Kellogg School of Management Fall 2019 MBA Essays

Kellogg essay questionsNorthwestern’s Kellogg School of Management has posted the MBA essays for the 2018-19 admissions cycle, which remain unchanged from last year.

Essay Questions

For 2018-2019, the following two essays are required of all applicants:

  1. Kellogg’s purpose is to educate, equip & inspire brave leaders who create lasting value.  Tell us about a time you have demonstrated leadership and created lasting value.  What challenges did you face, and what did you learn? (450 words)
  2. Pursuing an MBA is a catalyst for personal and professional growth. How have you grown in the past? How do you intend to grow at Kellogg? (450 words)

Certain applicants will respond to additional questions:

  • Dual-degree applicants: For applicants to the MMM or JD-MBA dual degree programs, please explain why that program is right for you. (250 words)
  • Re-applicants: Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 word limit)

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.) (no word count)

Video Essay

Melissa Rapp, Director of Admissions for the Full-Time MBA Programs and the MS in Management Studies Program, is a huge fan of the video essay, which Kellogg introduced four years ago.

Rapp says it’s the best because, “It gives us the opportunity to hear applicants tell their stories in their own voices. It has taken the two-dimensional application process and made it three-dimensional for every candidate. We have pioneered this technology and are not looking back. Our Career Management Center and alums tell us that more and more companies are using similar technology for initial interviews so it’s good practice for future career moves too.”

Per the admissions website: The Video Essay is one component of the application and provides you with an additional opportunity to demonstrate what you will bring to our vibrant Kellogg community – in an interactive way. You will respond to several short video essay questions. The questions are designed to bring to life the person we have learned about on paper.

  • After submitting an application and payment, you will be able to access the video essay through the your application status page. One question will be a “get to know you” icebreaker type of question. The second question will be an opportunity to describe your plans for the future and how Kellogg will help you on that journey. The other questions will be randomly generated questions that will be similar to interview questions.
  • 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. There is not 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.
  • We estimate the video essays will take 20-25 minutes to complete – which includes time for set-up and answering all the practice questions.  You will need an internet connected computer with a webcam, microphone and an updated version of Adobe Flash in order to complete the video essay.

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Kellogg offers more insight in this section (see link above) on why the admissions team has a video essay component, what kinds of questions to expect, wardrobe suggestions, as well as answers to many technical questions related to the process.

The Kellogg full-time MBA application is now live. For more information on applying, please visit the Kellogg School MBA admissions website.

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