Accepted Admissions Almanac

Kellogg 2006 MBA Essay Questions

[EDIT] Kellogg's 2008-09 Essay Questions and Deadlines are now online with my tips. Please post questions and comments on the new post.

[EDIT] Kellogg's 2006 MBA essay questions are now online. They are substantially unchanged from last year. The questions are in black. My suggestions are in red.

2006 Kellogg MBA Application Essay Questions

1. Master of Business Administration applicants only. Briefly assess your
career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at the Kellogg School. (one to two pages double-spaced)

(There are variations of this question for MMM and joint degree applicants. Click on the link above for exact wording.)

This question is the same as last year's.  Kellogg wants to know your goals and how Kellogg will help you achieve them. As I have said repeatedly, goals are front and center in the MBA application. You need to connect the dots between your past, your desired future and Kellogg to answer this question well. Thought and research are prerequisites for this essay.

2.  Each of our applicants is unique. Describe how your background,  values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students. (one to two pages double-spaced)

Again, the same as last year (and if my memory serves me, the last several years). What are you going to bring to the Kellogg party that every other IT professional, investment banker, marketer, and consultant cannot bring? Is it a commitment to community services? a sports craze? musical talent? dance ability, auto racing, a unique personal story? This essay begs for an anecdotal approach and individuality.  However, don't forget Kellogg's commitment to community and teamwork. If you can show those qualities too, this essay will be a home run.

3.  You have been selected as a member of the Kellogg Admissions Committee. Please provide a brief evaluative assessment of your file. (one to two pages double-spaced)

Evaluations, hmm. Does that mean the kind of objectivity your grandmother provides? Definitely not. Clearly you are trying to market yourself so you should emphasize the positive and provide a cogent argument for acceptance using Kellogg's criteria, but most of you will have weaknesses in your profile. What compensates for them? Why should Kellogg admit you despite your weakness? This is a great place to show why a substandard GMAT or GPA should be overlooked.

In general you want each essay to reveal something new about your experience. How can you do so with this question, which by its very nature requires you to use the information found in other parts of your application? Include at least one or two elements that you either discussed in your interview or intend to discuss in your interview, but clearly this essay is not going to provide a lot of new information.

4. Complete three of the following six questions or statements. (two to three double- spaced paragraphs each)

A. What have been your most significant leadership roles to date? What was
the most valuable lesson learned?

Don't be fooled by Kellogg's teamwork mantra and laid-back reputation. Employers wants to see leadership in Kellogg's grads, and you need to show leadership in your application -- especially in answering this question.

B. Describe an ethical dilemma that you faced and how it was resolved?

Please see #3 in "Solving the Puzzle."

C. Outside of work I…

enjoy doing what? Again, if you have multiple pleasures, choose one that shows  teamwork or other qualities Kellogg values.

D. In your professional experience, what do you consider to be the area of
greatest growth?

This is the new question this year. Note this question asks about your professional life. It is an opportunity for you to show growth in impact, responsibility, maturity, and character.

E. I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…

Have fun with this one. Again let this essay show a different facet than is revealed by the other essays.

F. Since your previous application, what are the steps you have taken to strengthen your candidacy? **

** Question 4F must be answered by all re-applicants as one of the required three questions.

No trick questions here. How are you a better candidate today than when Kellogg rejected you last time? Have you addressed weaknesses in your previous application?. If you aren't sure where you fell short, see if you can still obtain feedback from Kellogg or obtain an MBA Application Review.

Responding to the Kellogg application essays will tell the committee a lot about you, your character, and your interests -- if you do a good job.  It is a solid and comprehensive set of questions. And Kellogg s provide them to you early enough to get a head start.

If you want to start now on your Kellogg application, please keep in mind that Accepted.com is running an Early Bird Special through the end of this month: 10% off all essay packages. Start your applications early, submit first round, and save money.

