kellogg video essay 2022

How to Nail Your Kellogg MBA Application Essays

Tips and tricks that will help you craft the best application essays possible and get admitted into Kellogg.

Posted January 9, 2024

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Introduction

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is consistently ranked high and is one of the top seven business schools (“M7”) in the United States. The essay portion of the Kellogg MBA application is unique because it comes in two parts: a written essay and a video essay portion.

The written essays are due along with the application while the video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline. Once the application and fee have been uploaded, a link will appear on the application portal that will give the applicant access to the video portion.

2022-2023 Kellogg Application Deadlines

Round 1: September 14, 2022

Round 2: January 10, 2023

Round 3: April 5, 2023

To read more about the MBA program at Northwestern, visit The Kellogg School of Management–MBA Program and Application Overview .

Written Essays

The written essay portion is a great place to highlight the skills and experience that can’t be found on your resume or any other part of your MBA application. Your essays should present a compelling, concise, and clear story of your path to business school generally as well as Kellogg specifically. Kellogg requires two essays for all its applicants and a third for certain kinds of applicants (JD-MBA, reapplicants, etc). See the additional questions here .

2022-2023 Prompts

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)

Reading this prompt closely provides several insights. Firstly, Kellogg asks for an example, not examples. Choose one that makes the most compelling case. Secondly, in asking about challenges, Kellogg acknowledges that leadership comes with difficulties. Talk about the trials you faced throughout the story, don’t just throw them in at the end. Lead the adcom through the ups and downs of the example and make sure that the lessons learned tie into the overall narrative and aren’t tangential.

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

This question is purposefully left broad to allow you the space to craft a response that is genuine to your story. A good way to start brainstorming your response is to work backward. Make a list of the major decisions you’ve made in your life and identify why you made them. Then, see if there are any reasons that come up often. Going through the process like this will help you write your response to the second part of the question as well, as how the values have influenced you. You don’t have very many words so stick to one or two of the most important ones and choose examples that concretely show them.

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Video Essays

The video essays are your chance to bring your candidacy to life in a way that is impossible to do on paper. Instead of seeing numbers and credentials, the admissions committee will see a person. The video essay is optional, however, it is definitely strongly preferred that you complete it.

Kellogg says that the video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, including time for setup. You’ll need to have a stable internet connection as well as a computer with a webcam and microphone. For each question, you’ll have up to one minute to respond.

There are three video essay prompts, all designed to help you make your case for admission. They are as follows:

• Please introduce yourself to the admissions committee. – What do you want your future classmates and the adcom to know about you? What makes you, you?
• What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you? – Answer honestly and meaningfully, why are you pursuing an MBA and why are you choosing the Kellogg full-time program?
• One question will be based on a challenge you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from it.

Kellogg MBA Essay Tips

For each written essay, you are only given 450 words, and for the video you only have a minute for each prompt, both are not a lot. For this reason, make sure that every part of your answer is directly relevant to the question at hand. Here are several tips for acing your essays and making your application that much more competitive.

Use unique stories and anecdotes that aren’t found in other parts of your application.

Essays are a way for you to further expound on your candidacy and provide information that can’t be found elsewhere, whether that be on your resume, letters of recommendation, etc. Be intentional about where you choose to include certain information. If you have an important example that’s a bit lengthier, put it in your written essay. Have a funny or entertaining story? Talk about it in your video essay to add character.

Build Kellogg values into your answers.

After reading your essays and watching your video, the adcom should know exactly why you want to go to Kellogg specifically. You could go to any M7 and be successful and if you can get into one, you can get probably get into another. Even if Kellogg isn’t your top choice, showing that you understand what’s important to the institution will prove to the admissions committee that you care enough to have done some research.

You can do this by reading articles online–both on the school’s official site and third-party publications–taking tours of the campus, talking to alumni, contacting admissions for specific questions, and more. Get creative and work the values into your goals and plans.

Get specific.

When you talk about your strengths and the attributes you portray, make sure you’re providing concrete and specific examples. It’s easy to list off different things; it is much harder to prove how you’ve demonstrated them in the past. They should also be directly and obviously relevant to your overall narrative.

Remember: the admissions committee will not know any information that you don’t explicitly tell them. You have limited space to present a compelling reason that they should give you a seat in the class. Make that more likely by clearly demonstrating what you bring to the table.

Build a cohesive narrative.

At the end of the day, your entire application is basically one long story. Each part of the story should be related to the overall idea. Your candidacy is the culmination of the different parts of you that you’re choosing to present to the adcom.

As you write and film your essays, keep this in mind. Is the example you’re providing directly relevant to the narrative? If not, consider whether it should be there. There is a fine line between trying to portray as much of yourself as you can, in order to show your wide variety of strengths, and focusing on a set of core values. The right balance is usually somewhere in the middle.

Start early!

Start as early as you possibly can on your written essays. Usually, it takes a lot more time than you think it will to write multiple drafts, revise, receive feedback, and polish. For many people, it’s helpful to have a rough idea of your story before you start writing. Working with a coach can be really beneficial for this.

After writing your first draft, put it aside for a few days so that when you go back to it, you’re reading with a fresh perspective. Several drafts later after receiving feedback, read your essay out loud. Doing so will give you an idea of what it will sound like to an admissions committee member.

For the video essays, you should also start early. Practice your responses several times until you feel very comfortable giving them in a smooth manner. The last thing you want is to stumble over your words or be constantly “uhhh” and “umm”-ing your way through the answer. Talk to yourself in the mirror, practice recording yourself on Zoom, or role-play it with a friend.

