kellogg values essay sample

Kellogg Essay Examples

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Kellogg Essay Samples

Kellogg’s MBA essays reflect a holistic approach. Kellogg is looking for both strong academic potential as well as leadership and a track record of involvement. Depth or breadth are valued. The Kellogg essays are essential to showcasing fit.

SBC has four former Kellogg Admissions Officers and multiple Kellogg MBA graduates who deeply know the nuances of applying to Kellogg successfully. If you’d like to speak with one of our Principals about your candidacy, please request a free analysis here.

Successful Examples of Kellogg Essays

Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on our SBC team .

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School Kellogg MBA

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School MBA, the Wharton School

HBS Admissions Board at Harvard Business School

Director HBS Admissions at Harvard Business School HBS MBA

Admissions Officer at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB)

Asst Director MBA Admissions at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Director MBA Admissions at Berkeley’s Haas School of Business

MBA, Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB) Minority Admissions, the GSB Diversity Programs, the GSB

Associate Director MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute

Director, the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania Professional Writer

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) NYU Admissions

Assistant Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS) M.S.Ed, Higher Education, U of Pennsylvania

Associate Director MBA Admissions at Columbia Business School (CBS)

Ashley is a former MBA Admissions Board Member for Harvard Business School (HBS), where she interviewed and evaluated thousands of business school applicants for over a six year tenure.  Ashley  holds an MBA from HBS. During her HBS years,  Ashley  was the Sports Editor for the Harbus and a member of the B-School Blades Ice Hockey Team. After HBS, she worked in Marketing at the Gillette Company on Male and Female shaving ...

Kerry is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS). During her 5+ year tenure at HBS, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a wide range of backgrounds across the globe. She also led marketing and outreach efforts focused on increasing diversity and inclusion, ran the Summer Venture in Management Program (SVMP), and launched the 2+2 Program during her time in Admissions. Kerry holds a B.A. from Bates College and  ...

A former associate director of admissions at Harvard Business School, Pauline served on the HBS MBA Admissions Board full-time for four years. She evaluated and interviewed HBS applicants, both on-campus and globally.  Pauline's career has included sales and marketing management roles with Coca-Cola, Gillette, Procter & Gamble, and IBM.  For over 10 years, Pauline has expertly guided MBA applicants, and her clients h ...

Geri is a former member of the Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS).  In her 7 year tenure in HBS Admissions, she read and evaluated hundreds of applications and interviewed MBA candidates from a diverse set of academic, geographic, and employment backgrounds.  Geri also traveled globally representing the school at outreach events in order to raise awareness for women and international students.  In additio ...

Laura comes from the MBA Admissions Board at Harvard Business School (HBS) and is an HBS MBA alumnus. In her HBS Admissions role, she evaluated and interviewed hundreds of business school candidates, including internationals, women, military and other applicant pools, for five years.  Prior to her time as a student at HBS, Laura began her career in advertising and marketing in Chicago at Leo Burnett where she worked on th ...

Andrea served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at Harvard Business School (HBS) for over five years.  In this role, she provided strategic direction for student yield-management activities and also served as a full member of the admissions committee. In 2007, Andrea launched the new 2+2 Program at Harvard Business School – a program targeted at college junior applicants to Harvard Business School.  Andrea has also served as a Career Coach for Harvard Business School for both cu ...

Jennifer served as Admissions Officer at the Stanford (GSB) for five years. She holds an MBA from Stanford (GSB) and a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Jennifer has over 15 years experience in guiding applicants through the increasingly competitive admissions process into top MBA programs. Having read thousands and thousands of essays and applications while at Stanford (GSB) Admiss ...

Erin served in key roles in MBA Admissions--as Director at Haas School of Business at UC Berkeley and Assistant Director at Stanford's Graduate School of Business (GSB). Erin served on the admissions committee at each school and has read thousands of applications in her career. At Haas, she served for seven years in roles that encompassed evaluation, outreach, and diversity and inclusion. During her tenure in Admissions at GSB, she was responsible for candidate evaluation, applicant outreach, ...

Susie comes from the Admissions Office of the Stanford Graduate School of Business where she reviewed and evaluated hundreds of prospective students’ applications.  She holds an MBA from Stanford’s GSB and a BA from Stanford in Economics. Prior to advising MBA applicants, Susie held a variety of roles over a 15-year period in capital markets, finance, and real estate, including as partner in one of the nation’s most innovative finance and real estate investment organizations. In that r ...

Dione holds an MBA degree from Stanford Business School (GSB) and a BA degree from Stanford University, where she double majored in Economics and Communication with concentrations in journalism and sociology. Dione has served as an Admissions reader and member of the Minority Admissions Advisory Committee at Stanford.   Dione is an accomplished and respected advocate and thought leader on education and diversity. She is ...

Anthony served as the Associate Director of MBA Admissions at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he dedicated over 10 years of expertise. During his time as a Wharton Admissions Officer, he read and reviewed thousands of applications and helped bring in a class of 800+ students a year.   Anthony has traveled both domestically and internationally to recruit a ...

Meghan served as the Associate Director of Admissions and Marketing at the Wharton MBA’s Lauder Institute, a joint degree program combining the Wharton MBA with an MA in International Studies. In her role on the Wharton MBA admissions committee, Meghan advised domestic and international applicants; conducted interviews and information sessions domestically and overseas in Asia, Central and South America, and Europe; and evaluated applicants for admission to the program. Meghan also managed ...

Amy comes from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania where she was Associate Director. Amy devoted 12 years at the Wharton School, working closely with MBA students and supporting the admissions team.  During her tenure at Wharton, Amy served as a trusted adviser to prospective applicants as well as admitted and matriculated students.  She conducted admissions chats with applicants early in the admissions ...

Ally brings six years of admissions experience to the SBC team, most recently as an Assistant Director of Admission for the full-time MBA program at Columbia Business School (CBS).  During her time at Columbia, Ally was responsible for reviewing applications, planning recruitment events, and interviewing candidates for both the full-time MBA program and the Executive MBA program. She traveled both internationally and dome ...

Erin has over seven years of experience working across major institutions, including University of Pennsylvania, Columbia Business School, and NYU's Stern School of Business. At Columbia Business School, Erin was an Assistant Director of Admissions where she evaluated applications for both the full time and executive MBA programs, sat on the admissions and merit scholarship committees and advised applicants on which program might be the best fit for them based on their work experience and pro ...

Emma comes from the MBA Admissions Office at Columbia Business School (CBS), where she was Associate Director.  Emma conducted dozens of interviews each cycle for the MBA and EMBA programs, as well as coordinating the alumni ambassador interview program. She read and evaluated hundreds of applications each cycle, delivered information sessions to audiences across the globe, and advised countless waitlisted applicants.

Pizza should be a delicious comfort food. But following our acquisition of ABC Bakes, a manufacturer of pizza crusts, it had become nothing but a source of stress. I had the challenging responsibility of leading the new management team in developing a budget and operating plan for the following year.

The successful development of a budget and operating plan requires a truly cross-functional effort, with contributions from accounting, finance, sales, marketing and operations. However, this management team was new to the company and had never worked together. These individuals were all several decades my senior, and while all of them were talented, accomplished operators, few had been exposed to the rigor of private equity ownership. My key challenge would be the successful cohesion of this cross-functional team to execute against an eight-week timeline, culminating in a budget presentation to my CEO.

First, I organized a kick-off meeting to bring the team together. This meeting was a forum to discuss each team’s responsibilities – and how each function would both depend on and be accountable to others. Informed by the learnings from this meeting, I followed up with a detailed timeline listing deadlines for each group, including when they owed others certain information. I also scheduled a weekly check-in meeting to discuss each group’s progress towards completing the budget.

A challenge I did not anticipate were the clashing incentives inherent in the project. As the investor, I wanted to push the team to commit to an aspirational budget that maximized financial performance. Management understandably preferred a less risky approach given their compensation was tied to meeting the budget. While meeting with the CEO of ABC I expressed that if we didn’t push ourselves, we wouldn’t reach the levels of performance we all desired. The CEO countered that if we set unattainable goals, management would become dejected and unmotivated when they inevitably didn’t meet those goals. Coming out of this meeting, we both better appreciated the other’s perspective, and settled on a budget where we both felt a bit uncomfortable – a good compromise.

In the end, I created a collaborative project dynamic that relied on frequent communication and interdependent teamwork. This successfully led to a measured, but ambitious budget, that was developed in both a timely and effective manner. Significant value was created both operationally and financially, as the company, guided by this budget and operating plan, achieved a 17% increase in revenue and a 49% increase in earnings the following fiscal year. As a leader, I learned the value of open communication and necessary compromise – tools that I continue to apply with my other portfolio companies. These strategies have consistently driven improved teamwork and performance among our teams.

Compassion and empathy are guiding values both personally and professionally. I learned the value of these traits as a child, watching my father handle my uncle’s drug addiction and its impact on our family. Through all the pain he brought, my father cared for and loved him. This demonstrated to me that to understand and help my uncle, you had to approach him with a level of compassion that allowed him to show his best self. I also learned this didn’t just apply to friends and family – you had to show the same respect and understanding to the check-out clerk at the grocery store as you did your boss in the corner office.

I applied this lesson when I got to college and started working at the Bulk Mail Center. I worked alongside a blue-collar workforce, printing pamphlets and newsletters the university distributed. My colleagues had experienced extremely different circumstances than me – most had no more than a high school degree and many had criminal backgrounds. As I worked with them longer, taking time to better understand them as people, barriers broke down, and I was able to see them as caring and intelligent individuals. By approaching them with compassion, I was able to see their best selves and learn from them as a result.

As a PE Associate, I am exposed to many levels of a company’s organization and interact with diverse executives. I utilize an empathetic and compassionate perspective in this position, aiming to identify with employees at all levels and functions of an organization – whether I’m meeting with the COO or walking the factory floor with a production worker. By doing so, I’ve been able to gain a broader perspective on how value is created by every member within an organization. Recently a shift leader at a portfolio company, an immigrant from (Country) with limited English, demonstrated a newly implemented quality-control process to me– a learning I was able to suggest to another portfolio company with great success.

In my personal life, I have demonstrated these values through my work with (group), an education non-profit benefiting underprivileged children. I worked with (group) by fundraising at quarterly events supporting the organization’s mission and helping with an annual Christmas party and gift drive. Through a better education, we hope these children won’t be defined by their current circumstances, but will grow, thrive, and be empowered to become their best selves.

Compassion and empathy allow people to be respected and heard – this makes for better businesses, better communities and ultimately a better world. These will continue to be vital values both as I lead investments in companies and as I contribute to the community around me.

During my third year at TTT, Sam, the Senior on my government audit, was detained by a prior client, and I was left to lead the government audit. This audit was unique as our firm was required to hire two subcontractors—a Staff, Alicia, and a Senior, María—from a minority-owned firm to perform most of the testing, but TTT was responsible for directing the work. Both subcontractors reported to me and I was responsible for managing workflow and reviewing work.

This created a unique dynamic in that María had more years of experience than I did; moreover, she had two years of previous experience with our client. As I began the scoping, I quickly realized that not only would there be significantly more work “in scope” this year, but also the internal control testing needed to be completely redesigned.

The first thing I did was schedule a call with my TTT Senior Manager and Sam to discuss my concerns, both of whom agreed that I would need to redesign the testing. María, however, was indignant at the insinuation that she had executed prior year audits incorrectly. She also expressed concerns about the additional time that might be required to correct the identified issues.

To address her concerns and frustration, I met with María right away. I assured her that the audit in prior years had been flawless but the scoping provided by my firm was incorrect. I also walked her through the new control testing methodology. Ultimately, the redesign would require only a slight increase in billable hours in the current year but would significantly decrease the hours in future years, creating value to both the audit team and the client. I further explained to María that the previous internal control testing regimen did not provide sufficient audit evidence to verify compliance with government regulations, so making these updates early would save us all the inconvenience of having to perform additional testing later on.

This discussion was a turning point in my relationship with María. I acknowledged her strong operational understanding of the client and the audit procedures and she recognized my organizational and strategic abilities. Communication and camaraderie within the team improved ten-fold and the audit operated with great efficiency and speed.

My experience leading María taught me how important it is to maintain open communication and obtain buy-in from the team regarding new changes. I also learned to better leverage the strengths of different team members. Having María’s support made a world of difference as she used her strong relationship with the client to help troubleshoot the implementation of the new audit plan, identifying alternate ways to test the internal controls and contribute to our success.

Many of the values that are important to me today were instilled by my parents throughout my childhood. As entrepreneurs, my parents taught me the need for ingenuity and hard work to get a job done. They also taught me the importance of showing gratitude for the things that I have and empathy towards others.

My parents worked hard to succeed as entrepreneurs, my mom as a healthcare consultant and my dad as a farmer. I found that same self-starter spirit at an early age, always seeking ways to get creative and satisfy an unmet need. From selling candy on the playground in elementary school to starting a business in high school unlocking iPhones, my resourcefulness carried into college where I majored in entrepreneurial management. Throughout college, I started several new ventures that leveraged my skills and interests. For example, after learning from a family friend how expensive swimming lessons were at the local golf club, I earned my instructor’s license and taught private lessons at a much more affordable rate.

While I was fortunate to live comfortably from my parents’ hard work, I learned the meaning of gratitude when my childhood home burned down during a thunderstorm in the summer of 2005. Although the house was a complete loss, I only felt gratitude that none of my family members were hurt. Since then, I’ve known that material things are not important to me. The things that are most important to me are intangible, including my family’s health, time with loved ones, and the sense of security that comes with stable income and housing. To this day, I consider myself incredibly privileged to have the things that I do and try to express that gratitude every day.

Growing up, my parents ensured that I understood my privilege by involving me in numerous charitable causes, such as volunteering at local group homes and at food drives. I continue to seek ways to help those going through challenging times, including my work with the Animal Humane Society. Beyond these volunteer efforts, I take great care to incorporate empathy and compassion into my personal life. Someone once told me that “People won’t always remember exactly what you said, but what they will remember is how you made them feel,” and for that reason I try to show kindness and respect to everyone that I meet.

I want to continue championing these values in my career, and earning my MBA from Kellogg will equip me with the tools I need to lead and empower teams with empathy, compassion, and gratitude. As an active leader and team member, I hope to inspire my classmates to bring empathy, gratitude and compassion into their work.

I began to learn about the power of integrity when I first flipped through Davidson College admissions materials. While immersed in these pamphlets, it was challenging to go two pages without seeing a reference to the honor code and its impact on campus. This emphasis on integrity continued as my class came together for our honor code signing ceremony, as I took self-scheduled finals, and as I left my laptop unattended in the student union. It never ceased to amaze me that this focus on integrity could permeate every aspect of the Davidson experience. From my time at Davidson, the first thing I notice about new communities is whether they place this same emphasis on integrity. In the workplace, this idea comes to life through working under different project leadership. When leaders emphasize the importance of doing the right thing, even if it’s not easy and may not maximize our annual revenue, it trickles down to the daily behaviors of the team. As I ultimately want to lead a portfolio of team-based projects grounded in integrity, a Kellogg MBA would give me the necessary leadership skills to achieve this goal as well as a strong community supportive of this ideal.

The importance of trust became apparent much earlier; I realized that running the soccer ball down the entire length of the field by myself was not an effective strategy. I couldn’t score, and my teammates were understandably frustrated. However, if I passed, my strengths and the skills of my teammates could complement one another, and the team would be much more successful. While trust looks different amongst a team of consultants, the lesson is the same. If one team member tries to own a deliverable individually or independently present every time there’s a client meeting, the team eventually suffers due to a lack of trust. The team also fails to leverage its full range of skills and strengths. At Kellogg I will be working in multiple teams concurrently, each comprised of unique individuals with diverse backgrounds working towards different goals. The opportunity to contribute to and lead this range of teams will further hone my ability to build and facilitate groups that successfully operate in an environment of trust.

My conversations with (student) and (student 2) demonstrated that Kellogg fosters these same values. (Student) highlighted the trust between the administration and students that enables most aspects of Kellogg to be student-led. (Student 2), a Davidson and Kellogg alumna, spoke of her initial concern that a larger community couldn’t replicate Davidson’s focus on integrity. She grew to understand this concern was unfounded as peers treated academics and extracurriculars with focus on doing the right thing and supporting their classmates.

Trusting a 24-year-old engineer to manage a sales territory is a big risk, especially when the customers are demanding surgeons and the competition is far more experienced. Despite these considerations, I was promoted early to a territory manager and tasked with growing a new medical device business.

After finding initial success, I learned that a key product was being divested due to product consolidation. This threatened my business with Dr. Smith, but I was confident that I could leverage our relationship to retain the business. I assured leadership not to worry and even projected sales growth for that product in my annual business plan. Dr. Smith tried a comparable product I offered, but ultimately went to a competitor who inherited the divested product because it was the best decision for his patients and practice.

I learned from this experience to never assume that past success is an indicator for future success. I began to expect adversity and use feedback to constantly improve my customer service. Overcoming this challenge caused me to become introspective with my relationships and career goals. The professional growth and maturity I developed early in my career allowed me to establish myself as a credible and reliable vendor, which led to retaining other at-risk customers and winning new business.

Now, I crave an opportunity to grow as a leader and become a product manager in the medical device industry. A Kellogg MBA will empower me to follow my passion of creating value for healthcare providers by delivering innovative products and solutions. Kellogg offers experiential and design-centric learning opportunities through the MMM program and a collaborative environment, which I enjoyed when I visited campus in the spring. From our tour guides to the participants in the Marketing Strategy class I audited, the students and staff were engaging and helpful.

The Healthcare Enterprise Management pathway feels tailor-made to my career aspirations. Classes such as Healthcare Strategy and Biomedical Marketing will provide me with industry-specific foundational knowledge and electives such as Medical Product Early Stage Commercialization will teach me the technical skills necessary for my career track. I will utilize the broader Northwestern network by partnering with an interdisciplinary team in NuVention: Medical Innovation and gain entrepreneurial experience taking a medical device concept to market.

