Kellogg: Denied Admission After an Interview

2006-04-11T02:04:00.000-05:00

This was my very first ding and needless to say, it hurt pretty bad. I've had some time to analyze why I was dinged from Kellogg. In retrospect, I had no reason to be surprised. Although adequate in substance, my Kellogg essays lacked a certain punch and flow. Reviewing my essays several times has led me to the conclusion that I did not do a good job of supporting my arguments when trying to differentiate myself.

Fortunately, Kellogg is one of the few schools that provides feedback to rejected applicants. I truly appreciate the administration's efforts to expose one's weaknesses as a B-school candidate. I think it'll be a tremendous help as a reapplicant next year. This is a piece of feedback to the administrators of some of the other schools. They should seriously consider providing formal feedback to their applicants, especially since many of them charge over $200 in application fee!

In general, Kellogg left a very positive impression on me. I felt the admissions process was well-organized and found the alumni who interviewed me to be quite genuine. I reached out to the alumni asking him for interview feedback upon getting the ding from Kellogg. He was very sympathetic and forthcoming. He informed me that he had recommended me based on the interview and expressed his regret in not being able to do more to get me in.

Here's the official ding letter from Kellogg:

Dear MBA Dreamer: The Admissions Committee has completed its review of your application for the Kellogg School of Management and Two-Year Program. Despite your many merits as a candidate, I regret to inform you that we are not able to offer you a place in the entering class.

The Admissions Committee carefully evaluated your application in the following areas: work experience, career plans, academic ability and performance, extracurricular and community involvement, leadership and interpersonal skills. Decisions are based upon a thorough evaluation of your individual strengths and weaknesses, as well as your qualifications relative to all others in our applicant pool. This decision is not a reflection of your personal qualities and achievements or your potential for success in management, but merely a reflection of the limited number of places in the class.

We certainly wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors, and thank you for your interest in the Kellogg School of Management and Two-Year Program .

Sincerely,

Beth Flye
Director of Admissions and Financial Aid

Bittersweet Beginning

2006-04-09T05:52:00.000-05:00

So what prompted me to start blogging on this site? My third ding in a row! Yes, I have now been dinged from Kellogg, Stanford and Stern. Approximately 40 hours ago I received an e-mail message from Stern notifying me of a status update. Here's what I found upon logging in,

Dear Mr. Stern Hopeful,

The admissions committee has completed its review of your application to the NYU Stern MBA program. After careful consideration, we are unable to offer you admission.

While the committee recognizes the high aspirations and unique qualities of all of our applicants, we are in the difficult position of being able to offer admission to only a small percentage of the many individuals who apply to our program. Our decisions are based on a holistic process in which we evaluate academic potential, career history and goals, and professional and personal characteristics.

We appreciate your interest in NYU Stern and regret that we are unable to offer you a place in the class. You have our best wishes for your future success.

Sincerely,

Paula Steisel Goldfarb Director, MBA Admissions and Financial Aid

It is a bit too early to put a positive spin on this, so for now I'm going to remain pissed. Once the wound begins to heal, I'll come back and post my thoughts on why I was dinged from Stern.

B-school Matters

Kellogg: Denied Admission After an Interview

Bittersweet Beginning