Hi there,

Your background is really unique—congratulations on your achievements!

As far as your shot at the 1Y program, I think you’re in a great position. You have solid work experience, obviously very strong academic performance, and your GMAT is a little lower than Kellogg’s average (but likely fine for 1Y). My hesitation is that you are looking to use the 1Y program to pivot into tech/ fintech. Without knowing your specific goals (e.g. which specific companies, what geographies, etc.) it’s a little hard to say whether this is realistic. The 1Y program can be tough for career switchers because without completing a summer internship it can be difficult to gain the experience in a new field you need to find a full-time role. You also have less time to explore, network, and take classes to prepare you for that field. That being said, depending on what specifically you’re interested in and where your consulting projects have focused, you may be very well positioned to make a switch. I’d just make sure to make that clear to the ad com so they can be confident the 1Y program is the best fit for you.

Hope that helps!

Hi there,

Wow—you have a great profile. Congrats on already thinking about next steps (not to mention everything you’ve achieved thus far)!

In terms of your stats, I wouldn’t worry about your GPA too much—it’s definitely not a killer, as you say. Ad coms are less interested in what you did in college than they are about what you’ve done since graduating—your work experience, GMAT, career goals, etc. are all waaaaay more important. You’re well over 3.0 so you should be fine. A 730 is basically average for Kellogg—it won’t hold you back but it also might not put you over the top either.

Now moving onto your overall profile—MBB is great, and knowing you are going back after graduating is also a huge plus. Ad coms like to know that everyone admitted will be securely in a job come three months after graduating. The tricky thing is that there are going to be many applicants with similar stats (Midwest, finance major, consulting, going back to consulting). The healthcare angle should help differentiate you, but you’ll really need a compelling overall narrative to make yourself stand out. Luckily Kellogg has a pretty strong healthcare program in terms of course offerings, clubs, internship opportunities—even hosting an annual business of healthcare conference—so you should have plenty to talk about when it comes to why you’re interested in Kellogg specifically.

Hope that helps!

Throwing this out there... Any input would be welcome! I'm thinking to apply for the 2Y program:

Background: Female; was a first-gen college student

Age: 26

GMAT: 720 (Q44, V45) -> This is what I’m most worried about; I know it’s a bit below average, but I don’t have time to retake.

Undergrad: HYP

GPA: 3.6 + cum laude (but poor freshman year grades due to parent being in hospice care/death of a parent)

Work Experience & Leadership:
• 4 years at a very large tech company. Have received 2 promotions since joining.
• First role: UX strategy consultant
• Second role: Project manager for a global sales enablement program
• Current role: Strategy & operations consultant for a new product group

Past work/internships:
• All non-profits and NGOs, global experience

Community work:
• 3 years serving on the board of a large education nonprofit; kickstarted a career mentoring program

Post-MBA Goals:
• Short team: Operational leadership role in a small startup or social enterprise that I can help grow or transform
• Long-term: Start my own company leveraging emerging technologies for social impact

Hi there,

It sounds like you've accomplished a ton since graduating from undergrad--congratulations! With your background, stats, and career interests it sounds like you could be a great fit for Kellogg. Let's dive in--

Your stats are really good--undergraduate GPA is, quite frankly, less important than what you've done since graduation and 3.6 is certainly in that range that ad coms look for. A 720 is just a hair below the average score, but is still competitive. Really what is important to ad coms here is that you'll be able to handle MBA-level coursework. (No one wants to be in a group with someone who can't pull their own weight...) Your quant score is a little on the low side, and I'm not sure what your undergrad major is, but highlighting your ability to handle quant-heavy problems through undergrad coursework, projects and assignments at work, etc. will help here. (As will testimonials from the folks writing your letter of recommendation.)

