How the One-Year MBA delivers a full experience on a purposeful timeline

Thinking about an MBA, but wondering how to make the most of your time and investment? Meet Charlotte Grimm ’26 One-Year MBA Program who shares what her first six months of business school have been like, why she chose the accelerated track and how she’s navigating the wealth of opportunities at Kellogg.  

Congrats on embarking on this transformative experience — both personally and professionally. How have the first few months at Kellogg been like for you?  

Thank you! My first six months at Kellogg have been fantastic. I definitely experienced an adjustment period this summer, re-acclimating to life as a full-time student and transitioning to the new habits and routine that come with that, but at this point, I feel I’ve gotten used to my rhythm at Kellogg.  

It has been an incredible privilege to learn from so many fantastic professors across subjects in and out of my comfort zone and to make new friends from all over the world with a huge range of different pre-Kellogg lives. I feel like this first half of my MBA experience has really broadened my horizons and grown my community — some of my major goals going into business school. I can’t believe I'm halfway through, so I’m trying to savor every moment!

What factors shaped your decision to pursue the One-Year Full-Time MBA over the traditional two-year track? Was there a pivotal moment or insight that helped clarify which path was right for you? 

My primary reason for choosing to pursue the One-Year MBA program over the traditional Two-Year MBA was that I wanted to use business school to accelerate my career rather than to make a significant pivot. My background is in management consulting, corporate strategy and partnerships, and I plan to continue focusing on these functions as I grow in my career.  

I knew I'd enjoy going back to school, but I was hesitant to apply because I couldn’t justify the time and expense for a degree that wasn’t essential to my career goals. Confident in my path, I knew I didn't need two years away from work to explore options or internships in a new field. The One-Year Program offered the ideal balance, giving me the full Kellogg MBA experience on a shorter timeline and at a lower cost. 

In deciding which program was right for me, I had many conversations with students and alumni from both programs to gather as much information as I could about the key differences. One conversation that stood out was with a One-Year alum when I voiced concerns about whether the program offered the same credibility and experience as the traditional two-year path. He said: “You still earn an MBA from Kellogg. You take the same courses with the same professors, go on the same trips and have the same experiences, just on a timeline that fits your life and goals. Don’t discredit yourself for choosing what works best for you.”  

As someone who is committed to tuning out the noise of self-comparison and focusing on charting my own path, this perspective really resonated and cemented the One-Year Program as the right choice.  

Time flies in the One-Year MBA. With so many resources and options at Kellogg, can you share more about how you’ve prioritized and selected experiential opportunities that feel right for you and align with your goals? 

It certainly does, and it is easy to feel overwhelmed by the sheer volume of opportunities at Kellogg! I’ve found it helpful to set specific priorities for myself, and before getting involved, I’ve asked myself whether it supports those priorities.  

Learning more about the intersection of healthcare and technology and growing my Chicago community in both these areas have been two of my main priorities and have served as my North Stars when selecting courses and extracurricular activities, such as my work through the Board Fellows and involvement with the Kellogg Business of Healthcare Conference’s Startup &  Fair.  

Pushing myself to focus relentlessly on my own priorities has also helped me feel more comfortable saying no to opportunities that don’t serve me. Business school is such a unique period of focused investment in your own personal and professional growth, so I want to spend as much time on things that align with my values and support my goals, while, of course, leaving some time and space for making fun memories with new friends. 

Speaking of experiential courses, this fall you took the Forging and Funding Healthcare Startups course along with peers in the Evening & Weekend MBA and Two-Year MBA programs. How has this experiential course shaped your understanding of the healthcare startup ecosystem, and what was it like to collaborate across the different programs? 

This was such a fun course. Professor Pete McNerney brought in startup founders and venture capitalists from across the healthcare ecosystem to speak about their companies, investment theses and career learnings. Working in small groups, we evaluated each startup pitch from an investor’s perspective and heard from pioneers and seasoned leaders across digital health, medtech and biopharma. This experience refined my understanding of the unique challenges inherent to building healthcare companies, the critical early proof points and what to emphasize when fundraising.

I also appreciated how the course fostered collaboration across Kellogg MBA programs. Working alongside Two-Year and part-time students exposed me to diverse professional backgrounds and expertise, while coordinating across different schedules and responsibilities mirrored a real-world environment. I love the fact that the school offers a range of programs because it helps attract a diverse community of students.

You’re one of the first One-Year MBA cohorts in the Golub Capital Board Fellows Program. How has this experience expanded your understanding of nonprofit governance and strategic leadership?  

Yes, I was lucky with my timing! Over the last few years Professor Alli Henry has built out the Accelerated Board Fellows program from a pilot to a full-fledged experience that spans the entire academic year for One-Year and part-time students.  

Board Fellows are matched with a Chicago nonprofit to serve on their board and complete a strategic project for them. While I am still in the early days of my nonprofit partnership, it has already deepened my understanding of the tireless work nonprofit leaders do to drive their organizations forward as well as the valuable role governing boards play.  

Nonprofit boards are driven by people who carve out time beyond their full-time roles to serve as strategic advisors — which inspires me as I hope to make space for similar efforts in my career. I've seen firsthand that effective governance requires balancing strategic and tactical support, especially since nonprofit management teams operate with limited resources to create meaningful impact. Good leaders — both on boards and in management — bring a strategic and financial mindset when it’s needed while keeping their organization’s mission top of mind. I’m excited to keep learning from my organization, and hopefully bring those learnings into nonprofit board service roles in my future! 

Some might assume that the One-Year MBA has limited opportunities for on-campus involvement. Based on your journey, how would you challenge that perception?  

Completely disagree — Kellogg actively creates space for One-Year students in countless ways, from student government to club leadership positions, and continues to expand opportunities, such as recently making the Board Fellows program to be available to us.  

While there is a certain level of compromise you make by spending only a year at Kellogg — for example, you can’t be the president of a club since that requires a year on another executive leadership position first — almost anything you might wish to do at Kellogg is possible as long as you advocate for your interest and seek out opportunities to get involved. 

And lastly, what’s your favorite Kellogg tradition or event that you’ve experienced thus far? 

So far, I would have to say my KWEST experience was a highlight. Everyone told me this would be the case before I started at Kellogg, and I definitely understand why! I went to Chiang Mai, Thailand with an amazing group of people. I loved how KWEST allowed me to meet so many Two-Year students who I might not have crossed paths with, helping me feel more integrated within the Kellogg community.  

When we returned to the Global Hub for fall quarter, which was so much more crowded with people and events than the summer was, it was comforting to see familiar faces on campus beyond my cohort. I’m looking forward to more travel opportunities through the rest of this year, not only to see more of the world but to deepen my connections with new friends and take advantage of the unique time and space an MBA program offers!  

 
Read next: First Voices: Building confidence and finding home

The views and opinions expressed in this post are those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect the position of the Kellogg School of Management or Northwestern University.