Hopefully, you find these tips helpful as you put together your Kellogg MBA application. We know that it can be a very stressful process. For personalized, one-on-one advice and guidance, work with a Leland coach . We have lots who are Kellogg alumni who will be able to help you find the right narrative to tell. Here are some of our highest-rated MBA admissions coaches:

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Kellogg MBA Essay Tips and Deadlines [2023 – 2024], Class Profile

Kellogg values individuals; who you are as a person, what you’ve done, and how you will be engaged in the school’s greater community are all very important. Yes, academics and work experience are also key parts of your profile, but the school’s essay prompts seek to elicit more about your personality, your values, and your goals so the admissions committee can determine your “fit” with its program. That is one of the reasons they also require video essays.

Kellogg has three excellent videos on preparing its application , and I urge you to watch all of them so you’ll understand better what the school is looking for. And Kellogg provides detailed explanations of its different MBA programs so you can find the one that is right for you. Each MBA program requires that you write these essays and in some cases, an additional essay related to the specific dual degree being pursued (e.g., MBA/JD, MMM, MBAi).

Ready to get to work on your Kellogg application? Read on. 

Kellogg application essay tips

Kellogg application deadlines, kellogg class profile.

Kellogg is unique in that we ask you to complete written essays as part of the application as well as video essays. This is your chance to tell us why you think Kellogg is the right place for you. Take some time to think through the experiences that led you here and how they have shaped where you want to go.

Question 1 (450 words)

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?

This is a new question, and it indicates what is most important to Kellogg:  your ability to face a challenge and come up with creative solutions. In the process, you must also show your strong teamwork skills and collaborative nature. You’ll want to discuss how you motivate others, how you encourage your team to look beyond difficulties and seek nonconventional methods to achieve a goal, and what skills were most valuable in the process. 

If you have cross-functional skills and also cross-cultural skills, this is the place to show those. Briefly, reflect on examples that will demonstrate how you overcame a challenge, and this can be at work or outside of work. You’ll want to add something that the admissions committee doesn’t already know about you, so try to come up with a story that isn’t fully described on your resume. 

Once you’ve selected a strong example, think about how to describe the challenge in simple terms. Please don’t focus too much on technical details that people who are not in your profession won’t understand. Next, describe how you had to think of ways to work around the difficulty presented. Did you brainstorm with your team, or ask advice from people who might have dealt with a similar situation? How did you involve other people, and what did you learn from that? Which of your own skills were brought into play, and what did you discover that you didn’t know? Why did you make the choices that you did?

Question 2 (450 words)

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?

Certain applicants will respond to an additional question about their interest in our specialty programs.

Kellogg’s essays in the past have inquired about candidates’ “values.” This is similar yet brings the focus back to Kellogg and how your unique experiences will add to its community. Reflect on your values – how did you acquire them?  Family, culture, faith, a significant event in your life? Values represent principles that are important to you, guide your life, help you make decisions, and help you shape the world around you. In brief, they make you who you are, and each of us is unique in this respect.

In this essay, the Kellogg admissions committee wants to find out what you value and how that has been manifested in your actions, especially when interacting with people who might have a totally different value system. Are you someone who is open to others’ ideas and opinions? Can you give an example of when your judgment was challenged and you ended up seeing things differently? Or alternatively, did you manage to change someone else’s perspective, and if so, how did you do so? Again, the core of this question is conveying how you will collaborate with others and how you will be engaged in the Kellogg community. It doesn’t mean listing a lot of clubs you’re interested in or jobs you’ve had, but more importantly, what has enriched your life that you think will do the same for others? To answer this question well, you need to really understand the “personality” of Kellogg and its community. The best way to do that is to reach out to student ambassadors or talk with alumni of the program who can share with you valuable insights.  

Reapplicant Essay

Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: 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)

For this and any other reapplicant essay, you need to show what’s changed from your former application. It could be a new test score, it could be a promotion, or it might simply be a reevaluation of your goals and the realization that what you thought you wanted to do wasn’t really feasible. Keep your message short and to the point, and don’t reiterate anything you said in your previous application essays. 

Video essays

We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

We find these videos to be a great opportunity for you to tell us more about your story, experiences and why Kellogg is the right place for you.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:

• Video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.
• A video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment.
• You will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone
• The video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup.

The video essay should not be perfect!  Don’t over rehearse or read from a script. You won’t know the questions until you’ve submitted your application, but the questions are usually about something you know, and you will have time to prepare for them.  

Practice speaking into a camera, and record yourself to be sure you are looking at the camera and not somewhere else! 

Speak slowly and clearly. If you rush, you’ll look nervous, and worse, your listeners might not be able to understand what you are saying.

Have a neutral background with lighting in front of you. And lock the doors so no one can interrupt you while you are recording. 

Kellogg isn’t trying to trip you up; the admissions committee is looking for reasons to admit you, so breathe deeply, do a few practice runs before you begin (to be sure your equipment is working), and don’t forget to smile!

For expert guidance with your Kellogg MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Package , which includes comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to Kellogg’s MBA program and look forward to helping you, too!

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with Kellogg directly to verify its essay questions, instructions, and deadlines.***

Here is a look at the Kellogg MBA Class of 2024 (data taken from the Kellogg website ):

Class size: 503

Female: 48%

International: 38%

U.S. minorities: 37%

Average GMAT score: 729

GMAT score range: 620-780

Median GRE Verbal: 162

GRE Verbal range: 150-169

Median GRE Quant: 163

GRE Quant range: 148-170

Average GPA: 3.7

GPA range: 2.6-4.0

Average years of work experience: 5

Undergraduate majors:

• Economics/Business: 45%
• Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics: 38%
• Humanities: 24%

Industry background:

• Consulting: 24%
• Financial services: 19%
• Technology: 17%
• Government/Education/Nonprofit: 7%
• Consumer products: 7%
• Healthcare/Biopharma: 7%
• Media & entertainment: 4%
• Military: 4%
• Manufacturing: 2%

Getting into Kellogg, or any of the top-tier MBA programs, is very competitive. Our Comprehensive MBA Application Package has everything you need to get you there. We’ll match you with an experienced admissions consultant who will work with you one-on-one to create an outstanding application and prepare you to ace your interview. So give yourself the edge and get ACCEPTED!