Kellogg’s vast extracurricular offerings will help me grow personally and as a leader. I look forward to competing in case competitions with the Marketing Club and coordinating events with industry sponsors as a leader in the Healthcare Club. As an avid skier, I am excited about bonding with classmates at the annual ski trip. Kellogg is the best MBA program for me and I look forward to sharing my passion with the Kellogg community.

“What does he even do every day? Why do you and I subsidize his income while we do all the work?” These were the questions that JJJ asked me about another teammate, ABC, seemingly on a daily basis. Last year, the sales territory I led merged with another territory and I was tasked to lead a team of five sales reps producing $10 million in sales. The celebration from the promotion was short-lived when I realized the challenges of managing a team of senior sales reps across an expansive geography.

Our medical device business is very entrepreneurial; we are paid a commission on every sale plus a bonus on growth. JJJ supported our largest account while ABC supported a few smaller accounts but spent a considerable amount of time cultivating those relationships and performing sales calls. As the team leader, I had an obligation to grow our territory each month while keeping our customers satisfied and I knew we couldn’t do that if the internal strife on our team continued.

To address the conflict, my strategy was to speak with both individuals and then host a team meeting to collaborate on creative, growth-centric adjustments to the compensation plan. JJJ and I had constructive conversations reminding each other that we are tasked with growing every account in our territory, not only the largest ones. ABC and I discussed the importance of communication and transparency; we talked about his role in supporting our largest accounts and communicating with the whole team on sales activities and ongoing deals. At our team meeting, I introduced a compensation plan where a portion of bonus commission would be awarded, based on merit, to the teammate who closed the most new business that quarter.

The modified compensation plan was a success and created value both internally and externally. Team morale was noticeably better; with the new growth-based incentive, we spent less time focusing on each other and more time focusing on our targets and driving new business. I knew the compensation model would have a lasting impact when two other territory leads contacted me about implementing it for their teams. As an added benefit, senior management was impressed that we worked through these problems without their intervention. Through this experience, I learned that in times of conflict, leadership is more about listening than prescribing. I continue to apply this philosophy when I coach my junior reps on overcoming objections and closing new business. We encounter unique business challenges daily that require empathy to navigate. As a growth-minded leader, I will bring my style of empathetic and creative problem-solving to Kellogg.

Feeling the weight of every eye in the room, I took a calming breath and began my presentation. I was outlining my team’s next initiative to a group of product managers, directors, and VPs from across the company, and it was the first high-stakes test of the public speaking strategies I’d been working on for several months. Public speaking had never been my specialty, but as I progressed in my career I had to present more frequently in front of larger, more senior audiences. I could tell I wasn’t projecting the same gravitas as my colleagues, and my manager agreed this was something I should address in order to advance.

I took a two-pronged approach to improving as a public speaker: I looked for outside help to learn new techniques, and I turned to introspection to understand what triggered my anxiety. I joined Toastmasters, attended improv classes and seminars, and started a journal to reflect on my development. I also volunteered to be a teacher with my director and the senior VP for our department. This allowed me to practice speaking in front of senior managers in a low-stakes, non-work environment.

My efforts created a positive feedback loop: I could tell I was improving, which made me more confident, and helped me improve faster. I built stronger relationships throughout the organization, which allowed me to feel more confident speaking in front of colleagues whose opinions I valued. As a result of my preparation, my big presentation was a success, and my manager commended me on my improvement. I’m proud of the headway I’ve made, and there will be many opportunities for me to continue gaining confidence and growing as a public speaker through Kellogg’s student-driven culture and focus on empowering students to lead.

I want to grow at Kellogg in new areas, too, and approach them with the same resourcefulness and tenacity. Discussing Global Lab with an alumna got me excited to learn about solving business problems in a real-world, international context. Speaking with students during my campus visit inspired me to build relationships through the Women’s Business Association’s peer mentorship program and cultivate community at Kellogg by organizing events like Ski Trip and the Charity Auction Ball. As an officer in the Tech Club, I’ll develop my leadership skills, and joining Net Impact will help me contribute off-campus by sharing what I’ve learned through the Inner City Mentoring Club, which has a similar mission to .

I’m excited to take advantage of all these opportunities during the 1Y program. While a year goes by quickly, 1Y alumni have told me that it’s just enough time to focus on personal growth while still maintaining my career trajectory.

Errors in economic consulting are sometimes worth millions; in antitrust litigation, defense attorneys entrust my team with finding these expensive errors. Often these cases are thousands of pages of industry reports, data methodologies, and client strategy documents—our job is to find where something was wrong. On one such case, I was tasked with managing a team of unfamiliar faces from outside my LA office. Motivating this new group throughout the routine of casework was a new challenge for me.

Initially I stressed the importance of the details, since minor errors in analysis could change the trajectory of the case; our diligent review was essential to success. Initially, the project hummed along, but a challenge soon emerged. One of my team members, “Bill,” was several years my senior with a higher title, and didn’t appreciate his reduced role on this project. Although the chain of command had been established, he subtlety attempted to circumvent me and seek tasks from my boss. Sensing his frustration, I decided to delicately confront Bill without turning the situation toxic. I didn’t reprimand him, but instead thanked him for his willingness to take a role beneath his normal responsibilities; I even confided to him that this was an important opportunity for me and asked if he had any managerial advice. After our conversation, he recommitted to the team and even became my second in command.

Our commitment eventually paid off: we found a costly blunder. The opposing economist had innocently confused “the San Francisco metropolitan area” with the city of limits of San Francisco and correcting this seemingly minor error in his model decreased the predicted damages by almost $30 million. With our successful outcome, the partner on the project called me into his office to thank me for my effort on this project. Although my team members had already dispersed back to their respective offices, I asked if he could call and thank Bill and the rest of the team as well. As someone who hasn’t always held the manager role, I appreciate the satisfaction that comes from simple acknowledgement of work done well.

This experience taught me that there is no single prescription for leadership. My style for managing self-motivated consultants shouldn’t mirror my style as captain of my co-ed soccer team. In this situation, my team didn’t need someone to tyrannize, but someone to galvanize them as the case progressed. I also learned that success sometimes comes at the expense of my own ego; I built the team’s trust by my willingness to take on even the simplest task to inch us toward completion. While my leadership style will evolve as my responsibilities grow, a key tenant of my leadership style will always be adaptability.

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from Kellogg, Booth and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Just two of the many superstars on the SBC team: Meet Beth who held the position of Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full Time MBA program selecting candidates for the 2-year, 1-year, MMM and JD MBA programs.

Meet Kim , who was an Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Chicago Booth.

Tap into this inside knowledge for your MBA applications by requesting a consultation .

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Kellogg Essay Examples (23-24): Cracking The Code to Win

Are you an applicant trying to crack the code of Kellogg’s MBA admissions process? Crafting a stellar application essay can be daunting for many, but with our helpful tips and tricks as well as detail-oriented Kellogg essay examples, you’re sure to create an effective piece of writing that will set your candidacy apart. Whether it is through illustrating growth in professional experiences or leveraging diversity stories – we’ll show you how to tell the story of who you are and why Kellogg should say yes! We understand that the road to MBA admission can seem murky—but fear not! With this post focused on 2023-2024 Kellogg essay examples, get ready to take ownership of your story and begin your journey toward achieving your business school dreams.

Introducing Kellogg and Its Application Process

Kellogg School of Management , a part of the esteemed Northwestern University, is renowned for its emphasis on global and experiential learning. The application process at Kellogg is designed to assess not just the academic prowess of potential candidates, but also their leadership attributes, team skills, and potential to make an impact. The process typically involves multiple essays, recommendation letters , and an in-person or virtual interview . These components strive to give the admissions team a holistic view of each applicant, ensuring that those accepted will not only thrive in the academic environment but also contribute meaningfully to the Kellogg community.

Why studying Kellogg essay examples is key to success

Studying Kellogg essay examples is key to success for several reasons. These examples provide invaluable insight into what the admissions committee values and is looking for in potential candidates. They offer a blueprint for effective storytelling – showcasing not just the what, but the how and why of your experiences, aspirations, and values. Examining these essays can help applicants understand how to balance between personal anecdotes and professional accomplishments, demonstrating both competence and character. Understanding the structure, tone, and content of successful essays also allows applicants to avoid common pitfalls, craft compelling narratives, and ultimately stand out in a highly competitive applicant pool.

How to read and analyze Kellogg essay examples for improved application essays

When reviewing Kellogg essay examples, it’s vital to approach them analytically rather than imitatively. The goal is not to replicate another applicant’s story but to glean insights on structure, tone, and content. Start by examining how the essay begins – does it grab your attention, and how does it do so? Take note of the balance between personal anecdotes and professional aspirations; a compelling essay seamlessly weaves these elements together. Look at how the writer demonstrates their understanding of Kellogg’s culture and values. Do they make clear connections between their goals and what Kellogg can offer? Pay attention to the language and style – is the tone formal or conversational? Does the writer use complex sentence structures or keep it simple? These considerations can help in honing your own unique narrative that is compelling and authentic.

Tips for writing an effective Kellogg essay

In crafting an effective Kellogg essay, it’s crucial to be clear, concise, and authentic. First off, start with a compelling introduction that hooks the reader’s attention. Draw on experiences that have shaped your professional aspirations, ensuring to tie these elements back to Kellogg’s values and offerings. Remember, specificity is key. Instead of writing in broad strokes, detail precisely how Kellogg’s resources or programs align with your goals. Finally, maintain a balance in tone – while professionalism is essential, a bit of conversational flair can inject personality into your essay. Keep the language simple and clear, and always proofread for grammar and punctuation errors. A well-crafted essay not only communicates your suitability for Kellogg but also reflects your ability to communicate effectively and thoughtfully.

Question 1: Analysis and Tips

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? (450 words)

Analyzing the Question

This question from Kellogg is seeking to understand your problem-solving skills, leadership ability, and flexibility to use a combination of skills. It’s looking for evidence of how you’ve navigated complex situations to achieve a desired outcome. Your response should demonstrate your ability to think critically, adapt, collaborate, and lead, tying into the overall theme of leadership that Kellogg emphasizes.

The mention of boardrooms and neighborhoods suggests a consideration for community. Therefore, it is important to select leadership examples that not only demonstrate your ability to rally and guide others toward a common goal but also showcase your innovative approach.

This essay question allows for a wide range of recent examples, both personal and professional. Instead of solely measuring the importance of an experience based on monetary value or percentages, the focus should be on the challenges faced and the lessons learned. These challenges can range from logistical hurdles, such as coordinating internal teams while managing client expectations, to interpersonal obstacles, such as building a positive working relationship with a difficult colleague. Effective responses will highlight transferable skills that were developed or strengthened throughout the process, with the result being a lasting and positive impact.

When it comes to structure, we highly recommend using the STAR approach for crafting your response. Begin by setting the stage with a detailed description of the situation, including the key players and stakeholders involved. Then, transition smoothly into discussing the task at hand—clearly outlining the specific goals you needed to accomplish. Furthermore, it is imperative to recognize the challenges faced, highlighting the multitude of factors and complexities that were overcome to achieve victory. As you move forward, provide a cohesive and chronological account of the actions you took throughout the project or process. To maintain narrative flow, integrate the challenges you encountered and how you overcame them within this section, rather than separating them into distinct segments.

Finally, wrap up your response by commenting on the positive outcome of your efforts and how the story resolved. Conclude with a reflective note, discussing the valuable lessons learned and how they continue to shape your ability to bring significant value to the Kellogg community.

Tips for Convincing Response

• Choose an impactful story: Select a situation from your past experiences that had a significant impact on your professional or personal life. This could be a challenging project at work, a community initiative, or an unexpected crisis that required quick thinking and action.
• Detail your skills: Explicitly mention the skills you employed to address the situation. This could range from technical skills to soft skills like communication, team management, strategic thinking, or negotiation skills.
• Showcase problem-solving ability: Illustrate your problem-solving process clearly – how you assessed the situation, identified the problem, considered various solutions, and decided on the most effective one.
• Highlight your achievements: Conclude your response by discussing the outcome of the situation. What did you accomplish? How did the situation improve as a result of your actions? This should ideally tie back to the skills you employed.
• Connect with Kellogg: Finally, subtly highlight how this experience has prepared you for Kellogg’s leadership-focused environment. Show how this instance has honed your abilities and how you intend to further develop these skills at Kellogg

During my tenure as a Project Manager at XYZ Corp, we were faced with a complex challenge. A high-stakes project we were handling for an important client was falling behind schedule due to unforeseen technical issues. As the leader of the team, it was my responsibility to navigate this situation and deliver the project as promised.

I utilized a combination of technical, analytical, and interpersonal skills to tackle this problem. First, I applied project management and technical skills to understand the nature of the technical issues and assess their impact on the project timeline. I collaborated with the technical team to explore potential solutions, and we decided to implement a more efficient algorithm that could speed up our processing time.

Simultaneously, I leveraged my communication and negotiation skills to manage the client’s expectations. I clearly communicated the issues we were facing, and the steps we were taking to resolve them, and negotiated a slight extension for the project delivery.

To ensure that the team was motivated and focused, I employed leadership and team management skills. I arranged daily stand-ups to track our progress, identified and addressed any concerns team members had and fostered a positive and collaborative work environment.

Despite the odds, we managed to complete and deliver the project within the extended deadline. The client was satisfied with our transparency and the quality of our work. As a result, we not only retained the client but also secured a new project from them.

This experience was instrumental in enhancing my problem-solving, leadership, and communication skills. I also learned the importance of agility and adaptability in managing unexpected challenges. I believe the skills and experiences I have gained align well with Kellogg’s focus on cultivating versatile leaders who can navigate complex situations effectively. I am excited about the prospect of further developing these skills and leveraging them to tackle pressing issues in the Kellogg community and beyond.

Question 2: Analysis and Tips

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

Analyzing this question, it becomes apparent that Kellogg is seeking individuals who contribute diversity and richness to their community. Therefore, your response should demonstrate how your unique personal and professional experiences can add value to the Kellogg community.

In essence, since the aim of this Kellogg MBA essay question is to provide the admissions team with greater insight into who you are, it’s beneficial to begin with some reflections on your personal journey, experiences, and accomplishments, and then work backwards to uncover the prevailing qualities. Remember that it’s not your direct “answer” to the question that will set you apart (which may even be somewhat ordinary), but rather the series of anecdotes and supporting evidence you provide that will effectively convey your unique candidacy to the admissions team.

The admissions committee is eager to learn how your background, perspective, and experiences can contribute to the Kellogg community. To conclude your essay effectively, it would be prudent to establish connections with Kellogg’s offerings. Gaining insights into the school’s curriculum, special programs, and extracurricular activities—whether through a campus visit or conversations with alumni—will enable you to craft a standout response.

To address this convincingly, focus on the following areas:

• Professional Experiences: Share specific examples of how your professional experiences have shaped you as a leader and how you can bring these insights to Kellogg. Discuss the skills and competencies you have developed, such as problem-solving, leadership, communication, etc.
• Personal Experiences: Talk about your personal background and experiences that have influenced your values, beliefs, and perspectives. Relate how these elements will enhance the diversity of the Kellogg community.
• Contribution to the Kellogg Community: Clearly articulate how you plan to use your experiences and skills to enrich the Kellogg community. This could involve discussing your plans to participate in specific clubs, initiatives, or programs, and how your unique perspective would contribute to these activities.
• Alignment with Kellogg’s Values: Highlight how your experiences and perspective align with Kellogg’s values of leadership, diversity, and community.

Remember to keep your response authentic and personal. The readers should get a sense of who you are as an individual and what you can bring to the table, so make sure your personality shines through in your response.

Throughout my professional journey and personal life, I have sought to embrace diversity, thrive in leadership roles, and contribute positively to my community. These experiences, I believe, align remarkably with Kellogg’s values and will enable me to enrich your esteemed community.

Professionally, as a project lead in a multinational tech firm, I have had the privilege of working with and leading diverse teams spread across different continents. This exposure to various cultures, work ethics, and perspectives has honed my problem-solving and leadership skills. I have learned to appreciate the power of diverse ideas and have seen firsthand how a multifaceted team outperforms a homogeneous one. At Kellogg, I intend to share these experiences and insights, potentially influencing my peers’ understanding of creating and managing diverse teams.

On the personal front, I come from a small town in Asia with a unique cultural heritage. My upbringing in a multicultural environment has instilled in me a deep appreciation for diversity and an understanding of different perspectives. I believe my background will add a unique flavor to the Kellogg community, broadening its cultural and experiential diversity.

Beyond just adding to the diversity at Kellogg, I plan to contribute actively to the community. Particularly, I am interested in the Technology Club and Entrepreneurship Club. As someone who has worked in the tech industry and harbors entrepreneurial ambitions, I can bring a unique, ground-level perspective to these clubs. I would love to organize workshops and seminars to share industry insights and foster a culture of technological innovation and entrepreneurial thinking.

Lastly, my experiences have reinforced my belief in the power of community and collaboration. Throughout my academic and professional life, I have always prioritized contributing to my community, be it through mentorship roles or voluntary services. At Kellogg, I intend to continue this trend, using my experiences to contribute to the community positively and constructively.

In conclusion, I believe my professional experiences, personal background, commitment to community service, and alignment with Kellogg’s values equip me to make a significant contribution to the Kellogg community. I look forward to enriching and being enriched by this diverse community of future leaders.