Next up, a history of promotions and projects steadily increasing in responsibility--and the all-important leadership--is fantastic. The key will be to really make your leadership skills (and not just project management, product knowledge, etc.) shine. Whether you officially managed other people or simply displayed a superior ability to lead and influence others, I'm sure you have some good content. It will be important to create the "why" behind your path of that experience --> what you want to get out of your MBA program --> short term role immediately following your MBA. With a background in tech it wouldn't be unusual for you to go straight to a role with a startup, so you'll need to show the ad com why an MBA is critical to get you where you want to be. Luckily, Kellogg has a ton of classes in social impact and entrepreneurship as well as pretty active clubs, so it should be pretty easy to find content.

I hope that helped and let me know if you have other questions!

Hello experts,

Just took my GMAT today. Got a score of 650 (Q49,V29, IR-7). Can you please tell me what are my chances of getting into weekend MBA at Kellogg with this score, or should I retake the exam to get to that magical figure of 700 ?

My profile:

-Master's in Engineering Management from NEU, GPA 3.30.
-3.5 years of experience as an Operations Analyst
-Undergrad from an Indian college, GPA: 3.55 out of 4

Hi all,

Alex here, I'm writing to figure out what i should do next and if i stand a chance for Kellog: (i'll drop just some short words here)

I'm a It project Manager and Team Lead, working basically as a managing consultant since i work for a Outsourcing company.
I'm 28, married with tiny 5 month baby. you can figure out until now that time is my biggest concern here.

Background:

Studies:
I finished business informatics ( in Romania, where i am from its a kind of dual degree half programming subjects/half business economics). I finished my degree 3rd in my term, and there is an accomplishment written on my degree saying something like finished 3rd out of 200 students in my term-- GPA - 4

Volunteering:
I'm involved in a local community where i lead a group of teenagers throughout the year in all kinds of activities ( mostly social activities ).

Work experience:

I started out as software developer but after 2 years i started doing scrum mastering / project management. The company i work for is a top outsourcing company, where there exists 9 grading points (first junior -- all the way to the CEO who gets the 9th grade) i'm evaluated as the 5th grade which implies business and commercial knowledge / team leader for a big teams. -- my next grade would imply Director level ( VP comes after director).
As i'm working in an outsourcing company i'm working for TMobile as managing consultant and lead a team of 20 developers.
My daily activities implies business consultancy and strategy consultancy for our project.
-- i see this as my strongest point in my application -- and i can get stellar recommendations from both companies --

GMAT: 640 -- i feel this is low but my question is how much should i improve here ? and do you stand a chance for at least a phone call with what i have until now?

May I have your LinkedIn to send you a complete evaluation? I have more than 5K applications sent since 2006 and more than 15 million dollars in scholarships conquered for our students. Every time we focus in give an advice for your personal statement with a clear strategy. And, by the way, I did Kellogg. Our admissions office head did Harvard. Thanks.

Please Evaluate my profile and any feedback would be nice

Male based in Dallas, Texas

Background and nationality: Age 29 & Black

Undergrad Information: Undergraduate GPA in Mechanical Engineering: 2.9 but Graduate School GPA in Technology Management: 3.87

GMAT: Not taken yet-Goal is >700

Work experience and leadership:
Overall experience: Operations/Manufacturing for about 7 years
Previous experience: Supply Chain Manager/Manufacturing Manager/Quality Engineering. (Fortune 500 Companies)
Current Experience: Program Manager @ Defense Aerospace company leading cross functional teams
Got promoted twice current company in 3 years

Community and others
Undergrad: Researcher at Robotics Lab, Academic Tutor and Financial Chair on National Society of Black Engineers. Multiple internships at Top companies.
Currently: Official paid mentor selected by current company to mentor high school & college students, Appointed-President of Employee Resource Group at Current job, Business Round Table Speaker-Go to high schools in surrounding areas to enlighten Kids on STEM and also tutor some STEM courses. Working in program in Dallas community with under privileged kids in alternative high schools schools to put them on the right path. Leader a Teenage program assisting college and high school students with mentorship, college admission, scholarships etc. President of National Society of Black Engineers Professional Chapter

Post MBA goals - Working in Technology and Strategy

Anything else?
Certification-PMP
Awards & Recognition: Manager of the Quarter Award & Leadership Awards
Excellent Performer ratings at work