Dr. Christie St-John has more than 25 years of higher ed and admissions experience, including ten years in admissions at Dartmouth Tuck. She was formerly the director of MBA recruiting and admissions, director of international relations, and an adjunct faculty member at Vanderbilt University. Having also served on the board of directors of the MBA Career Services & Employer Alliance and the Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, Christie has a deep knowledge of MBA and other graduate admissions. Want Christie to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related Resources:

• Academic Performance in Your MBA Admissions Profile
• Nine MBA Resume Mistakes to Avoid
• Which B-School Is Best for You?

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How to Answer Kellogg’s Video Essay Questions

Kellogg’s round 2 application deadline is quickly approaching! If you are applying, you’ve likely seen that the application includes three video essays that are due within 96 hours of the application deadline. As such, today we’re sharing our tips for how to prepare for and answer Kellogg’s video essay questions.

Unlike in years past, you won’t know Kellogg’s video essay questions in advance. We get it, this adds another layer of stress to the process. But remember that all applicants face the same uncertainty, and, with a little prep, you’ll be ready to use this part of the application to your advantage.

To help you get started, we’re sharing our best tips for tackling Kellogg’s video essay questions as well as a list of sample prompts you can use to practice.

Timing is Key

Tactically speaking, once you see each question, you will have 20 seconds to think about your answer and 60 seconds to record your response. Our first word of advice is to focus the bulk of your practice on getting the timing right – a minute is shorter than you think! We’ve practiced live with countless clients over the years and most of them initially get cutoff mid-thought.

Using the list of potential Kellogg video essay questions at the end of this article, practice answering them (out loud!) with a timer running. Then do it again. This will give you a sense for what talking for 60 seconds feels like. Kellogg’s portal also offers practice questions to help you get the timing right – use this resource!

Content Should be Complementary, not Repetitive

Our next word of advice is on content. The admissions committee will have just read your written essays, so don’t overtly repeat them. Kellogg’s video essay questions are an opportunity to build on what you’ve included in the rest of your application.

It is also an opportunity to showcase your personality – as such, it’s ok to have a little fun with these, especially the first question where you will likely be asked to introduce yourself. Perhaps throw in a hobby you love or mention your family, pets, spouse, etc.

For the second and third questions, you won’t know the exact prompts but, if you consider the list at the end of this article, you’ll see that they tend to fall into general categories. With those in mind, prepare a few brief stories and think about how you could make them fit several different questions. These should be some of your best stories that you want the adcom to know but just didn’t fit squarely into an essay.

Delivery is the Icing on the Cake (the Best Part, Right?)

Lastly, put thought and practice behind your delivery. This is what separates good video essays from great ones. Look directly at your webcam, speak slowly and clearly (a computer mic can sound muffled!), and – most importantly – smile!

In our experience, mindset is everything here. Put on the shirt or dress that makes you feel like a million bucks, imagine there is a warm, receptive face on the computer screen and talk directly to it. As we said earlier, this is likely the admissions committee’s only chance to see you ‘live’ (Kellogg’s interviews are done by alums), so make the most of it.

Practice Makes Perfect

When you sit down to record your video essays, it would be unwise to assume you have a comprehensive list of potential questions from a source you found on the internet so don’t get complacent. While Kellogg isn’t trying to trick you with these, they are looking to see how you think on your feet and whether you can communicate coherently and effectively. This is exactly what you’ll need to do in an MBA classroom and as a future business leader.

With that said, after grounding yourself in the stories you might leverage from your arsenal, take a stab at answering the following…in 60 seconds…on camera. Practice will help, even if you end up getting a question that surprises you.

• Introduce yourself by telling admissions something they wouldn’t already know from your resume. (**Note that all applicants were asked this question in round 1**).
• Why is Kellogg the right program for you?
• Tell us about a time when you experienced a team conflict.
• Share an innovation you made in the past year.
• Tell us about a time you created value.
• Tell us about a positive impact that you made. Why was it important to you?
• Tell us about a time you solved a problem in a creative way.
• Tell us about a time you contributed to improving a process in your organization.
• Tell us about a time you worked with a diverse team.
• Tell us about a time when you initiated something that encouraged people to collaborate.
• What is the most challenging aspect of working in an internationally diverse environment?
• Tell us about a time when you faced a conflict on a team that affected its productivity. How did you face it?
• 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 were out of your comfort zone.
• Share a misconception people have about you. If you had the opportunity, how might you shift their thinking?
• What will your classmates be most surprised to learn about you?
• Share an important relationship in your life.
• Tell us about a time you experienced a professional failure. What did you learn from it?
• Tell us about a time you’ve asked for help.
• Tell us about a time you took a risk. What did you learn?
• 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 do you like to do in your free time?
• Who is someone you deeply admire and why?
• Whose leadership style do you 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?
• Talk about an environment you work well in and thrive in.
• How long have you considered an MBA and what have you learned about yourself / your goals in the process of doing so?
• Tell us about a life experience you’ve had outside of the classroom or the office that prepared you to pursue graduate-level education.

With a little practice, you’ll do great. Video essays tend to stress applicants out more than they need to. This might be easy for us to say from our seat at the table but view them as an opportunity more than a hurdle!

As always, we’re here to help, including with hourly advice on things such as interview skills and waitlist strategy. Click here to request an initial consultation .

Katie is a passionate mentor and coach, helping her clients craft a unique, compelling story by leveraging her experience as a corporate executive, alumni interviewer, and campus recruiter. Before completing her MBA at Kellogg, Katie spent five years in banking where she learned practical finance skills as well as how to operate in a demanding, high pressure environment. She pursued an MBA in order to transition to an industry role where she could utilize her finance knowledge to drive change within an organization. Post-MBA, she worked in finance and strategy for a leading CPG firm, progressing to an executive role leading the finance function for a $2B business segment. Her experience managing diverse teams led to a passion for developing others. In addition to her day-to-day responsibilities, she led her firm’s MBA recruiting efforts and served as an alumni admissions interviewer for Kellogg.

