Rejected at Kellogg

My biggest hopes crashed now. I am rejected at Kellogg

My Kellogg Interview

Yesterday evening (IST) or today morning (CST), I had my Kellogg interview with an AdCom. She called me just about at the scheduled time. After some small talk and confusion with pronouncing my name, we started with the interview. She explained about the format (blind, 30mins).

First, the discussion revolved aroung my entrepreneurial experience - the challenges, lessons, results etc. Then the interviewer asked the following questions:

Why MBA?
Why Kellogg?
What would you contribute to the Kellogg team culture?
Describe your leadership style
What would your friends describe you as?
How do you interact in a team?
What are your interests outside of work?
Is there anything else you would like to talk about?
Do you have any questions for me

Surprisingly, the interviewer did not ask me about my goals, so I fit them partially into Why Kellogg and Why MBA.

I cannot comment on whether the interview was awesome or really bad, but it seemed very casual and I just answered all the questions. It was OK. On the flip side, I talk a bit fast and as I said earlier, the phone interview wasnt the best way to start off.

And now, the waiting begins !

And Kellogg invites..

I received a telephone interview request from Kellogg yesterday. I was apparently both excited and nervous. I called them up and scheduled it for next week. I was earlier apprehensive about the interview waiver. But this could be good chance to strengthen my candidacy to Kellogg. One takeway from the short conversation is that the AdComm who answered me was a very nice person. He explained the format of the interview (max 30 mins) and said that it would be a normal conversation and I dont need to worry about it much. My anxiety is lot lesser after those soothing words :)

However, I am not a good interviewee and it has been years since I actually attended an interview. And a telephonic interview is not the best way to start my b-school interviews. So, you could imagine my feeling now.

The only thing going through my mind right now are the lyrics from Eminem's Lose Yourself

Look, if you had one shot or one opportunity
To seize everything you ever wanted in one moment
Would you capture it or just let it slip?
...
...
...
You better lose yourself in the music
The moment you own it you better never let it go, go, oh
You only get one shot, do not miss your chance to blow
Coz opportunity comes once in a lifetime, yo

I can't give excuses nor be negligent but give my very best shot at this. Wishing me luck :)

Kellogg Interview Waiver

Kellogg has waived my interview. Although they've explained in the letter that interview waiver does not affect the application, I'm still anxious about that. I sent emails to a couple of Kellogg alumni I knew. Waiting for their reply.

But I'm unclear about the criteria they use for waiving interviews. Is it FCFS (first-come-first-serve)? If that is the case, then it seems fit as I applied just a couple of hours before the deadline, so my request should, by all means, be at the very end of the queue.

That's still fine but I only dread the thought of waiving interviews for applicants who are not competitive enough :(. I fervently hope that is not the case.

More updates to come ?!?!

Kellogg Submitted !

And finally, after struggling for a month (read my earlier post to know what I mean), I submitted my Kellogg app just a couple of hours before the deadline of 11:50pm CDT. There was a minor hiccup with my recommenders who actually submitted after me ! I was so anxious that I called one of them like 5 times within those 2 hours to get him hit Submit.

Anyways, I'm relieved now. Kellogg has been one of my dream schools and I'm happy to have applied it in R1. I hope it makes my chances better. Now have to wait and see what the Kellogg AdComm has to say :)
I wish all the best for the others who've submitted their K App

And, after a couple of days of procrastinating, I'm on to my other R1 apps.

Essays and Deadlines are out

I guess Iam probably late in announcing this in the blogosphere but still here I go - essays and deadlines are out for Kellogg, MIT Sloan, Wharton, HBS and Stanford.

I may not be applying to any of the above except Kellogg, my dream school, only next to INSEAD. I went through the essays a few days back and also prepared outlines for them, it's all about giving them a shape now(which, of course, is the difficult part and will take me atleast a month to do so).

You could check some detailed analysis about the essays here. I you ask me, there isn't anything surprising about Kellogg's essays. They're the same as the essays of earlier years but as always they do reflect upon Kellogg's reputation for looking at leadership and collaboration, both inside and outside of your professional life.

So good luck and god speed !

Kellogg Information Session - Chennai

UPDATE : The date has been confirmed as 11th July between 6-8 pm . Please refer to the following link for more information reg the event - http://www.kellogg. northwestern. edu/Programs/ FullTimeMBA/ Admissions_ Events/Off_ Campus_Events. aspx


If there are any Indian MBA aspirants around and luckily land on my blog, please do note that there's a Kellogg Information Session in Chennai on July 04 (tentative date). If you're interested, send a mail across to Karthik Raman (ramankarthik@gmail.com) , Kellogg '09, with your confirmation.

Good luck !!



PS : Pls leave a comment on my blog if you're attending too, we could meet up during the session

Final List

Now I think I have an apt title for my blog - the one that exactly suits me, for I've been delaying things on and on and on... But Soni has sent a shiver down my spine. He has submitted the Kellogg application !!!!!!!! Good god, I just started writing the first draft of my K-essays and he's already done with it.
Now I think I need to buckle up and start seriously. For an international aspirant like me, I guess UK too gives the same opportunities as the US does and what more, the worker-visa laws are quite simple for an MBA grad while in the US...well , who hasnt heard the visa troubles last year. My final list goes something like this, divided equally(well not mathematically) between US and UK. I believe Iam not app-ing too high given my profile with K and L being the "top-tier" and F,R and O being the "middle-tier"

Kellogg
Fuqua
Ross
LBS
Oxford

Wish me luck