Do you have a clear vision of what you’d like to do after you receive your MBA? Do you already have an undergraduate degree in business and a substantial amount of business experience?
If so, this one-year MBA might be the option for you.
Although in the US two-year MBAs have been the traditional go-to, the one-year program is growing in popularity. Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University’s one-year MBA program is generally considered to be the top program of its kind in the US.
Having been there and done that, here are my four top tips for successfully applying to Kellogg’s one-year MBA:
1. Understand the program’s structure
Many one-year MBA programs squeeze two years of MBA modules into one year—some ‘one-year’ programs last more than 12 months.
But that’s not how Kellogg works. If you are writing an essay about why Kellogg’s one-year program is a good fit for you, it should be clear that you understand most, or all, your core modules in finance, marketing, operations, and accounting will be waived, so that you can focus on designing a curriculum that works for you.
There is also no time for a summer internship on Kellogg’s one-year program. So, be wary if that is the pendulum on which your school decision swings.
2. Understand the program’s requirements
It seemed to me that almost half of my class had an undergraduate degree in finance or accounting and had worked in some form of consulting prior to business school.
This is no accident. Kellogg specifically targets folk with undergraduate degrees in business who have substantial business experience.
If you don’t have an undergraduate business degree, you’ll need to ensure your application makes it clear that you have substantial business experience, and wouldn’t benefit from taking just a year of core foundational courses.
3. Have a clear idea of your post-MBA plans
Anyone reading MBA admissions essays is looking for a consistent, logical story about why the applicant wants to earn an MBA.
Admissions officers at Kellogg, however, don’t have to be as focused on the “why Kellogg” question for one-year MBA applicants.
It’s one of only two highly reputable US based one-year MBA programs, so it’s somewhat obvious why high achieving students apply. But, answering why you want to earn an MBA is critical. If your personal narrative is unclear, and the reader feels you seem to be exploring different themes, you are probably in trouble.
There is not a lot of time to explore various post-MBA paths. It’s difficult to take classes and join clubs and projects that will help you evaluate a career in marketing against one in investment banking, or entrepreneurship.
4. Be realistic, but not boring
MBA admissions officers read a lot of applications. At the end of the day, they are simply looking for competent, interesting, impressive individuals with a logical plan, who will make the MBA program incrementally better.
So yes, it’s important to have a clear vision of your post-MBA plans. But consider these two narratives, both of which are consistent with the theme of having a coherent plan:
A. I want to attend Kellogg’s one-year program because I am passionate about building a network of floating rental properties that orbit the earth in outer space. I will build condos in a private space station, and wealthy individuals will be my target audience. I don’t have a business plan yet, but this is what my Kellogg experience will be focused on.
B. I am a senior consultant at a management consulting firm. I plan to work here at least five more years. The firm will pay for my MBA and upon graduation, I’ll get an automatic promotion to manager. I have not yet had much experience managing others though, so at Kellogg I would take management classes. I also have not had any experience at all helping clients with programs that have to do with marketing, so I’d take classes in that area too.
Those are both very clear visions. If you were the Kellogg one-year MBA admissions officer, would you be excited about either? I wouldn’t. A’s idea sounds too crazy and not a great fit for Kellogg’s resources. B just seems extremely boring.
When I applied to Kellogg’s one-year program, my story involved a primary focus on my career in strategy consulting, but I also talked about a sincere interest in entrepreneurship that I wanted to explore as well.
This is what I’d recommend for others applying to Kellogg’s one-year program. Establish a clear path, but also discuss one-to-two other ideas that help you appear more creative and interesting—unless your primary path is already unique.
Mark Skoskiewicz is the founder of MyGuru, a one-to-one tutoring and test prep company based in Chicago, IL. He graduated from Kellogg in 2010 with concentrations in Marketing, Strategy, and Entrepreneurship. He is also a Director at TRC Advisory, a boutique strategy consulting firm.
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