Kellogg Class of 2018: Now What?

Join the Kellogg School Class of 2018 Facebook group

Admitted to Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management Class of 2018? Congratulations! While admissions numbers are still pending, last year Kellogg invited fewer than 900 applicants out of an applicant pool of some 4,300 to join what is one of the world’s best MBA programs for its Class of 2017.

By all accounts, this year’s incoming class will be among the best ever at a school that last year reported higher GMAT and GPA scores and is solidly in the so-called M7 business schools, the magnificent seven MBA programs. Last year, Kellogg accepted 20.6% of its applicant pool to enroll 492 full-time MBA students in the incoming class (see below for Class of 2017 stats).

Though hardly reliable, GMAT Club stats to date for the Class of 2018 are at least entertaining. As of March 28, five days after the Round 2 notifications went out on March 23, some 654 candidates (about 15% of the total Kellogg would get annually) say they have applied to the school this year, with 288 reporting being interviewed and 105 getting admit letters. That comes to an acceptance rate of 16%, just a bit below last year’s acceptance rate.

The time between being accepted and starting business school is a critical period where you can position yourself to succeed both academically and professionally. When you start classes, you’ll face an enormous transition. The coursework is more rigorous and time-consuming. And you’ll have so many options, ranging from clubs to job interviews. If you don’t come with a plan, you’ll squander time and opportunities – and make the program much harder than it needs to be. Before you order your Kellogg t-shirt or baseball cap, here’s what you need to do now:

Join the Kellogg School Class of 2018 Facebook group

1. Get to know your future classmates. Join the Facebook group for the Kellogg School Class of 2018. It’s the best place to meet your classmates, get up-to-date info on admit weekends as well as upcoming social events for admitted students. Kellogg’s Facebook group is administered by the school’s admissions team. As of today, the group has 551 members, including admits to its one-year MBA program, the MMM program, and joint-degree incoming students.

2. Firm up your career knowledge. Start reading The Wall Street Journal, if you don’t already, and learn about typical and atypical post-MBA career paths. Register now for Poets&Quants’ May 5-6 preMBA Networking Festival in New York. It’s a smart way to build relationships and get on the radar of the most prominent recruiters of elite MBAs. If you’re interested in consulting, you’ll be able to meet senior executives and partners from McKinsey, Bain, BCG, Deloitte, PwC, Accenture Strategy in their New York offices. If your interest is in finance, you’ll be able to have pow-wows with leading executives from Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, Morgan Stanley, Citi, and Bank of America/Merrill Lynch. And if you’re interested in tech, consumer product marketing, or even government jobs, you will be able to connect with Amazon, LinkedIn, Facebook, PepsiCo, Anheuser-Busch InBev, and the Securities & Exchange Commission. If you think you want to use your MBA experience as a way to start your own company or work for an early stage firm, you can take our startup track to visit with such successful MBA startups as Commonbond, Pymetrics, Warby Parker, Birthbox, and Rent The Runway.