UPDATE: This article was originally posted on September 16, 2019. 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. However, if you want to experience the Global Hub for yourself, you’ve got quite the road ahead, as Kellogg is one of the world’s most elite, competitive business schools.
Despite this fact, many applicants dedicate countless hours to writing Kellogg’s admissions essays and then rush through the video essay component.
This is a huge mistake.
In addition to giving the admissions committee the chance to “put a face with a name,” the video essay is an essential part of the Kellogg application, as it allows committee members to determine if your communication style and values are a good fit with the Kellogg community.
In fact, in our experience helping our Kellogg applicants secure a place at the school, we have noticed that the video essay can be as influential in an applicant’s admissions decision as the admissions interview.
That’s why we’ve prepared this guide to help you understand how the Kellogg video essay works and have shared a list of Kellogg video essay questions to ensure you put your best foot forward!
Why does Kellogg require a video essay?
When we first started working with Kellogg applicants many years ago, the video essay component had not yet been introduced. However, since its launch in 2013, the video essay has quickly become a critical part of the application.
That’s because it gives the admissions committee the chance to truly “meet” candidates — as well as identify red flags in potential members of the Kellogg community.
According to Kellogg’s admissions committee,
“The Video Essays provide applicants with an additional opportunity to demonstrate what they will bring to our vibrant Kellogg community – in an interactive way. Each applicant will complete two short video essay questions. The questions are designed to bring to life the person we have learned about on paper.”
They also give applicants this advice:
Image courtesy of the Kellogg website
With that in mind, it’s extremely important to make sure you fully understand this component of the application.
How does the Kellogg video essay work?
The way the video essay works is very simple.
After submitting your application, you will receive an email from a company called Kira Talent. This email will contain a link that allows you to access the video essay platform.
After signing in and starting the session, you will get three Kellogg video essay questions in total, one at a time. After receiving the questions, you will have 20 seconds to think and then 1 minute to answer. There are no opportunities to redo the question, and you only get one chance to speak and provide your answer.
Unlike previous years, where some of the questions applicants received were random, Kellogg has pre-announced the three questions you will need to answer this year. We’ll go more into detail about the types of questions you can expect below.
The format
If you’ve taken the TOEFL exam, you’ve already practiced for the type of format you can expect in the Kellogg video essay!
After signing in and “starting” the session, a video will appear on the screen. This video will show a member of the Kellogg community, who will read the question you are tasked with answering. The question will also appear in written form under the video.
After the time runs out, the screen video will disappear and your image will be visible on the screen. At this point, your 20 seconds to think will automatically appear.
After the preparation time runs out, the clock to answer (60 seconds!) will start, and you will need to give your answer during this period of time. Remember: you cannot redo any of the questions.
After you answer the question, the system will upload your answer to the server (depending on your connection this can take a while) and will present you with the next question.
DO NOT leave your computer during the upload time, even if it’s taking a while. You cannot pause the process, and you may end up missing questions!
Technical requirements
Given past applicants’ issues with iPad and mobile versions of the application, we strongly suggest you record your answer on a computer.
If you do end up experiencing technical issues, access the support page here.
Deadlines
Regardless of when you submit your application, you need to submit your video essay response no more than 96 hours after the round’s deadline. Find Kellogg’s most current application deadlines here.
If you submit your application early, you can submit your responses to Kellogg’s video essay questions at any time, as long as you make the final deadline.
Which types of questions are asked?
The Kellogg video essay questions are grouped into three different categories, each with a different focus.
Question 1: Introduce Yourself
The first question Kellogg asks gives you the chance to share who you are beyond your CV and admissions essays.
“Please introduce yourself and tell us something that is not on your CV that you want us to know about you.”
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?”
Despite the innocent-seeming question, be careful about what you choose to show here. Keep in mind that Kellogg prefers community-focused, growth-minded leaders, so don’t miss an opportunity to reinforce your personal brand and your fit with the school’s values. You should also focus on reinforcing elements of your profile that you might not have had a chance to explain elsewhere, such as volunteer work or a special skill you possess.