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Tuesday Tips: Kellogg MBA Essay Tips 2023-2024

If you are getting ready to apply to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management this year, these Kellogg MBA essay tips will help you prepare to knock it out of the park. The Kellogg School is a close-knit community that values a diverse community and philanthropy. Our insiders tell us that candidates who show the right combination of high-impact leadership and humility demonstrate “Kellogg DNA.”

Is Kellogg the right fit for you? To find out, do your research. For example, what are the programs, activities, clubs, and classes you are most excited about? While you are talking to students and alumni, look for ways you will contribute to the Kellogg MBA community.

Advice From One of SBC’s Resident Kellogg Experts

Caryn Altman, a tenured consultant on our SBC team, previously served as a Kellogg admissions officer and also holds an MBA from the school. For these Kellogg MBA essay tips, Caryn describes the importance of “unique points of difference” throughout your entire application—essays, resume, interview, etc. It can be challenging to distinguish yourself from other applicants of similar backgrounds.

“This is especially the case for those coming from oversubscribed professional backgrounds such as consulting and banking, along with oversubscribed populations from particular areas of the world,” Caryn notes.

Curious about your chances of getting into a top B-school? Contact us to talk strategy with a free 15-minute advising session with an SBC Principal Consultant.

Kellogg MBA Essay Tips

Essay one: kellogg leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. which skills did you use what did you accomplish (450 words).

This essay focuses on leadership using a behavioral essay framework (the clue is “tell us about a time…”). Details about exactly what you did, said, and learned provide details about your skills.

As you structure the essay, spend some time setting up the background of the story. Then use most of the space to describe what you did, thought, felt, and how you behaved. Also, use details to entice the reader and set yourself apart. A few well-placed specifics will add color without adding length to these Kellogg MBA essays. Make sure you are outlining the skills that you used in this example.

If you choose a challenging situation that you overcame, make sure you demonstrate lessons learned. In addition, describe the various skills you used. Also, a willingness to be open to feedback and improve will be an asset.

As you consider the skills you highlight in your example, do not neglect teamwork, a Kellogg core value. Your leadership experience is likely part of a team at work or in an extracurricular activity. Also, collaboration demonstrates maturity and social skills. Finally, make sure you explain what you accomplished in this example. Ideally, it is impactful to the organization and those around you.

Essay Two: At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

This essay question is a hybrid of a classic career goals essay and a personal essay. Kellogg is interested in candidates who can integrate their values into their personal and professional goals. This question is also looking for what is unique about you. The ideal Kellogg class is a diverse group of people with varied backgrounds.

Consider what you will contribute from your unique background. Therefore, the story you tell provides insight into your decision to pursue an MBA. During the brainstorming process, you might come up with a whole list of facts about your background and perspective. Think about your upbringing, family background, places you have lived, and the people who have influenced you. Also, is there anything surprising about you? Because this isn’t a question about your entire work and life, choose only one or two main experiences to share.

Learn more about this program on B-Schooled Podcast #86 : Spotlight on Kellogg School of Management

The Video Essay

The Kellogg admissions team advises the following in regards to the video essay: We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

We find these videos to be a great opportunity for you to tell us more about your story, experiences and why Kellogg is the right place for you.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:

• Video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.
• A video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment.
• You will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone
• The video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup.
• After submitting your application and payment, you will be able to access the video essay through your application status page.

Watching a video essay gives the admissions committee a truer sense of who you are. Therefore, the Kellogg admissions committee advises: “Be yourself. We don’t want scripted answers — we want to get to know you and learn something new. Please do not try to reuse an example from an essay that might, in some roundabout way, answer the video essay question asked. We already read that essay, so why tell us that story again?”

Kellogg’s video essays should reveal your personality. Preparation will help you be comfortable and be yourself when you are recording the video. That said, it’s essential not to sound as if you are “acting.”

Also, it would be useful to do a few rounds of practice in front of the camera to get comfortable. Draft a friend or family member to ask you some common interview questions and record your answers. Think of a few personal stories about your background that may be good examples for the video questions you are presented with.

Reapplicants will receive a prompt about their growth since their last application: 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)

Provide tangible evidence that you have improved your candidacy in this answer. Some visible improvements could be a higher GMAT score. Also, grades from any new quantitative classes you took.

In addition, you could describe a promotion at work or new volunteer activities. Another area could be increased responsibility at work or in your extracurriculars. Or, discuss how your career goals have changed. Finally, you could focus on how you have refined your personal goals.

Now that you’ve seen these Kellogg MBA essay tips, would you like personalized help with your MBA applications? Stacy Blackman Consulting offers multiple services to meet your needs, from our All-In Partnership  to test prep to hourly help with targeted tasks. Contact us today for a  free 15-minute advising session  to talk strategy with a Principal SBC consultant.  Here’s a snapshot of the caliber of expertise on  our SBC team .

SBC’s star-studded consultant team is unparalleled. Our clients benefit from current intelligence that we receive from the former MBA Admissions Officers from Kellogg, Booth and every elite business program in the US and Europe.  These MBA Admissions Officers have chosen to work exclusively with SBC.

Just two of the many superstars on the SBC team: Meet Beth who held the position of Director of Admissions for Kellogg’s Full Time MBA program selecting candidates for the 2-year, 1-year, MMM and JD MBA programs.

Meet Kim , who was an Senior Associate Director of Admissions at Chicago Booth.

Tap into this inside knowledge for your MBA applications by requesting a consultation .