Mastering your MBA essays for Kellogg

Considering the high caliber and diversity of candidates applying for the Kellogg MBA program, it’s undoubtedly a daunting task to stand out from the crowd. The admissions committee seeks applicants who not only excel academically and professionally, but also demonstrate distinct personal experiences, unique perspectives, and a strong commitment to the community. The scrutiny and attention to detail in their evaluation process can be intimidating, as even minor shortcomings or inconsistencies in your application or essays can potentially impact your chances of admission. Therefore, it is essential to critically assess the quality of your essays to ensure they effectively highlight your strengths, uniqueness, and alignment with Kellogg’s values.

The Kellogg essay examples provided above should serve merely as sources of inspiration, and by no means as templates to emulate. Each candidate brings a unique set of experiences and perspectives, hence, it is paramount to reflect this uniqueness in your essays. Instead of replicating these examples, let them inspire you to weave your own narrative that genuinely encapsulates your individuality. Remember, the objective is to distinguish yourself from other applicants, so strive to imbue your essays with personal experiences, distinctive insights, and an authentic voice that resonates with the ethos of Kellogg. Your essays should unequivocally reflect who you are, what you value, and how you envision contributing to the Kellogg community.

Final thoughts on cracking the code with Kellogg essay examples

In conclusion, cracking the code with Kellogg essay examples comes down to understanding your personal narrative and how it intersects with Kellogg’s values. The essay should be a window into your professional aspirations and how Kellogg’s unique resources and culture can help you realize these goals. While showcasing your proficiency in clear and effective communication, also embrace your uniqueness and authenticity.

You have what it takes to craft a great Kellogg application essay; you just need the know-how of how to do it. What sets The Admit Lab apart is our focus on delivering a portfolio-driven approach that helps applicants craft narratives to stand out from the competition. With our unique approach, you can create an eloquent portrayal of your journey thus far —and why you deserve a seat at the world’s greatest business school, Kellogg! So if you’re ready to join the Kellogg community take ownership of your story and don’t hesitate to reach out to us for advice and guidance every step of the way. We’ll be more than happy to guide you in any way we can. And if writing powerful essays just isn’t your strong suit, remember that we offer top-notch MBA admissions consulting services so that you can stay ahead of the competition. So grab hold of this golden opportunity and plan for success – let the journey begin!

With a Master’s from McGill University and a Ph.D. from New York University, Philippe Barr is a former professor and assistant director of MBA admissions at Kenan-Flagler Business School. With more than seven years of experience as a graduate school admissions consultant, Dr. Barr has stewarded the candidate journey across multiple MBA programs and helped hundreds of students get admitted to top-tier graduate programs all over the world .

Follow Dr. Barr on YouTub e for tips and tricks on navigating the MBA application process and life as an MBA student.

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2023-2024 Kellogg MBA Essay Tips and Example Essays

Jul 13, 2023

• Who is Kellogg looking for?
• How should I answer the Kellogg essay questions?
• Make Your Story Shine
• Kellogg Deadlines

UPDATE : This article was originally posted on August 7, 2018. It has been updated with new information and tips below.

With its Global Hub, Kellogg of Management at Northwestern University has reinforced itself as a haven for collaboratively minded leaders. With its unique MBAi and MMM programs, the school also stands out for those focused on tech and design innovation, respectively. Furthermore, Kellogg is one of the few top business schools in the US to offer a 1-year MBA program. 

However, getting a spot at Kellogg also requires serious smarts, as the school continues to add incredibly appealing majors and pathways, including options on Social Impact and Energy & Sustainability to name a few, getting into Kellogg is more challenging than ever. 

That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you use your Kellogg admissions essays to stand out. We’ve rounded up our best tips and links to Kellogg MBA sample essays to ensure you give your Kellogg application your best shot. 

1. Who is Kellogg looking for?

Source: @kelloggschool on Instagram

Each year, Kellogg selects around 500 students to take part in its two-year program. Though there is no one “perfect” type of Kellogg student, the university does favor high test scores (the mean GMAT for the Class of 2024 was 729 and the average GRE score was 163 Quant, 162 Verbal ). 

Additionally, Kellogg is committed to admitting a diverse class, as the composition of the Class of 2024 reflects. 48% of the incoming class are female, 38% are international, 37% are U.S. minorities, and 8% identified as LGBTQ+. 

However, at Kellogg, showing fit with the school goes far beyond having the right GMAT or GRE score. That’s why Kellogg also looks for a set of “soft” skills in its applicants.

In our experience, Kellogg also responds well to applicants with a demonstrated history of giving back.  

So, if this sounds like a community in which you’d be right at home, you’ll have to think of the ways in which you align with the main characteristics of Kellogg’s students. This means forming your business school brand , and then focusing on the aspects of that brand that align with changing the status quo, collaborative leadership, and giving back to society. 

2. How should I answer the Kellogg essay questions?

2.1. essay 1 tips.

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? (450 words)

After many years retaining the same questions, Kellogg switched things up this year! Yet, leadership still remains at the core of Kellogg’s Essay 1. 

Though you may be tempted to cram in as many examples of leadership as you can in this question, Kellogg clearly asks you for a single experience, though they do not dictate that you must draw this example from your professional experience. 

As such, considering Kellogg’s focus on problem-solving, brainstorm a list of examples in which you faced a clear challenge and were able to overcome it using leadership. 

That means you must focus on examples where your leadership skills were key in solving the problem you faced. As such, an example where your expert programming skills were what helped you face down the challenge won’t work well here. 

Instead, think of examples rich in leadership skills like coaching others to deliver their parts of the project, active listening to ensure a solution was reached, or even resolving conflict. If you’re stumped, you can check out this list of leadership skills for inspiration. 

You may also want to check out how Kellogg defines a Kellogg leader while brainstorming your stories. 

Additionally, when narrowing down your options to a final choice, make sure you choose an example where you had to face a specific conflict or challenge. If you can’t easily and clearly define the challenge and how you overcame it using specific leadership skills, keep brainstorming!

Finally, make sure your story has a clear outcome or resolution. This shows that your leadership skills are effective! 

Start with a hook introduction that sets the stage and makes your reader want to keep reading to find out what happens. 

Then, show the challenge or challenges you were facing. When writing this essay, do not skim over the conflict part of your story . Though we work hard to avoid conflict in real life, a bit of conflict in your story here demonstrates the efficacy of your leadership skills.  Finally, we truly feel you should stick to the STAR framework to ensure you deliver a winning answer. 

Continue by showing what you did (this is the part in which you’re actively demonstrating your capacity to lead). During this section, focus on showing how you accomplished what you did and why you felt the actions you took were appropriate for the challenge. 

End your essay by showing the result you were able to achieve (we suggest you focus on examples with positive outcomes) and what you learned about leadership in the process. 

TOP TIP : It’s important to name specific skills in the essay. When writing, you want to make sure to utilize phrases like, “I employed my active listening skills to…” or, “In the end, the skill I demonstrated in negotiating with difficult counterparts was…” This will ensure that you fully and clearly answer all aspects of the prompt. You can mention them either throughout the essay or at the end. 

If you have space, you may also include a conclusion sentence that relates how you will apply this lesson at Kellogg. 

Need more guidance? 

Our MBA Resource Center has dozens of Kellogg MBA essays that worked to get our clients admitted to help you plan out a winning Kellogg essay. Our library also includes guides for all top global MBA programs, detailed essay brainstorms, interview tips and mocks, CV templates, and recommendation letter guides. 

Click to join ! 

2.2. Essay 2 Tips

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

One of the hallmarks of Kellogg’s program is its focus on admitting a diverse class. This means it looks beyond great test scores to see what each applicant can bring to enrich the Kellogg community. This essay is your chance to show off those unique experiences that make you you ! 

For this essay, we highly suggest that you focus on multiple examples. In our experience over the years, 3 ways you plan to contribute tends to work best, though we have seen essays like this with 2 examples and 4 examples work in very special circumstances.  

There are many different ways you can contribute to the Kellogg community, so many different stories and “lessons” you can apply at Kellogg are valid here.  

For example, if you have worked extensively as part of an international team, highlighting a specific experience where diversity was the key to “winning the day” and showing how you would promote diversity while at Kellogg could work very well. 

Or, you might have a specific ability that has proven valuable in analyzing business challenges, might be an outstanding communicator, etc. There really are endless opportunities for this essay. 

When telling your stories, make sure to use the STAR method to ensure you clearly demonstrate what happened, your role in the events, and what you learned. Then, link this lesson to specific resources and opportunities at Kellogg, showing how you will improve the overall community. 

To create an amazing essay, stay focused, do your research on Kellogg, and choose your examples wisely. Showing you’re a leader and team player who fully understands the Kellogg experience and who is prepared to contribute to the Kellogg community is the key to success. 

2.3. 1Y Essay Tips (Applicants to 1 Year MBA Only)

Why is the Kellogg One-Year Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (250 words)

For this question, we suggest a straightforward statement that includes why the 1-year format is better to help you reach your goals and how the specific elements of the program will support your growth. 

Most importantly, make sure your goals are stated clearly. Goals like “use the MBA to advance in my career” will not cut it here, so make sure you include the details and motivations you need to ensure you demonstrate why you’re ready for a shorter format MBA. 

Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you did not mention in Essay 2 that you can share with the program. Anything works here, as long as it’s relevant and can be concretely tied to some aspect of the Kellogg 1 Year Program.  

2.4. JD/MBA Essay Tips

Please discuss your post-JD-MBA career goals and why the JD-MBA Program is the right program to help you reach those goals. (250 words)

For this question, we suggest a straightforward statement that includes why the additional degree is necessary to reach your goals and specific elements of the program that will support your growth. You want to make sure to include information about any legal training you have, or, if you have no previous legal experience, why you feel it would be essential to complement your MBA experience. 

Writing a 250-word essay can be challenging, but we’ve prepared an in-depth post to help you maximize every word. 

2.5. MBAi Essay Tips

Why is the Kellogg McCormick MBAi Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (450 words)

Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you did not mention in Essay 2 that you can share with the program. Anything works here, as long as it’s relevant and can be concretely tied to some aspect of the Kellogg MBAi Program. 

2.6. MMM Essay Tips

Why is the MMM Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (250 words)

Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you did not mention in Essay 2 that you can share with the program. Anything works here, as long as it’s relevant and can be concretely tied to some aspect of the Kellogg MMM Program. 

2.7. Reapplicant Essay Tips

Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 word limit)

Here, make sure you clearly demonstrate how you have improved since your previous application. We have written extensively on the topic of reapplying to business school here . 

2.8. Optional Essay Tips

All applicants have the opportunity to provide explanations or clarification in Additional Information:

If needed, use this section to briefly describe any extenuating circumstances (e.g. unexplained gaps in work experience, choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance, etc.) (280 words)

First of all, don’t be tempted by the “no word count” element of this question. This is not a place for you to retell your life story or sum up your interest in Kellogg or need for an MBA. Make sure you focus only on weak spots and also discuss what steps you have taken or took to rectify the weaknesses. This essay should be short, sweet, and included only if strictly necessary! 

TOP TIP: Not sure if you need to write an optional essay? Check out our post on the topic here . 

Looking for Kellogg MBA essay examples? 

Check out our real sample essays that got our clients admitted here .

3. We Make Your Story Shine

One of the most common mistakes we see in MBA essays is that candidates fail to tell compelling stories . This is important because if your stories are not compelling, they will not be persuasive. At the same time, they must be backed by strong examples that establish a track record of success and prove to the admissions committees why you belong at their school. 

Striking this balance between content and creativity can be tough, however, as succeeding means not only choosing the right stories but ensuring they are told in an optimal manner. 

This is why our iterative developmental feedback process here at Ellin Lolis Consulting helps you mold your message through the application of our storytelling expertise until it reflects exactly what makes your profile stand out and show fit with your target program. 

Not only can you take advantage of our iterative feedback process through multiple edits – you can also benefit from it after a single review! If your budget is tight, our editors will be happy to help polish your text as much as possible and leave “bonus comments” so you can keep working on it on your own!

No matter how long we work with you, we will always ensure your essays shine . Sign up to work with our team of storytelling experts and get accepted.

4. Kellogg Deadlines

The deadlines for the 2023-2024 season are below. You can access the Kellogg application here . 

Real MBA Essays That Got People In

School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted

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With our expertise and 98.9% success rate in placing our consulting clients in at least one of their target schools, we can add more value to your application than you ever thought possible.

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Kellogg application tips: Written and video essays

By: the Kellogg admissions team , Full-Time MBA Program

  As you move through the MBA application process , one of the most important aspects is telling your personal and professional story as fully and authentically as possible. Each part of the application provides an opportunity for you to share what makes you unique. When you are submitting your written and video essays, consider examples that demonstrate who you are, what drives you and what you plan to achieve as a future Kellogg Leader.   Written essays   The application will give you two short essay prompts:

• Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?
• At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? 

Candidates for the MMM, MBAi, JD-MBA and One-Year MBA programs will answer an additional question to let us know how their program of choice will help them reach their post-MBA goals.

Those who have applied before will also have the opportunity to discuss what steps they’ve taken since their last application to become a stronger candidate. 

Video essays

You’ll complete video essays after you submit your application and payment. This is a great opportunity to tell us more about you and explain why Kellogg is the right place for you.

The video portion of the applications will include three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you to where you are today. 

Please note, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.   Learn more

Today’s changing business landscape demands leaders who possess a blend of analytical, creative and social intelligence and who can uplift teams to their full potential — those are the candidates we at Kellogg are looking for. Know that there are no perfect answers to our essay questions. Instead, when you are writing your essays, think about how you can leave your mark on Kellogg and the world.

We also believe in a holistic approach to the application process. We look at all areas of a candidate’s application. For us, this is much more than a test score, essay or job title. All applicants have unique strengths and attributes. Please make sure we see and hear everything that makes you special.

If you are ready to become a Kellogg Leader, complete your application today.

To explore more application tips or learn more about Kellogg, visit our admissions site or sign up for an event to speak to an admissions officer.  

Good luck, and we look forward to reading your application soon!    Read next: Kellogg expands management education options for early-career professionals

• Northwestern Kellogg School of Management Essay Tips and Examples

July 19, 2023

Jeremy Shinewald

Northwestern Kellogg 2023–2024 Essay Tips

Required essay 1: kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. which skills did you use what did you accomplish (450 words) .

Challenges and obstacles can be powerful learning opportunities. Kellogg wants to learn three primary things here: (1) what are some of the key skills and strengths you already possess, (2) how do you apply them and use them synergistically, and (3) how do you act (and react) in situations that do not go as planned. You of course want to convey that you are not easily discouraged by setbacks and instead use them as learning tools or stepping-stones on your path forward.

For this essay, you could discuss a one-time occurrence or an ongoing issue that you deal with regularly (and have learned to “overcome” when it arises). And because the school does not stipulate that the challenge you share be strictly professional or personal, you should consider every possible option you have from the various facets of your life—your workplace, academic background, family, personal life, community engagements, and so on. Also, the problem could be something you faced alone or as part (or leader) of a group. We recommend using a narrative approach to present your story, but in addition to clearly explaining how you approached and prevailed over the challenge at hand, ensure that you detail the inner workings of your decision making—the thought process and motivation(s) behind your actions. This way, the admissions committee will get a clear impression not only of what you accomplished but also of the abilities and aspects of your character that enabled your success. And be sure to not focus solely on one skill; the prompt specifically notes “a combination of skills,” so you will need to describe a situation in which you drew from different areas and capabilities to create synergy.  

With just 450 words for this essay, you have limited space, but if you can work it in easily, consider mentioning a skill that you could gain at Kellogg that would have made your experience easier or somehow more successful. Similarly, Kellogg does not specifically ask you to explain what you learned from the experience, but if word count allows enough for you to include this element in your essay, we would encourage you to do so. This would demonstrate to the admissions committee an advanced level of self-awareness and highlight your ability to learn from obstacles, rather than be daunted by them. 

One final note: do not be afraid to reveal a weakness or error on your part. Although this is not a “failure” essay, if your own actions helped create the problem or you failed to see the obstacle right before you (and should have), you should not shy away from an honest discussion of your responsibility. Such incidents are usually very effective learning opportunities and could therefore make for a compelling essay.

Required Essay 2: At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

At its core, this is a kind of diversity, equity, and inclusion essay, which many top schools are introducing this year (if they did not already have one). Kellogg is directly stating its belief that when people who represent a diversity of experiences, viewpoints, and capabilities work together, the results are better than those produced by teams of individuals who are more similar than different. The admissions committee is not asking you to comment on this part of the prompt specifically, though, but rather to keep it in mind when formulating your response. Your job with this essay is to convey the special attributes you possess that would be additive to the Kellogg learning environment and community by describing the situations and circumstances that have helped you develop them. Although your personal background, strengths, and abilities might overlap with those of other Kellogg applicants in some way, you can differentiate yourself here via the stories you choose to illustrate them. 

A good way to start identifying your best options for this essay is by making a list of things you believe are notable about you and that would be helpful to have in an MBA environment and then pinpointing the experiences you have had that engendered these qualities. As the prompt notes, you can draw from both your career and your personal life. Look for and especially consider experiences from your past that not only allow you to discuss your strengths and standout characteristics but also involve situations in which you worked with or alongside individuals who were different from you. If you can show the admissions committee concrete evidence that you know how to collaborate and communicate effectively with diverse coworkers, clients, and/or team members, your essay will be even more powerful. 

You will then need to demonstrate both self-awareness and a thorough understanding of the Kellogg MBA experience by drawing connections between (1) what you have done and who you are and (2) what you can subsequently provide at the school as a member of its community. To do this effectively, you will need to truly familiarize yourself in depth with what the Kellogg MBA experience is like. Go beyond the school’s website and published materials and connect directly with students, alumni, and other people who can provide firsthand, insider knowledge. Absolutely visit campus if at all possible, and sit in on a class. Read news articles about the school as well as student blogs, check out Kellogg’s YouTube channel , and, if offered, attend admissions events in your area. As you do all this research, look for places where your skills, strengths, and personality would not just fit but also contribute in some way. You want to make sure that in your essay, you are not merely showcasing traits, events, and achievements that you think are interesting or singular. They also need to clearly fit with Kellogg specifically. 