Hello everyone

I am a 26 year old female from India.
GMAT : 760
Education : BTECH from a tier 2 college with GPA 8.25/10
Work experience : 4+ years of experience in a leading IT company in the country. I work in the automotive domain wherein I am involved in the development, validation and deployment of ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System ECU) softwares. For the past 1 year, I am in Japan, at client location, leading a team of 10 (both at onsite and offshore) wherein we are involved in the In Vehicle ECU Software development and deployment of the Driver Attention Alert System. I directly interact with our client so as to completely understand and analyse their requirements and then devise the strategy to achieve the same.
Extra-curricular : I am an avid reader and a writer. I have an online blog with over 20 published articles and over 1k followers.
Apart from this, I am a trained Bharatnatyam (Indian classical dance form) dancer, practicing dance right from the tender age of 6. I have performed at over 200 stages and have received many accolades throughout my school and university tenure.
Volunteer activities : Right from the age of 17, I have been involved in several NGO activities. While I was pursuing my 11th and 12th, I used to provide home tuitions for 10-12 under privileged students. Then while in college, I volunteered with Teach for India. I have also volunteered with Help Age India and taught our elderly basic Math and English.
I would like to know my chances at top Bschools in the world.

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Admissions Director Q&A: Renee Cherubin of the Northwestern Kellogg School of Management

CA: Walk us through the life of an application in your office from an operational standpoint. What happens between the time an applicant clicks “submit” and the time the committee offers a final decision (e.g. how many “reads” does it get, how long is each “read,” who reads it, does the committee convene to discuss it as a group, etc.)
RC: By the time an applicant clicks submit, we understand that they’ve put extensive time and effort into the application. Therefore, our goal is to give each application a very thorough review to get to know to know each candidate as much as possible.
We have student readers, who look at the application from the standpoint of how an applicant might contribute to a team or to a class. We have staff readers, who have greater knowledge around various industries, career paths and educational systems. And we have director readers, who are responsible for shaping the class as a whole.
All of these viewpoints come together ensuring that we are giving the application a full review, understanding all aspects an applicant would bring to Kellogg and what they hope to get out of the MBA.
CA: How does your team approach the essay portion of the application specifically? What are you looking for as you read the essays? Are there common mistakes that applicants should try to avoid? What is one key thing they should keep in mind as they sit down to write?
RC: We are looking to get to know candidates beyond their test scores and resumes. The essays are a great opportunity to go beyond what you do for a living to show us “the how” and “the why”–how do you solve problems? How do you interact on teams? Why are the values you hold important to you? This allows us to get to know the candidate, understand what they can bring to the class, and envision how a Kellogg MBA will enable their path.
The most common mistake we see however, is when a candidate tells us what they think we want to hear. This can lead to us not understanding how career goals fit with past experiences, or a misunderstanding on why they want an MBA in the first place.
One thing I always like to reiterate is to make sure the essay represents you and only you–could anyone have written a similar essay, or are you giving us insight into how you think and work? If it’s the latter, your essay is probably on the right track.
CA: How many essays would you wager you’ve read in your tenure at Kellogg? Thinking about the essays that have been the most memorable, is there something they have in common?
RC: Too many to count! But, there are definitely some that I specifically remember. The essays that have resonated with me most are the ones where applicants are genuine and vulnerable in sharing their stories.
But just as important, some of the best essays I’ve read are the ones that are clear and direct. When an applicant can connect the dots and answer all parts of a question, it leaves the team with a clear understanding of how they would be able to contribute to the classroom and the community at Kellogg.
An alumna told our team about a trick she used when applying, which I think is a great piece of advice for prospective students: Take the prompt off the essay and have a friend read it. If the friend can’t tell what questions you were answering, it means the essay isn’t clear enough yet.
CA: Could you tell us about your interview process? Approximately how many applicants do you interview? Who conducts the interview (students, admissions officers, alumni) and what is the nature of the interview (blind, non-blind)?
RC: Because collaboration is such an important part of the Kellogg culture, we seek to interview as many applicants as possible. Every applicant will choose either “on-campus” or “off-campus” as their interview location.
For on-campus, the applicant with schedule their interview and come to Evanston for a visit. For off-campus, we will search for an alum in the location of the applicant and seek to pair them locally.
The interview notes are then reviewed by our application readers alongside the rest of the application, to provide a well-rounded view of the candidate.
While we highly value the interview, it is just one piece of getting to know an applicant. Kellogg continues to be one of the only schools with a video essay component. So, while the 1:1 interview is important, the video essays provide an additional way for our team to meet applicants, no matter where they are located in the world.
CA: Anything else you would like to add?
RC: The Kellogg education is shaped by real-world experiences that allow students to meaningfully develop their leadership capabilities, in the areas of their choosing. Our experiential learning opportunities are a key component of the Kellogg experience that set our program apart.
Our Private Equity Lab, for example, is a course that allows students the opportunity to be placed in a quarter-long internship with a private equity firm. Students are fully immersed in the day-to-day operations of the fund – assisting with deal selection, due diligence and investment efforts.
Additionally, Kellogg collaborates with Northwestern’s various schools as a part of NUvention, an experiential program that exposes students to the entire innovation and entrepreneurial life cycle of products in various industries such as energy, transportation and the arts. The NUvention Medical program in particular, walks students through a number of product, intellectual property, regulatory and business development steps as an entrepreneurial or intrapreneurial team.
Another gem of the Kellogg experience is our Career Management Center (CMC) and the tremendous amount of resources and support it offers to students.
The CMC is home to specialized industry coaches that offer unlimited one-on-on career coaching. It also hosts customized workshops, on topics such as interviewing etiquette, salary negotiation and crafting elevator pitches, for students at every phase of the recruitment cycle.
My favorite CMC offering is the series of industry-specific career treks that take place throughout the year, allowing students to spend time meeting with Kellogg alumni leaders for discussions and Q&A. Treks take place across all different industries, such as Venture Capital, Healthcare, and Retail & Luxury Goods, among many others. Treks also take place all over the country–last year, 36% of our treks took place on the West Coast, reflecting our students’ strong interest in that region.

