Mr. MBB Private Equity

So there’s no doubt you check a lot of boxes for a Kellogg admit. You were able to pass the fine screen of an MBB firm, among the most selective employers in the world, and then you have clearly distinguished yourself, getting to work in PE with early promotions and international assignments. Your 4.0 GPA couldn’t be better. And your extras are truly extra, suggesting that you are a well-rounded, caring and compassionate individual. If I were a matchmaker (Confession: My new guilty pleasure is the Netflix show Indian Matchmaking), I would have no trouble matching you with a highly intelligent caring partner. So to my mind, there is only one reason that Kellogg rejects you: If you can’t achieve your GMAT target of 720 or above. I fear that could be a deal breaker for you. Given your accomplishments, I don’t think you would be subject to the typical Indian engineer hurdles that require super GMAT scores. But a 720 would tie a really neat bow around this application and provide a great deal of confidence in an admit at Kellogg. I would give you slightly better odds if you had that 720 but even 50-50 odds are darn good without it.

Hi Mr. MBB private Equity—this is Donna Bauman with Stratus Admissions and as a Kellogg alum also I am excited to review your profile. There is a lot to like in having some very strong work experience and also great cross cultural work exposure too. You might be a candidate for the 1Y program since you have an econ major – check with Kellogg adcom if you have the coursework to be able to qualify—as given that you want to return to your current employer you could be a great fit there. I have worked successfully with many people helping them gain acceptance to Kellogg’s 1Y program and I myself did this program so I have a sense of the kind of student that could thrive in this program. You should definitely give this some consideration. Given that there is a specific kind of person—career enhancer—that the Kellogg 1Y program is best for, it can sometimes be less important if your GMAT goes sky high. If you can get 720 I think your odds go up a lot—either for 2Y or 1Y—but even if you can’t quite get there if you have a stellar leadership essay you may still be competitive. If I were working with you I would ask you questions about where you really had impact at work and how you can show that you take the right risks and build strong teams around you. Please reach out if you want to discuss your situation further.