A Businessweek article reports on a new element in three MBA applications – video essays. Kellogg, no longer satisfied with standard essays, recommendations, and interviews, will, starting from the next application season, require candidates to answer video questions. Yale will also add video to its application process, following Rotman who made the change already last year.

So how does it work? The Kellogg application will direct the candidate to a specific page where a short question will appear. The candidate will have about 1-2 minutes to organize his or her thoughts and 1-2 minutes to record an answer. Afterwards, the applicant can view the recording and re-record if he or she chooses. The candidate will have three chances with a different question appearing each time. The questions are meant to be personal requiring no preparation. They are meant to enable admission committees to get to know the candidate from a closer and more authentic point of view, in contrast to regular essays and interviews. In this setting, the applicant must alone think of an answer immediately and cannot prepare beforehand nor enlist others’ help.

Additional changes to Kellogg’s application include the transition to a single submission (previous years’ applications bore two parts, each with its own deadline), and a reduction in the overall essay word limit from 1525 to 1350.

Please visit this page for examples of Kellogg video questions and updated instructions.