I wanted your advice on my profile and whether the mba programs i am targeting for the 2021 admit realistic and within my reach. (IE not in the dream school category).
My target schools are Columbia, Kellogg, Michigan ross, Berkeley haas and tuck.

I am a bachelors of commerce graduate with 6.4/7 cgpa from hr college in mumbai (Mumbai University)

I worked full time while in college , 2 years in an equity research and mutual fund sale firm and 1 year articleship as i was pursuing CA at that time. ( cleared 2 out of the three levels but finals are left which i will not give)

I am a US CFA charterholder and US CMA certificate holder. Have also completed US CPA and US CAIA (chartered alternative investment analyst).
I have been working in a mid sized accountancy firm based in small city in rajasthan, india.
I had to shift to rajasthan due to severe family emergencies therefore started working there as my presence was required for family.
I left my job after two years as i found a wonderful opportunity in mineral and mining and have started my own venture in partnership.
Though it can be managed and is stagnant while in the state , i wanted to make it a wholly export unit and establish in strategic locations across couple of countries like in canada and portugal and run it as a more corporate and an organized business organisation, much different from how mining is run in this state.
Therefore i planned on pursuing an mba which will help me manage and organize my business in the manner i want to run it and expand it.
I am ready to invest and grill myself for a 2 year mba in order to take the maximum out of it. 

On the extra curricular activity note, i am a registered mumber of the heartfulness organisation (for meditation) for the past 4 years. Travelled all across the country and have organised various seminars and workshops, played a big part in the green initiative and planted by myself about 40 plus trees. Have also organised meditation sessions for army personnel in my state and have also successfully implemented heartfulness for kids in various schools wherein we are training teachers on how to plant this seed right from a very young age in students.
While in college, one of my most proudest moment was when i lead an NSS team ( national service scheme) and did something out of box by forming a union for the domestic help who were in very bad condition in mumbai so that the local police as well as the members themselves can protect the right of others and to make sure that they are not exploited, due to this the police area head and i had an exclusive coverage as well.
Despite my work experience, the thing i am concerned about is my international exposure in job. That is an area i lack.

