One thing we sure do get a lot of in business school is business cards. We start collecting them from future classmates before we ever step foot on campus. We get them at company receptions and recruiting events. We get them on industry Treks and at coffee chats. And we get them from guest speakers when they come to class. And after getting hundreds of them just in the past few years the one question that lingers is, how useful are they? ... More >>
It’s that time of year again, when MBA application season is in full swing. Applicants are starting to hear back about Round 1 interviews and admissions decisions. And Round 2 applications are just around the corner. So at this point, just about every applicant is looking for a competitive edge. A way not only be competitive for admissions but also to stand out and improve their chances of acceptance. Well fortunately, there are resources out there to help. And one great resource, Kaneisha Grayson, is helping people is having a great webniar later this week. ... More >>
With just one weeks before the end of the quarter and our departure for ski trip, most people here have very busy schedules. Most first year students have four exams next week, starting on Monday. Second year students are wrapping up projects and papers, and also have exams next week. And JD-MBAs are busy taking exams not just at Kellogg but also at the law school, where the final exam period is one week longer. But every weekend before finals week, an edition of the Kellogg newspaper (the Merger) comes out as a small distraction from studying. And for this edition, I was asked to write the piece on the one and only … Steve Jobs. ... More >>
The “goals” question remains a centerpiece of just about every single MBA application. What do you want to do when you graduate? What is your career vision? How do you want to change the world? In business school, a lot of people go into traditional careers right after school. But today a greater number of people have broader career interests than ever before. Like coming up with a great startup. Joining a groundbreaking non-profit. And working with an innovative technology company. And so that leads me to the one question, a lot of people are thinking about right now. What can I do with my MBA? ... More >>
Today is the start of what will be a long week here at Northwestern. As I’ve been mentioning in recent entries, this is one of the busiest times for first year students. The holiday season is kicking off and people just got back from Thanksgiving Break. Recruiting season is also starting to pick up, which has first year Kellogg students at events this week and next. And last but not least, classes are wrapping up, and students are finally gearing up for their first set of final exams. ... More >>
There’s been a lot of buzz on the Internet about blogging the last couple of days. In one post, Fred Wilson of Union Square ventures recently reflected on his blogging experience over the past years. Not only did he mention that he’s written over 5,600 blog posts but he said he might even be coming up on 10,000 hours of writing. Just yesterday, Om Malik put up a similar post. In the post he discussed his experience blogging over the past ten years and some of the lessons he learned from his 11,000+ posts. Well … given those posts, I wanted to look back at the last few years that I’ve been blogging as well. ... More >>
In a recent email, I was contacted by one of my regular blog readers who is a potential applicant to MBA programs. He asked me about the ways to get involved in activities while in business school. Specifically, he asked about how he might get involved in clubs, or organize study trips during the experience. In some respects this is a tough question because there are so many ways to get involved, so it’s hard to even begin to answer. But at Kellogg, people do get pretty involved, so I was happy to give him my take on things. ... More >>
Happy Thanksgiving Weekend! This time of year, people are back at home spending time with friends and families. Many of them are just relaxing. Others are students, taking a break from classes, before finals period. And there’s another group of people, that are using the break to apply to business school. They’re hoping next year that when they’re sitting at the table, they’ll be able to say that they’ll thankful for “getting in”. To make the a possibility for as many students as possible, I’ve been responding to lots of email questions this week. One question came from a reader that had a question about career changes in business school. ... More >>
It’s hard to believe but this is my last Thanksgiving as a student. Reflecting back on my time here at Northwestern as well as my undergrad days at Stanford, it’s hard not to recall how many great classes, great job opportunities, interesting professors and best of all great classmates I’ve had along the way. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about how lucky I’ve been to have the experience. And that leads me to what I’m most thankful for this year. ... More >>
Every year, thousands of people apply to business school and apply to Kellogg. Senior managers looking to transition from one firm to another. Former consultants and bankers looking to gain credentials to go back to their former firms. And recent graduates ready to gain access to more opportunities and take on the world. Despite their differences in backgrounds they do all share one commonality. They all want to figure out how to get in to business school, including Kellogg. ... More >>