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Essay • Kellogg

Northwestern University Kellogg MBA 2022-2023 Essay and Video Tips

June 9, 2022

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University is naturally one of the most sought-after MBA programs. With a strong focus on diversity in its student body and its flexible curriculum, Kellogg continues to especially attract those searching for a highly customizable MBA with a global impact.

In terms of aspirants, Northwestern’s admissions committee spends a great deal of energy identifying those who have done their due diligence on the program. So, it’s incredibly important that well before you begin to attack Kellogg’s application, you spend time researching the school and its offering, as well as interacting with its alumni.

For Kellogg’s deadlines, you can keep track of them here .

Essay 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)

Leadership is always a subject of intense interest when it comes to MBA programs. However, Kellogg’s essay delves more deeply and intimately into the topic, as the school stresses that it’s looking for leadership that has demonstrated bravery and that has created a long-term impact.

While at first, you might find it difficult to zero in on a time when you acted bravely, the trick is that you only have to understand what Kellogg defines as brave. They don’t expect to read many tales of people risking their lives to lead a family out of a burning building. Bravery can mean putting yourself outside of your comfort zone, dealing with uncertainty, or being able to push forward when others don’t believe you can make it.

In terms of topics, this question can lend itself to a whole host of possibilities, from the personal to the professional. Depending on how many options you have, you can choose the one that best complements your CV and other essays. However, whatever choice you make, you need to make sure it answers the second part of the question: what was the lasting value.

The impact you had can take many forms. Your experience could have had a positive effect on a person, a family, a team, a division, a company, or an entire industry. Whether it was on a small or large scale, you should illustrate that the value you created was noticeable and significant—and, for this essay, a significant impact is often one which influences the lives of others. Beyond that, you should also keep in mind that part of the lasting value of your experience is what you learned from it. In other words, the impact you had on yourself.

Essay 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 the first part of this essay, Kellogg is trying to understand the consistency and connection between your values and your objectives. While you might be tempted to go through the whole of your professional and personal history to find examples that illustrate your core values, you have to be much more focused here. Concentrate on a small number of instances that illustrate how the same core ideas have been a part of your path, making sure, if possible, that they logically connect with the reasons behind your pursuit of an MBA at Northwestern.

Using your previous examples as a jumping-off point to discuss what values guide your personal and professional choices, dig into Kellogg’s program and highlight aspects of it that in turn reflect your values. In other words, try to briefly illustrate ways in which your values align with and can be a positive contribution to the Kellogg MBA community. Keep in mind that Northwestern highly appreciates candidates that can show introspection and can be specific in what they are looking for in an MBA, so be sure to focus in on concrete aspects of the program.

CONDITIONAL ESSAYS

While Kellogg offers a set of alternatives to the usual 2-year MBA program, each nonetheless remains highly competitive. If you are applying to one of them, you need to clearly understand why you would benefit from it rather than simply pursuing a traditional 2-year MBA, either at Kellogg or at another institution. Below we provide some pointers for how to approach each option.

One-Year applicants:  Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal. (250 words)

With only 250 words at your disposal, you need to be very specific in your explanation of how the one-year program is the most powerful tool available to help you reach your post-degree career objectives. It will also be important to argue for why you wish to fast-track your MBA studies, and what makes you equipped to regain the professional world after this intensive and relatively short program.

MBAi applicants: The Kellogg McCormick MBAi program is designed to train the next generation of leaders who can help businesses deliver successful outcomes through AI-driven technology. This requires leaders who have both strong technical and business skills; many firms struggle to find leaders with these skills. Tell us about your firsthand experience with this disconnect between business and technology and how MBAi will prepare you to successfully lead businesses at the intersection. (450 words)

Here, Kellogg is directly asking for you to demonstrate your awareness of current issues facing businesses in an era of rapid technological innovation. If you come from a tech background, this can be a great opportunity to both elaborate on those skills and how you’ve come to comprehend their potential when bridged with a business-thinking perspective. However, be sure to pay special attention to the term “disconnect” in the prompt, as Kellogg has a preference for answers that illustrate that you clearly understand the difficulties that are met in such situations.

Regardless of how you’ve come to be at the intersection of business and technology, this essay is ultimately asking about your potential future leadership in the arena. So, for the second portion of the essay, it’s important to connect your goals with the offering of the MBAi, citing concrete examples from the program and connecting them with your future employment needs.

MMM applicants: The fi ve core values of the MMM Program are curiosity, creativity, empathy, open-mindedness and a learning mindset. Describe a situation in which you demonstrated one of these values. Why is this value an important part of the MMM experience for you? (250 words)

With only 250 words at your disposal, it’s important to be very specific in your explanation of how this dual-degree’s values have been and continue to be important to you at the crossroads of business and design. A good approach might be to list out three or so situations that illustrate each of the core values (don’t worry if a single situation matches multiple values). Once you have your list, you can select the instance that most clearly demonstrates a core value and best complements the rest of your application.

For the second part of the answer, it’s important to develop a strong understanding of the MMM program offering, as you’ll need to explain how the value you chose is going to shape your student experience for the better, and ultimately equip you to reach your career objectives.

JD-MBA applicants:  Please discuss your post-JD-MBA career goals and why the JD-MBA Program is the right program to help you reach those goals. (250 words)

This is another Kellogg essay that only provides enough room for 250 words—so concision is an absolute must. At the heart of it, you need to answer how Kellogg’s JD-MBA is uniquely able to help you reach your career objectives, and how it will leave you better off than pursuing either a law or business degree on its own. To address these points, you have to both understand the program very clearly, as well as what differentiates it from a single-degree MBA or JD, and intelligently explain how your career path will benefit preferentially from the JD-MBA.

Re-applicants:  Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 word limit)

If you’re reapplying to one of Kellogg’s programs, you need to illustrate what you’ve done to improve your candidacy. This of course implies that you’ve already done some soul searching to understand what went wrong in your former application. The most important part of this essay is to show that you have improved whatever deficiencies you may have had and that they are well behind you. For instance, you’ve taken and aced additional quantitative courses at a local university, and improved your GMAT score, in order to further offset a low GPA from your undergraduate studies.

