School_Guide_Kellogg_School_of_Management
About This Guide
The Clear Admit team has prepared this reference guide to the Kel-
logg School of Management at Northwestern University (“Kellogg”)
to assist you in your research of this program. Our comments are
designed to be of use to individuals in all stages of the admissions
process, providing information relevant to those who are determin-
ing whether to apply to this program, looking for in-depth informa-
tion for a planned application to Kellogg, preparing for an interview
or deciding whether to attend.
The guide is unique in that it not only addresses many aspects of
life as a Kellogg MBA student and alumnus, covering school-specific
programs in depth, but also compares Kellogg to other leading
business schools across a range of criteria based on data from the
schools, the scholarly and popular presses, and Clear Admit’s con-
versations with current MBA students, alumni, faculty and school
administrators. We have normalized the data offered by each busi-
ness school to allow for easy side-by-side comparisons of multiple
programs. While the guide focuses on the experience of the full-
time, two-year MBA program, much of the academic and institu-
tional information presented also applies to the MMM program and
the one-year MBA.
Clear Admit is an educational counseling firm that guides candi-
dates through the complex process of applying to top MBA pro-
grams. We work with applicants from around the world to maxi-
mize their success when applying to the leading business schools.
Please feel free to contact our office at info@https://www.sodocs.net/doc/896148546.html, if you
would like to receive feedback on your MBA candidacy and learn
more about how best to position yourself during the application
process.
Table of Contents | v Contents
1 Introduction to Kellogg 1
Program Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Brief History of the MBA (1)
Kellogg History . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Student Demographics . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Academics 6
Academic Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Pre-Term. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Student Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Core Curriculum . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Electives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
The Major (9)
Social Enterprise at Kellogg (9)
Analytical Consulting .. . . . . . . . . 9
Curriculum Comparison (9)
Grading System . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Honors (11)
Faculty (11)
3 Special Programs 13
Marketing (13)
Entrepreneurship . . . . . . . . . . . 13
International Business & Markets Program . . 14
International Exchange Program (15)
4 Life at Kellogg 16
Campus Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Life in Chicago. . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Evanston . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
The City of Chicago . . . . . . . . . 17
Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Conferences (19)
vi| Table of Contents
5 Life After Kellogg 21
Career Management Center . . . . . . . 21
Recruiting/Interview Procedures . . . . . 21
Career Statistics . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Industry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Geography . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
Alumni Network . . . . . . . . . . . 25
6 Admissions 26
Visiting Kellogg (26)
Outreach Events . . . . . . . . . . 26
Application Requirements . . . . . . . . 26
Interviewing with Kellogg . . . . . . . 27
Deadlines (27)
Dual Degree Programs . . . . . . . . . 28
Other Degree Programs (28)
7 Financing the Kellogg MBA 30
Tuition & Expenses . . . . . . . . . . 30
Financial Aid (30)
Loan Forgiveness . . . . . . . . . . 30
8 Appendix 32
Essay Topic Analysis. . . . . . . . . . 32
Admissions Director Q&A . . . . . . . . 34
Career Services Director Q&A (35)
9 Further Resources 38
Publications . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Kellogg Research Centers & Institutes (38)
Contact Information. . . . . . . . . . 39
1 | Clear Admit School Guide: Kellogg School of Management
1
Introduction to Kellogg
Program Highlights
Team Orientation – Kellogg was one of the first business schools to introduce an explicit focus on teamwork into the MBA curriculum. The
school still stresses the importance of teamwork to the business world, and Kellogg students work in teams constantly throughout their time in the program.
Emphasis on Networking – The school empha-sizes the importance of the Kellogg community from the very start, continually stressing the value of the Kellogg network to students’ pres-ent development and future professional lives.Student Involvement – Both the administration and the student body pride themselves on the high level of student participation in the Kel-logg community. The school has an extraordi-nary number of student clubs, even compared to much larger programs, and Kellogg students have traditionally had a strong voice in the ad-ministration and development of the program.
Midwest Job Placement – Kellogg graduates take positions in the Midwest U.S., especially the city of Chicago, at comparatively high rates. Ap-plicants interested in living and working in this
region after graduation should find ample re -sources to support them in their search.
Brief History of the MBA
Originally conceived as an extra year of under-graduate training in finance, economics and
accounting, business schools began around the
start of the 20th century to train scientific man -agers for the U.S.’s new industrialized com-panies (see Figure 1.1). Their prestige grew
through the Great Depression of the 1930s, when the research and training generated by
business schools was seen as a key to the coun-try’s economic recovery. The unprecedented
management needs of World War II further in-creased the demand for formal business educa-tion, and after the war , U.S. veterans used their GI Bill funding to finance their business studies and move into management jobs.
