I have been a part of GC since 2014/15 and now that its been almost a couple of years since I graduated from Kellogg, I wanted to provide some more details on my journey and hopefully it will be helpful to folks planning on getting an MBA from US sometime soon! I will be leaving out very specific details so that this writeup tries to answer to broader questions.
I will keep editing this as I get more pointed comments/questions from GC users.
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Application process: I was working in the aviation industry for ~3y when I felt that career had stalled even though I was leading engineering and certification teams of 25-30 engineers. Engineering careers in the aviation sector usually have an expiration date to them. If you like the status quo, you will still be fine but I wasn’t so decided to pursue MBA in 2014. Ended up getting my desired choice of GMAT score in August 2015 (look up my debrief if you want to read my dated GMAT experience) and had to quickly pick my application strategy. I have folks from Columbia, Kellogg and Stanford GSB who already had leveraged admission consultants. So I also went that route and ended up choosing Kellogg, Wharton, Ross and Columbia for R1 and Booth for R2. Didn’t get around any other school due to choice/R1 deadlines too close for comfort. Ended up getting interviewed at all except for Ross and admitted to Kellogg for fall 2016 acceptance (without any scholarship, not that it mattered to me).
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Kellogg experience:
o I knew what I wanted to do/accomplish at Kellogg which was a combination of build a big/large networking circle and push myself to take those courses/learnings that I would have never thought about doing earlier. I also made sure to don’t concern with majors or specializations at Kellogg and if by a combination of courses chosen, I end up getting a major, so be it. I ended up getting finance and operations as major by the time I graduated. Don’t worry about grades as you take the courses, make sure to maximize your learning by actively participating during classes and group discussions. I ended up taking a lot more credits by the time I graduated but all that effort was worth it.
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Pre-MBA: Kellogg MBA experience started with KWEST trip that ended up as a fun filled week becoming close friends with 20 folks who would be with you for not just the 2 MBA years but also beyond. KWEST was then followed by a week long CIM (complete immersion in management) that was a good experience of any and everything related to your cohorts or how case study method works in the classrooms. Great experience, especially with CIM Olympics that pits different cohorts against each other.
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Orientation and beyond:
After that the reality hits and you are thrown in the middle of networking sessions, lunch n learns etc. as early as mid-September if you are recruiting for I-Banking and starting October if you are recruiting for consulting or tech roles. Make sure to follow all the rules of networking as its very easy to be blacklisted by the companies or the career management center. Some of these situations or examples could be being unprofessional at any of these events (turning up late or misbehaving with the company folks or reneging on offers etc.) or pushing for more touch points even when that company has specifically told you to follow the process. Make sure to turn these networking events and sessions to craft a good story of the ‘fit’: your fit with the firm and the firm’s fit with your goals. This is extremely important.
As for courses, try to waive courses that are some of the basic ones that you would already have taken at UG or graduate levels. Don’t waste your time taking a course for “low workload” or “I will surely get an A on this course”. You are paying almost 4-5k per course credit. Be smart about it
In October you will also be asked to join IPGs or interview prep groups where you are paired up with a second year who has been through the internship recruiting process. Itll be another great way to know your MBA mates and learn from them! Practice, practice and practice. You will also be a part of “industry treks” if you are recruiting for healthcare, tech or IB. For IB, these treks will be just before first list of interview invites are sent out. So treat these IB trek chats are informal screening interviews. Its unfortunate but by mid-Oct try to finalize your “pitch” or story and brush up on typical technicals. For other industries, its usually less structured and low touch intensive.
Early December is when you get to know which companies have shortlisted you for interviews in Jan. early Jan is when you have your interviews with Jan second week with IB interviews and mid-end June for consulting and tech. For HC/CRE/General management roles, mid-Jan to early-march is a good timeframe.
You then finish off your first year with internships starting early-June and going on till mid/end-Aug. As Second years, you will also be recruited for leading CIM, be part of club leaderships, etc. so do expose yourself to all these things as these add a different flavor to MBA experiences.
Second year: Second year is interesting as if you have a FT offer and you think you will accept it, you can try to go for “better” companies without any pressure! If you don’t have a FT offer or want to switch industries, you will go through the recruiting process starting with early-September but this time around the interview cycles are pretty quick with FT offers determined by end-October. So once you are done, you can relax and enjoy. I ended up getting my FT offer in Oct and also got selected for the winter immersion program in winter 2018. It was a great experience as I was able to go to SF for the entire quarter and make new connections that I wouldn’t have been able to make while being in Evanston.
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Overall: It was a great experience. Was it worth the loan? Absolutely! MBA from a top school finds its worth in the connections you build and make. Its such a strange world and warm connections come at a premium. MBA opens up these doors for you in the best possible manner.
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