Kellogg: Calling all applicants - Class of 2016

Hello everyone,

With this new Kellogg application process things have become quite confusing. I would ideally want to apply before their recommended deadline of September 18th to ensure I can get an interview scheduled, but then again I don't want to just submit a weak application. Thus wanted to check if anyone can throw some light on the recommendations in this process. Will we have to ensure that recommendations are also completed before I can submit my application and schedule an interview only after the recommendations are complete? I have already informed my recommenders on the original deadline and it will be quite difficult to get them to complete my recommendation in time by September 18th. Looking at all these uncertainties and the new video essay as well, I am thinking it will be better to go for 2nd round than 1st round.

Hope to get some advice from folks here.

You can still submit your app in Oct. for R1. Sept. 18 is the 'recommended' date if you want to interview off campus. In that case your i/v might be waived initially and you might get a call later on.

Has anyone done the video bit yet, would really appreciate seeing the type of questions they ask. Is it likely to be personal information questions as in the essays
or would it be something more general, like your opinion on some global situation?

And for the three trials , can you do 1,2 and 3 and then go and pick the best one or is it more hit or stand (how exciting..).

Cheers
~N

Looking for some candid perspective here on my chances of admission in Kellogg's 1Y program. My biggest weakpoint is my GMAT score: 650 (V: 42, Q: 37). That said, I feel I have a very strong profile otherwise (but who doesn't I suppose?!), including:
-5 years experience (upon matriculation) in digital marketing at a fortune 200 company
-Undergrad GPA of 3.6 at a top undergrad business school (public)
-Extensive extra-curricular and volunteer work, including pro-bono consulting and marketing for a non-profit

I'm also confident that my essays and letters of recommendation will be very strong; I've put a lot of thought and effort into researching, crafting my story, and editing. While I know it's all about the "holistic package" I'm trying to cut to the chase and understand if this GMAT is just too low for Kellogg's 1Y. I see some promise in the fact that a 650 does fall in the very bottom of Kellogg's 80% range, but I recognize this is well below the average so applying with this score comes with risk.

I'm torn between applying R1 with this current score, or making one last final push to bump up my GMAT and then apply in R2. I'm guessing most of you will recommend retaking and applying R2, which is what I'm leaning to, but I really do want to understand if I have ANY chance with current score and if the effort of retaking will pay off. Realistically, I think retaking it could bump my score another 10-40 points to a 660 or 690. It does seem a 650 --> 680 is a pretty significant jump. But I'm an awful standardized test taker (especially with quant), always have been, and I know that a third go at the GMAT is really going to take a lot out of me, both personally and professionally. So if retaking, I want to be reassured that the final effort would make a difference.

A couple other points to note: I am a 26 y/o white male. If applying R1, I would leverage the optional essay to openly address the low GMAT, but mention my extensive exposure to data and analytics in my day-to-day work, which would hopefully reinforce my comfort and competency with quant while offsetting my GMAT performance.

I appreciate your candid advice and perspective!

Just wanted to send a message saying I will be applying Round 1 as well. Applied to a few schools last year but not Kellogg so looking forward to applying with you all.

In the application, there are two separate boxes for question three with a strict 250 maximum word count for each box. Can we write one big essay and put it in a word document, or is this actually two separate questions?

Wow we need to go back and fix that answer - our previous information was incorrect and was posted before Kellogg opened up their application a few weeks ago.

This actually is TWO QUESTIONS just like jumsumtak originally asked about. You cannot post it as one document; it needs to be uploaded or copy/pasted separately, 250 words each. (This is different than how other schools have done, and still do, multipart questions - it varies by school - apologies for misdirecting people previously.)

Thanks for asking about this Jamon!! We're going to go edit that original post now.

EssaySnark

Okay, all understood. Thanks for the clarification!!

just a quick silly question -Does Kellogg require any specific essay formatting. I can't seem to find any suggestions on their requirement section.


Cheers

@meerkat4, nope, none of the schools require any specific resume format - just present a cleanly-formatted, professional one-pager and you'll be good to go!

Hello guys,

For this essay: What have been your most significant leadership experiences? What challenges did you face, and what impact did you have? This is your opportunity to explain how you Think Bravely , do you think it is okay if I focus only on one (big) leadership example? Or should I rather use 2 stories?

The thing is, I am facing some issues to summarize enough the 2 experiences I am thinking about and keep them that relevant - that's why I would appreciate your point of views

Couldn't you compress the context and squeeze in two stories. It could be just my way of thinking but I would think , unless your one story has that much relevant depth, that you would be better off with two stories that highlight your leadership experiences in slightly different contexts. Then again, it's your story so you know best.

Thanks for your answer and advise. I actually tried but had some troubles to do it. Perhaps I should just try again in a couple of days

I would say the two stories are equivalently interesting except that one is pretty "old" (it has 4 years) , perhaps I should eliminate tho one.. hard decision!

Hi guys,

Tense and exciting times,eh?

Anyone from here who attended the Kellogg Admissions event in Mumbai on the 10th ?

I think the post asked about the essay formatting.

@meerkat4 - if there is nothing mentioned, just present a standard font ( Times, Arial, Georgia, Calibri) in a 11/12 point font size with a 1.25/1.5 line spacing and normal/moderate margins. This should do.

I voiced a similar concern a few days back on this (or Sloan) thread. It is really hard to fit in 2 stories in 500 words. In fact, out of all the essays, I have written most number of drafts for this one. So, you're not alone - if that helps.

Hello,
How are you guys planning to finance the Kellogg MBA. May I know.