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Hi Jeet,

Thanks for your candidate eval request. There are several aspects of your profile that are missing, could you clarify:
1. Your GMAT/GRE score -- The 7 schools you mentioned accept both so you should attempt practice tests for both of these exams to see which one you favor. Columbia actually also accepts the Executive Assessment, which you may want to try as you could perform better on that test.
2. Your years of work experience and the progress towards leadership in those years (promotions, enhanced responsibilities over the course of your career)
3. Your *concrete* immediate and long-term career plans (what do you want to be recruiting for while in b-school, do you want to stay in the U.S. or return to India, etc.) and how your prior educational and professional successes, combined with your MBA, ensure that you will achieve your goals.

The 7 schools you mention all have high GMAT averages, and the averages associated with successful Indian applicants are typically even higher than the overall school average given the number of stellar applicants who apply from your geography. You'll want to be 740+ GMAT range to be competitive at these schools. With the right strategic positioning, you could have a decent shot with a lower GMAT, but building that out will be important. For instance, very few applicants express interests in metals and mining immediately post-MBA. Professional services (banking & consulting) along with tech are far more over-represented as career aspirations for candidates generally and Indian candidates in particular, so metals and mining could be a differentiator if you position it the right way. But you'll need to be very careful with that as most of the U.S. based metals & mining (and natural resources firms in general) don't sponsor international work authorization for immigrants in the U.S. and the AdCom knows this. So you'll want to spin your post-MBA professional ambitions in a way that highlights what *is* imminently possible (e.g., returning to India, working outside of the U.S., or working in the U.S. for an entity with known sponsorship culture).

It's awesome that you have already cleared the CFA (congratulations!) and the CAIA exams. You'll want to highlight those accomplishments on your resume but be careful from seeming too "pointy" in finance. For instance, since you already have solid work experience and professional credentials in finance, you'll likely want your strategic positioning to focus on the growth areas for your MBA (e.g., strategy, marketing, etc.) and how those areas of growth are important to your long-term career goals.

Strategic positioning is especially critical for over-represented demographics like Indian finance professionals. If a free consultation with one of our admissions consultants may be helpful to evaluate your strategic positioning and school choice, feel free to sign up for one here: https://admissionado.com/free-consultat ... sultation/

Hi all,

I am applying to the full-time program at Kellogg, and would love to get feedback on what my chances are.

Age: 25, Asian American
Undergrad: electrical engineering at university of Houston.
GPA: 3.74 - Magna Cum Laude
Work: 4+ years work experience, with clear progression in scope. Completed my professional engineer (PE) exam and got my license.
Goal: Longer term to move into a GM role over a business, or consulting.
GMAT: Just started studying so no official score yet. I'm hoping to aim for 730.

Do I have a shot at getting in?

Thanks in advance!

Hi! Could you please give us a little more detail on your extracurriculars, work experience and career goals? If you can get the 730 you will check the box on academic performance, so the rest comes down to what you will contribute in the classroom and whether you are a culture fit. That is assessed through your personal narrative, which is essentially where you've been where you want to go, how Kellogg will get you there and why you've chosen these career paths etc.

Agree with the above feedback. You have a shot if you are able to build a robust story around your background / future goals / why MBA and have some solid leadership, etc experiences to draw upon. Consider applying to at least 4-5 schools to spread your risk around.
_________________

Hey Folks,
I am applying at Kellogg and would appreciate an evaluation -
Background - Indian, 34 year, Male, Living in US since 2006, permanent resident.
Education - PhD Engineering/Statistics from UC Berkeley 2012/2013 (Cumulative GPA 3.46 / MS GPA 3.7, I took harder classes in my PhD right till I graduated) ; Undergrad - BSc. Civil Engineering from Delhi University ; Gold medal
Work Experience - Amazon worked as scientist working on AmazonSearch ; Prop Trading - Trading a book of $50M using Machine Learning (manage a team of 3 PhDs), profitable every year ; Mentored budding data scientists and lead client projects at a data science incubator while at Amazon.
GMAT Score - 690 (Q47 ; V38)
Post MBA Goals - transition from quant to quant+fundamentals trading (quant trading strategy limited by capacity)
Extra - Bartender (cocktails on restaurant menus) in SF ; Ultra Marathoner ; Volunteer to eradicate homelessness through running.
Thanks!