To further familiarize yourself with the Kellogg program and get an insider’s perspective on its academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics, be sure to download a complimentary copy of the  mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the Kellogg School of Management .

Reapplicants: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words) 

Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success with this essay is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. Kellogg wants to know that you have been actively striving to improve yourself and your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the previous year to do so, because a Kellogg MBA is vital to you. The responses to this essay question will vary greatly from one candidate to the next, because each person’s needs and experiences differ. We are more than happy to provide one-on-one assistance with this highly personal essay to ensure that your efforts over the past year are presented in the best light possible.

Additional Information: We know that life is full of extenuating circumstances. Whether you want to explain gaps in work experience, your choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance or something else, you can use this section to briefly tell us anything we need to know about your application. (280 words) 

However tempted you might be, this is not the place to paste in a strong essay you wrote for another school or to offer a few anecdotes that you were unable to incorporate into any of your other essays. Instead, this is your opportunity, if needed, to address any questions an admissions officer might have about your candidacy. We encourage you to download our free  mbaMission Optional Essays Guide , in which we offer detailed advice on when and how to take advantage of the optional essay, along with multiple sample essays, to help you mitigate any problem areas in your profile.

Video Essays: We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

We find these videos to be a great opportunity for you to tell us more about your story, experiences and why kellogg is the right place for you., here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline., a video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment., you will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone, the video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup., after submitting your application and payment, you will be able to access the video essay through your application status page., here are some additional tips:, there are practice questions that you may complete as many times as you like to get comfortable with the format and technology. the practice questions and experience will simulate the actual video essay experience, so this is meant to be a useful tool to help you feel prepared., we encourage you to practice so you are comfortable with the format once it is time to complete the official questions. you will not have an opportunity to re-do the answer to the official video essay questions., you will have 20 seconds to think about the question and up to one minute to give your response..

During a Q&A session at a past mbaMission annual conference, a Kellogg admissions representative explained that the school’s video component sprang from the admissions committee’s desire to actually see and hear the applicants they were evaluating. Given that Kellogg’s interviews are conducted by alumni, the video is the committee’s only “live” interaction with candidates. Keep this in mind as you tackle this segment of the application, and make being authentic and natural your primary goal. Kellogg is not looking for the next viral TED Talk presenter or late-night TV host. They just want to get to know you as a unique individual who may one day join its community. 

So, start by taking a deep breath. We understand that these video essays can make you feel like you are being put on the spot, but Kellogg is really not trying to scare you. The admissions committee simply wants a more dynamic representation of your personality than a written essay can provide. You cannot answer any of the school’s video questions incorrectly, so do not concern yourself with trying to give the “right” answer. Just respond to each query honestly, as smoothly as you can (despite any nervousness you may be feeling), and be yourself. 

In the past, Kellogg has provided the questions applicants would encounter in the application’s video segment, but this year (at least at the time this post was written), the specific questions posed are unknown. Do not let this panic you. The core reason for this component is still to put a face to a name for the admissions committee and to see how you communicate and conduct yourself when questioned in this way (very similar to how you will eventually be interviewed by recruiters as a Kellogg student). Not knowing the questions beforehand just ensures a higher level of spontaneity and therefore authenticity. We would not be surprised to learn later that candidates were asked similar questions to those posed in the past, which focused on introducing oneself, one’s career goals, one’s interest in the Kellogg MBA program, and a challenge one has faced—pretty basic stuff for an MBA admissions interview, really. 

Remember to speak with energy and enthusiasm. You are trying to connect with others, so charisma is welcome, and a little less rigid and traditionally “professional” demeanor is okay. Forego any fancy or dramatic tactics, and just be as natural and authentic as possible. As they say, you only have one chance to make a first impression, so dedicate some time to prepping (just in case) to ensure that your introduction is engaging, substantive, and true to who you are. 

Even though you do not know exactly what you will be asked, you can still practice and prepare to some extent. We encourage you to download a free copy of the mbaMission Interview Guide , which includes a list of 100 common MBA interview questions that you can use in getting comfortable with responding to the types of queries you will likely encounter for these videos. And even though this is not an official Kellogg interview, our school-specific Northwestern Kellogg Interview Guide could still be a helpful resource. One minute is not very long, so run through several practice sessions—perhaps in front of a mirror—to get a sense of how quickly those 60 seconds will pass when you are in front of the camera. Although you can prepare as much as you want, you get only one chance at the recording. If you stumble while answering or ultimately are unhappy with your answer, unfortunately, you cannot do anything about it. You will not be able to rerecord your responses or try again another time. This might make you nervous, but we encourage you to view the situation a little differently. Kellogg wants to get to know the  authentic  you through these video essays. If you fumble for words or lose your train of thought, just laugh or shrug and continue with your response. Accepting a mistake with a sense of humor and grace will give the admissions committee a more positive and natural impression of your personality than rigid scripting and overpreparation ever could.

The Next Step: Mastering Your Kellogg Interview

Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. And to help you develop this high level of preparation, we offer our   free Interview Guides ! Download your free copy of the   Northwestern Kellogg Interview Guide  t oday.

To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our  MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page .

2023-2024 Business School Essays MBA Essay Tips Northwestern University (Kellogg)

Tags: business school essay free guides Insider's Guides MBA application essays Northwestern Kellogg optional essay reapplicants video essay

Upcoming Events

• Mar 26, 2024 Your 2024 MBA Application Action Plan (Online)
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2023–2024 MBA Essay Tips

• Berkeley Haas School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• BU Questrom School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Cambridge Judge Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Carnegie Mellon Tepper School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Chicago Booth School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Columbia Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management Essay and Examples
• Dartmouth Tuck School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Duke Fuqua School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Emory Goizueta Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Esade Essay Tips and Examples
• Georgetown McDonough School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Harvard Business School 2+2 Deferred MBA Program Essay Analysis 2024
• Harvard Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• HEC Paris Essay Tips and Examples
• HKUST Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• IE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• IESE Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• INSEAD Essay Tips and Examples
• International Institute for Management Development (IMD) Essay Tips and Examples
• Ivey Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• London Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• Michigan Ross School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• MIT Sloan School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• Notre Dame Mendoza College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• NYU Stern School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Ohio Fisher College of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Oxford Saïd Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• SMU Cox School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Stanford Graduate School of Business Application Essay Tips and Examples
• Texas McCombs School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• The Consortium for Graduate Study in Management Essay Tips and Examples
• The Wharton School Essay Tips and Examples
• Toronto Rotman School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• UCLA Anderson School of Management Essay Tips and Examples
• UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School Essay Tips and Examples
• USC Marshall School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UVA Darden School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• UW Foster School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Vanderbilt University Owen Graduate School of Management Essay Analysis, 2023–2024
• Villanova School of Business Essay Tips and Examples
• Yale School of Management Essay Tips and Examples

Click here for the 2022–2023 MBA Essay Tips

MBA Program Updates

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• Penn State Smeal College of Business
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• University of California Los Angeles (Anderson)
• University of Cambridge (Judge)
• University of Chicago (Booth)
• University of London (London Business School)
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How to Nail Your Kellogg MBA Application Essays

Tips and tricks that will help you craft the best application essays possible and get admitted into Kellogg.

Posted January 9, 2024

Featuring Karla M.

From Waitlisted to Admitted: Insider Tips for MBA Admissions

Tuesday, april 9.

6:00 PM UTC · 60 minutes

Introduction

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is consistently ranked high and is one of the top seven business schools (“M7”) in the United States. The essay portion of the Kellogg MBA application is unique because it comes in two parts: a written essay and a video essay portion.

The written essays are due along with the application while the video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline. Once the application and fee have been uploaded, a link will appear on the application portal that will give the applicant access to the video portion.

2022-2023 Kellogg Application Deadlines

Round 1: September 14, 2022

Round 2: January 10, 2023

Round 3: April 5, 2023

To read more about the MBA program at Northwestern, visit The Kellogg School of Management–MBA Program and Application Overview .

Written Essays

The written essay portion is a great place to highlight the skills and experience that can’t be found on your resume or any other part of your MBA application. Your essays should present a compelling, concise, and clear story of your path to business school generally as well as Kellogg specifically. Kellogg requires two essays for all its applicants and a third for certain kinds of applicants (JD-MBA, reapplicants, etc). See the additional questions here .

2022-2023 Prompts

Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? (450 words)

Reading this prompt closely provides several insights. Firstly, Kellogg asks for an example, not examples. Choose one that makes the most compelling case. Secondly, in asking about challenges, Kellogg acknowledges that leadership comes with difficulties. Talk about the trials you faced throughout the story, don’t just throw them in at the end. Lead the adcom through the ups and downs of the example and make sure that the lessons learned tie into the overall narrative and aren’t tangential.

Values are what guide us in our life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)

This question is purposefully left broad to allow you the space to craft a response that is genuine to your story. A good way to start brainstorming your response is to work backward. Make a list of the major decisions you’ve made in your life and identify why you made them. Then, see if there are any reasons that come up often. Going through the process like this will help you write your response to the second part of the question as well, as how the values have influenced you. You don’t have very many words so stick to one or two of the most important ones and choose examples that concretely show them.

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Video Essays

The video essays are your chance to bring your candidacy to life in a way that is impossible to do on paper. Instead of seeing numbers and credentials, the admissions committee will see a person. The video essay is optional, however, it is definitely strongly preferred that you complete it.

Kellogg says that the video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, including time for setup. You’ll need to have a stable internet connection as well as a computer with a webcam and microphone. For each question, you’ll have up to one minute to respond.

There are three video essay prompts, all designed to help you make your case for admission. They are as follows:

• Please introduce yourself to the admissions committee. – What do you want your future classmates and the adcom to know about you? What makes you, you?
• What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you? – Answer honestly and meaningfully, why are you pursuing an MBA and why are you choosing the Kellogg full-time program?
• One question will be based on a challenge you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from it.

Kellogg MBA Essay Tips

For each written essay, you are only given 450 words, and for the video you only have a minute for each prompt, both are not a lot. For this reason, make sure that every part of your answer is directly relevant to the question at hand. Here are several tips for acing your essays and making your application that much more competitive.

Use unique stories and anecdotes that aren’t found in other parts of your application.

Essays are a way for you to further expound on your candidacy and provide information that can’t be found elsewhere, whether that be on your resume, letters of recommendation, etc. Be intentional about where you choose to include certain information. If you have an important example that’s a bit lengthier, put it in your written essay. Have a funny or entertaining story? Talk about it in your video essay to add character.

Build Kellogg values into your answers.

After reading your essays and watching your video, the adcom should know exactly why you want to go to Kellogg specifically. You could go to any M7 and be successful and if you can get into one, you can get probably get into another. Even if Kellogg isn’t your top choice, showing that you understand what’s important to the institution will prove to the admissions committee that you care enough to have done some research.

You can do this by reading articles online–both on the school’s official site and third-party publications–taking tours of the campus, talking to alumni, contacting admissions for specific questions, and more. Get creative and work the values into your goals and plans.

Get specific.

When you talk about your strengths and the attributes you portray, make sure you’re providing concrete and specific examples. It’s easy to list off different things; it is much harder to prove how you’ve demonstrated them in the past. They should also be directly and obviously relevant to your overall narrative.

Remember: the admissions committee will not know any information that you don’t explicitly tell them. You have limited space to present a compelling reason that they should give you a seat in the class. Make that more likely by clearly demonstrating what you bring to the table.

Build a cohesive narrative.

At the end of the day, your entire application is basically one long story. Each part of the story should be related to the overall idea. Your candidacy is the culmination of the different parts of you that you’re choosing to present to the adcom.

As you write and film your essays, keep this in mind. Is the example you’re providing directly relevant to the narrative? If not, consider whether it should be there. There is a fine line between trying to portray as much of yourself as you can, in order to show your wide variety of strengths, and focusing on a set of core values. The right balance is usually somewhere in the middle.

Start early!

Start as early as you possibly can on your written essays. Usually, it takes a lot more time than you think it will to write multiple drafts, revise, receive feedback, and polish. For many people, it’s helpful to have a rough idea of your story before you start writing. Working with a coach can be really beneficial for this.

After writing your first draft, put it aside for a few days so that when you go back to it, you’re reading with a fresh perspective. Several drafts later after receiving feedback, read your essay out loud. Doing so will give you an idea of what it will sound like to an admissions committee member.

For the video essays, you should also start early. Practice your responses several times until you feel very comfortable giving them in a smooth manner. The last thing you want is to stumble over your words or be constantly “uhhh” and “umm”-ing your way through the answer. Talk to yourself in the mirror, practice recording yourself on Zoom, or role-play it with a friend.

Hopefully, you find these tips helpful as you put together your Kellogg MBA application. We know that it can be a very stressful process. For personalized, one-on-one advice and guidance, work with a Leland coach . We have lots who are Kellogg alumni who will be able to help you find the right narrative to tell. Here are some of our highest-rated MBA admissions coaches:

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Tips for Your Northwestern Kellogg Application Essays 

July 17, 2023

Donna Bauman

Northwestern Kellogg Application Essay Tips, 2023-2024

• R1 Deadline: September 13, 2023
• R2 Deadline: January 10, 2024
• R3 Deadline: April 3, 2024

Kellogg’s essays for the upcoming admissions season represent a fresh update and yet remain consistent with the school’s philosophy of valuing collaborative leadership. These questions will challenge applicants to think one level deeper about the different layers related to leadership and creating impact. Rest assured, however, that Kellogg is still looking for high-impact, low-ego leaders—“the kind of people who elevate the level of everyone in the room without making it all about them”—to loosely quote a former Kellogg admissions staffer when describing how they think about the program’s ideal applicants. 

Consistent with Kellogg’s tradition to holistically review all applicants, the admissions committee has both written essay questions and video response essays to gain as complete a picture of an applicant as possible. Kellogg is also continuing its intention to make the application process less stressful for applicants by allowing people to express interest in multiple MBA program options through the same application. 

Question 1 (450 words)

Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. which skills did you use what did you accomplish.

This question still speaks to Kellogg’s purpose: To educate, equip and inspire leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value . In answering this question, applicants can draw from different aspects of their life—both professional and personal—to identify the best example of where they have achieved impact in solving a problem. Candidates have the opportunity to be more granular in thinking about the different tools in their skill set to approach solving a problem. Big challenges are not solved by one person, so applicants should think about how they have motivated teams, brought varied perspectives into the decision-making process, and inspired others to achieve meaningful results. 

Applicants can think about breaking this question into a CAR (Challenge/Action/Result) model, wherein the problem is presented along with the specific actions that were taken and the skills used to achieve results. This question also presents applicants with the opportunity to reflect upon their own leadership journey, utilizing self-awareness to recognize and describe how they have made valuable contributions in their professional or extracurricular activities. 

Question 2 (450 words) 

At kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. how do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the kellogg community .

In approaching this question, it can be helpful to review the qualities that Kellogg shares on its website regarding its ideal applicants: 

WE VALUE INDIVIDUALS WHO:

• Approach business problems with a mix of hard and soft skills.
• Seek to adapt to the evolving business world with open curiosity and innovation.
• Believe in strong, empathetic collaboration as a way to strengthen work, perspectives and outcomes.
• Embrace the power of diversity in your teams and networks.

WHAT WE LOOK FOR:

• Academic readiness
• Work experience
• Professional goals
• Interpersonal skills”

Kellogg gives applicants the opportunity to reflect further on their personal leadership journey by thinking about how they have problem-solved utilizing the talents of different groups of people. The admissions committee wants applicants to first share an experience when they have embraced diversity—thinking about any of its components: functional, cultural, socioeconomic and even age—and then provide a sense of how applicants can bring those talents to the Kellogg community. In the previous iterations of the Kellogg application, the video essay was the only opportunity candidates had to share how they could contribute to the Kellogg community. In this version, applicants can be specific about naming particular clubs and resources where they can add value. Reach out to students to learn more about the specifics of Kellogg’s offerings, and spend some time thinking about how you can enhance the community. 

If your example in Essay 1 drew on your professional experience, consider how some of your extracurricular experiences can inform your answer to Essay 2—or vice versa—to give Kellogg the fullest version of who you are and what drives your interests.

Certain applicants will respond to an additional question about their interest in our specialty programs. Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)

How are you a stronger applicant than when you last applied? Have you retaken the GMAT or GRE? Completed new courses? Been promoted or faced with new challenges at work? Use these 250 words to show growth, change, improvement, and excellence. 

In  Stratus Admissions’ Guide to Getting into Kellogg School of Management   you will find information on a variety of the MBA program’s offerings, such as the Global Hub building, Complete Immersion in Management, the Kellogg Ski Trip, and the Kellogg Tech Conference. This free guide also includes class profile statistics.  Download our guide to learn more about Kellogg!

MBA School Specific

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Advice, tips and insights from the admissions dream team., table of contents, kellogg mba essays: strategy & tips.

• By Julia Brady

Kellogg Northwestern updated the two required essays in its 2023-2024 application in significant ways, but as in the past, the essays explore applicant’s approach to leadership and their value system. 

Kellogg also asks you to introduce yourself and “show us the person behind those carefully crafted words” in a video essay. In the video, you’ll respond to three prompts to introduce yourself, your career goal and reasons for seeking a Northwestern MBA, and a challenge you faced and what you learned from it. It’s good to keep this in mind while crafting your essays so you can plan what additional information you might share in the video. For advice on mastering the video, see our related blog on Kellogg MBA Video Essays.

The key to delivering a series of standout essays to Kellogg — from written to video statements — is to embrace your authentic story. Weaving a well-crafted narrative that conveys your passions and clarity of purpose in a way that elicits emotional impact is the secret sauce in creating a connection to an admission reader’s heart.

