Kellogg MBA Application: Online Application Guide

Kellogg MBA Application: A Step-by-Step Guide

The Kellogg MBA application is relatively straightforward compared with many other top business school applications. But straightforward does not mean you should treat it casually.

There are several sections where the information you provide should connect with the rest of your MBA application, particularly your career goals, employment history, academic background, activities, and international experience.

In this guide, we walk through the main parts of the Kellogg MBA application, from selecting the right program and entering your employment history to submitting your essays, recommendations, test scores, and extracurricular information.

The goal is simple: help you understand what Kellogg is asking for and give you practical tips for completing the application accurately and thoughtfully.

Kellogg MBA Application Walkthrough

In the video, Shimri Winters, a London Business School graduate and former London Business School MBA interviewer, walks through the Kellogg online application and explains what applicants should pay attention to in each section.

Kellogg MBA Application Walkthrough

Before entering any personal or professional information, make sure you are applying to the correct Kellogg program.

Kellogg offers several MBA options, including the Full-Time MBA, One-Year MBA, Part-Time MBA, and Executive MBA, among other programs.

If you are applying to the traditional two-year MBA, make sure you select the appropriate full-time program before continuing with the application.

This sounds obvious, but it is worth checking at the beginning rather than discovering later that you have been completing the wrong application.

Kellogg asks applicants to provide information about their academic interests early in the application. There is generally no need to search for a supposedly strategic answer here. Choose the areas that genuinely interest you.

You may also be asked whether you are applying to another Northwestern University program. For most MBA applicants, the answer will simply be based on their actual situation.

The personal information section is straightforward. You will provide details such as:

  • Name and contact information
  • Address
  • Phone number
  • Email address
  • LinkedIn profile
  • Citizenship information
  • Demographic information

One small but important check: make sure your LinkedIn profile matches your resume, particularly your job titles and employment dates. Differences between these sources can create unnecessary questions later in the admissions process.

For citizenship and demographic questions, answer based on your actual circumstances. There is no benefit to trying to overthink these sections.

Your employment section is one of the more detailed parts of the Kellogg MBA application. You will provide information about your employers, positions, locations, compensation, supervisors, and responsibilities.

Kellogg allows applicants to enter up to five employers. Focus on the roles that are important to understanding your professional background and list them in reverse chronological order, with your current or most recent position first.

What to Include in Your Employment History

  • Employer name
  • Job title
  • Location
  • Compensation
  • Supervisor information
  • Job description

How to Approach Compensation

When entering compensation, convert the figures to U.S. dollars and include bonuses where relevant.

Applicants from different countries and industries will naturally have different compensation levels. There is no reason to try to make your salary look artificially higher. Business schools understand that compensation varies significantly by market, industry, role, and experience level.

What to Write in the Job Description

Keep your job description focused on your responsibilities rather than copying accomplishments from your resume.

For example, instead of turning the description into another list of achievements, a consultant could simply explain the nature of the work:

As a Deloitte consultant, I work with oil and gas clients on strategy projects.

Your resume can communicate the results you achieved. The application description can help explain what you actually do.

Employer Sponsorship

Kellogg also asks about employer sponsorship. If your employer is funding part of your MBA, provide the relevant information. If not, answer accordingly.

Kellogg includes short-answer questions about career goals. These questions may be brief in terms of character count, but they deserve careful preparation.

Do not wait until you are inside the online application to figure out your career goals. Think through the answer beforehand.

Your response should clearly communicate your:

  • Short-term career goal
  • Long-term career goal
  • Connection between the two

The limited space makes clarity particularly important. You do not have room for a long explanation, so avoid vague statements about wanting to become a leader or make an impact without explaining what you actually want to do.

Your career goals should also be consistent with the broader story presented in your MBA essays and the rest of your application.

The accomplishments section gives you another opportunity to provide context about achievements that matter to you.

These can include professional awards, community recognition, or other meaningful accomplishments. If an achievement adds something useful to your profile, include it.

Academic History

For your academic history, Kellogg asks for information such as:

  • Institution
  • Country
  • Degree
  • GPA
  • Class rank, if available

Enter your GPA using the grading system used by your institution. For example, if your university reports grades on a 100-point scale, enter the GPA accordingly rather than converting it unnecessarily.