Stanford GSB 2006 Application Calendar

The Stanford GSB 2006 deadlines are now online. And they are similar to those of the last several years: The first deadline in mid-October (Oct. 19) , the second deadline right after New Year's (Jan. 4), and the final deadline in mid-March (March 15).

Writing personal statements: Showing your stuff

I have in the past used personal experiences to illustrate either writing tips or admissions advice (See "Wimp Hill," an article I contributed to MBA Diversity, for advice on responding to failure questions) , and here I go again, using our recent trip to magnificent Lake Tahoe.

On Monday we took an eight-mile hike, starting  at 7200'  elevation and climbing to over 8000' in  approximately 2.5 miles.  The well-graded trail provided breath-taking views of the High Sierras, Echo Lakes, where we started, and Tamarack Lake... before we got into heavy snow in the middle of the summer! Our daughters, ages 17 and 22, quickly decided they didn't want to deal with the white stuff-- we are from Los Angeles -- and turned back.  But Rafi, our 18-year-old son, was ahead and had no intention of reversing course. Neither did my husband and I. Rafi  came back to meet us, and we continued through the snow to one of many frozen lakes in the area.

After a delightful picnic, we started down. Tired, we still decided not to take the boat taxi that had brought us to the trailhead, and instead my husband and I  walked  around Echo Lakes back to our car. What happened to Rafi? Tired of keeping his parents' pace, he cheerfully set off and jogged the last 2.5 miles back to the car,  joining his sisters who were patiently waiting for us to stroll in.

Now the jocks, backpackers, and marathoners among you may not be too impressed with our hike, Rafi's energy at high altitude, or his ability to get along with his parents, but  stop and think a minute: Did this simple anecdote -- less than 200 words -- give you more or less information than if I had rattled off a bunch of declarative platitudes about the importance of family, how we love the outdoors, are undeterred by adverse conditions, and know how to make the best of a situation? Would an anecdote about a favorite outing of yours serve as a great way to respond to NYU Stern's well-known "Describe yourself to your fellow students" question or an essay about p. 231 of your autobiography? Alternatively, could such a story be an engaging lead for an essay about your personal background or values?

Remember: Show. Don't tell.

Why Attend Grad School? Not Because It's There.

"What do you want to do after you earn your degree?" I asked.

Jennifer was trying to decide which graduate program to attend. In our telephone meeting, she had summarized her options, along with the strengths and weaknesses, pros and cons of each, but she was having difficulty narrowing down the options. My deceptively simple question stopped her. Cold.

"Ah, I, I don't know." Jennifer stammered sheepishly.

"Then how can you choose a program? Are you planning to pursue this degree just for personal edification? Or do you want it to prepare you for a career?"

"Oh, I want it to prepare me for a career," she answered immediately.

"Then you need to do more homework. The answer will probably determine which programs you should apply to."

There are lots of bad reasons for applying to grad school, and Jennifer had supplied a few. Here's a bad reason sampler:

   1. My parents want me to go and will pay for it.
   2. I hate my job.
   3. What else is there to do after you finished college?
   4. I like school.
   5. Grad school is the next thing to do.
   6. It's there.

For George Mallory climbing Mt. Everest, the logic in #6 proved fatal. For you the above examples of flawed logic are unlikely to be so devastating, but they certainly don't impress admissions committees and/or justify a graduate degree.

Unless you are one of the fortunate few who can attend grad school simply for personal growth, which is fine, you need to have a professional goal in mind and know how the degree will help you achieve it -- before you choose schools and apply.

Admissions Consulting

A number of you have asked about Accepted.com's services. There is currently a thread about the value of admissions consulting on the Businessweek Forum. I posted the following (with minor edits) there and am re-posting it here:

You're both asking good questions. Obviously no (honest) consultant can tell you that you will only get into School X if you use their service. But using a good consultant gives you a coach, mentor, and critic. And one who is far more informed and experienced in admissions than you, your spouse, roommate, mother, or even your friend who just got accepted last year.

