Kellogg (Northwestern) 2013 - Calling All Applicants

A student affiliated with admissions told me if you don't hear a week or two before the final deadline then your chances are not good... but I'm not sure how reliable/true that really is... can anyone confirm?

All I can say based on last year is that admissions notifications started going out one week prior to the official decision date in both R1 and R2. On GC we saw the most admits on days 1 and 2 once the calls/emails started. There were some people who were admitted later in the week. As far as I know I don't remember any admits on the actual decision day. However, in years past admits were notified all the way up until the final day, but that may have now changed given last year's experience.

I'd say still go business professional. It's always better to be slightly over dressed than under. I went business professional for my alumni interview at a Starbucks and was glad I did so.

As for the interview itself, it was very conversational, no unexpected questions, very laid back. They're trying to get to know you, not grill you. Relax, smile, and be friendly!

My interviewer also said that I could hear anytime between now and the deadline, also that not hearing until close to the deadline isn't a bad sign.

This may be irrelevant based on new info that people have heard but thought I'd share - I visited Kellogg in Sept and at the info session the admissions officer said she wasn't sure what they would do this year. in the previous years decisions went out during a two week period prior to the official decision date. She said they had talked about holding off until "game day" just to prevent the speculation and all the anxiety it causes for applicants, but they hadn't decided yet (she mentioned that they have seen stuff on these sites about people trying to figure out whether they go by industry or alphabetical order or whatever ) . Not sure if this helps anything or if they have already given more concrete info.

Waiting on my interviewer to get back to me...So excited about Kellogg it's by farrrr my top choice!

Anyone here attending the Diversity Weekend event next week? I'll be there and am really excited to get to know the school better. Also scheduled my interview for then!

If our interview hasn`t written back after a week should we call them? What`s the etiquette? I think contacting the Admissions department about a no-response might lead to a waiver.

I'm in the same boat as you...not sure what to do. Will be a week tomorrow. This may sound silly, but I also don't want to contact Kellogg and have them get on my interviewer's case and then they've got that in the back of their head before meeting me.

My interviewer said he heard several years ago before thanksgiving.

I`m thinking about giving him a call at the one-week mark. If I were an interviewer I don`t think I would mind someone checking in to see if I got the email, etc.

Yeah I don't think so at all - you should definitely call. I already called and left a voicemail and emailed w no response.

Today will mark a week since I got my invite so I plan to call again and then email Kellogg tonight if no answer

Posted from my mobile device

A question for those who've had their interviews: Does the Check Application Status site indicate that the interview has been completed?

I have had the off-campus interview with an alumn within the 21-days limit recently, and I am wondering whether he has submitted his report or not.

The Check Application Status site only shows one link - View Interview Match Letter.

No i don't think so, I can't locate an indicator anywhere on the app page. My interviewer told me he has submitted the feedback as a response to my thank you email, so I assume it's in.

Same with me, my interview was awhile ago but the status does not indicate it was completed. My status was updated in the last day or so that does confirm all application elements were received.

Did you get a confirmation on this yet?

Could any other re-applicant please shed some light on this?

Hi All

I just received an interview waiver mail from the Kelloggs Adcom due to the high number of applicants from the area.

Profile: 30/m/india (mumbai, to be specific) engineering background
W/E: 7 yrs sales and marketing
GMAT: 740

I am not sure if this should be considered as a positive or negative development...???

Also, can I request the Adcom for an interview in any of the surrounding countries for an interview as I am okay to travel?

They will invite you in for an interview if after reading your application they decide that they like you and want to see more. I'd say let them make the next move since the travel expense may or may not be worth it.

Xinga - I am re posting something I wrote a week or so ago. Hope this will help


To everyone applying from India. I am a reapplicant and hence am acquainted with how the process works. Let me detail it as I am sure it will calm some nerves:

1. Kellogg, by design, interviews each applicant. However, in areas of high demand of interviews such as India, it is not possible for them to match their alumni to each applicant as each alumni can do only as many interviews
2. Once both Part 1 and Part 2 are submitted, one of the following scenarios will occur:

i. You will be invited to interview on a day in late Oct/Early Nov. This is essentially an interview day - many alumni will gather at a hotel and many applicants will be interviewed. No clear formula on how the invitees are decided, but I think it depends on who submtited Part 1 earlier as from Kellogg's vantage point everyone has to be interviewed and hence no one is at a higher or lower priority at that point. Once the interview has been completed, the adcom will review your essays and recommendations and you then sit tight until the decision date to hear back from them.

ii. You will get an interview waiver. The Kellogg team does NOT read an applicant's file until their interview is complete. Hence, to avoid delays, they start reading the application first for those in India who weren't sent invites in the first go. The waiver does NOT affect your application negatively - it just means that they are waiving your interview in order to begin reviewing your application

iii. If they like your application, you will receive an invitation to interview. This will be a one to one with an alumnus here, or a Skype with the adcom in Chicago

iv. It may also happen that you don't get this invite after the waiver -> Dinged

3. Hence, unlike other countries, in India Kellogg does NOT interview everyone. Also, most people receive a waiver which can then convert/not convert into an interview invite at a later stage.
4. You will NOT be admitted to the program without an interview. Hence, if after the waiver you do not receive an invite, it means you have been dinged.
5. Dates: Please read last year's thread. If I recall correctly, people received the first invites 2 weeks after the Part 2 deadline. People who first received a waiver and then an invite (such as me) kept hearing throughout November. I got my invite around Mid Nov.
6. Hence, if by end Nov you haven't heard from them after a waiver, safe to move on to alternate plans
7. Most people in India will get a waiver - it will test your nerves (tested mine) but it is actually a blessing in disguise. If you receive an invite after a waiver, that means the adcom liked your application and wants to know more - that is a positive sign any day of the year

Hope this answers your queries. Indian applicants should NOT compare their interview timeline to foreign applicants.