First, you’ll want to understand why Kellogg is asking each question and what the admissions committee is hoping to uncover. The clues, of course, are embedded within the questions themselves.

Tips for Essay 1

Essay 1 asks: Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? ( 450 words; hard cut-off at 480 words)

In this essay, Kellogg is looking to learn about your leadership journey thus far and gain a sense for how you will grow as a leader at Kellogg. Highlighting the role of leadership in addressing “ pressing concerns…from the boardroom to their neighborhoods” reflects a core Kellogg value — that leadership is not something that one turns on or off. Consistently acting as an authentic leader to address any situation is crucial.

The prompt also recognizes that leadership occurs in all kinds of different settings, which invites you to offer an example from a unique context — say, leading from below, or in a volunteer or community setting — if you do not have deep experience in a typical leadership role to draw on.

The heart of the question, “Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge?” is the opportunity for the applicant to share a compelling example of how they’ve led, guided or facilitated a situation to accomplish a goal or overcome a challenge. Kellogg is focused here on how you put skills into action. And while the subject is “you,” Kellogg leaders recognize the value of bringing others along, and how differences and diverse perspectives create better solutions. 

This is your opportunity to tell a story.  Think through: why must you tell this story?  How is the world, your company or community better off from the skills you used, the actions you took and the contributions you have made? What leadership experiences can you share that reveal you’ve succeeded in elevating people, places and/or circumstances because of your intentional participation? What story will illuminate the significance of this shift, showcasing the situation before you came in, while you were there and after you’ve left? 

Keep in mind this values statement from the Kellogg website: 

WE VALUE INDIVIDUALS WHO:

• Approach business problems with a mix of hard and soft skills.
• Seek to adapt to the evolving business world with open curiosity and innovation.
• Believe in strong, empathetic collaboration as a way to strengthen work, perspectives and outcomes.
• Embrace the power of diversity in your teams and networks.

Kellogg wants to get to know the authentic you and enroll those who lead with empathy. They don’t wish to read the ‘heroes’ journey’ where your strength and resilience led to success without thinking about the impact on others. This is an opportunity to reflect how you currently embody Kellogg values and will positively contribute to your classmates’ experience.

Tips for Essay 2 

Essay 2 asks: At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words; hard cut-off at 480 words)

Here, Kellogg stresses how it values diversity. As the question makes clear, Kellogg’s leadership classes teach that diversity in thought and experience contributes positively to a firm’s performance. In framing the question this way, Kellogg seeks to learn about your lived experiences and values, to assess how you will fit into and contribute to a richly varied and diverse class and community. 

Implicitly, this question invites you to share your identity and background. If your origin story, the circumstances of your childhood, or the environment that you lived or worked in fundamentally shaped your values and how you contribute to the diversity of a team, that can be good territory to mine if you wish. Your personal story can share how those forces and experiences informed the person you are today and your aspirations for the future.

To address the spirit of this essay, start by identifying the values that you lean into, particularly when faced with a challenging situation. Kellogg is looking to understand what it is that inspires, drives and motivates you. Candidates who do the thoughtful introspection required to write with authenticity and substance will deliver a valuable view into who they are as a person, not just the workings of your intellect or the details of your resume.

Your values inherently extend beyond yourself, into your relationships with people and the places where you imagine making a positive impact. In considering examples to share as you reflect on your “personal and professional experiences”, what were the challenges or opportunities you encountered and how did you respond in ways that reflect your diversity of thought, background and/or how you bring that out in others in responding to challenges?

This question is another opportunity to dig deep and get personal. The essay begins, “How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date…” You can use this to provide an overview of ways you’ve built and led diverse teams or contributed to the diversity of thought or background to an organization. Since the prompt asks for ‘experiences’ yet the essay is limited to 450 words, it will be important to concisely paint a high-level picture of the values that shape you as a leader and what you have gained from those experiences that will allow you to enrich the Kellogg community — then go deeper on one of the experiences.

Finally, address how will your values and perspectives influence the type of experience you create for your future Kellogg classmates? What might you contribute as well as gain from the Kellogg experience?: 

Formatting Guidelines: You can either upload your essays as a file or copy and paste your essay text into the form: Be sure to include the essay prompt in bold at the top of your essay. If you’re uploading a document, please use 12-point Times New Roman font, 1.5 line spacing and 1-inch margins.

View our  Kellogg & Chicago Booth Admissions Masterclass , an hour-long strategy session with essential advice and insight from Fortuna’s former Kellogg & Booth gatekeepers. View other MBA Essay Masterclasses in our series on Fortuna’s YouTube channel. 

Decoding the Kellogg MBA Video Essays

Lastly, Kellogg asks each applicant to complete a video essay component after submitting the application, and its new third question is a doozy. View our related blog for advice on how to tackle the Kellogg MBA Video Essays , including tips for performing well on camera.

Let’s Get You In.

Fortuna Admissions is a dream team of former MBA Admissions Directors and Officers from 18 of the top 20 business schools, including Kellogg. With our unparalleled collective expertise, we are able to coach you to develop a clear vision of your goals for business school and beyond. We work closely with you throughout the application process and provide expert guidance at every stage to maximize your chances of admission to a top school.

Our free consultations are consistently rated as the best in the industry. To learn more about Fortuna and assess your chances of admission to Wharton and other top programs, request a free consultation .

Want More Advice?

Check out our team’s latest articles, videos, and analysis related to how to get into Kellogg:

• Kellogg 2023-2024 Essay Tips
• Kellogg MBA Video Essays & How to Tackle Them
• Kellogg MBA Interview: What You Need To Know + 7 Tips on How to Prepare
• M7 Admissions Masterclass: Kellogg & Chicago Booth
• Business School Profile on Kellogg
• Request the Kellogg Insider Tips Report

Updated July 14, 2023

Julia Brady is an Expert Coach at MBA admissions coaching firm   Fortuna Admissions   and formerly served as  Managing Director at Kellogg & Former Senior Associate Dean, UChicago . For a candid assessment of your chances of admission success at a top MBA program, sign up for a   free consultation.

• Posted on July 14, 2023

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Kellogg MBA Essay Examples

Looking for Kellogg MBA essay examples? You’ve come to the right place. The Kellogg School of Management is considered one of the best MBA programs in the world , and is also home to one of the best part-time MBA programs in the US. Getting accepted is extremely competitive, but you can help your application stand out and win the hearts of the admissions committee through your Kellogg MBA essays. In this blog, we’ll look at how to write an MBA essay for Kellogg and some MBA essay examples!

>> Want us to help you get accepted? Schedule a free strategy call here . <<

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Article Contents 8 min read

How to write an mba essay for kellogg.

Getting accepted to Kellogg Business School is very competitive, seeing as it is among the top of MBA rankings not only in the US but worldwide, and globally known for its business education excellence. Kellogg takes a holistic approach to admissions, which essentially means that the admissions committee will look at every aspect of your application materials closely to determine if you’re a good fit. In other words, having a high GPA or impressive GMAT score is not enough to get you into Kellogg. You need to come armed with a stellar MBA resume , strong MBA extracurriculars and, most importantly, nail your Kellogg MBA essays.

Kellogg’s MBA program emphasizes a strong sense of purpose. Moreso, the school has a strong inclination for social impact, diversity, creativity, empathy and innovation in business. The statement of purpose for the Kellogg School of Management is: “To educate, equip and inspire leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value.”

Kellogg’s MBA program has two MBA essay questions you will be required to respond to in short essay form. Like many MBA programs, Kellogg’s MBA essay topics are focused on leadership and the value you can bring to their program.

Kellogg’s admissions committee is looking for “leaders who possess a blend of analytical, creative and social intelligence and who can uplift teams to their full potential” in their candidates. Brainstorm on these qualities a bit after you read the Kellogg MBA essay prompts and start jotting down some experiences or ideas you can explore in your essay.

The prompts for Kellogg MBA programs two required written essays are:

• Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? 
• Values are what guide us in our life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you?

Kellogg gives a word count limit of 450 words for both essays. Of course, keep in mind that the quality of your writing matters more than the quantity, so don’t focus too much on the word count when you’re drafting your essay. Once you’re ready to start revising your essay, eliminate anything unnecessary or irrelevant, and be sure to ask a friend of MBA essay consultant to serve as a second set of eyes for you.

Reapplicants: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words) ","label":"IMPORTANT","title":"IMPORTANT"}]" code="tab1" template="BlogArticle">

Kellogg has also introduced new, optional MBA video essays . While you can choose not to submit a video essay as part of your application, this is another opportunity to help your application stand out, share more about yourself with the admissions committee and generally put a face and personality to your application package.

The MBA essay questions for the Kellogg video submissions are:

• Introduce yourself to the admissions committee.
• What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you?
• Tell us about a challenge you've faced and what you've learned from it.

To complete your Kellogg MBA video essay, you’ll be provided with a link to on your online application once you’ve completed your initial application to Kellogg and provided payment. Your MBA essay is due 96 hours after you complete your application, so be sure you’re prepared to complete the video essay in that time frame!

Once you’ve clicked on the link, you’ll be able to set up your computer’s webcam and microphone and record your answers to the 3 questions. You’ll be provided 20 seconds to think about the question once you’ve read the prompt, and then 1 minute to record your answer. Your video essay will take an estimated 20-25 minutes to complete, including setup.

Kellogg provides practice video essay questions, which simulate the video essay recording experience and allow you to practice giving your answers as many times as you want. This is similar to an MBA mock interview , so we highly encourage you to use the practice questions to get comfortable and rehearse your responses! ","label":"TIP","title":"TIP"}]" code="tab2" template="BlogArticle">

Brainstorming Questions

If you’ve started brainstorming for your Kellogg MBA essays, ask yourself some questions to get your creative juices flowing:

• When have I acted as leader professionally or personally? How did I create value for myself, my team or others?
• What has been my biggest challenge as a leader? What did I take away from it?
• What leadership qualities do I possess? How do they create value for myself or others?
• What are the 3 most important values for me? Why are they important?
• Which values define me personally? Which values define me professionally?
• How do Kellogg’s values align with my own?
• Why am I choosing Kellogg?
• What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
• How will a Kellogg MBA benefit me or help me achieve my goals?

Here are some Kellogg MBA essay examples to help inspire you when writing your own! If you’re looking for more examples from top business schools, read some Chicago Booth MBA essay examples , Stanford MBA personal statement examples , Wharton MBA essay examples or Harvard MBA personal statements .

Kellogg MBA Essay Example #1

Prompt: Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? 

Recently, I was appointed as the team leader for a major project at my workplace with [company]. The project involved implementing an innovative digital solution to streamline internal communication processes, aiming to enhance efficiency and collaboration within the organization. Because of the company’s move to a hybrid work environment, where employees would be working from home half the week and in-office the rest of the time, there was a need to transition to implement new digital communication processes. As an experienced digital communications and computer technology expert, I was asked to lead the transition. The project was critical to our company's long-term success, and I recognized the opportunity to exhibit leadership and create value for the entire team and the organization.

As the team leader, I initiated the project by carefully studying the existing communication challenges and identifying potential solutions. I independently evaluated which digital options would be most beneficial and feasible for our new hybrid team. Then I organized a series of brainstorming sessions where team members were encouraged to contribute their ideas, fostering a sense of ownership and collaboration. Through active listening and effective communication, I ensured that every team member felt valued and empowered to contribute their unique perspectives and skills. I presented the potential solutions I had vetted and accepted ideas for other solutions so we could debate their value as a team.

To create lasting value, I emphasized the importance of a well-defined project plan and assigned clear roles and responsibilities to each team member. By assigning tasks to key team members, we were able to test our potential digital solutions, identify weaknesses and gaps in communication and assess the overall level of comfort with the transition before implementing it fully. I also prioritized open and transparent communication, providing regular updates to the entire team and addressing any concerns or challenges promptly.

During the project's execution, there was a challenge as some team members were hesitant to adopt the new digital solutions. It required active listening, careful persuasion and showcasing the potential benefits to overcome this resistance. It also required me to work with team members to address their concerns and help them get comfortable with unfamiliar technologies and digital platforms.

Through this experience, I learned the importance of patience and empathy when dealing with resistance to change. Recognizing that people have different comfort levels and motivations allowed me to tailor my approach, fostering a positive environment for collaboration and engagement. By embracing these lessons, I am confident in my ability to lead and create lasting value, aligning with Kellogg's purpose of developing leaders who drive positive change.

Want some more MBA personal statement examples?

Kellogg MBA Essay Example #2

Prompt: Values are what guide us in our life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you?

The three values that have intersected in both my personal and professional life have been empathy, social responsibility and a commitment to learning. In my professional life, I have strived to lead both myself and others with empathy and honesty, to demonstrate and encourage social responsibility and to devote myself to continuous development. In my personal life, these values have remained important to me as well, and I believe these values are indivisible from one another.

These values have influenced me to actively participate in community service initiatives, volunteer work, and sustainability efforts. It has also shaped my career choices, leading me to seek opportunities where I can make a meaningful difference in people's lives and address pressing societal challenges. Currently, I work for an international NGO, which has allowed me to express these personal core values in my professional sphere. I believe that knowledge is a lifelong pursuit and that embracing learning opportunities leads to self-improvement and success. This value has influenced me to seek out new challenges, take risks, and push beyond my comfort zone in my work by accepting new roles and taking on new projects.

By remaining open to new ideas and experiences, I was able to participate in a two-year long project in Haiti, to help provide disaster relief. I have gained a broader perspective and developed adaptability, resourcefulness and deepened my empathy for others. My experiences in Haiti also allowed me to reaffirm my commitment to social responsibility, as I lived and worked alongside good, hardworking people everyday and saw the value of giving back to a community and the healing that comes from rebuilding. Working and living in Haiti allowed me to learn incredible new skills, from well-building to first aid to creative engineering. It taught me that continuous learning doesn’t just involve technical skills but also the development of personal qualities such as resilience, patience and fortitude.

These values of empathy, social responsibility and lifelong learning have guided me through amazing professional growth and opportunities, but they have contributed to deep personal development and improvement, too. I know they will continue to guide me and push me further in both my career and my personal life.

As a top business school, not just in the US but globally, getting accepted to Kellogg is quite competitive. However, the school also has a relatively high acceptance rate among top b-schools, of around 20%, making it one of the easiest MBA programs to get into among the top-ranked business schools.

Yes, the Kellogg MBA essays are an important part of your overall application. Kellogg uses a holistic admissions approach, so any writing example you submit as part of your application will be scrutinized, and it is your chance to distinguish yourself from other qualified applicants.

Kellogg’s MBA program values leadership, social impact, diversity, empathy, creativity and innovation.

No. Kellogg has two required written essays and one optional MBA video essay submission. There are no optional written essay questions.

Although it is optional the video essay is an essential part of your application. It not only allows the admissions committee to put a face to your application, they also want to know your communication style, personality and determine how you fit with the Kellogg community.

Kellogg provides practice questions you can rehearse with as many times as you like, to get comfortable with the video essay format and questions. We highly recommend you treat these practice questions as a sort of mock interview before submitting your official video!

Kellogg provides a word count limit of 450 words for both its required, written MBA essays. 

Yes. Although the MBA video essay is optional, it’s still an excellent chance to expand on your application, share more about your background with the admissions committee and help your application stand out. 

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2023-2024 Kellogg MBA Essay Analysis and Tips

Admit expert.

• August 10, 2023

Thinking about pursuing an MBA at Kellogg? Well, get ready to put your thoughts into words! In this article, we’re diving into the essay prompts for Kellogg MBA admissions. Don’t worry, we’ll break things down and give you an analysis and a few tips to tackle these prompts like a pro.

The application process at Kellogg is distinctive in that it includes both written and video essays.

So, if you’re aiming to make a splash with your Kellogg MBA application, stay tuned for the juicy tips and insights coming your way. Let’s make those essays work for you!

Ready? Let’s dive in!

Kellogg MBA essays for the 2024 admissions

Kellogg mba application deadlines, kellogg mba essay analysis, video essay, other essays, let us help you get into kellogg, written essays.

All applicants are expected to submit the following two essays:

Essay Prompt 1 (450 words)

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?

Essay Prompt 2 (450 words)

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?

Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)

To learn more about what Kellogg is looking for and how to make your application stand out, get in touch with us at [email protected]

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? (450 words)

Essay 1 Analysis

This question aims to explore various facets, prompting you to not only discuss your skills but also their evolution, application in challenging situations, effectiveness, and the ultimate outcomes. This comprehensive framework provides a platform to showcase the breadth of skills and talents you offer. By skillfully navigating these elements, you can make efficient use of the word limit and demonstrate to the admissions committee that you embody the qualities of a Kellogg Leader.

How to start writing this essay?

The first thing you should know what qualities Kellogg MBA adcom looks for and use those stories which highlight these qualities.

Some of the qualities Kellogg looks for are:

• Strong, empathetic leader
• Thinking outside the box, innovation, problem solving
• Empathy, creativity, adaptability
• Community, collaboration
• High impact, low ego leader
• Diversity, equitably/inclusion

Now follow this framework to create a structure for the essay 1

• Start by delving into the concern you identified, providing a clear explanation of its significance and why you felt compelled to address it. Explain the reasons behind your decision to take action.
• Move on to describing your approach to making a difference. Detail the specific areas where your skillset came into play during the strategic planning process. Showcase how your abilities were crucial in shaping your strategy.
• Summarize the tangible outcomes that emerged from your strategic efforts, underscoring the positive impact you were able to generate within the community. Highlight the transformative changes that resulted from your actions.
• Conclude by outlining the valuable insights you gained from this experience. Discuss how these takeaways will inform your future endeavors and demonstrate your commitment to applying these lessons in various contexts. 

