How To Get Into Northwestern University Kellogg School Of Management

Kellogg School Program Overview

The Kellogg School of Management takes pride in its emphasis on teamwork and its student-centered, collaborative culture. The school opened its state-of-the-art flagship building, the Global Hub, in 2017. The Hub is the pride of Kellogg and an architectural gem, featuring a central atrium, a two-story auditorium, and numerous group meeting spaces—which is not surprising given that teamwork is very much at the heart of the Kellogg experience.

If you’re interested in being part of the Kellogg community, think carefully about how you will fit in. How will you get involved inside and outside the classroom? Kellogg aims to educate, equip, and inspire brave leaders who build strong organizations and wisely leverage the power of markets to create lasting value. How can you demonstrate your ability to live these values? Kellogg’s “high impact, low ego” mentality is evident in the school’s incredibly active and synergetic student body. Dean Francesca Cornelli, who stepped into the position in 2019, quickly found that Kellogg’s culture is so strong that embracing it comes naturally: “The biggest surprise [to me was] how big and distinctive the culture is. … It’s really in the DNA. It’s good that I love the culture because I wouldn’t be able to change it even if I wanted,” Cornelli said in an interview after joining the school.

Kellogg may have a reputation as a marketing school, but its students accept jobs in a plethora of fields each year—in fact, far more students go into consulting (33.3% within the Class of 2021) from a functional standpoint than marketing/sales (11.0%). Technology is, perhaps surprisingly, also quite popular among Kellogg graduates; more than 30% of the Class of 2021 went into this industry after graduation. Kellogg students have the choice of several majors and pathways in their studies, with such options as Economics, Strategy, Entrepreneurship, and Social Impact available. The school emphasizes customizability in its curriculum and offers more than 1,000 experiential learning opportunities, including lab courses and practicums.

Kellogg’s student-focused approach is evident in the school’s clubs and conferences as well as its Complete Immersion in Management (CIM) Week, a weeklong orientation for incoming students in the fall. Although Kellogg is considered a mid-sized program, with roughly 500 students in the most recent incoming class, its tight-knit culture evokes a more intimate feel than one might imagine. For example, students unwind at weekly TG events hosted on the first floor of the Global Hub on Fridays.

One key phrase you will hear at Kellogg is “growth-minded,” and on its website, Kellogg describes its program as a good fit for students who “challenge conventional thinking in the global marketplace.” There’s a huge emphasis on forging real connections at Kellogg, and they last well beyond graduation.

Our past clients who were accepted into Kellogg have used such words as collaborative, humble, generous, fun, real, and dynamic to describe their classmates.

Are you ready to become a member of the Kellogg community? Although every business school seeks students with a record of past successes, Kellogg is also interested in those who have demonstrated their willingness to take risks and are constantly seeking ways to improve themselves and the environments in which they live and work. Think about experiences in your past that demonstrated how you were willing to step out of your comfort zone and take chances that enabled you to grow, whether professionally, personally, or both. How do you intend to grow by having all of Kellogg’s resources at your disposal?

Kellogg School of Management Curriculum

The full-time MBA curriculum at Kellogg features nine required core courses, including “Marketing Management,” “Leadership in Organizations,” and “Business Strategy.”

“Some of my favorite classes include the core strategy class with Professor Craig Garthwaite—the class includes interesting frameworks, readings, and class discussion,” a Kellogg student and former Stratus client told us.

The rest of the curriculum is highly customizable—students can choose one of seven majors or can decide not to specialize at all and have a general management major noted on their transcript. They can also choose as many “pathways” as they would like from the following list to take advantage of a deeper dive into topics of interest:

• Asset Management
• Data Analytics
• Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
• Energy and Sustainability
• Entrepreneurship
• Growth and Scaling
• Healthcare at Kellogg
• Real Estate
• Technology Management
• Venture Capital and Private Equity

Kellogg is on the quarter system, so students can take more electives than in programs on a traditional semester system. Students also can obtain waivers for courses where they demonstrate mastery of the material, which allows them to take a more advanced elective in that area.Another Kellogg student and former Stratus client said, “My favorite elective courses have included ‘Managerial Leadership’ with Professor Harry Kraemer (impressive guest speakers, wonderful class for personal development and reflection) and ‘Strategic Challenges in Emerging Markets’ (great class for people with experience in or curiosity about emerging markets).” Another student told us, “My favorite class so far has been ‘Business Law,’ surprisingly. The professor used to be a senior partner at Winston & Strawn, and he is so funny and all of his stories and teachings are very relevant.”

Kellogg School of Management Extracurriculars

Kellogg students are active, as seen in the number of clubs and the range of activities available. Students play a big role in shaping the activities of the school. Roughly 85% of incoming Kellogg students participate in one of the nearly 40 available Kellogg Worldwide Experiences and Service Trips (KWEST) that help students bond and explore new locations such as Malaysia, Japan, Iceland, Italy, Alaska, and Hawaii even before classes begin. As students arrive, they are immersed in the CIM (Complete Immersion in Management) program, where they learn about Kellogg’s culture and activities.

