Over the years, Kellogg CBC members have received a number of questions from prospective hoping to learn more about the MBA program.  Please find below a list of questions frequently asked by prospective students.  We hope that these questions will help address your concerns.  Please feel free to reach out to our alumni/admissions co-chair if you have questions that could not be addressed here.

Note that these answers are based on the opinions of Kellogg CBC members and not the admissions committee or Kellogg. 

General Application Questions:

Q1. Does Kellogg have a particular preference in terms of a candidate’s background and age group?

Kellogg does not have particular preference to certain age group or industry background. The average age of admits is a little above 28. The age range varies between age 23/24 to the 30s.  However, we believe that older applicants may want to show a greater demonstration of achievements and leadership experience.  While younger applications may want to show that they are mature and well seasoned for an MBA program.

Regarding work experience, you will find that Kellogg students come from an extremely diverse background.  Kellogg do not admit base purely on their background.  Rather, Kellogg select candidates who have had significant work experience to contribute to class discussions. 

Q2. Rumors has it that Kellogg’s on-campus interview, if conducted by adcom, is quite tough.  Do you have any suggestion for when it is better to interview? (Early or middle or late November or early Dec?)

On-campus interviews are conducted on campus by adcom or first year and second year admissions interviewer.   First year and second year students who serves as admissions interviewers are carefully selected.  These student admissions interviewers have undergone extensive training and evaluate candidates the same way as that of adcom.  Thus, the quality and interview experience is the same regardless of interview with adcom or student admissions interviewers. 

The benefit of an on-campus interview is that your ability to show adcom your dedication to the admission process and your commitment to take time off to visit Evanston and the school.  Interviewing on campus also gives you an opportunity to visit the campus, meet the students, and get a good feel for the Kellogg experience before you enter your interview. 

For international students, please note that off-campus interview cannot be guaranteed.  Therefore, if you are visiting Evanston and is prepared for interview, we recommend that you sign-up for an on-campus interview, regardless of whether you finished or submitted your application.

Q3. Please share with me your thoughts on applying Round 3 (the last round) and the impact of this on my chances of getting admitted to Kellogg?  Are my chances significantly less?

Round 3 is definitely the most competitive round as there are fewer spots left to fill.  That said, many people get admitted from round 3 each year.  To avoid the stress of the b school application process, we recommend that you apply in round 1 or round 2 (there is no difference). 

Q4. Does Kellogg offer scholarship to Chinese students? What is the max amount? Is there any scholarship only to women at Kellogg?

Yes, Kellogg does offer scholarship to international students.  A class of 2008 Chinese student directly from Mainland received a half tuition waiver.  That being said, scholarship is still not abundant and competition is fierce.  The key is to apply as soon as possible after being granted admission.  The more info about available financial aid, including school sponsored scholarships, is available online.  There are also some corporate and individually funded scholarships, which could also provide significant funding towards financing your MBA.  There are women specific scholarships available at Kellogg; the largest being the Forte Foundation Scholarship offered by Forte at many MBA programs across the nation.  More details could be found by checking the financial aid website. 

Q5. I am currently working for Unilever and doing marketing research including brand analysis, brand audit, brand activation research, shopper research. But my GMAT score is a bit below 700, although I got Math 51. I am wondering whether Kellogg will consider me?

The answer is definitely yes. GMAT is only a test score and one part of your whole application, which alone cannot decide whether you will get admitted or not. With that said, it is still an important and an easy to compare factor. If you look at application package as a whole, and you get a lower than average GMAT, you need to have something else above average to make it up. FYI, the average GMAT score at Kellogg is a little above 700, and the average for Chinese admits should be slightly higher than that (no official data).