How much is that extra pair of eyes and experience worth to you? How much is it worth to you to know that you are doing your best to get into your dream school? Obviously the answer is different for different individuals, but if you view the feedback from Accepted.com's clients you will see many volunteered that they felt our service was definitely worth the money and made the difference between thin and fat envelopes.

While I am convinced investing in admissions consulting can have an excellent ROI, I know it can be a significant investment. You need to be comfortable with the consultant and choose the right one for you. I have written about choosing an admissions consultant/editor on my blog and would also like to refer you to an article about the same topic from our newsletter.

You also need to know what you want and make sure the consultant can provide it. If you want advice on choosing appropriate schools given your goals and qualifications, make sure the consultant is experienced not just in one school but with all the schools you are considering. Accepted.com has been advising applicants and editing essays for the last ten years, and has been doing so on the Internet since 1996. We have enormous experience. If you want someone who can mentor you in writing your essays and then edit them, make sure the consultant knows how to write. Just as an art critic may not paint as well as an artist, knowing how to evaluate an application doesn't necessarily mean the evaluator is expert at conveying a story. In addition to having vast admissions experience, Accepted.com's consultants are all professional writers and editors. Almost all have published in one venue or another, and McGraw Hill is publishing one of our consultant's ( Paul Bodine) books on MBA admissions and law school admissions this fall: Great Application Essays for Business School  and Great Personal Statements for Law School . 

Finally, realize that you want a consultant who will work with your admissions needs. By that I mean, the consultant will provide the type and level of service you want. Realize that the latter will probably change as you go through the application process. Accepted.com offers a wide array of admissions consulting and essay editing services to suit your needs. Check out the Accepted Advantage, and if you have questions, please feel free to contact me. 

Online Math Camp for New MBAs

Dr. Peter Regan of the Tuck School of Business contacted me today about MBA Math Camp, an online course he is offering to boost quant skills in preparation for business school. I know a number of you have expressed concern ( or should be feeling concerned) about rusty math skills. Others find the short, intense math camps offered by the schools before classes formally start to be overwhelming. Dr. Regan's self-paced course may be just what you need.  Check it out.

Oh yes, if any of you take it, can you please let me know what you think about it?

Haas Reports More Strong Hiring News

The Haas Newswire provides more good news for MBAs.

• To date, 87% of the class has received or accepted employment offers, compared to 78% at graduation last year.
• Haas experienced a 35% increase  in on-campus recruiting from last year's level.
• Abby Scott, director of MBA Career Services, reports that early data indicates an average base starting salary of well over $90,000 this year, up from $88,234 last year.

New Dean for Georgetown McDonnaugh

Georgetown University today named George G. Daly Dean of the Robert Emmett McDonough School of Business. Dr. Daly is currently a professor at NYU Stern where he served as Dean from 1993 to 2002 .

Waitlists for Top Colleges

If you are on a waitlist at a top college or university, it's time to go to Plan B says the CollegeJournal. As a group, elite college are taking many fewer students from the waitlist this year than last,  and  Johns Hopkins, Princeton, and Yale are taking no students from their waitlists.  Yes, I mean -0-,  Last year these three schools took 150, 99, and 8 students respectively from their waitlists.

While this news is obviously of greatest interest to waitlisted high school seniors, it is also relevant to other applicants who obsess about waitlist stats. Stats are useful when they are predictive of future behavior. Waitlist stats are notoriously fluid. Last year's waitlist stats are not indicative of what's happening this year. And this year's will not help next year's waitlisted applicants. That lack of validity as a predictor of future behavior is as true for  business school, law school, and medical school  as it is at the undergraduate level. So if waitlisted, don't fixate on stats. Focus on what you can do to improve your candidacy.

Speculation on New HBS Dean

Businessweek speculates about possible new deans at HBS. It will be fascinating if any of the names on this short list end up being dean.