DAK materials and registration are available very shortly after receiving the admit. My log-in information came with the admit package and I was immediately able to register for DAK. The registration form is several pages long and asks you to rank your academic, career, and EC interests. Several weeks before DAK you will be getting numerous emails inviting you to events hosted by different student groups. Sign up for them as they are a bevy of free food and drink. Book your hotel room as soon as you register because rooms (especially double bed rooms) sell out quickly. You can easily find a roomie on the facebook group afterward.

2) DAK was officially Friday, Feb. 10 - Saturday, Feb. 11. However, I arrived Thursday afternoon. There were a ton of pre DAK events. I attended the affinity group coalition dinner and the Women's Business Association mixer. The coalition dinner was at Bravo! Cucina Italiana. It was a sit down affair with a special menu. The Mediterranean pasta was divine (whole wheat penne, spinach, feta, roasted tomato, tossed in olive oil based vinaigrette). Oh and the bread was on point too. Current students, adcom, and admitted students attended. I sat near the DAK co-chair, the director of admissions, and dean of student life. I will say that the interactions with them were much more open now that I'm in. Michelle Rogers is awesome. We talked about everything from the applications she reads to the travesty that is short women dating men that are a foot taller than them.

After dinner I stopped by the Women's Business Association event at Koi and ate free sushi. I didn't stay long, but it seemed well organized and I met one of my section members there who I wound spending a lot of time with throughout the weekend. After Koi I attended a DAK mixer at the Hilton Orrington. DAK section leaders (more on this later) were there in their Ri-DAK-u-lous t-shirts. The night was mostly mingling and a million and one introductions. Get used to saying where you're from and what you do 50 times in one evening.

3) DAK kicked off bright and early Friday morning (7 am) with breakfast, followed by a speech from Sally Blount. Whoever says that Kellogg has lost its footing or doesn't have direction hasn't heard her speak. She is very sure of her vision for Kellogg. One of the things that stood out to me was how she stressed the academics. Sometimes Kellogg gets written off for being soft academically and she challenged that stereotype head on.

After the kick-off we broke into our sections. For the weekend admits were divided into 7 sections that played off the real sections Kellogg already has. For example, I was a Bullwinkle the DAK version of the Moose section. I have friends and coworkers who were Puppies (Big Dogs), Nursery Rhymers (Poets), and Piggy Banks (Cash Cows). Section time consisted of ice breakers, a run through of student groups, academics, financial aid, and more. We had a 45 minute mini class with our section as well and then there was lunch. We picked up boxed lunches and had lunch with the heads of the different departments. I was in the SEEK and International Business forums. After this you could either take a break or go on a tour or have a coffee chat with current students. I chose to take a break. There was still a lot more to come.

After break time we were back in our sections. My section divided into mini groups and we all worked on a team project. We had to use balloons, straws, and other materials to drop an egg safely to the ground without breaking it. We also had to come up with a 30 second jingle to go along with our new product. My group called itself Eggs-ellence and our jingle was AWESOME!! We set it to the chorus of Drake's song, "The Motto." We got the highest scores for the jingle, but alas our egg broke so we didn't win. I'm still a bit bitter.

After section time we went to TG and the KWEST fair. TG is short for TGIF and it's a weekly happy hour. This week's TG was hosted by the Black Management Association. They served collard greens, mac and cheese, fried chicken, and fried catfish along with beers and soda. The mac and cheese was "slap yo mama" good! I went back for 3rds. Oh and they had hot sauce for the fried chicken! So damn good. There was a DJ and a lot of us did the Electric Slide and the Wobble.

The KWEST Fair was insane. If you get in you're gonna be psyched for KWEST. There are trips to Brazil, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic, and more planned. KWEST leaders even dressed in costume to promote their trips. One team all dressed in different versions of onesies. Another team dressed as characters from Saved by the Bell.

After TG and the KWEST fair we had dinner in the Allen Center. This is where the surveys we filled out in our DAK registration came into play. I said that I was interested in sports so I was at a table with other sports enthusiasts. I was blessed to be at a table with a New England Patriots fan so I could rub in the fact that my New York Giants once again beat them in the Super Bowl. Oh and they served this thai curry chicken that was AH-mazing!!

After dinner the different sections were meeting up at bars/restaurants around town. I skipped this and took a nap. It was after 8pm when I left dinner and I needed a break. I did wake up around 11 pm and went to hear a couple of Kellogg bands play @ this bar called Nevins. It was packed. Kellogg bands are pretty damn good. One band does top 40 covers and another does 80s covers. I'm a huge fan of 80s music so I was singing Living on a Prayer at the top of my lungs. At one point someone started crowd surfing and I will admit that I started to feel as though I'd regressed back to my undergrad years. Still it was good clean fun. Unfortunately Nevins shut down the party early so we headed over to another bar on the outskirts of Chicago. I hung out with my section mates and section leader and we just danced, sang along with the DJ and hung out. I left with one of my section mates around 3 am and we headed back to the Hilton Orrington. We got hungry in the cab so we decided to head to the Burger King down the street for some late night burgers and fries. The chicken tendercrisp sandwich never tasted so good to me! We then debated which morning sessions we would skip so we could sleep in.

4) Saturday I missed the keynote speaker cause I slept in. I made it to Day 2 for more section time. During Saturday our section leaders answered more of our questions, the KSA leaders spoke to us, and we learned more about the school than I can even go into. After section time we went to career talks. I went to the one for social impact. I was really impressed with how connected Kellogg is on that front. After the career chats was another break followed by the closing session.

After the closing address many people went on housing tours. I visited the Park Evanston and one other building that I can't remember right now. Housing ain't cheap. Expect to spend between 1000-1500 month if you want washer/dryer in the apt. There was a closing reception in Chicago that evening. It was a cocktail party with buffet style meal (chicken and grits!!) and a lot of dancing. Warning! Get used to house music if you're going to bschool. They play a whole lot of it at parties. After the reception we had buses take us downtown to this club called Zella. By this point I was exhausted and couldn't wait for the bus back to campus. I cabbed it up to Evanston and took my butt to bed. I'm old I can't be partying like that all weekend.

Overall DAK was a great experience. The people, from admissions to students to admits, were wonderful. I met people who have done some really cool things and who want to do even more cool stuff in the future. I thought DAK was well organized and well run. However, it is A LOT! The days are long and you can sometimes feel overloaded with information. Kellogg puts on the hard sell to get you to matriculate and I know many people were definitely convinced after attending. For those who are at DAK 2 I warn you not to be fooled by April weather. It was FREEZING on Thursday night and Friday. Kellogg is right on Lake Michigan and that wind just shoots through your body. It is painfully cold at times. My ears were frozen and hurting after 2 minutes outside. But I guess Kellogg can't control the weather. Other than that, everything else was top notch.

Hope this recap helps.