Transcripts

You will also need to upload your academic documents. A simple way to keep the submission organized is to combine your degree certificate and transcript into a single PDF, where appropriate.

Keeping documents clear and easy to review reduces the chance of confusion during the application review process.

Kellogg also asks applicants to provide relevant professional certifications and standardized test scores.

Depending on your background, certifications could include qualifications such as:

  • CPA
  • CFA
  • Six Sigma
  • Bar admission
  • Other relevant professional certifications

You will also enter your applicable test scores, including GMAT, GRE, TOEFL, or IELTS, depending on your circumstances.

Remember that entering a score in the application is not necessarily the same as sending an official score report. Follow Kellogg’s requirements for official score reporting as well.

If you are still deciding which test to take, our MBA admissions resources can also help you think about your overall application profile.

The Kellogg application includes essay questions that give the admissions committee a chance to understand you beyond the basic information in the application form.

Unlike some applications where essays are uploaded as separate files, Kellogg uses a copy-and-paste format. Prepare your essays carefully before entering them into the application.

Do not treat the essay box as the place where you write your first draft. Your essays should already have gone through the strategy, drafting, editing, and proofreading process before you paste them into the application.

For more guidance, see our dedicated MBA essays resource.

The activities and interests section is particularly important for understanding the person behind the professional profile.

Kellogg takes a holistic view of applicants, so do not assume that everything in your application needs to relate directly to your career.

Consider including genuine interests and activities such as:

  • Sports
  • Hobbies
  • Volunteering
  • Mentoring
  • Community involvement
  • Other meaningful personal interests

Something as simple as regularly playing basketball with friends can tell the school something about you that a resume cannot.

The important word is authentic. Do not add activities simply because you think they sound impressive.

For the recommendation section, you will enter the details of your recommenders. Kellogg will then send the recommendation request directly to them.

You will also be asked whether you want to waive your right to access the recommendation. The recommendation in the transcript is to waive that right.

Choose recommenders who know your work well and can provide specific examples of your performance, leadership, teamwork, and development.

Your recommenders should also be people who can add information that complements, rather than simply repeats, what you have already presented in your MBA application.

The Kellogg online application is not particularly complicated, but completing it well still requires attention to detail.

Before submitting, go through the application from beginning to end and check that the information is consistent across all sections.

  • Check employment dates against your resume and LinkedIn profile.
  • Check job titles and employer names.
  • Review your career goals for clarity and consistency.
  • Make sure your academic information is accurate.
  • Check that test scores have been entered correctly.
  • Review essays for formatting and errors.
  • Make sure your activities and interests are authentic.
  • Confirm that recommendation requests have been completed.
  • Review uploaded documents before submitting.

Kellogg allows applicants to save the application and return to it later. Use that flexibility. You do not need to complete the entire application in one sitting.

A final review after stepping away from the application for a day or two can often catch inconsistencies that are easy to miss when you have been working on the same material for hours.

Kellogg MBA Application FAQ

The Kellogg MBA application includes personal information, employment history, career goals, academic history, test scores, essays, activities and interests, international experience, recommendations, and other background information.

Focus the job description on your actual responsibilities rather than copying resume accomplishments. Your resume can demonstrate your results, while the application can provide context about what you do in your role.

Yes. The application guidance discussed in the walkthrough recommends entering compensation in U.S. dollars and including relevant bonuses. Be accurate and do not try to artificially inflate your compensation.

Include genuine hobbies, sports, volunteering, mentoring, community involvement, and other activities that help Kellogg understand you outside of your professional experience.

Kellogg provides a specific section for international experience, so applicants should include relevant study abroad, international work, global projects, and meaningful international experiences where applicable.

Yes. The Kellogg online application allows applicants to save their progress and return later. This can be useful when you want additional time to review your career goals, essays, employment information, and other sections before submitting.

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Need Help With Your Kellogg MBA Application?

A strong Kellogg application is about more than completing every field correctly. Your career goals, professional experience, essays, recommendations, activities, and interview should tell a consistent story about who you are and what you want to accomplish.

If you are applying to Kellogg and want an experienced perspective on your positioning, school selection, application strategy, or interview preparation, contact ARINGO to learn how our MBA admissions consultants can help.

You can also explore our other MBA admissions resources for guidance on applications to Kellogg and other leading business schools.

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