Q6. 为什么在Magic 7里面，谈论Kellogg和MIT是最少的？难道是学校重视程度不够吗？我想问一下Kellogg2008, 在Kellogg里面的中国人多吗？

我们这些在Kellogg的中国学生也有类似的疑惑。我们觉得学校还是很重视中国的市场和许多优秀的人才。但就招收的中国人数来说，确实比不上其他一些学校。学校方面说的原因是申请的人数并不是很多的。相对其它学校而言，申请Kellogg的中国人可能是会少一些。原因之一是许多人认为Kellogg就是一个marketing school。其实不然。近两年，去consulting, finance, and marketing的人数是相当的，还有不少人去general management and operations等其他的领域。所以说，Kellogg应该说是一个十分平衡发展的学校。We have seven mainland China students in 2006 for the 2Y program, and another few for the 1Y program. In 2007, we have over 15 students from China directly, and another 5 or more Chinese students had working experience in USA.

Q7. I will be interviewed by an Alumni in Cali in 2 weeks.   Do you have any recall questions from your interview?  Would you provide some help and hints for me.?

Kellogg interviews are an opportunity for you to get to learn more about Kellogg and for Kellogg to learn more about you.  The interviews should be quite standard.  Since Kellogg interview is not by invitation only, it goes to show that your personality and communication skills are very important to adcom.  Don’t be too stress about the interview.  It is only one of many data point you provide to adcom.

Most of the Kellogg interview questions are the common, e.g.Why MBA?, Why Kellogg?, Why Now?, Career Goals, Leadership, Teamwork, etc.  The questions varies depending on interviewer and your conversation with them.  We recommend that you dress well for the interview, be well researched on the school, and why you really want to come to Kellogg.  You may want to check out Businessweek forums and other b school forums to learn about recent candidate’s experience at a Kellogg interview. 

Q8. 我听说这个学校收人在身材上有要求是不是真的啊? 我听得很夸张的说阿，就是说这个学校奖是多的，就是太苛刻了。居然面世的时候对身材也有研究。我朋友说要很壮才可以，我说我这个身材比一般的欧洲人还壮。但是据说还达不到要求，是不是一定要长得像300勇士一样的才可以阿？

我们这里有帅帅的男生和靓女，但是没有听说这个要求. J

Q9. Kellogg 今年的TOFEL waiver政策是不是针对我们中国学生的？因为据我一个朋友发信询问的结果，说是一部分学生英文不好，所以才改的政策。请问这个是不是说明今年Kellogg对中国学生的英文水平有疑问？请问你了解这个政策改变背后的原因吗？多谢了。Kellogg本来是我今年申请的首选，现在因为托福考试，我不得不重新考虑申请的优先学校。不胜感激。

We do not think Kellogg has concern on Chinese students' English. And Kellogg certainly won’t put up a policy just to target Chinese students. Kellogg has a lot of opportunity to evaluate applicants' English via interview, T/G and essays. If Kellogg has concern, it would not admit the applicant. So, there is no need to second guess the reason behind certain policy change. Simply check the website for current policy and follow it.

CONCENTRATION:

Q1. 我自己是4年GM背景，以后希望做GM，长期是创业，我知道Kellogg在GM方向是顶尖的，特别想请教entrepreneurship方面如何？中国学生创业的多吗？毕业后校友的互相connection是否多?

Kellogg is definitely very strong on GM. As to Entrepreneurship, Kellogg has a major in it and has many activities to support it as well, such as Business Plan Competition and VC Competition. In general, not many students open their own business right after school, for various reasons, such as timing, pressure of student loan, temptation from other highly paid jobs, etc. But, it really depends on how determined you are. The Kellogg alumni network is very active. If you’re only talking about Chinese alumni, the number might not be as big as a few other schools, but definitely not small. We have regular gathering in BJ and SH for Kellogg alumni. If you think about global alumni network, it is one of the biggest.

There is a very interesting family business club, founded by one Kellogg student http://www.cpnhome.com.

Q2. 很多人说中国人读Marketing不好找工作，是真的么？（我一直做Marketing的，在考虑发展的方向）

In 2006, there was a student who interned with Eli Lily (a pharmaceutical company) as a marketing intern and another student who joined a pharmaceutical company doing marketing research. In 2007, three Chinese students summer in marketing fuc in high-tech companies in the United States.  In 2008, a number of Chinese students have successfully pursued full time and summer marketing opportunities in China and the United States with pharmaceutical and high tech companies.  Based on past CBC member’s experience, it is totally possible for Chinese students to land a marketing job.

