Calling all Kellogg Fall 2009 Applicants!

in all seriousness, if you do get stranded at an airport without free wifi, you might be able to use the internet connection on your blackberry through your laptop. most blackberries can be configured as modems ... hook it up to the laptop via bluetooth (or USB) and as long as you have the phone configured correctly, it should work fine.

try getting this to work. at the very least, it'll take your mind off your 'status' for a bit

Nothing for me either today. I'm starting to think I'm going to have to go into Christmas not knowing...

Well good luck all...I will be away for the holidays and most likely without internet. Hopefully some of you get a nice Christmas present from Kellogg (even if you dont celebrate the holiday).

Two folks posted on the BWforum that they received admit phonecalls after 5pm Central, Friday evening. As far as I can remember, these are the only two admits reported since after the admit/deny mixup early in the week. Here's a theory about the distribution of dings/admits we've seen in the second half of the week.

After the admit/deny mixup, the adcom decided to focus on getting as many dings out of the way before beginning to make admit phonecalls again. This accounts for the low (nonexistent?) volume of calls Wed thru Friday. Friday evening they had completed sending out all the dings they had decided on, and a list of all the admit phonecalls to be made was distributed to staff. Some of the staff who wanted to get a headstart (perhaps because they wanted to go on Christmas break early) made a few phonecalls after hours on friday. Others will probably start making admit phonecalls next week.. We probably won't be seeing many dings next week. This also seems to fit with what we know about last years admit/deny pattern - there were no dings sent out in the last few days before the holidays.

Keep the hopes up guys.

Wouldn't it be ironic if I am the first to get dinged Monday morning. lol

LOL it would be ironic, but you've got a great imagination thinking up that entire scenario!
Honestly at this point, I'd just like to hear something - waiting and not knowing is exhausting. At least with work I could focus on other things (for the most part), but with the holiday week coming, I'm most likely going to be chilling on the couch with my dog continuing with my addiction to this website.

2: Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students

Can accepted applicants, current students or fellow applicants share some thoughts on how they answered this question? My goals have roots in my background and so I talk about my background in my goals essay to make a connection with my future goals. So, I am finding it a bit difficult to split the details between this essay and the goals essay. And I talk about my leadership experiences in Essay 3. So how do I answer this question without repeating myself ? Also if any past applicant can share their essay's/ approach I would be greatful.

River, Any thoughts ?

P.S: How can I get access to the essay vault ?

I used this essay to talk about my ECs and specifically, how I got involved with my various ECs and made it a point to actually contribute to them. Kellogg seems very socially-oriented and I saw this essay as the one opportunity to really show that. Although, I admit that the question itself is fairly broad and this could be answered in many ways.

Last year the essay prompt was prefaced with "Each of our applicants is unique." I would think of this question as what value add/perspective/experiences do you bring with you to the table to enhance your fellow classmates time at b-school. Definitely great place to talk about things you might not talk about in a career goals / leadership essay that you find pertinent to your app.

This was a hard one for me too last year, but I talked about how my experience in an unconventional industry (defense), parts of my background, and some of my EC passions could bring diversity to the student body. This gave me a little more space in the goals essay to talk about other aspects of my work experience.

Essay vaults are only open to people with 400+ posts and a good amount of kudos. Praetorian has an announcement at the front of the B-school app page that details his policies.

The essay vault doesn't have any Kellogg stuff in it anyway (last I checked). I signed up for it for that purpose and now I'm committed to sharing essays anyway.

Oh God...it seems that the admissions office may be close until 2nd Jan...some other universities' admissions' offices ARE closed. Like Wharton...I hope that's not the case with Kellogg!

This essay is a great opportunity to show how you plan to be actively involved in Kellogg's student-led culture - IMO an important part of "fit". I would stay away from talking about career goals or focusing too much on specific accomplishments in it. I used the essay to talk about my involvement in various educational-related activities inside and outside work (mentoring, Junior Achievement, professional society's scholarship committee, etc.) and how I would plan to continue to follow my passion for supporting education and learning through involvement in mentoring clubs, admissions, etc.

Thanks a lot kryzak.

NJMike4MBA,

Your reply hit the bullseye .. Now I have an idea how to approach the essay.
Thanks a lot

I used this essay to try and show how my personality has developed throughout the years to something that others would benefit from at Kellogg. I stayed away from the professional side and started by describing my love for basketball and how, despite never being the most athletic or talented, I was able to influence the lives of others through basketball in various instances. I took liberty to include mildly self depracating humor ("I come from a long line of untalented athletes"). It was definitely not the most "professional essay", but I felt it let the reader get a good idea of who I was and where I was coming from. I am a strong believer that you can, and have to, create a personal connection with the admission committee through your writing.

If you promise not to send it to anyone else, I will send you my essay after replacing a few lines that are a little too personal (can someone confirm this is not breaking any rule?). Feel free to pm me with your e-mail.

I already have my rough draft ready !!

+1 to everyone who helped

EDIT: I can't give the kudos

For this essay, I talked about 3 different traits that I felt would allow me to contribute to the Kellogg class. For each trait, I talked about how I have used throughout my career using an experience (that also shows initiative and leadership). I then showed how that skill/ability would translate into enriching the experience of Kellogg students which allowed me to show my knowledge of Kellogg.

For example:
I am creative. At job X, I did took X creative initiative and developed Y that resulted in Z. At Kellogg, when working on X competition for Professor Y's class, I will be able to leverage my creativity and experiences to do Y and Z which will improve the experience of my fellow students.

The key is not just answering the question but doing more. Throughout each essay, no matter the question, you need to have a reoccuring theme. The easiest (and most relevant) theme is to constantly demonstrate leadership and your knowledge and passion for Kellogg (or any school).

I did the same with my essay. I described my background briefly to introduce why these traits define me, and demonstrated how I have exhibited these traits in undergrad, professional, and extracurricular activities. Then I ended it with how I anticipate to contribute to the kellogg class and tied in those traits again.

This I thought was my most difficult essay to spit out...