Which Kellogg MBA Program Is Right for Me?
For those of you who have decided on Kellogg but are wanting to know which program is right for you, current Full-Time and Evening & Weekend students are here to help! Inside Kellogg recently connected with students to share their experience evaluating Kellogg’s program offerings and making their decisions. Here’s what they had to say:
Choosing the MMM MBA Program
“When I was considering MBA programs, I knew it was important to choose the right program to help me pivot from consulting in the public sector to an innovation-related PM or business designer role in the tech industry. Having a collaborative culture was important to me from a “fit” perspective, but Kellogg’s dual degree, MBA + MS Design Innovation MMM Program was the only MBA program that offered design thinking and innovation experiential opportunities to help me develop a portfolio of work that facilitated my recruiting efforts. Design thinking courses with real-world clients enabled me to gain experience creating value through innovation, while foundational business classes through Kellogg emphasized how to capture that value. I believe this combination was integral to my PM internship at a tech start up last summer, as well as my full-time business designer interviews (I’m in the final round!) and PM offer at a design thinking-focused tech company this year.”
–Ivy Chamness (MMM 2021)
“At first, I was uncertain about pursuing my MBA as I wanted to stay in the same function (product management) and industry (technology). Then, when I came across the MMM program, I realized that the program would be an ideal stepping stone to advance my career journey as a PM.
As the MMM program is a dual-degree program, it has the benefits of both MBA and MS in Design Innovation. The Kellogg courses strengthen business knowledge and complement my engineering background. On the other hand, the McCormick courses focus on bridging the gap between business, design and technology — a skill that is essential for product managers and a challenge that leaders across different industries are trying to overcome in today’s increasingly dynamic and complex business world.
Once the school started, I realized that the MMM program had advantages in the MMM social experience, in addition to the academic experience. As a small cohort of 70 people, I had opportunities to get to know other MMM classmates on a deeper level, especially throughout the summer, since we began school a quarter earlier. As I continue to get to know my classmates, I can see MMM’s fundamental values, such as empathy, are embedded in the community.”
–Marcos Kashima (MMM 2022)
Choosing the Two-Year MBA Program
“Given my prior educational background and future interests, I knew the 2Y Program was the right choice for me. I wanted a full, two-year experience to give me enough time to fully conquer the core curriculum, while still allowing time to explore more specific areas of interest through elective courses. It’s definitely been the right choice for me, having spent my first couple of quarters focused on learning core business concepts, and now, as a Second-Year, getting the opportunity to dig into more specific courses, like Healthcare Strategy and Business Law.”
–Elena Seligson (2Y 2021)
“I was always focused on Kellogg’s 2Y Program from the start of my MBA search. Not only did Kellogg’s core 2Y experience offer instant credibility in the job market, but the scope of program offerings provided a breadth to the MBA experience that wasn’t available everywhere. Providing experiences like the Analytical Consulting Lab (ACL), career treks to Silicon Valley and course offerings in applied topics such as AI, the 2Y Program has allowed me to sharpen my skills in technical topics, while also gaining a well-rounded business education. And of course, the ‘high impact, low ego’ community made it hard to beat.”
–Michael Ng (2Y 2021)
“I applied to Kellogg while working in politics in D.C. with an academic background in government and religion. My goals for business school were to gain a solid foundation in business (especially developing my quantitative skills) and to pivot into consulting. The traditional 2Y MBA program seemed like the best fit because it would give me enough time to focus on both recruiting and developing core business skills (as opposed to the shorter 1Y Program, or the more specialized MMM program).”
–Marissa Wizig (2Y 2021)
“When I was screening the different programs, I was looking for an experience that could give me a broad range of experiences and that was open enough so I could design my path. The main reason why I chose the 2Y Program is that I wanted to have an internship experience that could complement the courses that Kellogg offers. Also, I wanted to have enough time to explore different courses; for example, I wanted to explore the Social Impact Pathway and explore a major in Strategy.”
–Sebastian Dominguez Marchant (2Y 2022)
“I picked Kellogg’s 2Y Program because whenever I met someone associated with Kellogg (alumni, faculty, current students) the energy that exuded when they spoke about Kellogg was infections. Coming from San Francisco, I was nervous about the cold, but when I stepped foot in the Hub for the first time for my interview, I felt the energy that others had shared with me and was sold. During my time at Kellogg, the 2Y Program has allowed me to expand my knowledge in new areas while deepening my understand of topics I was already familiar with by providing an expansive list of classes and internship experiences. Even amid the pandemic, I can still unequivocally say that coming to Kellogg was the right choice for me.”
–Grant Fineman (2Y 2021)
Choosing the One-Year MBA Program
“During my MBA program search — given I had 10 years of experience — I was initially trying to choose between full-time and part-time programs. However, once I was accepted into the Forte MBALaunch program, I learned about the one-year MBA programs at Kellogg, Emory and Notre Dame, and so these programs became my main focus. Through the launch program, I connected with the admission representatives at each school and my chat with Kellogg’s Susan Lissuzzo really stood out and highlighted the collaborative environment. Kellogg was my number one after that chat. In addition, in true Kellogg fashion, I connected with about 12 Kellogg students prior to applying. As my network grew and as I shared my interests, students would connect me with peers, making me feel at home during my tour of the Global Hub. The program is absolutely meeting my expectations. Despite the pandemic and lack of an internship, I was able to pivot from corporate finance working in the aviation industry to pharmaceutical marketing in Chicago, with an offer before the end of the year!!! Despite the pandemic, I am really pleased with the response from the university and professors to pivot quickly to the hybrid model, ensuring we have a great, engaging school year!”