While there are cases of success, it should be noted that there marketing internships in the United States are hard to get for Chinese students.  This is because Chinese students who came directly from overseas may find it difficult to adjust to the language and culture barrier.  The CBC members recognizes these challenges and year after year second year CBC members and other Kellogg students have worked hard to help Chinese students interested in U.S. opportunities transition into the U.S. and secure jobs students like.  . 

Q3. CPG指的是啥呢? 它和IT或制药有不同的地方吗? 在US marketing 是不是需要很强的英语表达 ?

Consumer packaged goods (CPG) are consumable goods such as food and beverages, footwear and apparel, beauty products and cleaning products.  It is the marketing of consumer products.   Marketing for tech companies (IT) or pharmaceuticals are slightly different.  When you come to Kellogg, there will be many opportunities for you learn about the different types of marketing careers and identify which type of marketing opportunities best suits your skill set and interest. 

It is necessary to articulate clearly in English and have effective communication skills, regardless of function/industry.  It is especially important to gain an understanding of American culture if you were to pursue a consumer marketing opportunities in the United States.  For example, each year, during the Super Bowl (a large American football game) CPG firms would invest millions of dollars to market their products to viewers.  These ads are analyzed by marketers and a deep understanding of the American consumer and culture would help you to better understand the ads.

Q4. What are some misconception of Kellogg?

A. Kellogg is ONLY a marketing school.

The truth is, Kellogg is a well-rounded school. Sometimes, its strength in marketing overshadows its strength in other areas. One thing many people do not know is that finance is one of the most popular majors at Kellogg and that a greater proportion of Kellogg students become consultants than marketers.

B. Kellogg is not friendly to Chinese applicants.

 The school recognizes the importance of admitting students from China and works hard to increase yield of students from this region.  Kellogg CBC also work hard with the administration to increase Kellogg’s presence in China and our reputation at school.  That said, there are still ways to go for Kellogg.  You should note that, the ratio of Chinese admits and total Chinese applicants are comparable to that of the M7 schools.

C. Kellogg only likes people with consulting background.

The diversity of Kellogg admits clearly indicates that Kellogg does not favor those who come from a consulting background.   Since Kellogg receives a large number of applicants from consulting background, it may actually be easier for someone to stand out if they were from a more unique background.

Q5. I want to leverage my b-school degree to transfer from marketing to consulting. I hope to go back into the industry later on in my career. What do you think of this career path?

There are students who have served the country and decided to pursue investment banking post MBA.  While this career path may not seem directly related, it may be more logical if you had understand the full-story.  The point here is, whether a particular career path makes sense largely depends on how well you put together your story: your passion, your background, your skills, and your goals.

Q6. 我还想知道Kellogg 在finance方面实力怎样?

As to finance, Kellogg is usually not viewed as the strongest finance school among the top b-schools. Yes, compare to Wharton or Chicago, the percentage of students who are interested in finance is lower. However, the fact is that finance is a very popular major in Kellogg, Kellogg has excellent faculty and curriculum in finance major, and 20% to 30% students go to finance related jobs every year. Actually, because all students are not pursuing a career in finance, it is somewhat easier for a career switcher to get into i-banking, if that is what you want.

Q7. Kellogg的中国人不是特别多，那么在network上，不知道对回国创业有没有什么帮助?

First, on a percentage basis, Kellogg might be on the low-end with regards to Chinese admits.  However, on an absolute basis, Kellogg is on par with most other top schools. Second, if there were some differences in the number of Chinese students at Kellogg, it does not negatively impact opportunities to network and find opportunities in China.  Say some school has 10 more Chinese students, half of whom will go back, which is 5. You probably won’t feel the difference by having 5 more alumni in China every year. Third, it is very common that people change their mind in b-school. If you decide to stay in the US for a while after b-school, how many Chinese alumni you have doesn’t matter that much.

Q8. Is Kellogg as good as HBS or Stanford in terms of career development, alumni, and the learning experience to be expected?

We have only studied at Kellogg. It is unfair for us to compare Kellogg with other peer schools. If you have some specific questions about Kellogg, we would love to provide more details. One thing we can say is, for most of us, our experience at Kellogg far exceeds our expectations.