You do not need to speak about your goals or why you want to attend Kellogg.
Questions 2 & 3: Randomized interview-type questions
For this question, there won’t be a specific prompt you can answer in advance. Instead, you’re going to receive a random behavioral-based question. This question may be focused on your characteristics, or it may allow you to share a professional example that highlights your personality traits.
The best advice for this section is to think about what it’s asking you and what you can show about yourself, your achievements, and your values.
If the question asks about your favorite book, the admissions committee will get a certain impression of you based on what you choose. If you choose a book that’s all about adventure, we’ll assume that’s important to you. If you choose a book about economics, we’ll assume that’s a key part of your life.
So think about how you want the admissions committee to learn about you beyond what you’ve already shared in your application.
If you get a question that’s more like a traditional behavioral interview question, try to draw on examples. Furthermore, make sure to show your human side and demonstrate that you genuinely care for others and want teams you join to succeed. It can be easy to answer in a very conversational way, but doing so can often lead to an answer without a point, so make sure you use your planning time to structure the key elements of your answer.
Regardless, be careful about what you choose to show here. Keep in mind that Kellogg prefers globally-minded leaders who embrace diversity, so don’t miss an opportunity to reinforce your personal brand and your fit with the school’s values.
Here is a list of the types of questions you can expect.
- Tell us about a time you took a risk. What did you learn?
- If you were a team leader and you had a member of your team who constantly under-delivered, what would you do?
- Tell us about a time you experienced a professional failure. What did you learn from it?
- Tell me about a time you worked with a dysfunctional team. How did you manage the situation?
- Tell us about a conflict you have had with your boss/with a team at work. How did you manage to resolve it?
- What accomplishment are you proudest of?
- Tell us about an organization or activity to which you have devoted a significant amount of time. Why was it meaningful to you?
- What will your classmates be most surprised to learn about you?
- What is the most challenging aspect of working in an internationally diverse environment?
- What do you like to do in your free time?
- Tell us about a time a team member did not “pull his weight” in the team.
- Who is someone you deeply admire and why?
- What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received that you also shared with other people?
- When you have a problem, who do you approach for advice and why?
- How would your teammates describe you?
- If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be and why?
- Tell us about a time you worked with diversity in the workplace.
- Tell us about a time you contributed to improving a process in your organization.
- Tell us about a time you solved a problem in a creative way.
- Tell us about a time when you faced a conflict on a team that affected its productivity. How did you face it?
- Tell us about a positive impact that you made. Why was it important to you?
- Whose leadership style do you admire and why?
TOP TIP: Remember that Kellogg values teamwork-oriented, collaborative individuals.
The difference between a good and great video essay
Given the importance of the video essay in your Kellogg application, it’s crucial to make sure you don’t just have a good video essay, but that you have a great video essay.
Now that you’ve learned how the video essay will work, we’ve gathered our top 5 tips here to ensure your video essay performance brings you one step closer to reaching your goal of attending Kellogg.
Make sure you get into Kellogg
You have stressed about every aspect of your Kellogg application, and now you are ready to record your video essay! With the right preparation, this can be your chance to shine and get a highly-coveted spot at Kellogg.
However, maybe you don’t know where to start in preparing, or maybe you ramble on and lose your focus while answering. Maybe you’ve even downloaded the sample questions and written out your answers. The problem is, when you try to apply these templates to your own story, it doesn’t quite work.
Our video essay prep focuses on helping you determine how to present yourself to Kellogg while using appropriate, impact-driven language without being artificial, or worse, robotic.
Regardless of where you’re from or what type of experience you have, we are focused on helping you do your best.
Want to put the Ellin Lolis advantage to work for you? Schedule your preparation session with our team of interview experts today!
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