MBA Student Life

Hi Angela,

Thanks for your valuable inputs.

Some people I was discussing the programs with, had this doubt that the MMM program may not be as well known as the normal 2Y MBA. So you might need to sell your MMM degree every time, unlike the normal MBA degree which is well known throughout the world.
I would like to get your perspective on this. Basically, does the MMM course hold the same value as the 2Y MBA program?

Also, to a recruiter who comes to the school to recruit MBAs, what is the difference between the MBAs and the MMMs?

Regards,
kkube

Hi there,

Just to clarify, the MMM program does give you an MBA degree from Kellogg. You also receive a Master of Engineering Management (MEM) degree from the McCormick School of Engineering.

I certainly think the MMM program has as much value as the "regular" 2Y program, but I do think it's not the right program for everyone. You are still very much a part of the Kellogg community -- most of the time other students can't tell who is in MMM and who isn't. You take part in the same orientation and same activities, and you can take the same classes. Some of the requirements are different but you have the same access to courses as Kellogg students, you just also have courses from the McCormick side that you can take. (Some of these courses are also open to Kellogg students). Personally, I feel like the MMM program gives you the Kellogg experience as well as a smaller community within the MMM program. That being said, I think the program is designed for students wanting to focus on design and/or operations, in addition to the business skills that Kellogg provides -- so whether or not to join the program does depend on what you are pursuing after business school and how you think the MMM program will or won't help you get there. I think the case can be made for a variety of career paths, but it depends on each person.

From a recruiting perspective, you still have a Kellogg MBA so again, I think it's more about your story about why you chose the MMM program in addition and how you think it applies to what you are pursuing. This is my personal opinion, but I don't think an employer would reject you solely because you have the additional MEM degree - but they may ask you about it if it doesn't seem relevant.

Does that help? Thanks!

--Angela

Wow - very helpful advice there Angela, thanks so much.

Hello, I am interested in learning more about Kellogg. I have several questions:

1) What attracted you to Kellogg first over other top-tier schools?
2) Does Kellogg have any industry mentoring program to get real world exposure to various careers within your academic specializations?
3) What strategy and financial consulting initiatives exist where you can get hands-on experience?
4) What's your favorite class so far and why?
5) For those interested in a career in finance or even Wall Street, how do you deal with recruiting at a distance from Chicago or New York, the typical major financial hubs? (Yes, I know there is a downtown campus in Chicago, but the main campus is in Evanston, an hour away)
6) When is the best time to visit campus? Is the summer time before Round 1 applications a good time?

Thanks in advance!

Hi there,

I will do my best to answer your questions but I am pursuing a career in the high tech industry, so I'm afraid I don't have personal experience with some of the resources in paths you asked about.

1) There are a lot of reasons but I think if I had to call out the major factors: First and foremost, it was the people. I think any of the top business schools will give you a great education and network, so I think it comes down to what culture is the best fit for you. In talking to current students and alumni, everyone I talked to from Kellogg was really enthusiastic about their experience there, and I wanted to be in a place where people were genuinely excited to be there. Kellogg is known for its collaborative culture, and it's very true. Students are open to getting to know each other, really involved in the community at Kellogg, and always willing to help one another. There are a bunch of different clubs and activities to get involved in, and pretty much everyone is involved in something (if not multiple things). I've reached out to students I didn't know who had interned at companies I was interested in, and everyone was really helpful and honest in answering my questions. I've also had similar experiences reaching out to alumni. Even for things like recruiting, where you could imagine students being competitive, we help each other -- there are interview prep groups where students get together to prepare.
I would say the next big thing for me was the MMM program, which seemed like a unique offering and a good fit for what I want to do after business school.

2) There are different avenues for getting exposure to various careers. There is a general alumni mentoring program, where you get paired up with an alum based on your professional interests. You are also able to set up informational interviews with alumni per the alumni database - so you can seek out those in roles or companies you're specifically interested in. I would also not discount the wealth of knowledge among your fellow students - everyone comes from a wide variety of careers so you have easy access to people who have come from the field you want to enter. Many of the industry specific clubs will also provide overviews of career paths as well as bring in industry speakers to talk about careers, companies, and trends in the industry.

3) I am not pursuing strategy or financial consulting so I can't speak from personal experience, but Kellogg has a few different resources. If you go to the Kellogg website, there is a section under Academics called Experiential Learning which discusses ways to get hands-on experience through classes, competitions, or other programs. There are a number of different classes called "labs" in which students will do a project for a client in a specific industry, with support from a faculty member. Many of the "regular" Kellogg courses also have components of client work for real companies. For example, I'm currently taking Technology Marketing and Research Methods in Marketing, and both of those classes have projects that entail you finding an outside client and doing a project for them.