On the other hand, if you’re unable to note any concrete changes that have occurred, try to focus on the ways in which you’ve sharpened your goals for and expectations from the MBA.

VIDEO ESSAYS

We’ve read your essays, we’ve read your resume — now we want you to bring all that to life in a video. Show us the person behind all those carefully crafted words. The video will be comprised of three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you here today.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you prepare to complete this section:

• Video Essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline
• A video essay link will appear on your application status page after you submit your application and payment
• You will need an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone
• The video should take about 20-25 minutes to complete, which includes time for setup

After submitting your application and payment, you will be able to access the video essay through your application status page. You will be asked to answer three questions:

• Video essay 1: Please introduce yourself to the admissions committee. – 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?
• Video essay 2: What path are you interested in pursuing, how will you get there, and why is this program right for you? – This is an intentionally broad question so you can answer honestly and meaningfully. We want to know why you’re pursuing an MBA and why you’re choosing a particular Kellogg Full-Time Program
• Video essay 3: This question will be based on a challenge you’ve faced and what you’ve learned from it.

Thinking about the video and its three parts strategically, keep in mind that the school is judging your level of communication, how you present yourself, and how well you function under pressure. In order to be able to really do well on the video essays, you need to prepare—take time to bullet point what information you need to convey for each answer and, while you practice, focus on delivery, tone, and general content over memorization. As important as it is to get the right message across, it’s even more important that your delivery seems extemporaneous.

If you’re looking to create the most impactful essay and video content to succeed in your application to Kellogg, be sure to connect with our Kellogg Experts . Otherwise, for general application details, you can visit  Northwestern’s MBA admissions page .

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Homepage > MBA Admissions > Kellogg MBA Essay Questions – Analysis and Tips for 2022 intake

Kellogg MBA Essay Questions – Analysis and Tips for 2022 intake

Posted by Suheb Hussain | Jan 24, 2023 | Business Schools , MBA Admissions , MBA Application Process

For the 2023 MBA application season, the Kellogg MBA Essay questions focus on two attributes – Leadership and Values.  The applicants are required to submit two written essays and one optional essay. Apart from the written essay, Kellogg also requires three short video essays that are designed to get to know the applicant better in an interactive way.

In this article, Poonam Tandon from myEssayReview, who has been helping students with their MBA applications since 2011, shares her tips on Kellogg MBA essays for 2023 intake.

Before we move on to the Kellogg MBA essay tips, let’s take a look at what does Kellogg’s admissions committee expects from its applicants.

Read more about the Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management MBA Program  Class Profile | Employment Reports | Notable Alumni

Kellogg MBA 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)

This question asks the applicants to recount a leadership experience in which they made a significant impact while overcoming challenges and learning something that helped them in similar situations in the future. Please note the word “brave leaders” and choose a leadership example in which you stepped outside your comfort zone to guide people around you towards a goal.

Regarding examples of leadership, you may choose stories from your personal or professional experiences. Make sure that the impact you have made and the value you have created is not only in terms of dollar amounts or percentages but also in terms of the challenges faced. The examples can be handling an uncooperative team member, or a supervisor, taking a decision with insufficient information, convincing someone of your innovative ideas, handling a new project, meeting stringent deadlines, managing a client’s expectations, or resolving the conflict between two team members, etc.

In these exceptional times, when the whole world is dealing with a global health crisis, what actions you took to do your part in helping people that made a difference in their lives? Did you take the initiative to make masks or PPE for the hospitals,  or did you private tutor kids, or got involved with a local NGO to contribute in any way you could, or connected with your alma mater in their virtual efforts to help the underprivileged.  Maybe you stepped up to volunteer in your community and helped an old and physically disabled people in your neighborhood with groceries or medicines, or took the responsibility of your family as your parents have immunity issues. During this ongoing crisis, you can show leadership in many different ways. The key is you stepped out of your comfort zone at this challenging time, took the reins, and made a difference.

As always, we recommend you follow the 4-part STAR framework below:

• Situation:  what was the situation/ challenge? Who were the people involved in this situation- players, stakeholders?
• Task:  what you needed to accomplish? What conflict/ challenges did you encounter?
• Action : What were the actions you took? Describe this in detail as it will become a crucial part of your essay.
• Result/ Impact:  What was the outcome of your leadership efforts? Were you able to address the situation? What “lasting value” you created? What lessons did you learn?

Since the second part of the essay question asks you to share what the experience taught you, you must explain at length why that experience is meaningful to you, in terms of what you achieved and what you learned about yourself. The experience may have revealed to you your strong attributes, which you might not have been aware of earlier. For example, you might have never known that you could rise to the occasion to contribute to the ongoing crisis, but this complicated situation offered you an opportunity to lead people that yielded great results. You may wrap up the essay with a final note about how you are now applying or trying to apply those lessons in similar situations.

You may also use this essay as an opportunity to comment on a leadership position you are interested in holding as a student at Kellogg and add value to the Kellogg community.

Kate Smith’s advice : This question is unchanged. We’re looking for those individuals who have found or plan to find unique ways to demonstrate the Kellogg purpose in their careers. As you consider leadership, in particular, keep in mind that Kellogg was the school that pioneered the team-based learning model that is now ubiquitous among the top business schools. We want all of our students to be able to step up when their teams need them.

Kellogg MBA Essay Question 2

Kellogg 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)

This essay requires applicants to do a significant amount of self-reflection to understand what values and beliefs are meaningful to them. Simply discussing values that you think will impress the admission committee members will not work here as it is crucial to explain how you have demonstrated those values/ beliefs in your life.

Also, please don’t be tempted to provide a laundry list of values. You may discuss only 2-3 values,  and back up your statements with concrete examples from your life (personal or professional). Also, explain how these values have shaped your personality and have influenced your decisions and actions.