Here are a few tips to help this essay

Outline concerns & skills

Before you begin writing the essay, set aside some time to create a list of challenges you’ve faced in both your professional workplace and your community. From this list, choose a particular concern that you personally tackled, demonstrating the full extent of your skill set. Take a deeper look within to understand why this specific skill set was crucial in addressing the issue. This form of mind mapping encourages thoughtful consideration of each aspect, allowing you to discuss them in a coherent and relevant manner within your essay.

Impact and accomplishment

When addressing impact and accomplishments, begin by describing the tangible results or material outcomes that stemmed from your actions. Before delving into your key takeaways, consider discussing these outcomes within the context of the ‘community’ aspect, aligning with the question’s emphasis on leadership and influence within communities. Be it in the boardroom or the neighborhood, emphasize how your skills have been harnessed to enhance the lives of others.

Once you’ve outlined the direct consequences of applying your skills and implementing your strategy, transition into discussing your takeaways. Reflect on the lessons you gained from these experiences and briefly mention how you intend to apply these insights in the future.

It’s beneficial to research and understand the attributes of a Kellogg leader – what qualities the admissions committee is seeking. Aligning your responses with these expectations can strengthen your essay and present you as a candidate embodying the traits they value.

Do you want to impress Kellogg’s Adcom?

At Admit Expert, we have helped hundreds of students get into top MBA programs around the world. We would be happy to help you too. Schedule a free call with us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals.

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At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

The Kellogg values, often referred to as their ‘purpose,’ are summarized as “To educate, equip, and inspire leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value.” Examining this statement in the context of the question reveals their belief in the transformative potential of diverse thought and opinions within leadership. Such diversity can ignite change and drive superior performance compared to organizations led by a homogenous group. This notion resonates with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, where the incorporation of diverse perspectives is believed to drive change, expand the talent pool, enhance financial performance, foster innovation, and facilitate decision-making .

In this context, it becomes crucial to demonstrate your engagement with individuals from various backgrounds, your exposure to international settings, and your experience across different industries. These experiences enrich your perspective, offering a breadth of acquired knowledge and resources that enable you to approach challenges from a novel angle.

In your essay, spotlight the distinctive blend of personal and professional experiences that have broadened your worldview. Emphasize how these encounters have introduced you to fresh ideas, diverse individuals, and new vantage points, enabling you to reevaluate and expand upon your previous understanding.

Tips to write Essay 2 effectively

First follow this framework

• Begin by introducing the specific personal and professional experiences you’ve chosen to highlight.
• Elaborate on the valuable insights gained and the skills honed through these experiences.
• Transition into outlining your strategic approach for applying these learnings and skills within the Kellogg community. Emphasize the distinctive contributions you aim to bring to the table, aligning with Kellogg’s ethos.
• Conclude by discussing your vision for integrating these takeaways with Kellogg’s values in your post-MBA professional pursuits. Illuminate how you plan to synergize these principles to drive positive change and influence in your future endeavors.

Follow these essay tips

Sort carefully

Given that this essay encompasses both your professional and personal experiences, there’s a wealth of material to navigate. It’s advantageous to categorize both these areas and assess which instances best illustrate your interactions with diverse individuals and situations.

To facilitate this process, consider the following aspects: where, what, who, and how.

• Where: Reflect on the environments or settings where you encountered diversity. This could be within workplaces, community involvement, travel experiences, or educational contexts.
• What: Identify the specific encounters or situations that exposed you to diversity. Whether it’s collaborating with internatinal teams, participating in cultural events, or engaging with varied perspectives during projects.
• Who: Recognize the key individuals who played a role in facilitating these experiences. This could include mentors, colleagues, friends from different backgrounds, or community leaders.
• How: Analyze how these experiences were facilitated. Was it through networking, volunteering, seeking out opportunities, or participating in cross-cultural initiatives?

By addressing these fundamental questions, you can effectively pinpoint experiences that underscore your takeaways. You can then elaborate on how these insights will contribute to enriching the Kellogg community. This structured approach ensures you highlight the depth and breadth of your exposure and its potential impact on your contribution to the Kellogg environment.

Discuss application

Equally essential is the exploration of how you intend to apply these takeaways and lessons. To ensure a balanced treatment, avoid relegating the latter half of the question to just a few lines. While briefly touching upon your experiences is important, the primary focus should shift towards how you plan to leverage these insights at Kellogg and the unique value you’ll contribute to an equally talented and diverse cohort.

Highlight a range of qualities garnered from your experiences, emphasizing how they enrich your interpersonal and communication skills. These enhanced abilities lead to effective interaction and a personable demeanor, allowing you to adeptly navigate challenging group dynamics. For example, if you’ve acquired proficiency in one or more languages during your personal or professional journey, you could discuss how this linguistic skill fosters deeper connections. Understanding people in their native tongue enables you to build friendships and establish rapport, particularly with individuals from diverse backgrounds. In doing so, you will be able to showcase how your skills align with the Kellogg values.

The Kellogg admissions team advises the following in regards to the video essay: We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

Take a look at this article on video essays to get more tips on Kellogg’s Video essays.

Video Essays for MBA Admissions: What They Are, Why They Matter, and How to Create One

There are 3 video essays:

Video essay 1: Please introduce yourself to the admissions committee.

– Consider this your opportunity to share what you would want your future Kellogg classmates and our admissions committee to know about you. What makes you, you?

Video essay 2: What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you?

– This is an intentionally broad question so you can answer honestly and meaningfully. We want to know why you’re pursuing an MBA and why you’re choosing a particular Kellogg Full-Time Program.

Video essay 3: This question will be based on a challenge you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from it.

Additional Information

We know that life is full of extenuating circumstances. Whether you want to explain gaps in work experience, your choice of recommenders, inconsistent or questionable academic performance or something else, you can use this section to briefly tell us anything we need to know about your application.

Address any employment gaps or academic concerns honestly, providing a clear and concise explanation of the challenges you faced and how you have overcome them. This will demonstrate your determination and resilience as a candidate.

Focus on highlighting your strengths and unique qualities that set you apart. Discuss your engagement in extracurricular activities, such as local philanthropic drives, sports, or hobbies, and explain how these experiences have shaped you as a person and contributed to your work ethic.

Ensure that your narrative centers around your suitability as a candidate and adds value to the discussion of your candidacy for the program. Avoid irrelevant information and stay focused on showcasing your potential to thrive in the MBA program.

Reapplicants 

Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words)

In this answer, show how you have improved your candidacy in a way that can be seen and touched. A higher GMAT score could be one sign of improvement that can be seen. Also, give us your grades from any new math classes you’ve taken.

You could also talk about a promotion at work or some new volunteer work. You might also need to take on more responsibility at work or in extracurricular activities. Or, talk about how your goals for your career have changed. Lastly, you could talk about how you’ve changed your own goals.

We will help you write essays that portray your unique strengths and experiences in the most favorable light so that your application shines above the rest. We have helped hundreds of students get into top US business schools. Let us help you too.

Do you want to get into your dream business school?

Take the first step towards your MBA dream and schedule a free 1 on 1 application strategy call with us.

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Decoding The New Kellogg MBA Essays

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Kellogg’ Global Hub in Evanston, Ill.

The most obvious part of the Kellogg culture from the moment you set foot on campus is the collegiality amongst the students. The school’s lakeside location in the urban suburb of Evanston, about 12 miles north of downtown Chicago, reinforces the close-knit, community-centric feel, where students walk to and from campus and a multitude of micro-interactions build strong ties with classmates. It’s part of what makes Kellogg’s MBA experience so unique – you get to live, work and play in a distraction-free enclave that’s also in close range of a global business hub.

The MBA program’s collaborative learning style places a heavy emphasis on teamwork – ‘we’ rather than ‘I.’ So what exactly does this culture of collaboration entail? It’s often characterized as “high impact, low ego,” and that’s about as good a definition as exists.

As such, nearly every aspect of the application has some component geared toward discerning if a candidate is the right fit. Kellogg takes great pride in identifying candidates who have really self- reflected on what they want, how Kellogg will get them there and how their aspirations support a broader vision for having a positive impact. This year, Kellogg has re-calibrated its second essay question, replacing ‘how have you grown in the past and intend to grow at Kellogg’ with a one squarely aimed at understanding the values that shape you.

As a Fortuna Admissions coach and former Kellogg Alumni Admissions Interviewer, I’m practiced at discerning how the best candidates translate their experiences into a narrative that’s both genuine and distinctive. So let’s talk strategy.

First, you’ll want to understand why Kellogg is asking each question and what adcom is hoping to uncover. The clues, of course, are embedded within the questions themselves:

Essay 1: Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face and what did you learn? (450 words)

Essay 2: Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)

Let’s start decoding, piece-by-piece.

ESSAY 1 DECODED

“Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value.”

To unpack the opening statement: What the question is asserting here is that walking through Kellogg’s door means that you’re not only going to receive a world-class MBA, but you’re also expected to add value by engaging in the classroom, the greater community and, ultimately, the world as a Kellogg alum. How will you drive the type of MBA experience that leaves your classmates wishing they had more time with you? The MBA experience is only as unique as the collective contribution of the class, and this means that Kellogg is trying to uncover your capacity to lead and participate in this collective experience during school and beyond.

“Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value.”

This part is directed at your specific leadership experience. Kellogg is trying to get a sense of who you are as a leader, and how you’ve shaped the organizations and communities in which you’re involved. The words to pay attention to are “created lasting value.” (This notion is so important it’s mentioned twice in the same prompt.) This is your opportunity to tell a story. Think through — why must you tell this story? How is the world better off from you having told this story? What leadership experiences can you share that reveal you’ve succeeded in elevating people, places and/or circumstances because of your conscious participation? What story will illuminate the significance of this shift, showcasing the situation before you came in, while you were there and after you’ve left?

“What challenges did you face and what did you learn?”

This is both the substance and resolution of your story. Who are the characters of your story? What setting are you in? What are the stakes of you not succeeding in your leadership challenge? How did you grow through the challenge? Don’t just share what you learned and stop there; essays that nail this question will also demonstrate how what you learned will translate to your unique contribution towards the Kellogg class of 2021, during your MBA and beyond.

ESSAY 2 DECODED

“Values are what guide you in your life and work.”

Your values aren’t a laundry list of adjectives, they’re emblematic of the beliefs that guide your decisions, actions and engagement in the things that matter most to you. Similar to Stanford GSB’s iconic ‘what matters most to you and why’ essay, Kellogg is looking to know what it is it that inspires, drives and motivates you. Candidates who do the thoughtful introspection required to write with authenticity and substance will deliver a valuable view into who they are as a person, not just the inner workings of a dazzling intellect. Your values inherently extend beyond yourself, into your relationships with people and the places where you imagine making a positive impact.

“What values are important to you and how have they influenced you?”

This is an opportunity to tell a story that’s personal, vulnerable and honest. You might lead with one specific value and the emblematic story that helps connect the dots between what has shaped you and who you’ve become. As you look back, what are the seminal moments, influences and interactions that have forged you into an ever-wiser human being? Has anything rocked you to the core, prompting you to rethink the path you’d charted for yourself? This can be anything from the loss of a family member to a horrible mistake or a failure that illuminated what’s most essential for you.

Another tact is to lead with an origin story, the background of your childhood or the environment that shaped you. Then, how have those forces and experiences informed the person you are today and your aspirations for the future? The way to really nail this essay question is to coherently connect past, present and future. How will your values and perspectives influence the type of experience you create for your future Kellogg classmates? For the win: how will this accumulated wisdom inform the type of leader you will become in the longer term?

VIDEO ESSAY DECODED

Lastly, Kellogg asks each applicant to complete a video essay component after submitting the application. This year, the school gives you two of the three questions upfront. The first asks you to ‘introduce yourself to the admissions committee’ in the spirit of what you’ll bring to future classmates and ‘what makes you, you?’. The second drives at your career goals and ‘why Kellogg.’ The third is randomly generated with the objective of understanding how ‘you handled a challenging situation in your career or personal life.’

Consider this video component is a huge opportunity to showcase your personality. As you prepare, imagine how to convey what’s not obvious in your resume, credentials or LinkedIn profile. What will help make your application sticky and memorable? Again, reflect on the story you want to tell and offer a dimension that might be missing.

Play with ways to take advantage of the medium itself in your storytelling. Among my favorite efforts at a ‘introduce yourself’ video response was from a candidate who gave a brief viola performance, then used an element of the instrument itself as a metaphor to convey his personality and interpersonal style.

5 Top Tips to Performing Well on the Video Essays:

1. Plan your answers. Jot down a few bullets or talking points or outline a quick structure, e.g., main answer and supporting examples. But avoid overly scripting – you want to appear fluid and natural on camera.

2. Stand for more energy.

3. Record yourself when you practice. What type of impression are you giving off? Are you friendly and approachable? Would others feel comfortable working with you?

4. Don’t forget to smile. When you enjoy yourself, it shines through and makes a connection with the viewer (you’re on camera, after all).

5. Visualize success. Ask yourself, if the person reviewing my video essay takes nothing else, what is the number one thing I want them to remember about me?

The key to delivering a series of standout essays to Kellogg is to embrace your genuine story. Do this successfully, and you’ll be embraced in return: Among Kellogg’s signature traditions during MBA orientation is the moment when the Dean of Admissions offers a rousing speech called “One of You,” which runs down a list of remarkable highlights about new students. What this means for MBA candidates is that there’s a place for you based on your true, authentic self. Weaving an authentically crafted narrative that conveys your passions and clarity of purpose — in a way that elicits emotional impact — this is the secret sauce in creating a connection to an admission reader’s heart.

Jason Yeh  is an expert coach at MBA consulting firm  Fortuna Admissions , as well as a former Kellogg   Admissions Interviewer and Kellogg MBA Alum. For a candid assessment of your chances of admission   success at a top MBA program, sign up for  a free consultation .

DON’T MISS: AN INTERVIEW WITH KELLOGG’S MBA GATEKEEPER or 2019-2020 MBA APPLICATION DEADLINES AT LEADING SCHOOLS

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Homepage > MBA Admissions > Kellogg MBA Essay Questions – Analysis and Tips for 2022 intake

Kellogg MBA Essay Questions – Analysis and Tips for 2022 intake

Posted by Suheb Hussain | Jan 24, 2023 | Business Schools , MBA Admissions , MBA Application Process

For the 2023 MBA application season, the Kellogg MBA Essay questions focus on two attributes – Leadership and Values.  The applicants are required to submit two written essays and one optional essay. Apart from the written essay, Kellogg also requires three short video essays that are designed to get to know the applicant better in an interactive way.

In this article, Poonam Tandon from myEssayReview, who has been helping students with their MBA applications since 2011, shares her tips on Kellogg MBA essays for 2023 intake.

Before we move on to the Kellogg MBA essay tips, let’s take a look at what does Kellogg’s admissions committee expects from its applicants.

Read more about the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management MBA Program  Class Profile | Employment Reports | Notable Alumni

Kellogg MBA Essay Question 1

Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip, and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 words)

This question asks the applicants to recount a leadership experience in which they made a significant impact while overcoming challenges and learning something that helped them in similar situations in the future. Please note the word “brave leaders” and choose a leadership example in which you stepped outside your comfort zone to guide people around you towards a goal.

Regarding examples of leadership, you may choose stories from your personal or professional experiences. Make sure that the impact you have made and the value you have created is not only in terms of dollar amounts or percentages but also in terms of the challenges faced. The examples can be handling an uncooperative team member, or a supervisor, taking a decision with insufficient information, convincing someone of your innovative ideas, handling a new project, meeting stringent deadlines, managing a client’s expectations, or resolving the conflict between two team members, etc.

In these exceptional times, when the whole world is dealing with a global health crisis, what actions you took to do your part in helping people that made a difference in their lives? Did you take the initiative to make masks or PPE for the hospitals,  or did you private tutor kids, or got involved with a local NGO to contribute in any way you could, or connected with your alma mater in their virtual efforts to help the underprivileged.  Maybe you stepped up to volunteer in your community and helped an old and physically disabled people in your neighborhood with groceries or medicines, or took the responsibility of your family as your parents have immunity issues. During this ongoing crisis, you can show leadership in many different ways. The key is you stepped out of your comfort zone at this challenging time, took the reins, and made a difference.

As always, we recommend you follow the 4-part STAR framework below:

• Situation:  what was the situation/ challenge? Who were the people involved in this situation- players, stakeholders?
• Task:  what you needed to accomplish? What conflict/ challenges did you encounter?
• Action : What were the actions you took? Describe this in detail as it will become a crucial part of your essay.
• Result/ Impact:  What was the outcome of your leadership efforts? Were you able to address the situation? What “lasting value” you created? What lessons did you learn?

Since the second part of the essay question asks you to share what the experience taught you, you must explain at length why that experience is meaningful to you, in terms of what you achieved and what you learned about yourself. The experience may have revealed to you your strong attributes, which you might not have been aware of earlier. For example, you might have never known that you could rise to the occasion to contribute to the ongoing crisis, but this complicated situation offered you an opportunity to lead people that yielded great results. You may wrap up the essay with a final note about how you are now applying or trying to apply those lessons in similar situations.

You may also use this essay as an opportunity to comment on a leadership position you are interested in holding as a student at Kellogg and add value to the Kellogg community.

Kate Smith’s advice : This question is unchanged. We’re looking for those individuals who have found or plan to find unique ways to demonstrate the Kellogg purpose in their careers. As you consider leadership, in particular, keep in mind that Kellogg was the school that pioneered the team-based learning model that is now ubiquitous among the top business schools. We want all of our students to be able to step up when their teams need them.

Kellogg MBA Essay Question 2

Kellogg Essay Question 2 – Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you, and how have they influenced you? (450 words)

This essay requires applicants to do a significant amount of self-reflection to understand what values and beliefs are meaningful to them. Simply discussing values that you think will impress the admission committee members will not work here as it is crucial to explain how you have demonstrated those values/ beliefs in your life.

