I submitted my part 1 sometime in late September and followed up with part 2 on the deadline on October 14th.
I was perplexed that I hadn’t received an invite from the admissions committee until someone mentioned on the BW Forum that his invite was buried in spam. Sure enough, Kellogg sent me an interview assignment a 4 days after I submitted part 1.
We scheduled the interview for Oct 26 at 6pm at a coffee shop. Before arriving on a final time, my interviewer rescheduled a couple of times. I’m guessing he was really busy. In retrospect, I probably should have pushed the interview until after the MIT deadline, but I decided to take the first available slot.
He arrived, 45 minutes late. I was quite furious and nervous at the same time. To his credit he did send me a text message, but I didn't get it until he actually showed up. Damn Verizon!
He was a KSM’09, worked in management consulting and now that he had his coffee, we got to business right way. He pulled out a sheet, probably a cheat sheet that the Kellogg adcom provided him and looked at it a couple of times during the interview. He asked me for a copy of my resume, which I remembered to bring.
I’ll give you the list of questions he asked, and then share my take about what I felt he was probing for.
Questions
- Tell me about yourself.
- Why did you study [particular major] and how has it helped you advance in your career?
- I see that you were very active in student government. What did it teach you?
- Tell me two things you loved and hated about your major?
- What do you like about your current role?
- What do you want to do after your MBA, 5 years after your MBA, 20 years after you MBA?
- How will Kellogg help you get there?
- Kellogg places a lot of emphasis on team-work. What would a person who has been on a team with you say about you?
- Kellogg is committed to both learning inside and outside of class. Share some experiences from college or work where you have contributed to the learning of others. How do you plan to do this at Kellogg?
- You were actively involved in student government and volunteer activities. How would you translate that experience to benefit your peers?
- Share some of your strengths and weaknesses with me. What are you doing to address them?
- Tell me about a time when you contributed to someone else’s success. Why and how did you do it.
- How will you use Kellogg’s resources to become successful?
- Have you visited Kellogg? Attended any info sessions?
- How did you like visiting Chicago and Evanston?
- Which schools are you applying to? Why?
- Do you have any questions for me?
Our interview lasted 70 minutes. I enjoyed it and thought it was rather conversational and laid back. The interviewer had a flight to SFO the next day so left in a hurry, but told me that he would submit his feedback that night.
The things I think (caveat emptor) he was probing for were:
Self awareness and maturity – Had I researched what I wanted to do, my reasons for my choice and how Kellogg would help me get there. Did I have a clear idea of who I was a person.
Kellogg (school and culture) – Had I researched the resources that would help me move closer to my career goals. Was I specific in citing those resources.Was I aware of Kellogg’s focus on contributing to peer development. Had I taken the time to engage with the Kellogg community to determine fit. Did I have a clear idea of how I would contribute to the growth of my peers? Was I committed to attending Kellogg if I was admitted. Who was the competition.
Legacy – How what I did in the past predicts (or doesn't) future success. Have I been intelligent about the choices that I have made. What were my reasons for these choices. Do they demonstrate a consistency in purpose and mission.
I hope this helps. If you have any questions, post a comment and I’ll get to them when I have a few minutes to spare. Good luck everyone!
