Before getting into the essay questions, it is important to keep in mind:
- Kellogg prides itself about its ‘culture’. A collegial environment, teamwork and collaborative learning are key constituents of the Kellogg culture.
- It is a close knit community that emphasizes on ‘we’ and not ‘I’. It values diversity and philanthropy. Looks for leadership as well as humility.
- The application process aims to establish the right ‘fit’ between an applicant and the Kellogg culture. In other words, establish whether the applicant has the ‘Kellogg DNA’. Your essay responses need to establish this ‘fit’.
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)
In answering this question we suggest that you:
- Start by reflecting on the purpose of this leadership essay. From the blog of Kate Smith, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, on leadership: “We’re looking specifically for examples of spearheading change, striving for excellence or creating a lasting impact. We want our students to be the kind of people who aim to leave an innovative mark on their companies before and after Kellogg.” Mark the additional emphasis on ‘change’ and ‘innovation’.
- Select the right example that projects you as a ‘brave’ leader, someone who is not afraid to challenge the status quo or to ‘spearhead change’. Also an example which demonstrates your ‘out of the box’ or innovative thinking.
- Provide a ‘recent’ example. How recent is recent? Typically within three years is a good benchmark. If you are a recent graduate, we would suggest choosing a work example compared to one from your college.
- Use a STAR framework to provide the example. Start with describing the Situation, covering context, the stakeholders and relationships. Explain the Task at hand or the objective in front of you. Highlight the leadership challenge involved in accomplishing this objective. Move to Action you took, or what you did to meet your objective. Remember to highlight the difficulties involved (challenges faced) in doing your work, especially around the people issues as the focus is on leadership. It is important to highlight what you thought and felt as you went about doing things. Wherever possible, bring out details on how you inspired, influenced and persuaded others to move in the desired direction. Lastly, cover the Results or the outcome that was achieved. Given the focus, describe how the outcome created lasting value for the stakeholders involved.
- Do not forget about your learning from this experience, ideally something which is generic and transferable across situations.
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)
In answering this question we suggest that you:
- Start by reflecting on the purpose of this essay. Kate Smith, Assistant Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid, explains this essay question in her blog, “Our goal this year is to uncover what motivates and inspires you. What drives you? How will this make you a meaningful member of the Kellogg community?”
- Taking cues from the essay topic, the scope covers both, your personal and professional life.
- If you struggle to identify your values that have guided you in your life, here is an approach on how to find some answers:
- Identify some of the key decisions, accomplishments or experiences from your work or personal life.
- Try answering the question for each of these: What motivated you, guided you or inspired you to make those decisions, seek those experiences or achieve those accomplishments.
- Look for a pattern. Is there a value that touches across various items. You got your start.
- This essay is NOT about generating a list of values. Restrict to 2-3 and substantiate these values with examples from your personal and professional life.
- The last part of the essay is about how you will contribute to the Kellogg community. Your values will define your interests and career goals. Based on that, how will you engage with and contribute to the Kellogg community inside and outside the class.
Read the Kellogg MBA Application requirements here