You may wrap up your essay by stating how you will enrich the Kellogg community through these values.

Kate Smith’s Advice : Our goal is to uncover what motivates and inspires you. What drives you? How will this make you a meaningful member of the Kellogg community?

Reapplicant essay

Since your previous application, what steps have you taken to strengthen your candidacy? (250 words)

This is a straightforward  re-applicant essay . Through this question, the Ad Com would like to know if your need for the Kellogg MBA is as strong as it was last time. Hence you should demonstrate your continued interest in Kellogg by explaining how you have enhanced your application since you applied last time. Focus on the areas you have improved upon since you applied last. Whether you have taken extra classes, boosted your GMAT score, received a promotion, led a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, taken on a personal challenge, or articulated your goals, the key here is to demonstrate that you are now a stronger candidate. Your conscious efforts to strengthen your profile and to work on your weak areas will prove how determined you are about your Kellogg MBA.

Learn  What is a good GMAT score for Kellogg School of Management?

Kellogg Video essays for 2023 intake

Kate Smith:  “ Kellogg introduced the video essay several years ago to provide the chance to “meet” our applicants around the world. It also lets us assess your communication skills through a medium that has overtaken the business landscape.”

Kellogg has retained its video essays.

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 1

Introduce yourself to the admissions committee

This question allows you to present your personality to the Ad Com and your classmates. You can discuss your cultural background, motivation, personal and professional goals, hobbies/interests, and issues that pique your interest. The motive is to tell them who you are. Since you will be discussing your plans in your second video essay, you may just touch upon them in this video essay.

Kate Smith’s advice :  “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?”

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 2: Analysis and Tips

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

The second question provides you an opportunity to describe your plans for the future and how Kellogg will help you achieve them. Since the written essays do not offer you a chance to discuss your post-MBA goals and why you are applying to Kellogg, this is a great place to show how your goals are in line with the offerings and resources of Kellogg.

Kate Smith’s advice : “This is an intentionally broad question so you can answer honestly and meaningfully. We want to know what set you en route to pursuing an MBA and why you’re choosing a particular Kellogg Full-Time Program .”

Kellogg MBA Video Essay 3: Analysis and Tips

Kate Smith’s advice: Each of you will receive a randomly selected prompt, all of which have the same objective. You need to show how you handled a challenging situation in your career or personal life and learning from those challenges.

This is typically an interview-style question and is usually related to the workplace or your leadership skills, for example, “Tell us about a time when you had to make a difficult decision?” or “Tell me about a time when you overcame an obstacle in the workplace.”

The Kellogg application suggests some sample questions that you can use to prepare for video essays. You should practice as many times as you like until you get comfortable with the format and technology. You may prepare MBA-related questions as well as non-work questions about your interests/ passions and volunteer work. Add more items to the list and begin practicing. Also, it’s a great idea to seek the help of family or friends and get their feedback on your topics and delivery style so you can improve yourself accordingly in your next recording.

You will have 20 seconds to think about the question and up to one minute to give your response. So timing is the crucial thing in this response. Please note that you will not get a second chance to record your answer to the official video essay questions. So make sure to practice to get a clear sense of how much time you need to think and record your response.

• Click  here  for Kellogg’s Tips on Video essays.
• Kate Smith’s tips for completing the 2021-22 Kellogg application
• You may be interested in  Kellogg alumnus Eduardo’s advice –  Kellogg Second Year Student Shares his experience /advice
• Also, check out Kellogg admit Rohit’s story –  Indian Doctor and Civil Cervices Officer’s Journey to Kellogg

Kellogg MBA Application Deadlines

The deadlines for the Full-Time 2022 application are as follows:

Free Resources:

• 10 Key Essay Tips with Examples
• Essay Analysis of Other Top Programs-2022-23
• MER Students Share their success Stories
• Case Studies

Since 2011, MER ( myEssayReview ) has helped many applicants get accepted into the top 20 MBA programs. (Poonam is one of the  top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club .)

Do you have questions about your application? E-mail Poonam at  [email protected]  or sign up  here  for a free consultation.

About the author

Poonam, one of the  top 5 most reviewed consultants on the GMAT Club , is a master storyteller with more than three decades of experience in successfully helping students craft compelling stories for undergraduate and graduate school programs.

A Ph.D. in English, with three decades of teaching experience in India and the US, Poonam launched myEssayReview (MER) in 2011 to provide highly personalized and dedicated consulting services to Business School applicants. Since then, she has helped hundreds of students around the world get into top MBA, EMBA, part-time MBA, and specialized graduate programs. A full-time consultant, Poonam is passionate about her work and is highly committed to each of her students’ success.

GMAT is the stepping stone if you want to pursue your MBA from Kellogg School of Management. Start your GMAT Preparation online by registering for our free trial today .

Here are some additional articles :

• How to overcome a low GPA? 
• How to improve your MBA Profile?
• How to improve a low GMAT Score? 
• Avoid these MBA application mistakes and make it to your dream business school
• Learn how to make an impressive MBA Application Video Essay

About The Author

Suheb Hussain

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Kellogg application tips: Written and video essays

By: the Kellogg admissions team , Full-Time MBA Program

  As you move through the MBA application process , one of the most important aspects is telling your personal and professional story as fully and authentically as possible. Each part of the application provides an opportunity for you to share what makes you unique. When you are submitting your written and video essays, consider examples that demonstrate who you are, what drives you and what you plan to achieve as a future Kellogg Leader.   Written essays   The application will give you two short essay prompts:

• Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?
• At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? 

Candidates for the MMM, MBAi, JD-MBA and One-Year MBA programs will answer an additional question to let us know how their program of choice will help them reach their post-MBA goals.

Those who have applied before will also have the opportunity to discuss what steps they’ve taken since their last application to become a stronger candidate. 

