To go or not to go? Kellogg or ...

Question

I am in at Kellogg.

Wanted HBS bad.

Should I defer and try again for HBS?

Any thoughts?

rhyme · Answer

You are in at one of the top 5 business schools in the world - by almost any measure. HBS has not been known to be particularly friendly to re-applicants. Kellogg isn't going to let you defer without a good excuse - and reapplying to HBS isn't one. 

I mean this in the nicest way possible: If I could, I'd slap you right now. Not to your hurt you, but to knock loose whatever is getting in the way of your logic! 

Kellogg is an excellent school. There is no career that you can't get into from Kellogg that you could have from HBS. I would not in a million years turn down Kellogg to wait a year to maybe get into in HBS. Sorry if I'm coming across as harsh, I'm just trying to make it clear just how exclusive your admit already is.

lepium · Answer

I agree with rhyme 100%. Of course HBS is a great school and arguably the most prestigious. But Kellogg is right there with it.

Disclaimer: I have been admitted by Kellogg and am waiting on HBS R2 decision (after being interviewed). And IÂ´m still unsure I would choose HBS over Kellogg if I were admitted. 

If you were discussing a top 20-30 school, then I would suggest waiting a year if you really wanted to try everything to attend a top 5-7 (Ultra Elite) school In your case, I suggest you go to Kellogg.

Cheers. L.

johnnyx9 · Answer

The fact that you're considering waiting another year for HBS makes me think that you probably have a fairly high salary and are fairly accomplished, and you are probably part of the minority for whom business school is more of a prestige issue than a matter than a necessary stepping stone. If that's the case, and you're going to be thinking for the rest of your life, "What if I had waited a year and had been admitted to HBS?" then maybe it's worth waiting.

But if you are like most people and really want to go to b-school to take your career to the next level, then hey, you're in at one of the best schools in the world (I'm sure there are some people who would consider it THE best). So congrats, and good luck with your decision.

kharma · Answer

I agree with Johnny - in that if HBS is what you REALLY want, maybe it's worth it for YOU personally to wait another year to reapply.

I think this is a personal decision - everyone has different priorities and some ppl who think you should just go for Kellogg might be more biased towards it than you actually are. 

In sum: only you know what's best for you and what regrets you will (or won't) leave on the table.

rhyme · Answer

See... I see the opposite of what you see.

sm176811 · Answer

I totally agree - HBS is not reapplicant friendly (even though they state otherwise) and besides you age will work against you.

3underscore · Answer

Johnny's theory is interesting but if that were the case, why would Confused have applied to kellogg.

rhyme · Answer

Well, like I was trying to hint at ... I see the opposite of what johnny sees.

johnnyx9 · Answer

Well I was guessing that he wasn't someone who was totally "HBS or bust" like some of the ambition-on-steroids types on the BW forums, but was thinking he might be a borderline case, someone who values the prestige aspect of an MBA more than they need the network and skills offered by an MBA program. 

But maybe not, maybe he's just like me, someone who thinks they can get in somewhere if they apply next year, and might be willing to wait another year to try.

Confused · Answer

Thanks for all the replies.

A lot of you have stated many good points.

I agree that Kellogg is an awesome school. Hands down it is one of the best. 

I make a fair salary and could wait a year but I think reading all that you've said and getting other input and thinking hard about it, I will be attending Kellogg. I won't have any regrets. 

I wanted to go to HBS because I really believed it was the perfect school for me in terms of their teaching methods, location, brand and philosophy. I always heard that HBS was more interested in whom you are rather than just scores and age and stuff. They didn't even invite me to an interivew! So my chances next year will not be good. Besides Kellogg believed in me and I feel like I should reward them for it.

Thanks for the input.

OasisNYK · Answer

this thread is rediculous.

johnnyx9 · Answer

Why is it ridiculous?

It's all relative. I mean if I got into Vanderbilt and was thinking, "Hm, maybe I should wait next year and see if I can get into Tepper or Mendoza," there are probably people (such as the people in the "Any Normal People Here" sticky on the GMAT Experience forum, people who would love to go to Vanderbilt) who would be like, "What are you talking about, you're nuts!"

OasisNYK · Answer

Because its Harvard - the other schools you listed are realistic - Harvard is not very realistic, even for an ultra elite applicant. I am not saying its impossible, it is just not very likely to wait a year and get a payoff.

johnnyx9 · Answer

Oh, yeah I guess you're right, it would seriously suck to wait a year and have it not pay off. The volatility or randomness at top schools does make it a serious gamble.

lepium · Answer

I generally agree. You can bet on a cluster (eg: Ultra Elite or bust) and it will work out if you are realistic about your expectations. But if you really want to go to B-school, then turning down Kellogg to re-apply to HBS may end badly.

If you want to extend the sample to H/S/W then it may make more sense, although I would not want to wait a year for Wharton over Kellogg. And H and S are still too selective to predict. 

I'm sure there are lots of people who get into Stanford and not into Harvard or viceversa. Would you say they don't have what it takes to get into both? Naw, I would conclude that there is so much you donÂ´t control in highly selective schools such as these that you can't predict an outcome based on your qualifications. 

Cheers. L.

rhyme · Answer

Agreed.

sm176811 · Answer

I totally agree!

MBAbot · Answer

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To go or not to go? Kellogg or ...

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