Why I'm Adding Kellogg & Berkeley To My Target List

So, I know. I thought I was done picking business schools, having settled–or so I thought–on six business schools.

After a lot of thought, and going back and forth I decided to add a couple of schools to my list. This post will explain not only WHY I am adding a couple schools, but HOW I plan on applying to eight schools in R1.

My Current Choices:

Harvard
Wharton
MIT
Tuck
Duke
Yale

New Schools:

Kellogg
Berkeley

Why am I adding them?

FIT — I have absolutely loved my interaction with Kellogg alumni, and I think their culture is amazing. Their new intense focus on innovation and entrepreneurship is really great, and I can feel the deep passion that this school and their students have for business and making a difference. They also have a student blog that provides a great view of the school from a personal perspective. In short, “I LOVE KELLOGG.” I just have to plan my visit now!

FAMILY — My parents (who live in Northern California aka NorCal) really want me to go to school near them. Not only would this help my budget, but it would be nice to be so close to the growing tech industry and Silicon Valley. Therefore, since I HIGHLY doubt I have the chops for Stanford, I will apply to Berkeley (a school that I have always loved, and got into for my undergrad).

THE CONSORTIUM — “But how will you apply to eight schools?” That is a great question. After much encouragement, I have decided to apply to Tuck, Yale, and Haas through the Consortium. The Consortium (for those that don’t know) allows applicants to apply to multiple schools with a common application. Not only is it cheaper, it really cuts down on the number of recommendations, online applications, and essays you would have to normally complete. I will have to write three core essays, as well as any school-specific essays that they require. With all my non-profit experience centered around diversity and inclusion, I believe I will be a strong applicant for this program.

New School List

Those marked with an asterisk (*) means I still need to visit the campus. Those marked with a (C) are Consortium schools.

Harvard
Wharton
Kellogg*
MIT
Tuck (C)
Duke*
Yale* (C)
Berkeley (C)

What do you think Am I crazy for trying to apply to eight schools in R1? What do you think of the Consortium strategy? Should I eliminate some schools on the list (or perhaps shift them to R2?).

GrantMeAdmission is a young corporate (Fortune 50) finance guy for a Fortune 50 company who blogs at GrantMeAdmission! A graduate of a leadership rotation program, he’s dreamed of going to a top MBA program and has structured his life to support that journey (making plenty of mistakes along the way). After graduating from a college in California and working for two years, he found transferred to the East Coast so he could visit schools and complete his research. He applied to one school (Tuck at Dartmouth College) and was wait listed for five agonizing months. The process totally caught him off guard, leaving him dazed and confused.