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 2025 was 731 and the average GRE score was 163 Quant, 163 Verbal).
Additionally, Kellogg is committed to admitting a diverse class, as the composition of the Class of 2025 reflects. 48% of the incoming class are female, 39% are international, 42% are U.S. students of color, and 9% 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
Intentionality is a key aspect of what makes our graduates successful Kellogg leaders. Help us understand your journey by articulating your motivations for pursuing an MBA, the specific goals you aim to achieve, and why you believe now is the right moment. Moreover, share why you feel Kellogg is best suited to serve as a catalyst for your career aspirations and what you will contribute to our community of lifelong learners during your time here. (450 words)
This question is new this year and is a traditional goals essay, a common type of essay required of applicants at many elite business schools.
In this essay, you have a big task. In around 500 words, you need to discuss:
- Context for your goals
- Your specific-post MBA goals and why you are pursuing them at this moment
- Why you believe an MBA is necessary to reach these goals
- How a Kellogg MBA will help you reach these goals
Each of these elements must be included and must build off of each other.
First of all, many candidates think they do not need to specifically state their goals, or that it’s better to leave “their options open.” If you are applying to elite business schools, however, you must have and present absolute clarity about your goals.
TOP TIP: If you’re having trouble figuring out what your post-MBA goals are, we’ve prepared this post to help you decipher this essential part of the application process!
However, goals without context can be a little confusing to decipher or understand (or they can just seem a bit lackluster). For this reason, we suggest starting your essay with context.
For example, a client last year initially started his essay by saying:
“I want to become a Business Development Director at a Brazilian company.”
While interesting, it’s better to give a little bit of context to help these goals come to life. Check out the final version of the same essay’s introduction:
“In the 1970s, the phrase “think global, act local” came into use, suggesting that to have global impact, one must be active locally. With this mindset, I focused my career on Brazilian multinational companies to start creating global change at home. While at Company 1, I led a diverse global team, which showed me that clear communication is essential. I later accepted a finance position at a real estate company where I learned how new technologies can impact traditional local industries and that leaders must adapt to these trends to maintain competitiveness. Most recently, I joined Company 2 to participate in its daring globalization plan. At Company 2, I have learned how challenging it is to formulate effective global strategies to thrive in diverse markets. I have also developed management skills since becoming Financial Coordinator, learning how important establishing a culture of collaboration is to providing stability for organizations.
I now seek to take the next step to becoming a “global” leader by becoming Business Development Director at a Brazilian company pursuing globalization, giving me the experience to assume my long-term goal of CEO of one such company.”
Second, you should clearly demonstrate why you need an MBA.
An MBA is not a catch-all degree that serves a purpose for all career paths. As such, you need to demonstrate that the goals you have set for yourself require the additional training an MBA can provide.
Be thoughtful about this particular section. If you don’t need to improve in any meaningful way, you might be presenting the argument the admissions committee needs for why you can’t actually benefit from an MBA.
Furthermore, if you show fluffy or unsupported reasons you need to hone your skills, you’ll also likely see your application tossed aside in favor of an applicant who was able to clearly demonstrate how they plan to leverage their time at business school.
Third, add how Kellogg can specifically help you grow in the areas you’ve identified. Mentioning that you want to go to Kellogg because of its ranking will not cut it here.
Instead, show that you understand the unique offerings Kellogg’s curriculum provides (I highly suggest you mention the pathway or major you’re interested in) and have done significant, thoughtful research into how the opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom can help you grow. If you have space, it’s also highly recommended that you mention how you can contribute to the community.
End with a winning conclusion statement that reinforces your personal brand and ties the whole essay together.
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.
2.2. Essay 2 Tips
Kellogg leaders are primed to tackle challenges everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Describe a specific professional experience where you had to make a difficult decision. Reflecting on this experience, identify the values that guided your decision-making process and how it impacted your leadership style. (450 words)
Though very similar to last year, this question is slightly different in wording this year.
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 make a difficult decision of some sort. If you can’t easily and clearly define the decision, what made it challenging, and how you overcame it using specific leadership skills, and the values that guided you along the way, 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 difficult decision 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. You also want to explicitly call out the values that guided your decision and specifically how they guided you. Just saying something like, “I was guided by empathy” won’t cut it here.
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 values in the essay. 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 to how you will apply this lesson at Kellogg.
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. Since you’re already mentioning your goals in Essay 1, a brief recap is ok here.
Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you have not mentioned elsewhere that you can contribute to 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
Why is the JD-MBA 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 this dual degree is the best option 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” or “I’ve always been interested in law” 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 the rigors of this program. Since you’re already mentioning your goals in Essay 1, a brief recap is ok here.
Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you have not mentioned elsewhere that you can contribute to the program. Anything works here, as long as it’s relevant and can be concretely tied to some aspect of the Kellogg JD/MBA Program.
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)
For this question, we suggest a straightforward statement that includes why a tech-focused progam is best 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 this specialized MBA. Since you’re already mentioning your goals in Essay 1, a brief recap is ok here.
Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you did not mention elsewhere that you can contribute to 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)
For this question, we suggest a straightforward statement that includes why this unique dual degree option is the best way to 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 this uniquely tailored MBA. Since you’re already mentioning your goals in Essay 1, a brief recap is ok here.
Finally, you want to make sure to highlight one or two unique experiences that you did not mention elsewhere 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
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)
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
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)
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 2024-2025 season are below. You can access the Kellogg application here.
Kellogg Round 1 Deadlines
Application Deadline: September 11, 2024
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: December 11, 2024
Kellogg Round 2 Deadlines
Application Deadline: January 8, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: March 26, 2025
Kellogg Round 3 Deadlines
Application Deadline: April 2, 2025
Interview Notification: Ongoing
Decisions Released: May 7, 2025
Real MBA Essays That Got People In
School-specific sample essays that got our clients accepted