Q9. I plan to apply for Kellogg next year. Could you please share some information about the job hunting for Summer Internship nowadays? I have accounting background and got CPA as well. Thanks!

Without knowing what you want to do for intern, it is hard to give you specific answers. What we can say is, the summer intern recruiting at Kellogg has been great in recent years. According to career management, internship hiring remains flat year-over-year from 2008 to 2009; some firms may have recruited less as a result of recent weakness in the economy, but Kellogg has identified more firms to come on campus for interviews. 

Q10. 我是会计背景，虽然和金融有点相关，但是象我这样没有美国学习工作背景找在美国的Summer Internship会不会非常困难，特别是在您所说的IB领域里面。还有听说不少Kellogg校友去香港实习，想问一下，对于不是金融重点的Kellogg，香港投行一般招什么样背景的学生。我知道每个人情况不一样不能一概而论，只是想看看象我这样背景的学生的情况。多谢回答。

For IB job in the States, working experience here helps, but is not very important. People (Chinese) who got into IB have various backgrounds, from consulting, to auditing, and to engineering. Kellogg is not a traditional finance school, but more and more people are interested in finance nowadays, and around 15% students accept full-time offers in finance area. We will say Kellogg provides you as much opportunity as other top schools do if you are looking for IB jobs. With that said, do keep in mind that, as an international student, you have to put more efforts than American students in order to land a job.

KELLOGG PROGRAMS:

Q1. What is the One Year program?

The One Year program (known by Kellogg students as the 1Y program) is an accelerated program that lasts for four quarter; instead of the six quarters for the two year MBA program).  You will begin your classes in the summer and finish within a year. It certainly saves you time and money. However, 1Y is not for everyone. If you want to have a big switch in career, you’d better take 2Y which gives you a summer intern to test the water.

Q2. What is MMM?

MMM is a joint-degree program offered by the Kellogg School of Management and the Engineering School at Northwestern University.  It is very much like the 2Y MBA program, with a little bit more focus on either Operation or Design & Innovation. It is perfect for people with engineering background but now want to switch to business functions. In recently years, almost half of the MMM graduates go to professional service (mostly consulting, plus a few financial services such as banking) and the rest half to industry. For people who are in the US, there is Prospective Student Day for MMM program each October.

The MMM students will complete their two year MBA program with non MMM 2 Year MBA students.  During CIM (Kellogg’s orientation), MMM students are divided into regular sections.  MMM also have its own MMM sections.  Thus, the advantage of the MMM program is that you build strong ties quickly with two groups of students. 

Q3. Kellogg的那个MMM, 是两个学位都给吗?我一直不是很清楚的是,在2年的时间内怎么能修2个学位呢? 光一个MBA就够学的了,再加一个ENGINEERING MASTER,那样的话,是不是学业比MBA还重呢?要是不重的话,那是不是有水份呢,比起正常的2年的MBA?  MMM的毕业去向和正常的MBA一样吗? 是不是全进传统的制造业的呢?

Yes, you will get two degrees, both the Master of Business Administration degree from the Kellogg School of Management and the Master of Engineering Management degree from the Robert R. McCormich School of Engineering and Applied Science. You can see that the second degree is not a traditional engineering master. It is also about management. That's why you can get that degree without taking another two years. As to the course load, it is probably slightly heavier than the regular 2Y program, but not that much difference. The employment statistics of class 2006 is here:

http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/mmm/MMMinsert061%202.pdf  Compared with the regular 2Y program, more students will get into consulting and fewer will get into financial services. However, it is more because of self-selection than the program itself. If you really want to do IB, you can do it with the MMM program. Many MMM students have done that. It is really up to you as to where you want to go after two years at Kellogg.

You can refer to the following link for details: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/mmm/index.htm.

The admission process for MMM is the same as regular 2Y MBA program.

Q4. Teaching method: I heard that teaching method covers 30% case studies, 30% lectures, 30% projects, around 30% learning team and some others. Can you comment on each teaching method according to your personal experience? More and more b-schools use case study as the major teaching method.  What is the value of lectures? Which method do you think is most efficient?

