Kellogg (Northwestern)

For 2023, they’re following the same playbook that’s worked for a while, with a few small changes to the wording as described below.

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)

Last year they referred to “brave leaders” and they removed the “brave.” I approve. “Brave” is a loaded word; you can be an effective leader without feeling particularly brave. Sometimes you stand up and take on something that needs to get done even if you’re quaking inside. Your state of mind matters far less than the fact that you exhibited initiative and had an impact.

Other than that, nothing has changed. Which is mostly fine – this is a good prompt – though I’m a little troubled by the fact that this essay refers to “value” and the second one to “values” and even though the words sound similar, they have unrelated meanings, thus creating cognitive dissonance for some applicants. Just substitute “impact” for “value” in the above prompt and you’ll be fine.

With this prompt, Kellogg is inviting you to tell a story, start to finish, that follows this outline:

  • What was/is your role in the organization?
  • What was the situation?
  • How and why did you step up?
  • What actions did you take?
  • What challenges did you face, including exogenous (government), interpersonal (team members fighting, difficult boss), interdepartmental (marketing would not cooperate with us), and/or structural (out of funds)?
  • How did you meet those challenges?
  • What would you do different next time?
  • What did you learn, both about leadership and about your own style as a leader?

You’re not going to be able to fit the whole story into 450 words, but give it a whirl – throw in everything and then worry about edits.

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

Last year it read “values are what guide you in your life and work”– a subtle change, but a good one, shifting the focus to first person.

This is kind of like Stanford’s What Matters Most, except it explicitly asks you to designate a value or values as your “what.” The essay can follow a similar trajectory to Stanford’s:

  • What I was like/my life was like before I understood what values matter to me.
  • The episode or series of incidents that helped me realize which values I cared about.
  • How those values have informed my everyday life, including big decisions. How they have propped me up when I’ve been down, motivated and inspired me, and kept me moving in the right direction.
  • What I’ve learned about myself through my values. How I’ve grown.
  • Where I expect those values to lead me in the future.

There is no need to confine this essay to professional examples. And, as with many MBA essays, you will not be primarily evaluated on the values you select (there is no “right” value) but rather on your ability to convey the impact(s) of these values on your life.

But there’s more!

After you submit your application and payment, you will be asked to respond to three video questions. The video platform provides you with practices questions. Use those to become familiar with the format. You will have twenty seconds to think about each question; 60 seconds to provide a response. During the 20 seconds, you may want to take notes on sticky pads that you can tape next to your camera for reference. You want to make sure that you have a beginning and ending to each response.

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

This is a classic “tell me about yourself” prompt, but your answer must be compressed into elevator pitch length. You will probably want to provide a brief background “I’m a University of Alabama graduate working as an Associate for Misaligned Capital” and add an interesting detail or two. Focus on yourself; don’t talk about the program. That’s the next prompt.

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

They ask you answer honestly and meaningfully. The answer has three parts:

  1. Your goals (10 seconds or so)
  2. Why you need an MBA to achieve them (20 seconds)
  3. Why Kellogg is right for you (30 seconds)

This is not a trick question! Remember, admissions officers are used to hearing bs answers. If you don’t have a real reason for attending Kellogg, that will come through.

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

This is a behavioral question, and here’s my generic advice for responding:

  • Do a search for “behavioral interview questions” and read a few sites (just a few is enough; you will get the overall picture quickly).
  • Come up with about three projects/events, preferably from your work, though extracurricular is okay too and college may be adequate depending on how long you’ve been out and what you did as an undergrad. The ideal story at least one and preferably multiple challenges, perhaps related to time or budget, and also interpersonal conflicts. It may or may not have a happy ending, but you need to have learned something from the experience. Then you can answer questions like “tell me about a time you had two teammates who didn’t get along” or “tell me about a time you had a setback” or “tell me about a time that you had to sell an idea that was unpopular.”
  • Many people recommend the STAR method for responding to these kinds of questions, where STAR is an acronym for Situation Task Action Result. You give some (brief) background for context, describe your assignment, talk about what you did specifically to complete the assignment, and then summarize the outcome.