Kellogg (Northwestern) 2013 - Calling All Applicants

Hey All, I have a bit of an business school application etiquette question. I applied to and was accepted by three schools; however, I have already ruled one out.

For the school I ruled out, I have contacts from that school reaching out to me to offer congratulations and offering to meet up or talk. I feel it would be rude to straight up ignore them, but at the same time, I no longer wish to attend that school (so it would be rude to humor them and take up their time). Do I just thank them for contacting me but inform them I no longer plan to attend?

What’s the best way to handle this? And how have other people handled this?

Can you decline that school's offer on its online system? I would imagine that would trigger something to stop the calls.

I can, but I meant for those that have already contacted me - I have about four or five contacts that I have not yet responded to.

I will say, if you are free go ahead & meet a few and let them know you are considering other schools as well. It is always good to meet people; especially the ones who reach out to help.
and that way when you finally tel them your decision, it would not come out as a surprise to them. (or they wouldn' t consider it rude.

Having said that, you would have to draw a line somewhere.


P.S: this is totally a non b school related thought. Of course, other people may guide better.

I don't understand tge dilemma, frankly. If I were you, I would e-mail/call these contacts, thank them for reaching out and briefly explain my decision not to attend this school. This way you show your respect, both to them and their school, and stop them from contacting you again about this.

I would not meet with them, as this is a bad use of their busy schedule, IMHO.

Posted from my mobile device

I'm sorry. I missed the part in the bracket and the thought (that these guys have tons of other things to do) never came across my mind while writing this down.

FuzzyBuzzard makes sense.

R2. Got my interview assignment yesterday. Very impressed with how closely this person's job aligns with my career goals. Did anyone else notice this or is this just coincidence?

I definitely noticed this with my interview. I was able to take on Linkedin at my interviewer's profile and saw a lot of similarities...both with past career history and alignment to my own goals.

Though two of my co-workers also interviewed for Kellog R2 and they didn't have the same experience.

I'm guessing it's primarily due to coincidence.

Hi Clomps- I currently live in Chicago and I would recommend you make an executive decision closer to the date. So far we've had practically no snow (we've been breaking records) and the weather has been crazy warm, as far as Chicago weather is concerned. That being said, though, a few days ago it was in the 40s and next week it's supposed to drop down in the single digits, and half the time the weathermen are wrong, anyway. Weather can be all over the place. And if there's no wind- and the wind hasn't been too bad yet this year- you'll barely notice anything (unless you're coming from Cali). If there is a big snow, you can be assured that most sidewalks will be shoveled and salted well.

That being said, if you're still uncomfortable, you could always wear pants and good winter shoes to kellogg, then jump into a bathroom there and change. Having already visited, they have a closet in the admissions office for applicants to put coats and stuff, so you can stash your bag there, do the interview, and then change again on your way out.

R2. Just got an interview assignment off-campus in my city.
The interviewer works in quite a different industry than I wish to work for after MBA.

Folks, I read somewhere that Kellogg invite to the interview EVERY applicant. Is it true? In most cases if you are invited to the interview you have higher probability rates to be admitted. So what is the point to invite every applicant?

Yes, Kellogg attempts to interview as many applicants as possible. Kellogg does this because fit is very important to them. There is a very strong collaborative, team-based culture at Kellogg, and the school wants to maintain this as much as possible. So they want to meet every applicant face-to-face to gauge whether the applicant can be part of the school culture.

I have learned so much from talking to people from Kellogg and Yale. Whether or not I end up at the school of the person I'm talking to, I have made a great new contact AND I've found out about interesting opportunities for my career. I agree that you don't want to waste their time, so I'd say keep the conversation short and pointed.

There are a couple of things to be noted here:

1. Kellogg interviews every ACCEPTED student, not necessarily applicant (Unless they've changed their interview policy from last year, in which case, my bad).
2. If you manage to schedule an on-campus interview - they will definitely interview you (Irrespective of how good/bad your application is. I'm sure I read somewhere that if possible, they try to interview you before they read your application).
3. If you schedule an off-campus interview - there is no guarantee you will be interviewed. In historically over-represented regions (eg: India), Kellogg simply cannot interview every applicant (logistic nightmare). In such cases, interviews are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis till slots are exhausted. For those who cannot be accommodated, Kellogg will waive the interview/keep applicants waiting. Some may specifically be invited to interview (I'm guessing this because Kellogg reads their app and is impressed), and from that set, some will be accepted.

To conclude - All accepted students will be interviewed, but every applicant need not necessarily be interviewed.

Cheers,
MBAWanderlust

But is there any Indian R2 Applicant who has been interviewed yet?

Actually, you are right on every point except the first: Kellogg DOES seek to interview every applicant. They are different than most schools that will interview only students they want to accept. As somebody above said, fit is important so they want everyone to have the opportunity to interview and gauge fit. They will only not interview you if you are n the areas of high demand. That has always been their policy

I think the important thing is not to over think why or why not they interview everyone. Think of it as a bonus and another opportunity to wow them.

Or an Indian R2 applicant who has been invited to interview? If so, please respond with some details so that the rest of us can stop chewing our nails!