There is a club for everyone, and if students can’t find one of interest, they are encouraged to start one. Career clubs such as Consulting, Investment Banking & Capital Markets, and Marketing are very popular, but there are also many others in demand including the very active Kellogg Women’s Business Association. As for social clubs, Brew ‘n Q is dedicated to all things beer and BBQ and has more than 600 members. The Cork & Screw club meets to learn about wines of the world. There are also many annual conferences and events to get involved in, including the Business of Healthcare Conference, the Private Equity & Venture Capital Conference, and the Emerging Markets Conference.

The Kellogg Ski Trip, hosted by the Kellogg Ski Club, is an annual tradition dating back to 1993 that brings more than 1,000 students together each winter break. Students can take part in such activities as dogsledding, snow tubing, snowshoeing, parties, restaurant tours, and, of course, skiing! The December 2021 Kellogg Ski Trip took place in Aspen, Colorado.

The Kellogg Tech Club hosts the annual Kellogg Tech Conference, which is one of the largest student-led conferences on campus and attracts more than 400 participants annually. The latest conference was hosted in March 2022 with the theme “More Human: Tech’s Next Evolution” and featured such speakers as the CEO of Waze and the founder and CEO of Verilytix.

Notable Professors and Classes at Kellogg

Jim Lecinski

Professor Lecinski joined Kellogg following a 30-year career in marketing, including 12 years at Google. He is perhaps best known for his book Winning the Zero Moment of Truth: ZMOT (Google Books, 2011), which the Kellogg website claims has been read by more than 300,000 marketing professionals. Lecinski has received the Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award and the L.G. Lavengood Outstanding Professor of the Year Award. His courses at Kellogg include “Marketing Strategy for Growth and Defense” and “Omnichannel Experience Strategy.”

Shana Carroll

Shana Carroll holds multiple appointments at Kellogg; she is a clinical professor of management and organizations, the associate chair of the Management and Organizations Department, and a co-director of the Leadership Development and Communications Program. When Professor Carroll first joined Kellogg, she served as chief of staff. She has received numerous awards during her time at Kellogg, most recently in 2020–2021, when she was given the Sidney J. Levy Teaching Award. Her courses at Kellogg include “Personal Leadership Insights,” in which students work in teams to improve their leadership skills under the observation of the faculty leader, and “Strategic Communication for Organizations,” which combines lectures, exercises, and discussions to teach students to be more effective communicators.

Luis Rayo

Luis Rayo is the Erwin P. Nemmers Professor of Strategy at Kellogg, in addition to serving as the chair of the Strategy Department. Professor Rayo received the Ned Smith Research Mentorship Award at Kellogg in 2021. He teaches the course “Strategy and Organization,” which explores the relationship between organizational structure and strategy using microeconomic tools. Prior to joining the faculty at Kellogg, Professor Rayo held appointments at such schools as the London School of Economics, the University of Chicago Booth School of Business, and the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Asset Management Practicum

The “Asset Management Practicum” course is part of a sequence of courses in which students help manage a portion of Kellogg’s endowment. During the 2022–2023 academic year, the five portfolios that make up the practicum are worth approximately $19.5M. Students oversee performance evaluation, trading, individual investments, and asset allocation decisions. The course also regularly welcomes guest speakers, who in the past have included the chief investment officer of HF Capital, the president and CEO of Gulf Shore Private Capital, and the owner and managing director of Mandel Money Management.

The Rookie General Manager

This half-credit course is intended for second-year students who are hoping to make a career switch after graduation and become general managers for the first time. The course addresses such common problem areas as operations, marketing, finance, and team building by having students implement a plan. Students explore domestic and international case studies to identify the issues that new general managers typically face in their positions.

Strategic Challenges in Emerging Markets

One of the most globally oriented elective courses at Kellogg, “Strategic Challenges in Emerging Markets” introduces students to such markets as Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Using political science research, business strategies, and the latest economics, the course identifies the possible issues and risks involved in these regions. The goal of the course is for students to emerge with the toolkits and frameworks needed to navigate emerging markets successfully.

Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management Statistics

Class Profile (Class of 2023)

Class Size: 508
Average Work Experience: 5 years
Mean Undergraduate GPA: 3.7

Women: 49%
US Minorities: 23%
International Citizenship: 36%

Career Placement (Industries, Class of 2021)

• Consulting: 33.2%
• Technology: 30.1%
• Financial Services: 14.2%
• Consumer Packaged Goods: 7.8%
• Healthcare: 6.8%
• Retail: 2.3%
• Manufacturing: 2.1%
• Real Estate: 0.8%
• Media/Entertainment: 0.6%
• Nonprofit: 0.4%
• Energy: 0.4%
• Hospitality: 0.4%
• Other: 0.8%

Geographic Placement (Class of 2021)

• United States: 92.0%
  • Midwest: 28.1%
  • West: 33.8%
  • Northeast: 14.0%
  • Southwest: 8.2%
  • Mid-Atlantic: 4.2%
  • South: 3.8%
• Outside the United States: 8.0%
  • Asia: 5.5%
  • South America: 1.5%
  • North America (non-U.S.): 0.6%
  • Europe-Free Trade Zone: 0.4%

How to Answer Kellogg’s 2023−2024 Essay Prompts

Kellogg’s essays for the upcoming admissions season represent a fresh update and yet remain consistent with the school’s philosophy of valuing collaborative leadership. These questions will challenge applicants to think one level deeper about the different layers related to leadership and creating impact. Rest assured, however, that Kellogg is still looking for high-impact, low-ego leaders—“the kind of people who elevate the level of everyone in the room without making it all about them”—to loosely quote a former Kellogg admissions staffer when describing how they think about the program’s ideal applicants.

Consistent with Kellogg’s tradition to holistically review all applicants, the admissions committee has both written essay questions and video response essays to gain as complete a picture of an applicant as possible. Kellogg is also continuing its intention to make the application process less stressful for applicants by allowing people to express interest in multiple MBA program options through the same application.

Question 1 (450 words)

Kellogg Leaders are primed to tackle today’s pressing concerns everywhere, from the boardroom to their neighborhoods. Tell us about a time in your life where you’ve needed a combination of skills to solve a problem or overcome a challenge. Which skills did you use? What did you accomplish?

Question 2 (450 words) 

At Kellogg, our values are based on research that concludes organizations comprised of leaders with varied backgrounds and perspectives outperform homogeneous ones. How do you believe your personal and professional experiences to date will help to enrich the Kellogg community?

Application Requirements for Northwestern Kellogg

Bachelor’s degree and transcripts

Kellogg requires all applicants to have completed a four-year bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent if the applicant graduated outside of the United States) and to provide unofficial academic transcripts with their application. If the applicant is admitted, they are expected to provide official academic transcripts.

Resume

All Kellogg applicants must submit a resume with their application. “[The resume] should be similar to one you would use for a job application, but tailored to a more general audience as it will be reviewed by those with different backgrounds,” the Kellogg website reads.

Recommendations

Kellogg requires two recommendation letters from each applicant. In business school applications, obtaining a recommendation from a direct supervisor or a manager is usually the best option. If you do not have a current direct supervisor or manager, consider past supervisors, colleagues, or clients, based on your work situation. Family members, friends, or professors are typically not suitable recommenders. “Ideally, one letter should come from a current supervisor or manager. The second should come from someone who can evaluate your professional performance and your managerial/leadership potential (e.g., former supervisor, previous employer, client),” the school says on its website.

Test scores

Kellogg accepts the GMAT and the GRE to fulfill the test score requirement. All applicants must provide a test score, although the school does not have a stipulated minimum score. For the Class of 2024, the average GMAT score was 729, and the median GRE Verbal and Quant scores were 162 and 163, respectively. International applicants are also required to provide a TOEFL or IELTS score.

Anything else?

An interview and two written essays are also required of Kellogg applicants, and the school offers applicants the option to answer three video essay questions as well. Although Kellogg seeks to interview as many applicants as possible, due to high demand, some may receive an interview waiver. All interviews are hosted virtually. These are some of the questions that are commonly asked during Kellogg interviews:

• Take me through your resume.
• What was your biggest take-away from your undergraduate experience?
• What are your short-term and long-term career goals and how does an MBA fit in with them?
• Why do you want an MBA?
• Why Kellogg?

Northwestern Kellogg FAQ

What is Kellogg best known for?

Kellogg is likely best known for its marketing program, which features research centers, award-winning professors (including marketing legend Philip Kotler), and a comprehensive curriculum. Kellogg carries the prestige of Northwestern University and is one of the oldest business schools in the world.

How much does tuition cost?

Estimated tuition for the Kellogg full-time MBA program is $117,259 for single students for the 2022–2023 academic year. This includes program charges for two terms, room and board, health insurance, and such additional fees as travel and books and supplies.

How difficult is it to get accepted into Kellogg?

As is the case with all top-ranked business schools, Kellogg has a competitive acceptance rate—in 2021, the school received 4,632 applications and admitted 1,205 applicants. This means that approximately 26% of applicants received an invitation to join the program. Out of the 1,205 applicants who were admitted, 508 decided to enroll.

Kellogg is best known for its strengths in marketing. However, do not let a school’s reputation steer you elsewhere if it doesn’t seem like a perfect match right away! Visiting campus and speaking with alumni and current students can give you a better idea of whether a school is right for you.