By the 1950s, the MBA was a two-year , post-graduate program that turned business into a professional discipline on par with medicine and law, and the degree was seen as a ticket to a better , more secure career . The MBA continued increasing in popularity, from 21,000 business management master’s degrees awarded in the 1969-1970 academic year to 139,000 in 2003-2004. This rise came in conjunction with a
growing demand for MBA graduates in the work-place and with rising starting salaries for those graduating from top schools.
Since the early days of the MBA, there have been conflicts over the purpose of a business education. Initially, tension between a classi-cal education in economics and more “practical” training in business dominated debate, and in some ways, this remains the central conflict. Today, the tension between theory and practice has increasingly taken center stage, as business school professors have become more academic,
and employers demand broader skill sets from MBA graduates. Most business schools, howev-er , have designed programs that offer students exposure to both theory and practice – intern-ships, field work, and school-based consulting programs are widespread. The increase in aver-age full-time work experience among entering MBA students, as well as the growth in Execu-tive MBA programs, ensures that classroom
theories are continually tested against real world experiences. Regardless of these tensions, the MBA remains one of the most popular gradu-ate degrees in the United States and around the world.Kellogg History
The Northwestern University School of Com-merce was founded in 1908, with Professor Willard E. Hotchkiss, who later led the business school at Stanford, serving as its first dean. Ini -tially, the school offered only practical training through evening courses for working profession-
Introduction to Kellogg | 2
? Business schools are established in the U.S. to train managers for service in the new industrial-ized economy, especially the railroad industry.? Academic focus is on accounting and bookkeep -ing, and most professors are professionals in these fields.
? Association of Collegiate Schools of Business is
founded in 1916 to provide resources for the grow-ing number of U.S. business schools, which by 1919 enroll over 36,000 students.? On-campus recruiting by industry rises.? Curricula begin to include policy issues.
? The research and training conducted by business schools during the Great Depression is seen as key to the U.S.’s economic revival, significantly raising public opinion of business schools.? World War II sharply increases demand for trained managers, and WWII veterans return to U.S. busi-ness schools in droves. ? Most professors now hold Ph.D.s in business, and academic research begins to form the basis of business school curricula.
? Strategic decision making and quantitative and statistical analyses enter many curricula.
? MBA starting salaries rise 5-10% per year at some schools, even during stagflation.
? Entrepreneurship enters most curricula.
? Business schools focus on leadership, ethics and interpersonal skills, altering course content and in-creasing classroom emphasis on working in teams.? High-profile corporate scandals prompt calls for greater ethics education in business schools.? By 2004, 447,000 students are enrolled in U.S. business programs.
MBA Degree
? The Northwestern School of Commerce is estab -lished in 1908.? The five-year undergraduate Bachelors of Business Administration is introduced in 1912.
? The Bureau of Business Research, the nation’s second business research center , is established in 1919.? Masters and Ph.D. programs are established.
? The Institute for Management is founded, offering one of the first non-degree education programs for executives.
? The last undergraduate class is admitted in 1966.? Marketing professor Philip Kotler publishes Market-ing Management in 1967, now in its 13th edition and published in nine languages.? Finance professor Donald Jacobs begins his 26-year tenure as Dean in 1975.
? In 1979, the school is renamed the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management to reflect a gift from the J.L. and Helen Kellogg Foundation.? The Master of Management and Manufacturing program begins in 1990.
? The International Executive MBA program is estab -lished in 1996.? Kellogg replaces the Masters of Management de -gree with the MBA degree in 2000.
? Certificate programs for Northwestern undergradu -ates are introduced in 2007.? In 2010, Dipak C. Jain, who succeeded Jacobs as dean, steps down and is replaced by Sally Blount.
Kellogg School of Management
1880s
1900s 1910s
1920s 1930s
1940s
1950s
1960s
1970s
1990s
2000s
2010s
Figure 1.1 Notable Developments in MBA History
3| Clear Admit School Guide: Kellogg School of Management
als, but Northwestern soon added a five-year degree in business for undergraduates. By the end of the 1920s, the school had introduced
its first marketing and management courses, increased faculty research initiatives, and added both Master’s and Ph.D. programs to its list of offerings.
After struggling through World War II, a time when many institutions shut down for lack of students and professors, Northwestern became a founding member of the Graduate Manage-ment Admissions Council and was a central force in the creation of the GMAT. During this period, the school also inaugurated one of the nation’s first non-degree executive education programs, beginning a trend in management education that almost all business schools now embrace.
The 1960s saw a major shift in Northwestern’s approach to business education. Responding to the increasingly complex and technically-driven world of business administration, the school phased out its undergraduate program in order to focus its resources exclusively on the gradu-ate curriculum. Simultaneously, the program broadened its focus from traditional business administration to include management in the public and non-profit sectors. The school was renamed from the Graduate School of Busi-ness Administration to the Graduate School of Management to reflect this shift, and the MBA itself was discontinued in 1969 and replaced with a Master’s in Management – the standard Northwestern business degree for the next three decades.