I did some research on half of the top 15 b-schools last year (2005), and only one of them was using more than 40% case study. Unless they changed dramatically, it seems that most schools are using 30-40% case study, and Kellogg is one of them Each of the teaching methods has its pros and cons. I personally don't think one is always better than another. For example, for accounting, especially at the beginning, case study doesn't seem to make much sense when I don't even know the basic terms. I learned all my undergrad stuff in China under lectures, and it certainly has some value.

Q5. As far as I know, study pressure is not that much of an issue at Kellogg than at other business schools.  There is a Kellogg student completing his/her one-year program at Kellogg and he/she mentioned that there is little academic pressure.  Since b school normally provides you with tons of exposures to various activities, do you feel stressful at school now? How do you balance study and socializing? 

B school can certainly be extremely busy, and sometimes stressful. The school doesn't give you pressure on anything. It's up to you to figure out what you want to do and where you want to put time in. We just finished one exam. There are still many students who care a lot about their grades. It's not because of any pressure from anyone (most recruiters won't ask you GPA at all), but because they want to learn from the course. With that said, there definitely are some other people who are pretty happy with a "B" (that's why they call it B-school – just kidding!!). I am still learning how to balance study and social life, it is not easy and may not have a good answer for you.  From what I gathered, you need to prioritize your task well and to manage your time wisely. It is easier said than done!  Kellogg does provide you with ample opportunities to balance the academic and social aspect. 

Q6. What differentiates the Kellogg's healthcare program from that of Wharton or Duke? How many student are currently involved in the program. What efforts the school made in support of those students getting intern opportunities or getting jobs?

Frankly, I think all three healthcare programs (Wharton, Fuqua and Kellogg) are good. Duke's program is the largest. But all major pharmaceutical companies recruit at the fore mentioned schools and Ross. 

My friend at Duke got offer from Merck, and my friends at Kellogg received offers from Eli Lily and McKinsey.  I am not exactly sure how many students are actually in the program because at Kellogg you can pick up as many majors as you want, so long as you fulfill the major requirements.

One thing unique about Kellogg’s healthcare program is the Kellogg's mentorship program for healthcare majors. You can pick an executive mentor (CEO or CFO level) in healthcare industry in the first year and you are able to meet them several times a year to discuss your career aspiration and plans. Bottom line is that Kellogg is dedicated to help you to land your ideal job.

Q7. What is GIM?

GIM stands for Global Initiative in Management.  It is a course most first years and 1Y take in the Winter quarter of their first year.  GIM is a student-driven course.  Student leaders are selected in their first year to organize the curriculum and trip under the guidance of Kellogg faculty.  During the Winter quarter, guest speakers are invited by the student leader to speak about the country studied.  During the Spring break, students would travel with their peers as a class to visit the country(s) and conduct field research. 

GIM China trips are the most popular at Kellogg.  There are now three separate trips to China, as opposed to usually one trip per country.  People who go to on GIM China trips are not Chinese students because those who sign up for GIM trips have never studied on been to China. 

Historically about 80% of Kellogg students go to a GIM trip somewhere around the world.  You have to pay extra to go on these GIM trips (in addition to the regular tuition), which is between $4000 and $5,000 extra.  Students and JVs are eligible for GIM Class/GIM Trip. 

Q8. I am currently a product manager at a F500 marketing firm in Canada, and I had my BBA degree at one of Kellogg's allied business schools in Canada. The one year MBA program seems to be perfect for me, as it saves the time, money, and of course opportunity cost. However, if I plan to change my career (from marketing to consulting) and return to China, would the 1 year program still be the best bet for me? Given that the one year program does not have an internship period, would it be harder for students to find a decent job afterwards?

1Y MBA is not any weaker than 2Y MBA in terms of career opportunities. What you don't get is the summer internship, which is an opportunity for you to try something new.  In addition, you may have to work slightly harder to recruit for certain opportunities, as some companies tend to fill their MBA opportunities with the summer internship class.