A week or two ago, a good friend had just received the results of her midterm exam. I don’t know what her final score was but she clearly didn’t do as well as she wanted. She was wondering what she should do to make sure she does well in the class. She asked me, How long before I should start worrying? Should I start preparing for the final now? And does the midterm really matter? All good questions, especially because I don’t think there is a real answer that works for everyone. ... More >>
An interest in entrepreneurship has led me to take another entrepreneurship class at Northwestern next term. As it turns out, it’s one of the most popular courses is Northwestern. It’s Kellogg’s NUvention program, which is interdisciplinary class that brings together students from the Kellogg School, McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science, Northwestern Law and the Feinberg School of Medicine. As you might imagine, this interdisciplinary class looks like it will turn out to be pretty interesting. ... More >>
The other day, I spoke with an alumni of Northwestern, and told him about an internet project I’m working on. I told him that I was looking for a designer and developer, and that I had big plans in mind with the project. That I wanted it to change the world and to do it quickly. He loved the idea. But he re-introduced me to a concept that’s big in the entrepreneurship community. The idea of making a Minimum Viable Product. ... More >>
Hey everyone, I hope you had a great weekend. I just wanted to write to tell you about a chat session that I am having with BeatTheGMAT.com (BTG) this Thursday. On Thursday at 11am CST, BTG will host a chat session with me, where I’ll discuss what it takes to get into Kellogg, the JD-MBA program and the law school. This will be part of an ongoing series of chats, where I’ll not only provide tips for applying but also share my experiences at Kellogg and the JD-MBA program. ... More >>
Few companies can be legitimately claim to be the most popular company on the planet. Well one company that can is Facebook, as the organization is not only big here in the US but also present all across the world. The worldwide recognition of Facebook has totally changed communication all over the world. People of all ages use Facebook in almost every country imaginable. They connect with people that live continenents away. And they create conversations with people from all over the world. Well, given Facebook’s prominence, the Facebook CEO and COO recently did an interview with Charlie Rose. ... More >>
After working hard during the first year curriculum at Kellogg, we all get a lot more choice in our class selection in the second year. We more options for classes and more independent studies and experiential courses at our fingertips. As you might imagine, class selection can be a difficult process. Not only are there a lot of classes to choose from but there are also pros and cons to every class you might be considering. And it can be especially difficult for the JD-MBAs who not only have to choose classes but have to do it at both schools, where the timetables and bidding systems are entirely different. Well, now that we’re in the final few weeks of the term now, we are starting to think about choosing classes for next term. ... More >>
Convincing someone to to your product, especially when they have limited funds, is a tough proposition. You have to come up with the right price. Appeal to the people in front of you. Have good ideas for promoting it. And last but not least have a quality product. This week, a lot of Kellogg students are thinking about all those things and more, as they are gearing up for this year’s 2011 Annual Kellogg Marketing Competition. ... More >>
The best CEOs once had to do it. Investment bankers and lawyers had to do it. JDs and MBAs who want to become leaders in organizations will also have to do it. And over the next couple of weeks, a lot of people here at Northwestern Law and at Kellogg will be doing it. They’ll have to respond to outstanding job offers that they got over the summer or during the fall. Because if they don’t, the offers will explode. ... More >>
In business school, we all learn a lot about how to go through the recruiting process. How to create a resume. How to position ourselves in an interview. And how to do case studies. All relevant stuff. But the standard process isn’t all that important when you’re talking about the start-up space; or at any non-traditional employer. So one question a lot of people at Kellogg have is how they can get a job at companies like these? ... More >>
And the award for Net Impact Graduate Chapter of the Year goes to… The Kellogg School of Management! Congratulations Kellogg Net Impact team! Many of the students at Kellogg realize the hard work you’ve been putting in. And congratulations to everybody on the board that worked hard to make that possible. People like Jessica Porter, Mark Dibble, Marilyn Chen, and Chelsea Katz, all from my Global Immersion in Management Trip to Kenya last spring. Not to mention many others on the leadership team (see link above). Not only does this help your careers as social enterprise professionals, but it also continue to extends Kellogg’s brand in the not for profit space. ... More >>
One thing we sure do get a lot of in business school is business cards. We start collecting them from future classmates before we ever step foot on campus. We get them at company receptions and recruiting events. We get them on industry Treks and at coffee chats. And we get them from guest speakers when they come to class. And after getting hundreds of them just in the past few years the one question that lingers is, how useful are they? ... More >>