Hi!

You have a very interesting background(I like you at least!)

I think your work experience is going to be pretty interesting to ad com but they will be concerned about culture fit and why a full time MBA right now in your career. You’re a bit older than average and have more experience so I think explaining the timing will be key and why full time vs part time. This is especially true if your current salary is higher than the typical post mba job.

They care a lot about culture fit so you’ll want to communicate that as well. Kellogg isn’t typically seen as a quant/finance school choice so your why Kellogg will be important and needs to fit with your narrative. They are trying to change this perception though so it may make you a more attractive profile but again the culture fit has to be there overall. Your career goals aren’t a strong fit for Kellogg’s recruiting strengths either so again explaining why Kellogg will be key.

Finally I would consider retaking the GMAT. Kellogg does take people with lower gmat scores if they check the other boxes especially culture fit but since you are an engineering India make etc profiles like yours will have higher gmat scores so getting that up will only help you. They will probably be particularly concerned about the quant score given your background.

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Hello there!

I would be elated if someone can evaluate my profile with the below stats w.r.t an IT Engineer Male from India:

1. 2 years of work exp(At the time of submitting the application). at a Big Pharmaceutical firm in a cross domain(IT&Business) function.
2. GMAT: 750, Senior Secondary: 97%, Higher Secondary: 97.8%(Top 1% and recieved GOVT. Scholarship), B.Tech: 8.72/10 GPA.
3. Promoted after one year. In line to get another one very soon but not before the application would be submitted. So almost 2 in 2 years.
4. One of my major break throughs is the use of innovation to create a tool that saves nearly 2000+ hrs in Clinical trials. It is a big deal given that in Pharma, Time is money and very precious for the patients. Was also able to scale the tool across 70% trials in the firm and nearly 20 countries.
5. Hired as an Intern to the firm without any work ex. Even though the firm doesnt convert freshers, was able to demonstrate my skillset and was among the first ever batch of folks to have earned a PPO.
6. Part of the Hiring team
7. Worked with clients from nearly 16 countries(Again as part of developing the tool).
8. Youngest person in the division to win an Above and Beyond award for innovation.
9. Represented the firm at a couple of conferences in India.
10. Dont know if it means anything but organised a workshop in the firm's headquarters to folks having more than 15 years of work exp.

Apart from work
1. Developed a business model in college where people willing to give to the society but dont have the time to do so can contribute with their skills. This resulted in a win win situation for both the NGOs and Students.
2. I mentor few students in my community in thier educational and professional pursuits.
3. Volunteered in Animal care initiatives.
4. Took part in the firms CSRs.

Want to get into Management consulting after MBA.

I am mostly worried about the scholarship. Coming from a not so well to do family, the tuition fee is quite a hurdle. Request if someone can evaluate the profile and let me know if I have what it takes to get in with a Scholarship and areas where I need to improve.

Thanks a ton in advance.

You have a solid profile, however you are a bit light on years of work experience. Could you wait another year to apply, get the second promotion and save as much money as possible in case scholarships are not made available (I wouldn't bank on this as you decide whether to apply)?

Also, spend a year thoroughly researching your career goal. Consulting spots are incredibly competitive and the schools will want to see a strong rationale as to why this is your desired path (how it fits with your experience to date, how it will enable your long-term goal, whether they sponsor internationals if you will need this) to believe you will be able to get one.
_________________

Hello Katie,

Thank you for the evaluation. Unfortunately, time is something I dont have due to certain reasons. Else one year would have been better as you said and I would have had a better chance. But is it that I dont stand a chance now?

Incase I do, what are my chances of admission and Scholarship?

I know I am trying to ask something that is quite a bit uncertain but would like to know where I stand and incase there is something I need to beef up my profile with, I can make an effort in that direction.