Additional comments about the 1Y program could be found here: http://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/admissions/studentlife/studentperspectives.htm

Most 1Y MBA students leverage their past experience and knowledge in new area.  Career transitions with the may be slightly tougher, but not impossible. 

LIFE:

Q1. What do Chinese students do for fun at Kellogg? Are there are lot of second year mentors?

Chinese students here form a very close-knit group. Everyone knows everyone well, so, to certain degree, you have all the 2nd-year Chinese students as your mentors. As to the traditional activities, we have TG/party for several traditional Chinese holidays. Besides those, we have speaker series and annual conference. Of course, there are unofficial events all the time, such as poker games.

Before you come to Kellogg, a current Kellogg student (K-Bud) would be assigned to help answer your questions. After you get to Kellogg, there is no assigned mentor from school. However, you will get mentors from various clubs and the Alumni Mentor Program.

Q2. Can you update your experience with Kellogg and share with us your valuable ideas? I particularly want to know more about the activities of Chinese students. Thanks.

In my last post, I mentioned about some official activities at Kellogg organized by Chinese students. Besides those, the Chinese students are also heavily involved with other various clubs and activities, based on their personal interests. To me, my experience at Kellogg so far is a fun ride, although sometimes could be a little stressful. It is definitely more than the course work and recruiting. It is a chance to explore and to challenge oneself. A chance for you to pursue activities you have never had the chance to pursue.

CAMPUS VISIT:

(By lianliao) 各位，我虽然不是Kellogg的学生，但是我上周借公司在美国开会的机会，去我一直很憧憬的Kellogg做了个campus visit. 由于我在芝加哥只停留一天，周五早上9点飞机到，找到酒店，坐奇慢无比的CTA到达Evanston 已经是下午2点半了。坐落在Evaston的northwestern的校园在Chicago CTA沿线的破旧的建筑的衬托下，显得就像童话里的小镇一样漂亮，打消了我原来的焦虑。参加了一个一年级学生做导游的Kellogg campus visit.其实也就是带你兜兜商学院那楼。不过那天那个英国帅哥到是很不错，回答了很多奇奇怪怪的问题，包括说他一开始也担心他的英国文化会和自大的美国MBA文化不合，但是他说在kellogg他的担心是多余的。但是讲老实话，去kellogg on campus interview的人都很严肃和紧张，至少那天下午我遇到的人都是这样。可能我是做销售的缘故，对人事都有些敏感。campus visit 结束后，我没啥特别的感觉，初感觉好像在kellogg里的人都蛮结棍的，而且个忙个的，相对没有duke校园里的人那样见到你不管认不认识先冲你笑笑，而且学校里亚洲学生非常少，不太能遇见中国人。但是随着之后接触到的人和事，让我逐渐改变了想法,他们都是一些smart的人，而且也很愿意帮助别人。

本来想回到Chicago downtown,做个city tour,因为我从来没有去过，但是想想，对kellogg那么憧憬就这么走了有些不甘心，就留下来参加了一个叫Women Business Association的讨论会，其实是2个女学生和你聊聊，看看你有什么问题需要解决的，由于她们希望增加女性的录取率。这样反倒让我有更多的机会单独问问题。我们在学校的一个公共区域聊天，无意中听见有人说中文。 呵呵，和WBA的人聊完，我就主动上去搭讪了。由于我去的那天是周五，每个周五5-7pm,kellogg都会有一个team game,我遇到的是不同club的代表穿着橡皮桶一样的相扑服PK，哈哈，这个时候才感觉到Kellogg的学生是：study hard and play hard. 我遇到的这两位男生都是中国大陆来的。下面就来回答大家关心的问题:

2008届，即2006年入学Kellogg的大陆的人总共4个，且均为男性。很荣幸我遇见了50%。 我遇到的两位，一个是KPMG的外派到美国工作了1-2年，然后再申请的；另一个原来是德勤的。他乡遇同仁很是亲切，我和他们还有他们的一些朋友一起吃了晚饭，都是一些很nice的人。 总的来说，Kellogg是一所很棒的学校，但是不可否认，竞争的确很激烈，而且亚洲人也的确很少。