The school’s reputation in marketing was ce-mented in 1967 when Professor Philip Kot-
ler published his seminal textbook Marketing Management, now in its thirteenth edition. Its equally strong emphasis on teamwork was given form a few years later through the development of the Conceptual Issues in Management orien-tation program.
The Graduate School of Business moved from downtown Chicago to the newly-completed Leverone Hall in Evanston in the early 1970s.
In 1979, the name of the school was changed in recognition of a generous gift from the former president of the Kellogg Company. Finance pro-fessor Donald P. Jacobs had become dean of the school in 1975, beginning his highly lauded 26-year tenure in the post. Dean Jacobs is credited with making a particularly strong impact on the school’s cooperative culture and with developing Kellogg into the world-renowned program it is today.
The school’s reputation and stature in the rank-ings rose throughout the 1980s and 1990s, alongside a doubling of facilities and an expan-sion of degree offerings. Kellogg’s Master of Management and Manufacturing program began in 1990 to provide a cross-disciplinary course of study, and the International Executive MBA pro-gram was introduced in 1996 to allow executive MBA students to study at a number of universi-ties abroad.
In 2000, Kellogg became one of the last lead-ing business schools to offer the MBA degree, phasing out its former Master’s in Management degree. The school underwent another sig-nificant transition in 2001, when Dean Jacobs stepped down, handing leadership of the school to marketing professor Dipak C. Jain. Under Dean Jain’s leadership, the school strengthened its vast alumni network, emphasized the impor-tance of socially responsible business, and al-lowed students to choose elective courses at an earlier point in the MBA program. In the sum-mer of 2010, Sally Blount, previously the Dean of the Undergraduate College and Vice Dean at New York University’s Stern School of Business, replaced Jain as Chicago Booth’s dean.
Student Demographics
Kellogg, like most of its peer schools, invests considerable effort into building a diverse and accomplished class. Kellogg welcomed 530 students into its Class of 2012, putting its class size in the middle range of other leading MBA programs (see Figure 1.2). Including the addi-tional 160 or so students that enroll each year in Kellogg’s One-Year (1Y) MBA Program, its Mas-ter of Management and Manufacturing (MMM) program, and its joint J.D./MBA and M.D./MBA degree programs, the total size of Kellogg’s student body hovers around 1,400 in any given year.
The Kellogg Class of 2012 has a mean GMAT score of 714 and a median of 720, with the middle 80% of students scoring between 670 and 760. While most Kellogg students studied traditional pre-MBA subjects such as engineer-ing, sciences, business or economics at the undergraduate level, 18% of the Class of 2011 brought an academic background in the social
Introduction to Kellogg | 4
sciences and humanities (see Figure 1.3). Although some leading MBA programs are be-ginning to admit more of their students directly out of college, most graduate business schools look for applicants with several years of full-time work experience. Kellogg has taken a stronger stance on work experience than many schools; its admissions committee explicitly recommends that candidates bring at least two years of prior work experience to the table so that they will be able to fully participate in classroom discussions. Kellogg Admissions Director Beth Flye explains, “A big part of what students learn comes from what they absorb and take away from their classmates. Experienced students have more war stories to share and can often enrich class-room conversations.”
The average full-time work experience of Kel-logg students reflects the school’s preference for experienced applicants. At the time of matricu-lation, the age range of the class entering in fall 2010 was 25 to 31 years, and most students had spent between three and seven years in the workforce.
Unlike other types of professional schools, no-tably medicine and law, that have seen higher numbers of female students applying and enroll-ing, leading MBA programs still receive sig-nificantly fewer applications from women than from men and must therefore confront regular gender imbalances in their student bodies. In the Kellogg Class of 2012, 31% of students are women. This figure reflects a downward trend in the number of female students who choose to enroll; 35% of students in the Class of 2010 were women, and 33% in the Class of 2011. In fact, Kellogg’s Class of 2011 has the lowest percentage of women of any school in its peer group (see Figure 1.4). With globalization playing an increasingly impor-tant role in the business world, business schools are placing greater value on incorporating
diverse cultural and social perspectives into the classroom and around campus. At Kellogg, 33% of students in the Class of 2012 are interna-tional citizens, a percentage that puts it, along with Tuck, at the low end of its peer group (see Figure 1.5).
A final measure of diversity in the student body at U.S. business schools is the number of U.S. citizens and permanent residents who identify as members of minority racial or ethnic groups, terms that usually refer to students of African-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American and
Figure 1.3 Undergraduate Majors
Engineering/ Mathematics/ Natural Sciences
Business Administration
Economics
Humanities & Social Sciences
Other