Also, please don’t be tempted to provide a laundry list of values. You may discuss only 2-3 values,  and back up your statements with concrete examples from your life (personal or professional). Also, explain how these values have shaped your personality and have influenced your decisions and actions.

You may wrap up your essay by stating how you will enrich the Kellogg community through these values.

Kate Smith’s Advice : Our goal is to uncover what motivates and inspires you. What drives you? How will this make you a meaningful member of the Kellogg community?

Reapplicant essay

Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words)

This is a straightforward  re-applicant essay . Through this question, the Ad Com would like to know if your need for the Kellogg MBA is as strong as it was last time. Hence you should demonstrate your continued interest in Kellogg by explaining how you have enhanced your application since you applied last time. Focus on the areas you have improved upon since you applied last. Whether you have taken extra classes, boosted your GMAT score, received a promotion, led a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, taken on a personal challenge, or articulated your goals, the key here is to demonstrate that you are now a stronger candidate. Your conscious efforts to strengthen your profile and to work on your weak areas will prove how determined you are about your Kellogg MBA.

Learn  What is a good GMAT score for Kellogg School of Management?

Kellogg Video essays for 2023 intake

Kate Smith:  “ Kellogg introduced the video essay several years ago to provide the chance to “meet” our applicants around the world. It also lets us assess your communication skills through a medium that has overtaken the business landscape.”

Kellogg has retained its video essays.

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 1

Introduce yourself to the admissions committee

This question allows you to present your personality to the Ad Com and your classmates. You can discuss your cultural background, motivation, personal and professional goals, hobbies/interests, and issues that pique your interest. The motive is to tell them who you are. Since you will be discussing your plans in your second video essay, you may just touch upon them in this video essay.

Kate Smith’s advice :  “Consider this your opportunity to share what you would want your future Kellogg classmates and our admissions committee to know about you. What makes you, you?”

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 2: Analysis and Tips

What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you?

The second question provides you an opportunity to describe your plans for the future and how Kellogg will help you achieve them. Since the written essays do not offer you a chance to discuss your post-MBA goals and why you are applying to Kellogg, this is a great place to show how your goals are in line with the offerings and resources of Kellogg.

Kate Smith’s advice : “This is an intentionally broad question so you can answer honestly and meaningfully. We want to know what set you en route to pursuing an MBA and why you’re choosing a particular Kellogg Full-Time Program .”

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 3: Analysis and Tips

Kate Smith’s advice: Each of you will receive a randomly selected prompt, all of which have the same objective. You need to show how you handled a challenging situation in your career or personal life and learning from those challenges.

This is typically an interview-style question and is usually related to the workplace or your leadership skills, for example, “Tell us about a time when you had to make a difficult decision?” or “Tell me about a time when you overcame an obstacle in the workplace.”

The Kellogg application suggests some sample questions that you can use to prepare for video essays. You should practice as many times as you like until you get comfortable with the format and technology. You may prepare MBA-related questions as well as non-work questions about your interests/ passions and volunteer work. Add more items to the list and begin practicing. Also, it’s a great idea to seek the help of family or friends and get their feedback on your topics and delivery style so you can improve yourself accordingly in your next recording.

You will have 20 seconds to think about the question and up to one minute to give your response. So timing is the crucial thing in this response. Please note that you will not get a second chance to record your answer to the official video essay questions. So make sure to practice to get a clear sense of how much time you need to think and record your response.

• Click  here  for Kellogg’s Tips on Video essays.
• Kate Smith’s tips for completing the 2021-22 Kellogg application
• You may be interested in  Kellogg alumnus Eduardo’s advice –  Kellogg Second Year Student Shares his experience /advice
• Also, check out Kellogg admit Rohit’s story –  Indian Doctor and Civil Cervices Officer’s Journey to Kellogg

Kellogg MBA Application Deadlines

The deadlines for the Full-Time 2022 application are as follows:

Free Resources:

• 10 Key Essay Tips with Examples
• Essay Analysis of Other Top Programs-2022-23
• MER Students Share their success Stories
• Case Studies

Since 2011, MER ( myEssayReview ) has helped many applicants get accepted into the top 20 MBA programs. (Poonam is one of the  top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club .)

Do you have questions about your application? E-mail Poonam at  [email protected]  or sign up  here  for a free consultation.

About the author

Poonam, one of the  top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club , is a master storyteller with more than three decades of experience in successfully helping students craft compelling stories for undergraduate and graduate school programs.

A Ph.D. in English, with three decades of teaching experience in India and the US, Poonam launched myEssayReview (MER) in 2011 to provide highly personalized and dedicated consulting services to Business School applicants. Since then, she has helped hundreds of students around the world get into top MBA, EMBA, part-time MBA, and specialized graduate programs. A full-time consultant, Poonam is passionate about her work and is highly committed to each of her students’ success.

GMAT is the stepping stone if you want to pursue your MBA from Kellogg School of Management. Start your GMAT Preparation online by registering for our free trial today .

Here are some additional articles :

• How to overcome a low GPA? 
• How to improve your MBA Profile?
• How to improve a low GMAT Score? 
• Avoid these MBA application mistakes and make it to your dream business school
• Learn how to make an impressive MBA Application Video Essay

About The Author

Suheb Hussain

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July 22, 2021

Kellogg MBA Essay Guidance (2021-2022)

• Admission Strategy

Read below for more essay guidance from our President, Paul Bodine.

“Kellogg is unique in that we ask you to complete written essays as part of the application as well as video essays. This is your chance to tell us why you think Kellogg is the right place for you. Take some time to think through the experiences that led you here and how they have shaped where you want to go.”  

Question 1: Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 words)  

  Admitify Guidance: This is in some respects a traditional accomplishments essay — focus on your most significant accomplishment whether from work, community, school or your personal life. What’s different about this essay are the words ‘brave’, ‘lasting’, ‘leadership’ and ‘challenge’. The words ‘brave’ and ‘challenge’ tell you they are looking for an accomplishment where you faced resistance and had to exercise some courage. ‘Leadership’ tells you that they want an accomplishment that demonstrates your ability to guide/manage/inspire people. ‘Lasting’ tells you they’d love an accomplishment where the end result was significant – is still in use/adding value today, really changed the way the organization does things. (But don’t freak out if your biggest accomplishment had no permanent legacy.)  

Because Essay 2 below is more of a personal essay and because Kellogg gives you no other essays in which to elaborate on your biggest accomplishments, I would lean toward using a professional example here unless you have an obviously more substantial accomplishment from your non-professional life to write about.  

Start the essay with a short paragraph describing the context. Then walk the reader through all of the challenges and how you handled them. At the end of the essay, add a paragraph about what you learned. Choose the one with the most demonstrated leadership (largest team under you).  

Question 2: Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you and how have they influenced you? (450 words)  

  Admitify Guidance: What does Kellogg mean by ‘values’. The 5 values mentioned in their MMM question below can give you a starting point about the kinds of values Kellogg values. Be sure to coordinate the values you discuss here with the value you discuss in the MMM essay below (if you are applying to the MMM program). Of course, don’t feel obligated to discuss the values referred to in the MMM essay; be yourself, mention values that truly do drive you and that you can illustrate with examples. Given the word limit you may be able to discuss 2-3 values in this essay. Each value must be illustrated with at least one impressive or powerful example or if you lack those perhaps 2-3 more concise examples, each of which illustrates the value. Perhaps you developed or embraced these values at different times in your life. In that case you could structure the essay chronologically, so each value is presented in the order in which you recognized it in your life. Be aware that many applicants will state a value such as ‘making the world a better place’ or ‘helping people’; don’t feel obligated to use such values because you think it’s what  

Kellogg wants to hear. Weak values might include ‘excellence’ or ‘persistence’ – every applicant to top business schools will be able to claim these two as values. The key phrase in this prompt is ‘how have they influenced you?’ Kellogg wants to see examples of you living these values (in that sense this prompt is again similar to the MMM prompt below, which states: “Describe a situation in which you demonstrated one of these values.” Consider identifying 2-3 values that complement each other or that can be illustrated with your most significant accomplishments or defining moments: so ‘creativity’ or ‘imagination’ could be the value that defines your extracurricular passion for dance or gaming; ‘self-improvement’ or ‘curiosity’ could be the value that defines your academic achievements; ‘integrity’ or ‘ethics’ could be the value that illustrates your best example of ‘doing what’s right’; ‘compassion’ or ‘selflessness’ could allow you to share an accomplishment from your community involvements. Think out of the box: maybe ‘friendship’, ‘adventure,’ ‘risk-taking’, ‘love’, ‘loyalty’, or ‘courage’ are the values that best capture who you are and what you’re proudest of.  

Additional questions: “ Certain applicants will respond to additional questions.”

1Y applicants: Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal. (250 words)  

Admitify Guidance: Note that whereas Kellogg’s two-year program doesn’t ask you for an essay on your goals, its 1Y program does. That’s because applicants to the 1Y program will not have access to a summer internship and therefore need to persuade the admissions committee that they are savvy/realistic about their post-MBA goals. One goal of this essay should be to convince that committee that you are someone who excels in the time-constricted environment of an intensive one-year program.  

MBAi applicants: The Kellogg McCormick MBAi program is designed to train the next generation of leaders who can help businesses deliver successful outcomes through AI-driven technology. This requires leaders who have both strong technical and business skills; many firms struggle to find leaders with these skills. Tell us about your firsthand experience with this disconnect between business and technology and how MBAi will prepare you to successfully lead businesses at the intersection. (450 words)  

Admitify Guidance: In the first half or two-thirds of this essay Kellogg hopes to see via examples from your experience that you have both technical/analytical/domain expertise skills *and* business (management, problem solving, people, or other functional skills: sales/marketing, finance, etc). Kellogg wants to see that you can and have drawn from both these skill sets in specific examples illustrating the technology-business intersection. The word ‘disconnect’ signals that Kellogg is also allowing you to provide examples where you saw the technology and business domains collide and weren’t able to converge the two (obviously, this would not be the ideal response to this prompt). Kellogg would welcome examples that show you finding ways to overcome conflicts or collisions between technology and business, e.g., a technology innovation that was amazing/cutting edge but had no application or market yet (how did you help find that market or use or how did you tell the technology team they needed to modify it for the real world?). Or, perhaps a technology that poses ethics (e.g., privacy) or regulatory risks if fully implemented, risks that could damage the business’s reputation. The rest of the essay should be devoted to demonstrating your due-diligence in learning about the Kellogg MBAi resources (and people) that most align with your post-MBA goals.  

MMM applicants: The five core values of the MMM Program are curiosity, creativity, empathy, open-mindedness and a learning mindset. Describe a situation in which you demonstrated one of these values. Why is this value an important part of the MMM experience for you? (250 words)  

Admitify Guidance: Be strategic about choosing the core value that you discuss here. If any of these values are discussed in Question 2 above, you’ll want to highlight a different value here. I view the higher-value-adding values here as ‘creativity’ (all business schools seek innovative, imaginative thinker-doers), ‘empathy’ (evidence of a desire to benefit society is valued by all schools), and ‘open-mindedness’ (think of this as an openness to people different from yourself – diversity & inclusion). ‘Curiosity’ and a ‘learning mindset’ sound like very similar values to me – they speak to intellectual motivations, which are great, but business school is much more about learning to work and grow in teams than it is in intellectual exploration for its own sake. If you’re uncertain which value to choose let the scale or impact of the ‘situation’ you’ll use to illustrate the value decide for you: choose the example/value with the most impact or leadership.  

JD-MBA applicants: Please discuss your post-JD-MBA career goals and why the JD-MBA Program is the right program to help you reach those goals. (250 words)  

Admitify Guidance: Few applicants will truly need the demanding (expensive) experience of a JD-MBA program, so applicants who are sure that the program is relevant to them need to use this essay to state goals that clearly are more achievable via a legal and management education and to explain how each of the degrees is relevant to their long-term career plan.  

Reapplicants: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words)  

Admitify Guidance: Most applicants know or can figure out why they were dinged. It’s those deficits that this essay should be addressing. The big-ticket reapplicant improvements are job promotions, higher test scores, and big extracurricular or community impact. But if you don’t have any of these, share what you do have. There’s no way you don’t have some experience or achievement that can’t be pitched as evidence that you are improved since your last application. Everything counts here: work improvements and test score improvements above all, but also new coursework, a big new personal experience or achievement, even new interactions with the target school that have helped you learn more about it.  

All applicants have the opportunity to provide explanations or clarification in Additional Information. Use this section if you think the person reviewing your application might have a few questions about one or more of your responses. This could include:  

● Unexplained gaps in work experience  

● Academic, GMAT or GRE performance  

● Extenuating circumstances that we should be aware of when reviewing your application  

Remember, you should not use this Additional Information section to slot in an accomplishment or fun fact (they’re not asking for that) or to explain something (e.g., a 3.8 GPA) that doesn’t need explaining. This section is for damage control. Period. State the circumstance that needs explaining briefly and factually. The emphasis should be on the mitigating factors that may excuse or offset the gap or performance issue. Maintain a mature and non-whining tone.  

Contact us today for more advice from an expert Admitify coach!

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Everything you Need to Know About the Kellogg MBA Essays

Introduction.

The Kellogg MBA essays can be the most challenging part of the school’s application process. But, in reality, they are an opportunity to showcase your authentic self to the admissions committee. In your essays, you can present what best separates you from the rest of the applicants - your personality.

While this may seem straightforward, it can be challenging to know the best approach to selling yourself as an applicant in your essays. Besides being familiar with your strengths, you must know what structure, craft methods, and information would be best to include in your essay for the best chances of admittance.

This article will tell you everything you need to know about the Kellogg MBA essays and provide tips on how to craft your essays for the best chance of a successful evaluation when applying to the Kellogg School of Management.  

Purpose of the Kellogg MBA Essays 

The written and video essays fall under Kellogg’s holistic review process, with no essay being more important than the other. The admissions committee is looking to fill the spots with students that will excel in the classroom and contribute to the community with the ultimate goal to create the most diverse class possible. The school values intellectual ability, leadership, impact, work experience, professional goals, and interpersonal skills, all of which can be displayed in your MBA essays. 

The Kellogg MBA essays consist of two written and three video essays. The written essays are meant to allow you to explain why you feel you belong at Kellogg. Many MBA programs are offered worldwide, so the admissions committee wants to ask you: Why Kellogg?

In these essays, you are encouraged to evaluate past experiences and consider how they influenced your personal and academic goals. This personal reflection will make it easier to discern your values and aspirations based on personal anecdotes and your reactions to adversity.

The three video essays are meant to bring the written essays to life. Personality can be hard to gauge through words alone, and this is remedied with the video essays. These videos will present your personality, highlighting your true authentic self. The video essays would also be another opportunity to reflect and share experiences that shaped you on your path to pursuing an MBA. These essays encourage you to be open and deeply consider how you got to where you are today.

What Are the Kellogg MBA Essays?

The first written essay usually focuses on challenges and experiences in leadership; the admissions committee wants to know what you learned in leadership positions and how you created value from these experiences. This essay will provide insight into your leadership qualities and determine how you will utilize these traits as a Kellogg student.

In a leadership position you may also be asked to think critically about risk factors, which is an important skill to showcase as an applicant. You could provide anecdotes of times you demonstrated leadership and emphasize your involvement and impact on the community around you.

When explaining work experience, reflecting on career progression and critical thinking skills used in the workplace would be a great demonstration of what you’ve learned and how it has affected your ability to lead. 

Collaboration is highly valued at Kellogg and this dependence on collaboration makes your interpersonal skills vital to the admissions committee. With Kellogg being one of the first schools to utilize a team-based learning curriculum, leading a team to success effectively is essential as a potential admit.

Kellogg pioneered a learning method now used amongst other top business schools, making an innovative thought process important. Kellogg’s MBA program aims to inspire, educate, and equip students with the tools they need to create value as leaders.

This essay is an opportunity to illustrate how you can do that, what skills you already possess that will ensure your success, and how innovative you can be. It’s always helpful to be introspective, so you should ask yourself: Where have you been? Why do you need an MBA? What do you want to do next? 

Below is an example question for essay 1, which has been used once before in Kellogg’s application process: 

Ex. Essay 1 

Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn?

The second written essay usually focuses on your values and how they have influenced you in your life thus far. The admissions committee wants to know what motivates you and how this drive will aid your contributions to the Kellogg community.

This essay question asks for some introspection, encouraging you to think about how you acquired your defining values and how you have, and will, utilize them in meaningful change. Unlike the first essay, this one may be the one that closely resembles the required video essays.

Both of the prompts allow the admissions committee to get to know you better, take away the academic obligations, and become more familiar with what makes you unique. This essay will be an opportunity for the committee to see if you possess the qualities needed to become a student that will be an asset to the Kellogg community. 

Below is an example question for essay two used once before in Kellogg’s application process: 

Ex. Essay 2

Values are what guide you in your life and work. What values are important to you, and how have they influenced you?

Video Essays

The purpose of the video essays is ultimately to get to know you better. Usually, you are allowed to introduce yourself and answer a question centered around how a current social or economic issue has influenced you. These video essays will bring your written essays to life, allowing the admissions committee to put a face to the intricately crafted essays you submitted.

Video essay 1 is merely an introduction; here, you will present anything you feel the admission committee should know about you and highlight your values. 

Video essay 2 asks about your professional goals and your interest in the Kellogg MBA program . This question could be seen as an extension of the first video essay but with a more academic and aspirational focus.

The broad nature of the question is purposefully designed to encourage you to write honest and meaningful answers that fit your aspirations precisely. A current social or economic issue will determine the final video essay. This essay intends to gauge your response to adversity and evaluate your understanding of significant societal problems. Video essay number three could also give you the chance to display how innovative you can be when presented with a difficult situation. 

Depending on the type of MBA program you’re applying to, additional questions will be asked along with the two required written essays. A one-year MBA applicant, for example, will have to answer a different additional question than a JD-MBA applicant would.

