Kellogg Essay Topic Analysis 2008-2009 » Clear Admit: MBA Admissions Consultants Blog

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Nov. 17: Cornell / Johnson R2
Nov. 26: INSEAD R2
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Dec. 9: Berkeley / Haas R2
Jan. 2: Michigan / Ross R2
Jan. 6: HBS R2
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Essay Topic Analysis
Below are links to our comments on some of the top programs' essay topics.
The Career Goals Essay*
Berkeley / Haas*
Chicago GSB*
CMU / Tepper*
Columbia*
Cornell / Johnson*
Dartmouth / Tuck*
Duke / Fuqua*
Harvard*
IESE*
INSEAD*
London Business School*
MIT / Sloan*
Michigan / Ross*
Northwestern / Kellogg*
NYU / Stern*
Oxford / Said*
Penn / Wharton*
Stanford GSB*
UCLA / Anderson*
UNC / Kenan-Flagler*
USC / Marshall*
UT Austin / McCombs*
UVA / Darden*
Yale SOM*
* denotes '08-'09 commentary

Categories
Use categories to access all that has been written on each of the topics. We have categorized by school and by subject matter.

Interview Reports
A selection of interview field reports from fellow applicants posted to the MBA Admissions Wiki. Add your reports when you are finished with your interviews.
Chicago
Columbia
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Harvard
Kellogg
Michigan / Ross
MIT / Sloan
Stanford
UNC / Chapel Hill
Virginia / Darden
Wharton
London Business School

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The Economist Style Guide
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Business Week
Economist
Financial Times
Forbes
USNews
Wall Street Journal

Career Guides
The following resources should be useful to those who want to research the careers open to them after (or before) earning an MBA.
Vault.com
Wetfeet

Business School Resources
The following are business resources offered by a variety of leading Business Schools. It's useful to subscribe to these resources, especially for the schools to which you are applying.

MBA Programs: North America
If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
Berkeley / Haas
Carnegie Mellon / Tepper
Chicago
Columbia
Concordia
Cornell / Johnson
Dartmouth / Tuck
Duke / Fuqua
Emory / Goizueta
Harvard
HEC Montreal
Indiana / Kelley
Michigan
MIT / Sloan
Northwestern / Kellogg
New York / Stern
North Carolina / Kenan Flagler
Notre Dame / Mendoza
Pennsylvania / Wharton
Queens
Stanford
Texas / McCombs
Thunderbird
Toronto
UCLA / Anderson
Virginia / Darden
Western Ontario / Ivey
Yale

MBA Programs: Rest of the World
As there is some variety in the length of international MBA programs, we have denoted the length of the program next to its name (1 = one year; 2 = 2 years). If an MBA Program is not listed, please e-mail and we will be happy to list it.
AGSM (Australia) 2
Cambridge / Judge (UK) 1
CIEBS (China) 2
Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business (China) 1
Cranfield School of Mgmt (UK) 1
ESADE (Spain) 1 or 2
HEC (France) 2
IESE (Spain) 2
IMD (Switzerland) 1
INCAE (Costa Rica) 2
INSEAD (France) 1
IPADE (Mexico)
ISB (India) 1
London Business School (UK) 2
Manchester Bus. School (UK) 2
Melbourne (Australia) 2
Oxford / Said (UK) 1
Rotterdam (Netherlands) 1
Tsinghua IMBA (China) 2
University of St. Gallen (Switzerland) 1

Additional Resources
Here we link a host of additional resources available across the web. E-mail info@clearadmit.com to have resources added to this list.
AACSB International
Association of MBAs
Beyond Grey Pinstripes
EFMD
gradschools.com (worldwide)
Infozee
mba.com (GMAT Scores)
MBAInfo
mbaleague.blogspot.com
MBAzone
MBA Jungle
TOEFL
Top MBA

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Monday, June 30, 2008

Kellogg Essay Topic Analysis 2008-2009

Kellogg’s essay questions have undergone a few notable changes this year. In a decision to include two entirely new questions, the adcom has done away with the open-ended essay topic focusing on outside work experiences (last year’s prompt simply stated “Outside of work I…” and asked applicants to complete the thought), and has replaced it with a question inviting applicants to explain what they believe others admire about them. Kellogg has also replaced last season’s question regarding a challenging personal relationship with a topic asking applicants to describe a time when they had to motivate a reluctant individual or group. Kellogg continues to require its essays to be double spaced.