Video essays

You’ll complete video essays after you submit your application and payment. This is a great opportunity to tell us more about you and explain why Kellogg is the right place for you.

The video portion of the applications will include three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you to where you are today. 

Please note, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.   Learn more

Today’s changing business landscape demands leaders who possess a blend of analytical, creative and social intelligence and who can uplift teams to their full potential — those are the candidates we at Kellogg are looking for. Know that there are no perfect answers to our essay questions. Instead, when you are writing your essays, think about how you can leave your mark on Kellogg and the world.

We also believe in a holistic approach to the application process. We look at all areas of a candidate’s application. For us, this is much more than a test score, essay or job title. All applicants have unique strengths and attributes. Please make sure we see and hear everything that makes you special.

If you are ready to become a Kellogg Leader, complete your application today.

To explore more application tips or learn more about Kellogg, visit our admissions site or sign up for an event to speak to an admissions officer.  

Good luck, and we look forward to reading your application soon!    Read next: Kellogg expands management education options for early-career professionals

• Menlo Coaching
• Top MBA Programs
• Admissions Essays

Kellogg MBA Essays: Tips for 2023-2024

This year’s MBA application prompts have been released, so it’s time to start brainstorming what your topics will be. Wondering where to start, what to write? No worries, we have all the tips you need to get a nice start on writing a quality essay for the Kellogg School of Management.  

At Menlo Coaching, we noticed that most MBA essays will fall into one of a number of categories: personal essays, career goals essays, and behavioral essays etc. Read ahead for our expert guide on approaching these essays for Northwestern Kellogg. 

The Behavioral Essay

• Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish? (450 words)

The Personal Statement Essay

• At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community? (450 words)

Optional Video Essay

You’ll complete video essays after you submit your application and payment. This is a great opportunity to tell us more about you and explain why Kellogg is the right place for you.

The video portion of the applications will include three questions, each designed to help you showcase your personality and share some of the experiences that brought you to where you are today. 

Please note, video essays are due 96 hours after the application deadline.  

Applying to Northwestern Kellogg

Student life at Kellogg is very active in the surrounding Evanston area, and the school frequently participates in philanthropic events, such as the Charity Auction Ball held in the winter, for example. Through the story you relate in your essay, the admissions council is looking to see if you reflect the same values that the school does. Kellogg is looking for students who are ready to be fully immersed in the programs, eager for group study spaces, and excited to collaborate with their fellow students. The best way to represent that you possess those qualities is through the type of essay you choose to write. 

Looking for Last-Minute Essay Help?

MBA Deadlines are fast approaching…

Did you know that Menlo Coaching can help you with your MBA essays on an hourly basis?

Our five-hour package starts at $2,500, and you can work with our MBA admissions consultants on anything you like, including:

✓ Essay and Resume Edits

✓ Recommender Support

✓ Application Form Reviews

✓ Interview Preparation

Like we touched on earlier, schools are looking for the right fit for their campus community, just as you are searching for the school that aligns best with your goals. In the personal essay, this is your chance to show Kellogg the values that drive you both as a person and as a student. These values tell the admissions council what you prioritize, the moral code you live by, and, most importantly, who you are as a person. 

Kellogg is looking for applicants who are willing to be vulnerable. Doing this allows you to more fully understand the concepts you are learning, especially when the lessons deal with situations in your real life. Being vulnerable also enables students to relate to one another, thus creating a comfortable, encouraging learning environment. 

In these essays, you can talk about almost anything; typically, applicants will write about relationships in their lives, or times when there was a hardship they had to overcome. Be warned, though: there are some topics to avoid, and we have outlined a few things to watch out for in this article . 

To make it simple: the behavioral essay is meant to show the Kellogg admissions team that you have developed some sort of leadership skills, what your values are as a leader, and how you are going to most benefit from their development programs. 

The admissions committee is looking for applicants that are self-reflective. Whether it’s through a setback you’ve experienced, or how you dealt with situations that have gone awry, the school is looking for students who are resilient and able to learn from their mistakes.

Do not overexaggerate (or underexaggerate!) the situations you decide to write about. Be honest about what happened; Kellogg is looking for genuine people to join their campus community, and they are less likely to admit an applicant who has overinflated their prior experiences. 

Last but not least, make sure to describe what you learned and how you implemented this in a subsequent situation. This is an expected element of the behavioral essay, even if it’s not directly written in the prompt. Kellogg utilizes case studies and experiential activities to help leaders realize their full potential, and they want to see that you have that ability already within you. Prompts that deal with these topics can be daunting, especially when they require you to write about a weakness you have or a failure you’ve experienced. 

The Optional Video Essay

Northwestern Kellogg also invites applicants to record an optional video essay, after submitting their application.

When it comes to  video essays  specifically, we have some advice:

• Practice—but don’t memorize:  it’s always clear if someone has memorized what they intend to say in a video essay verbatim, and this can make your content seem staged and inauthentic. If you find that you’re repeating the same speech over and over again, change the first sentence. You’ll be surprised at how this will throw you off!
• Make sure that your setting is appropriate:  you want to make sure that your lighting is good and that there are no empty tequila bottles in the background.
• Speak slowly and clearly:  clear diction can make a big difference when it comes to reviewing your video essay.

If you are interested to know more about the use of video essays in the admissions process at Northwestern Kellog, you can head to our page on Kellogg admissions basics .

Writing strong, coherent, genuine stories is an essential part of your MBA application. These essays are meant to help you stand out among many other applicants, so it is worth your time to do the work and write about situations unique to your life and that you truly learned from.

Trust our proven MBA application consultant expertise to navigate the Kellogg MBA essay prompts and optimize your chances of admission.

Related Articles

• Northwestern Kellogg MBA Program Overview
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Kellogg Video Essay Questions 2023-2024

• 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 creatively solved a problem.
• 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?
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