Meet The Class Of 2018 At Kellogg

The new global hub of Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management

The new global hub of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management

Despite its reputation as the world’s top MBA marketing program, Kellogg is actually among the top suppliers of consulting talent. In fact 35% of the 2015 Class entered consulting, with McKinsey, Bain & Company, The Boston Consulting Group, and Strategy& — the school’s top five employers — scooping up 27% of the class alone. Finance and technology consumed another third of last year’s graduating class. In fact, consumer products drew just 12% of the class, with 20% of the class working in marketing-related jobs — a testament to the program’s overall excellence (Kellogg is also a top five program in management and nonprofits along with making the top 10 in operations and finance). Such overall excellence, coupled with its team-driven structure, have produced dividends. Starting salaries and bonuses each rose $5,000 between the 2014 and 2015 graduating classes, with the school boasting an enviable 95% placement rate within three months of graduation.

A ‘PATHWAY’ TO PROFICIENCY

Beyond teamwork and marketing, Kellogg offers several appealing wrinkles to students. For one, Kellogg maintains a one-year MBA program (which numbers 131 incoming students), along with dual degrees with top-ranked programs in law and engineering at Northwestern.  The campus is also just a 30 minute ride from downtown Chicago, with the Second City boasting a staggering array of museums and sporting events (along with a vibrant music and social scene). Not to mention, Chicagoland is home to 31 Fortune 500 firms, including Boeing, Walgreens, Allstate, Sears, McDonalds, Kraft Foods, and Motorola. To top it off, the school is slated to open its “Global Hub” in 2017, a 400,000 square foot, state-of-the-art facility for meetings and recreation.

In the classroom, the Class of 2018 is buzzing about Kellogg’s “Pathways” system, a series of interlocking cross-curricular courses where students can beef up their know-how in areas like data analytics, social impact, venture capital and private equity, and entrepreneurship. Rosenthal, for one, plans to explore the Growth and Scaling Pathway, which he describes as a “combination of strategy, operations, finance, human capital, marketing and governance courses.” However, the key to these Pathways are their flexibility. “Students can choose numerous Pathways and can go as deep as they want into each,” says Przewozniak, who adds that these courses complement but don’t replace where students specialize.

Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review in session

Kellogg Super Bowl Ad Review in session

Teams are often the extension of Kellogg’s emphasis on real world, experiential learning. In the school’s asset management practicum, for example, students manage a $7 million dollar portfolio. Marketing students can participate in the annual Super Bowl Ad Review, where students evaluate the effectiveness of each $5 million dollar spot through the program’s exclusive ADPLAN framework. Students can also take advantage of Kellogg’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Initiative, which includes the space, resources, and expertise to test out ideas and potentially launch a new venture. “The idea of classes explicitly geared toward my entrepreneurial ambitions and actually launching a business while in school is intriguing and exciting,” notes Quimby.

OVERSEAS ‘KWEST’ DRAW 80% OF STUDENTS…BEFORE CLASSES EVEN START

In the end, Kellogg’s biggest draw, according to incoming first years, is its culture. Here, community is equated with involvement. One example: Before classes start, over 80% of incoming full-time MBAs complete a KWEST (Kellogg Worldwide Experiences and Service Trips), where students (and their families) visit tourist spots and complete community service activities in locales stretching from Switzerland to Malaysia. The school enjoyed similar participation levels for its annual skip trip. In Special K!, Kellogg boasts one of the best revues west of the CBS’ Follies. If that isn’t enough, most students indulge in the hallowed tradition of TGIF, a gathering for beer and appetizers in the atrium at week’s end.

Such a mindset and tradition fit perfectly with the experience that Jones hoped to find. “I wanted to be part of a family and not just another student.  When I spoke with alumni and admission officers, I could tell they were invested in my future and deeply wanted me to share the Kellogg experience. Kellogg is a place that embraces big ideas and inspires the mind, but most of all, empowers its students with the confidence to create.”

This sense of community isn’t just limited to the students, adds Przewozniak.The opportunities for significant others (“JVs”) at Kellogg are amazing. My wife will be able to participate (often in leadership roles) in most clubs, can attend numerous classes and even gets access to many of the excellent advisors at the school (e.g. the careers center).”

MARKETERS? MORE LIKE DISRUPTORS AND ENTREPRENEURS

Dean Sally Blount

Dean Sally Blount

The ambitions of the 2018 Class comes in many shapes-and-sizes. Perkins dreams of re-shaping an industry. “I’d love to work for a disruptive, technology-centric organization and build out its short and long-term growth strategy.”  Jones hopes to do the same in the tech sector, using venture capital as his vehicle. ”I’m especially interested in the future applications in the augmented reality, virtual reality, and consumer internet space, which have the potential to revolutionize the world we live in. A career in venture capital is a perfect alignment of my deep interest in future innovative technologies that will not only make our lives simpler and more efficient, but also help make the dreams of entrepreneurs a reality.”

Weinstein hopes to channel her passion for finance to serving low income communities and turning a profit in tandem. “My dream career involves the intersection of product development and business strategy – how can financial services providers apply human-centered design to better understand the needs of low income people? How can technology break down barriers and enable us to reach these communities? There are a billion people at the “base of the pyramid” and millions of people in the United States who would rather participate in the economic mainstream than remain marginalized on its edges. My dream job involves helping financial services providers see opportunities to meet these needs where others merely perceive risks.”

Jayarante plans to take the road less traveled in business school — by joining the likes of Phillip Kotler and Florian Zettelmeyer as a professor. “My entire career thus far has been based on a commitment to civic duty and the learning under amazing mentors. With plans for a social impact concentration at Kellogg and a decade or so of private sector work, I’d like to return to a college campus and pay it forward by teaching and mentoring students in business ethics.”

I’M NOT AFRAID TO PUT THE “STINKY FISH” ON THE TABLE

When their classmates someday look back on their Kellogg years, the 2018 Class hopes to be remembered in very specific ways. Quimby, for one, wants to be known for being fearless. “I don’t shy away from tackling the tougher issues and underlying flaws if it sets us up for long term success. I’m not afraid to put the “stinky fish” on the table.”

Jones would like to be seen as the pulse of his class, the cheerleader and counselor that his classmates turn to in good times and bad: “Quasie is the guy I call when I have incredible news, but also the guy I call when my world is falling apart,” he writes.

For Flatley, the best outcome would be following in the footsteps of his mentors and leaving personifying their values. “The most capable leaders I have met through my career all share one common attribute: they never “transfer stress” down the chain. The stress from above stops at their level and is shouldered without complaint. After the academic and recruiting rigors and challenges of Kellogg School of Management, I hope my peers will say the same about me.”

DON’T MISS: DON’T MISS: THE STEREOTYPE-DEFYING MBAS IN THE CLASS OF 2018 OR MEET THE INCOMING KELLOGG MBA CLASS OF 2017 

To read profiles of incoming Kellogg students — along with their advice on tackling the GMAT, applications, and interviews — click on the links below.

Mariana Agudelo / Bucaramanga, Colombia

Daniel L. Flatley / Pittsburgh, PA

Will General / New Haven, CT

Nicki Granadier / Detroit, MI

Ladini Jayaratne / Overland Park, KS

Quasie Jones / New York City, NY

Michelle Perkins / Miami, FL

Alexander Przewozniak / London, UK

Justin Rosenthal / Pittsburgh, PA

Brian Quimby / San Francisco, CA

Dana Weinstein / Sharon, MA

Nattariya Wittayatanaseth / Bangkok, Thailand

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