Here are some suggestions to consider when tackling the essay topics for Kellogg’s 2008-2009 application season:

Essay 1: Briefly assess your career progress to date. Elaborate on your future career plans and your motivation for pursuing a graduate degree at Kellogg (1-2 pages).
This is another fairly standard career goals/why MBA essay. As usual, it’s important to remember that specificity of goals is key, and keep in mind that the school prides itself on its collegial culture when addressing the ‘why Kellogg’ issue. One more thing to note is that the request that applicants “assess” their progress to date is unique to Kellogg’s version of this question. This would suggest that it might be appropriate to incorporate a few reflective or even evaluative comments into your discussion of your professional path in order to tailor your perspective to Kellogg’s question.

As is the case with most schools, demonstrating an understanding of the unique merits of Kellogg’s program is crucial to an effective response to this question (as well as the second essay about one’s potential contribution). Taking the time to learn about the school’s curriculum, special programs and extracurricular activities - whether through a visit to campus, conversation with alumni or reading the Clear Admit School Guide to Kellogg - will pay dividends.

Essay 2: Describe how your background, values, academics, activities and/or leadership skills will enhance the experience of other Kellogg students (1-2 pages).
You’re being given the opportunity to do two very important things in this essay. The first is to share a good deal of interesting information about your interests and experiences in order to distinguish yourself from other applicants and help the adcom get to know you. Second, this essay is the perfect forum for you to demonstrate your research on and fit with the program by explaining the ways your involvements and experiences to date translate to a number of specific contributions to the Kellogg community. Whether it’s a class to which your insight would prove especially relevant or a function you could organize as a member of a certain club, the more detail you can provide about the impact you would make, the more reason you’ll give the adcom to admit you.

Essay 3: Describe your key leadership experiences and evaluate what leadership areas you hope to develop through your MBA experience (1-2 pages).
This essay is a great opportunity to showcase your various leadership roles in college and afterwards. Given the number of subjects that need to be covered in this response, it would be wise to focus your discussion on two or three leadership examples rather than a laundry list of positions held. Of course, it’s also important to take note of the Kellogg-specific slant of this inquiry. In addition to touching on situations in which you’ve taken the lead and the skills gained and lessons learned from these experiences, you’ll want to think through the ways that you could apply these to the benefit of the Kellogg community, as well as how you could enhance your leadership approach during your time in business school.

Essay 4. Applicants must answer 2 of the below essays (2 paragraphs per question). (Re-applicants must answer question 4D and 1 other essay).
4A - Describe a time when you had to motivate a reluctant individual or group.
4B - I wish the Admissions Committee had asked me…
4C - What do others admire about you?
4D - For re-applicants only: Since your previous application, what are the steps you’ve taken to strengthen your candidacy?

Both Essay 4A and Essay 4C are new ones for Kellogg this year. With each passing year, MBA programs seem to become increasingly interested in the interpersonal relationships of its applicants. This trend is reflected in the new questions posted by Kellogg which asks candidates to consider their most admirable attributes and qualities, as well as their abilities to be both an effective leader and team member. Question 4A expects applicants to highlight not only their leadership skills, but also their capacity for using their own enthusiasm to encourage and excite others. Question 4C gives candidates a degree of freedom with this topic, as the focus of the essay could be either positive personal or work-related attributes, although applicants will ideally select a balance of the two to address. In approaching these essays, applicants should remember the strong emphasis Kellogg puts on teamwork and cooperation in both its curriculum and extracurriculars.

The other two questions, meanwhile, are tried and true elements of the Kellogg application, with option B giving applicants ample opportunity to share information about their involvements and interests outside of the professional realm or comment on subjects not mentioned elsewhere in the application. The reapplicant essay has also been a standard question for years running, giving returning candidates a chance to highlight the improvements and progress they’ve made since Kellogg heard from them last.

# posted by Clear Admit @ 2:45 pm in Essay Topic Analysis, School: Northwestern / Kellogg

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