Kellogg Essay Tips

https://e-gmat.com/blogs/kellogg-mba-essay-analysis-examples/

Kellogg 
My full Kellogg Class of 2022 application analysis can be found here.
CORE LEARNING POINT: Appealing to a school with a strong focus on leadership, teamwork, initiative,
and community
 
Kellogg’s Teamwork Culture and its Campus Community
If you go to Kellogg, chances are extremely high that you will live in Evanston. Social life in Evanston is not
limited to campus. Kellogg is filled with people who are great communicators, friendly, outgoing, and able to
thrive in a socially intense environment. If you are not that kind of person, don’t apply there. If you are, it will
be heaven. At Kellogg, We offer an environment that requires teamwork and encourages risk-taking, among
colleagues who are as supportive as they are ambitious.
 
THE ESSAYS
“The essays let you explain, in your own words, why you think Kellogg is right for you. Take some time to
think through the experiences that led you here and how they have shaped where you want to go.”
I think it is important to keep these overall instructions about the essays in mind.  In particular, Kellogg’s
application essays are designed, along with the rest of the application and interview, to help admissions
determine whether you demonstrate that you meet the following criteria:
 “Can motivate a team to drive impact
 Are not afraid to question the status quo and seek the non-obvious solutions
 Approach business problems with a mix of intellect, energy, and creativity
 Seek diversity in their networks and teams
 Are eager to dive in and collaborate with an engaged, ambitious community of peers”
The two essays give you a chance to show why you fit this criteria.
 
Essay 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)”
 
Structure:  Very similar to Stanford Impact Essays but with more word count to discuss your learning and
challenges.
 
-I suggest focusing on a recent example where you go beyond a simply defined leadership role and add specific
value.
-You might question a plan, build something new, intervene in a situation where you didn’t have to, take charge,
or otherwise do what others didn’t do.
-Show you have courage, an innovative spirit, a capacity for leading others beyond the previous limits of the
organization, or otherwise going beyond the status quo.
 
 
What kind of a leader are you?
I think it is useful to analyze the kind of leader you are showing through this and other leadership essays.  There
are many ways to think about leadership. This is one I like. It was developed by the founder of the Executive
Masters program I attended at INSEAD.
Eight Types of Leadership
 The strategist: leadership as a game of chess
 The change-catalyst: leadership as a turnaround activity
 The transactor: leadership as deal making
  The builder: leadership as an entrepreneurial activity
 The innovator: leadership as creative idea generation
 The processor: leadership as an exercise in efficiency
 The coach: leadership as a form of people development
 The communicator: leadership as stage management
– Professor Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries, INSEAD and regular HBR contributor
 
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)”
-For anyone writing essays for Stanford, HBS or Booth, it should be easy to repurpose some of your content
– Given that there is no Why Kellogg essay in this essay set and given the previously quoted instructions above
about explaining why Kellogg is right for you, this is the essay where I would recommend making that very
clear.
– The key thing about values for this essay is that be ones you have acted on.  In other words, a value maybe
important to you but unless it reflects actions you have taken, it is not a good topic.
-Strong answers here will help the reader understand how your ideas/beliefs/perspectives have effected both
your personal and private choices.
-Be sure to write about something that is outside of work here as well as writing about something professional.