This difference is due to the specifications of each program. There are different sets of values desired in an admit for each MBA program, and which program you select should be based on your personal career goals. The additional question would ask what each specific program’s values mean to you and how they will influence your professional aspirations. 

Top Tips for Crafting the Kellogg MBA Essays  

1. only use meaningful info.

Both the written and video essays have specific guidelines for their formatting and structure. The written essays should be 450 words each, and the additional program-based questions range from 250-450 words. For such broad questions, this word count may seem too small to condense your thoughts effectively.

With this in mind, the information presented in your essays should be meaningful and imperative to understanding your essay's main focus. Each sentence used should build off of one another, with filler being discouraged. Any info you feel is essential for the admissions committee to know, but does not align with the essay question you are answering, should be expressed in the application’s additional information section. 

2. Be Open and Honest

Know that there is no right way to answer the essay questions. Each question is looking for an honest answer from you, with profound reflection being a key factor in its effectiveness. You could consider these questions a test of your intrapersonal skills.

Before sitting down to write these essays, think about your values and how they have influenced you in your professional and academic work. This reflection will allow you to choose the values that resonate with you most. You should also consider accomplishments and personal events that align with the values you selected. By doing so, you will provide personal anecdotes in your essays to convey your individuality to the admissions committee. 

3. Research Kellogg and Practice 

Researching the school’s programs, activities, clubs, classes, and professors will make it easier for you to discuss how you plan to contribute to the Kellogg community. This method applies more to the written essays, which will gauge the involvement and impact you plan to make as a Kellogg MBA student.

You can assess what programs and activities you want to be a part of based on your passions and interests. The professors and classes you are excited to take will highlight your motivation to be admitted and make you stand out as a well-spoken and knowledgeable applicant. 

For the video essays, Kellogg provides practice questions for you to become familiar with the technology and format. You will have 20 seconds to think about the video question and a maximum of one minute to give your response.

This time constraint makes knowing what you want to say and how you want to say it very important to ensure your answers are eloquent. The practice questions will be much like the video essay you will submit, except you can complete them as often as you need to feel comfortable.

By practicing, you will get the chance to rid yourself of possible application jitters and avoid saying information that may not relate to the question. It is also essential to make sure you are in a space where you will not be interrupted, as you will not have the chance to redo the official video essay questions.

Remember to be yourself and enjoy the process. The admissions committee wants to know you as a person, so feel free to present your personality. 

Kellogg MBA Essay Example 

The following example is a sample introduction, body paragraph, and conclusion based on a past Kellogg MBA essay question. The sample answers the question: 

‘ Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip and inspire brave leaders who create lasting value. Provide a recent example where you have demonstrated leadership and created value. What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? ’ 

Sample Introduction:

“To marry my passion for art with my fervent desire to have a positive impact on society, outside my full-time job as a management consultant, I founded an NGO called [NAME] in 2015. Leveraging my strong business acumen, I ideated [NAME's] entire value chain - underprivileged women in [CITY] would be employed to make artisan jewelry, which my team of five peers and I would package, market, and sell to boutique fashion stores. All proceeds from this enterprise would go back to the women. “

This paragraph would be considered a successful introduction. Not only does it perfectly describe the leadership position in question, but it also provides some insight into who the applicant is in the first sentence. From the introduction alone, we know that this applicant has a passion for art and the desire to impact society positively.

The rest of the introduction describes the leadership position and what role they had in it, along with its purpose. The applicant provides this explanation concisely, with every sentence essential to the reader’s understanding. 

Sample Body Paragraph:

“Leading [NAME] has thoroughly challenged my grit, character, and ingenuity. My first major trial came just weeks after our inception. Social norms forbade many women from working, and getting raw materials to them proved to be a logistical nightmare. This started to take a toll on the team. Morale fell, and disagreements brewed.

That was when I realized the importance of persuasive communication as a leadership trait. I organized a weekend retreat to realign the team to our greater mission, especially since impact, and not money, would be our enabler. I ensured that learning from and empowering each other became the team’s mantra. Rejuvenated with a newfound cohesiveness, we convinced over 60 women to join us and creatively leveraged neighborhood suppliers to source raw materials.”

This is a successful and effective body paragraph, answering the last part of the essay question. This paragraph uses a structural approach that states and describes the challenge, lists the effects of said challenge, states the solution, and lists the solution’s outcome along with what they learned.

By structuring the body paragraph this way, each part of the question is answered thoroughly and is imperative to understanding the challenge presented. The section also highlights the applicant’s leadership qualities with a detailed personal anecdote that applies to the essay question; these qualities are what the admissions committee will be looking for.

Thus, by shining a light on your leadership ability and how you applied what you’ve learned, your essay will stand out from the rest. 

Sample Conclusion:

“To date, [NAME] has had a lasting impact on the lives of over 300 women. I am undoubtedly one of them. I am wiser with my learnings and more excited, inspired, and confident than ever to lead teams and leave a positive impact in the years to come.”

While this conclusion is concise, it provides everything needed to answer the essay question. The applicant provides the impact the challenge had on them, what they learned, and their desire to apply it to their future endeavors. The first sentence also highlights the impact the leadership position had on other people. This conclusion answers the essay question and sells the applicant as someone willing and excited to excel at Kellogg. 

1. When will I be able to submit the video essays?

The link to submit your video essays will appear on your application status page after submitting your application and application fee. 

2. When are the written and video essays due?

The written essays are due with your application, and the video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline. Kellogg has three application rounds. The first is usually mid September, the second is around the beginning of January and the third is around the beginning of April. The applications are expected to be submitted no later than 5pm Central time on the date of that rounds application deadline. International students are encouraged to apply in the first two rounds to allow time for visa processing. 

3. What qualities is the Kellogg admissions committee looking for in applicants?

The admissions committee is looking for intellectual ability, work experience, professional goals, leadership, impact, and interpersonal skills. You can display these qualities in your written and video essays. 

4. Is work experience required to apply to the Kellogg MBA program?

While work experience is not required, it is recommended that you have at least two years of full-time work experience. Kellogg believes this will improve your academic experience at Kellogg and enrich classroom discussion. 

5. When is the best time to submit my application?

Applications are accepted in all three rounds, but the prime time to apply would be in the first two rounds . This early application allows time for visa processing and will enable you to stand out in the applicant pool. 

6. Are there different essay requirements for reapplicants?

Reapplicants must answer the same essay questions as first-year applications. They will also be required to submit their response to an additional reapplicant essay question that asks for an update on their professional and academic career since they last applied. 

Writing the Kellogg MBA essay can produce feelings of angst and nervousness. But with the necessary personal reflection and proper planning, this nervousness can seem silly by the time your application is submitted. By being yourself, researching the university, and providing meaningful answers when crafting your essays, you are sure to produce an essay that makes you stand out in the applicant pool.

Remember, there is no right way to answer the questions, and the admissions committee is looking for an authentic personality. So relax, be yourself, and you’ll be sure to succeed on your journey to becoming a Kellogg admit when you’re writing the Kellogg MBA essay.

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Kellogg MBA Essay Advice and Application Deadlines: 2023-2024

Kellogg School of Management has released its essay questions and application deadlines for the 2023-2024 application cycle. Once again, Kellogg asks applicants to answer two essay questions. This year, Kellogg has changed its application essay and has made the video essay questions (which were optional last year) mandatory.

Looking for help with your Kellogg MBA applications? Personal MBA Coach recently welcomed Frenk Nebiu to our team. Frenk is a former Kellogg Admissions Director with 8+ years of professional experience across consulting, higher education, and nonprofits. Reach out today to find out how Frenk and the Personal MBA Coach team can support you with your Kellogg applications through our Comprehensive Packages.

The 2023-2024 Kellogg MBA Application Deadlines Are as Follows

Round 1: September 13, 2023

Round 2: January 10, 2024

Round 3: April 3, 2024

Read Personal MBA Coach’s Top Tips For Tackling Kellogg’s MBA Essays Below!

Kellogg mba essay 1:.

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? (450 words)

Kellogg has reworked its leadership essay this year; however, the objective is the same as in recent years: give Kellogg an example of how you are an accomplished leader.

Many candidates likely will share a professional story to answer this first prompt. However, strong leadership examples in your extracurricular activities could also work well here.

Be sure to think of a significant undertaking where you can clearly articulate the challenge that you overcame. Ideally, with this example you will also demonstrate the value you added. This story also should be easy enough to explain that you do not have to waste too many words setting up the situation.

A strong essay will discuss the actions you took and show which specific leadership skills you used in your approach. While this year’s question does not specifically ask, you might consider sharing some learnings from this experience. A strong answer not only will demonstrate your leadership experience but also will highlight your most impressive strengths.

Kellogg MBA Essay 2:

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

This second Kellogg MBA essay is completely new, replacing Kellogg’s longstanding “values” essay. As we have increasingly seen with other schools this year, Kellogg is giving applicants flexibility to talk about what makes them unique, noting the importance of diversity (though not in these exact words) in the classroom.

For this essay, you want to think about how you stand apart from your peers. You can think of this essay as you would any personal story essay (for more on how to think about a personal story essay – check out this blog .)

Ask yourself: “What makes me special?”

You might also evaluate what you have done beyond what is in your resume or items that you wish you had space within your resume to elaborate on.

As you draft you answer, consider how your accomplishments (both in and out of the office), background and/or experiences have shaped you. Then, as you discuss your past, go beyond just telling the reader what you did or how you were raised, and dig deeper. Think about what you have learned from these experiences.

Next, and most importantly, tell the reader how these experiences have prepared you to add value on campus. Write about how you might share your passions, perspective, experiences, and successes with your future peers. Tell the reader how you will improve and enrich the Kellogg community.

As with all essays, be specific about the contributions you will make on campus, and less is more. Do not submit a laundry list here.

Additional Kellogg MBA Application Essays

Kellogg requires candidates considering options other than the full-time MBA to answer these additional essay questions.

One-Year applicants:  Why is the Kellogg One-Year Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (250 words)

MBAi applicants:  Why is the Kellogg McCormick MBAi Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (450 words)

MMM applicants:  Why is the MMM Program the right fit to help you reach your post-MBA career goals? And what unique academic, personal or professional experience do you bring into this specific program? (250 words)

This year, Kellogg asks applicants to the one-year MBA program, MBAi or MMM program to answer an additional essay. For those unfamiliar with the MMM program, it is a dual degree program offering graduates both an MBA from Kellogg and an MS in Design Innovation from the Segal Design Institute at the McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science.

The question for all three programs is essentially the same, but applicants to the MBAi have a little more space to work with.

For all three questions, we advise applicants to be very direct both in terms of their career goal (need help on approaching a  career goal essay ?) and how Kellogg will help. To answer these specialty MBA questions, you want to tell the reader where you are in your career currently, and what gaps you are hoping to close. Next, you want to demonstrate how the unique offerings within your chosen program are best suited to help you close these gaps and reach your goals.

Be specific here, outlining what you will take advantage of on campus and how each opportunity will help you.

You should also consider how you will contribute specifically to the program of your choice by sharing what you uniquely bring to the table. Be sure not to repeat anything already discussed in essay 2.

Reapplicants are also required to answer one additional question:  Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words)

Reapplicants should use the required additional essay to demonstrate growth. We advise candidates to review  our tips for reapplicants  before tackling this essay.

Kellogg MBA Video Essay Questions

“We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.”

Finally, Kellogg has mandatory video essays this year. This component of the application offers admissions committee members the chance to learn more about you on a personal level.

Once you submit your application and payment, you will be able to access the Kellogg video essay through your application status page. Unlike last year, the school has not shared these essay questions in advance.

Read Personal MBA Coach’s  tips for handling videos  and other Kellogg MBA application extras.

Schedule a free consultation today for 1:1 Kellogg application support including essay brainstorming and unlimited editing , resume review, and more!

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June 26, 2022

Kellogg MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2023 – 2024], Class Profile

Kellogg values individuals; who you are as a person, what you’ve done, and how you will be engaged in the school’s greater community are all very important. Yes, academics and work experience are also key parts of your profile, but the school’s essay prompts seek to elicit more about your personality, your values, and your goals so the admissions committee can determine your “fit” with its program. That is one of the reasons they also require video essays.

Kellogg has three excellent videos on preparing its application , and I urge you to watch all of them so you’ll understand better what the school is looking for. And Kellogg provides detailed explanations of its different MBA programs so you can find the one that is right for you. Each MBA program requires that you write these essays and in some cases, an additional essay related to the specific dual degree being pursued (e.g., MBA/JD, MMM, MBAi).

Ready to get to work on your Kellogg application? Read on. 

Kellogg application essay tips

Kellogg application deadlines, kellogg class profile.

Kellogg is unique in that we ask you to complete written essays as part of the application as well as video essays. This is your chance to tell us why you think Kellogg is the right place for you. Take some time to think through the experiences that led you here and how they have shaped where you want to go.

Question 1 (450 words)

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?

This is a new question, and it indicates what is most important to Kellogg:  your ability to face a challenge and come up with creative solutions. In the process, you must also show your strong teamwork skills and collaborative nature. You’ll want to discuss how you motivate others, how you encourage your team to look beyond difficulties and seek nonconventional methods to achieve a goal, and what skills were most valuable in the process. 

If you have cross-functional skills and also cross-cultural skills, this is the place to show those. Briefly, reflect on examples that will demonstrate how you overcame a challenge, and this can be at work or outside of work. You’ll want to add something that the admissions committee doesn’t already know about you, so try to come up with a story that isn’t fully described on your resume. 

Once you’ve selected a strong example, think about how to describe the challenge in simple terms. Please don’t focus too much on technical details that people who are not in your profession won’t understand. Next, describe how you had to think of ways to work around the difficulty presented. Did you brainstorm with your team, or ask advice from people who might have dealt with a similar situation? How did you involve other people, and what did you learn from that? Which of your own skills were brought into play, and what did you discover that you didn’t know? Why did you make the choices that you did?

Question 2 (450 words)

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?

Certain applicants will respond to an additional question about their interest in our specialty programs.

Kellogg’s essays in the past have inquired about candidates’ “values.” This is similar yet brings the focus back to Kellogg and how your unique experiences will add to its community. Reflect on your values – how did you acquire them?  Family, culture, faith, a significant event in your life? Values represent principles that are important to you, guide your life, help you make decisions, and help you shape the world around you. In brief, they make you who you are, and each of us is unique in this respect.

In this essay, the Kellogg admissions committee wants to find out what you value and how that has been manifested in your actions, especially when interacting with people who might have a totally different value system. Are you someone who is open to others’ ideas and opinions? Can you give an example of when your judgment was challenged and you ended up seeing things differently? Or alternatively, did you manage to change someone else’s perspective, and if so, how did you do so? Again, the core of this question is conveying how you will collaborate with others and how you will be engaged in the Kellogg community. It doesn’t mean listing a lot of clubs you’re interested in or jobs you’ve had, but more importantly, what has enriched your life that you think will do the same for others? To answer this question well, you need to really understand the “personality” of Kellogg and its community. The best way to do that is to reach out to student ambassadors or talk with alumni of the program who can share with you valuable insights.  

Reapplicant Essay

Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: How have you grown or changed personally and professionally since you previously applied and what steps have you taken to become the strongest candidate you can be? (250 words)

For this and any other reapplicant essay, you need to show what’s changed from your former application. It could be a new test score, it could be a promotion, or it might simply be a reevaluation of your goals and the realization that what you thought you wanted to do wasn’t really feasible. Keep your message short and to the point, and don’t reiterate anything you said in your previous application essays. 

Video essays

We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

We find these videos to be a great opportunity for you to tell us more about your story, experiences and why Kellogg is the right place for you.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:

• Video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.
• A video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment.
• You will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone
• The video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup.

The video essay should not be perfect!  Don’t over rehearse or read from a script. You won’t know the questions until you’ve submitted your application, but the questions are usually about something you know, and you will have time to prepare for them.  

Practice speaking into a camera, and record yourself to be sure you are looking at the camera and not somewhere else! 

Speak slowly and clearly. If you rush, you’ll look nervous, and worse, your listeners might not be able to understand what you are saying.

Have a neutral background with lighting in front of you. And lock the doors so no one can interrupt you while you are recording. 

Kellogg isn’t trying to trip you up; the admissions committee is looking for reasons to admit you, so breathe deeply, do a few practice runs before you begin (to be sure your equipment is working), and don’t forget to smile!

For expert guidance with your Kellogg MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Package , which includes comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Kellogg’s MBA program and look forward to helping you, too!

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Kellogg directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here is a look at the Kellogg MBA Class of 2024 (data taken from the Kellogg website ):

Class size: 503

Female: 48%

International: 38%

U.S. minorities: 37%

Average GMAT score: 729

GMAT score range: 620-780

Median GRE Verbal: 162

GRE Verbal range: 150-169

Median GRE Quant: 163

GRE Quant range: 148-170

Average GPA: 3.7

GPA range: 2.6-4.0

Average years of work experience: 5

Undergraduate majors:

• Economics/Business: 45%
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics: 38%
• Humanities: 24%

Industry background:

• Consulting: 24%
• Financial services: 19%
• Technology: 17%
• Government/Education/Nonprofit: 7%
• Consumer products: 7%
• Healthcare/Biopharma: 7%
• Media & entertainment: 4%
• Military: 4%
• Manufacturing: 2%

Getting into Kellogg, or any of the top-tier MBA programs, is very competitive. Our Comprehensive MBA Application Package has everything you need to get you there. We’ll match you with an experienced admissions consultant who will work with you one-on-one to create an outstanding application and prepare you to ace your interview. So give yourself the edge and get ACCEPTED!

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

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• Academic Performance in Your MBA Admissions Profile
• Nine MBA Resume Mistakes to Avoid
• Which B-School Is Best for You?

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