–Aishley Hassell (1Y 2021)
“When considering returning to school for my MBA, I was focused on one-year programs because I was a career accelerator with a business undergraduate background. I chose the Kellogg 1Y Program because it met my academic goals and during coffee chats and DAK (Day at Kellogg), I felt most connected to the ambitious and caring community. The 1Y Program has exceeded my expectations and I’m consistently impressed by my fellow 1Y students’ support and guidance, both inside and outside the classroom!”
-Justin Paxton (1Y 2021)
“Kellogg was always my top choice for striking the best balance between collaboration and high competency, diverse career outcomes, multidimensional faculty, strategic Midwest location, highly successful and global alumni network and, even in terms of its program offerings, the 1Y Program was designed so efficiently that it suited my unique requirements better than any other school or program. I selected the 1Y Program because, unlike other accelerated/one-year MBA programs, Kellogg’s 1Y program is a true full-time MBA experience that, given your prior qualifications, fast-tracks you directly into the second year. The 1Y class is arguably the most close-knit group at Kellogg and the summer quarter gives us a perfect opportunity to not only connect with other students in the program, but also get dedicated attention from the faculty, academic advisors and the career coaches. The 1Y Program is not only structured to provide the best return-on-investment of any MBA program out there, but also, the program opens up career and networking opportunities that are highly valuable and effective for both short-term and long-term goals of any MBA candidate. I would highly recommend the 1Y Program any day and every day to anyone who has a fairly strong idea as to why they are coming into the MBA program and focused to leverage all available opportunities in maximizing their experience and achieve their goals in the one-year duration.”
-Nazim Kazmi (1Y 2021)
“I chose Kellogg’s 1Y Program because it built upon my business acumen and has equipped me to pursue higher management roles. Already having a BBA degree, I found it repetitive to take the core classes again. Kellogg’s 1Y Program is not the typical accelerated one-year MBA program that rushes through core classes. Instead, it has allowed me to put forth all my effort on electives that relate most to my focus (i.e. Marketing Strategy for Growth & Defense, Digital Marketing Implementation). I came from a marketing/tech background and was not a career switcher, so I did not feel the summer internship was necessary. Jumping back into work after one year was my preference due to the rapidly evolving digital technology landscape. The access to career services, networking and immersion programs is the same as the 2Y program, but we, 1Ys, graduate in nine fewer months.
When I visited campus in the fall of 2019, there was an infectious aura about the Kellogg students. The “excessively public” Global Hub fosters an environment of growth-minded, brave leaders who have a giving-back spirit. This was the exact community in which I wanted to partake. With the combination of a tech management pathway and a marketing major, I wholeheartedly believe the Kellogg 1Y Program fits perfectly with my aspirations.”
-Tegan Webster (1Y 2021)
Choosing the Evening & Weekend Program
“When I was looking at Kellogg, I was torn between applying to the 2Y Program or the Evening & Weekend Program. I chose the E&W Program for two key reasons. First, it gave me the opportunity to continue to work while going to school. I love the day-to-day experience, comradery and growth in the workplace. I felt confident that business school was the right step for me because I did not have to make the tradeoff between work and school. The E&W Program is a “win-win.” Juggling school and work feels balanced to me. Second, the E&W Program makes it possible for me to continue living in Washington, D.C. I feel fortunate to be able to be with my family in D.C. during the week and then immerse myself in the classroom on the weekends, building relationships with my classmates and learning from my professors.”
–Bridget Callaghan (E&W 2022)
“When I was applying to Kellogg, I knew that the E&W Program was right for me, and in fact, the Kellogg E&W Program was the only MBA program I applied to, period. Having been less than three years out of college when I applied, I wanted to continue driving my career forward through my job while getting an education and apply my learnings from class directly to my work on a daily basis. The E&W Program has far exceeded my expectations in allowing me to integrate valuable class insights into practical applications at work just hours after finishing class.”
–Tony Zhu (E&W 2022)
“Initially, I applied to the 1Y Program to accelerate my path towards executive management in the tech industry. With COVID-19 hindering travel, business and life as a whole, the 1Y made a ton of sense. However, after receiving an offer from Amazon Web Services while waiting for my 1Y decision, my path changed dramatically. Funny enough, after accepting the new job and waiting for the 1Y news, I got the call from Jennifer Hayes, Kellogg’s senior associate director of admissions, on my first day of work that I was accepted into the 1Y Program.
With my new job, moving to the part-time format allowed me to further develop my career at the top cloud computing company in the world, while enabling me to leverage the accelerated option in the part-time program to complete my degree in 1-2 years. While it’s been busy managing both the job and school, the part-time experience has been top notch, even in the remote/hybrid environment.”
-Will Forsyth (E&W 2021)
Looking for more application tips or insights?
Get a refresher on the application requirements for the Full-Time and Evening & Weekend Programs!
Check out recent application tips on Inside Kellogg from our admissions team!
Hear student stories from the Full-Time and Evening & Weekend Programs!