4) I'll tell you my two favorite classes so far and why. The first is Technology Marketing and I like the class because a) it's relevant to what I'm interested in after business school and b) the professor is really good. And by good, I mean the professor has a lot of industry experience (he consults for a lot of major companies in the industry) and he's a great speaker so he keeps the class engaging. The course covers a variety of cases in the tech industry, and you also do a project with a real company so you get hands-on experience as well.
The second is Advertising Strategy, which I enjoy because again, the professor is really good, and the class is really interesting, even though I may not do anything related to advertising in my future career. In the class we learn the strategic frameworks and considerations when developing advertising, and we learn how to critique strategies and executions. I think it's a testament to the classes and the professors at Kellogg that you can really enjoy and get engaged in classes that are not very related to what you plan to do career-wise.

5) Again I can't speak to this personally since I haven't recruited for those paths, but it's a similar question to one I've gotten about the distance factor between Kellogg and the high tech industry being concentrated on the West Coast. Kellogg is a well-known enough school that all the major companies across industries will likely recruit here. The distance may mean that you're doing more phone interviews or have to travel to be on site, but I don't think you're at a disadvantage in terms of whether or not they will consider Kellogg students. A great resource for you to reach out to would be the different industry-specific clubs. You can access the club websites from the Kellogg website, and from there you can contact the clubs to reach students who have personally pursued those paths and can speak better to their own recruiting experience. The Kellogg website also has an employment report so you can see the specific companies where students are going for internships or full time jobs.

6) I don't think there's necessarily a good or bad time to visit campus - it probably depends moreso on what you want to learn and how that fits in timing-wise to your application plans. I would suggest that coming during the school year may be better if you want to be able to sit in on classes or speak to current students. The Kellogg website has a lot of information on what kinds of events you can partake in when you visit, and you can also contact the admissions office if you have specific questions.

Hope that helps!

--Angela

Amazing Angela! I am grateful for your super-detailed replies. I sincerely appreciate it. I am actually in the Chicago area. Do you know if it's possible to get referred to someone at Kellogg who is interested in strategy/financial consulting? Thanks!

Hey there,

I would definitely reach out to the industry clubs (you can get to the club websites via the Kellogg website, and they should have contact information for the club/officers). Thanks!

--Angela

Hi Angela, I really appreciate all the information that you are sharing with us.
I would like to ask about life at Evanston. Can you please tell us how is life there.
What things do you miss from your home and things like that.
Thank you in advance for your time.

Hi there,

Life in Evanston is good -- it's a small college town. I live about a 10 minute walk from school, which is really convenient, and there are a lot of good restaurants, shops, and bars within walking distance in Evanston. You're also close to Chicago, which is a great city with lots to do (you can take public transportation down there or a lot of students have cars -- and some students live in Chicago).

In terms of things I miss from home, I grew up in California so the weather's definitely better at home! The snow and cold take some getting used to

I'll also add that sometimes it's easy to get caught up in school life, so it's important to carve out time to keep in touch with friends and family from back home.

Hope that helps! Let me know if there was something in particular you were wondering about.

--Angela

Hi Angela, really useful information. Just what I was looking for.
Thanks one more time for your time!

Just for fun my alma mater may not have as great business school as Northwestern but at least we beat you in something! https://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/recap?gameId=310012641 Great game wish everyone a Happy New Year in 2011.

Hi
I am visiting Kellogg in early March - any suggestions where I should stay?
Would prefer some within walking distance to the campus as my driving skill is absolutely terrible, esp in winter conditions.

Thanks in advance!

Angela,
Are regular MBA students allowed to take classes that are part of the MMM program? I am very interested in design thinking, and some of the courses in the MMM program seem like they would be right up my alley.

Also, what would you say Kellogg's greatest strengths and weaknesses are?

Thanks,
LS

Hi ls413,

I realize that you asked this question a long time ago, but it's something others may be curious about.

MBA students are able to take many but not all of the classes that comprise the MMM program. All MBAs are allowed to take courses from any graduate school at Northwestern as long as they have approval - there is an application process for this, and it should be of clear relevance to the mba degree.

Design thinking is taught through MBA courses such as (accurate as of Oct 2012) Marketing-led Innovation and Design Lab, but for really deep application and training in design thinking the MMM course is the way to go. Core elements including the Design Thinking class and the Integration projects are (afaik) not accessible to non-MMM students.

Both the Kellogg MBA and MMM curriculums are currently being reviewed, and things may change over the next 2 years so keep an eye on the website: mmm.northwestern.edu

---
As for your second question, Kellogg's greatest strength is the team-focused approach, which drives all students to develop as people, leaders, colleagues and team members. Its greatest weakness is its comparative isolation - unlike HBS and Stanford GSB it is not surrounded by a huge ecosystem of top tier graduate schools so some of the cross-pollination opportunities do not exist. That said, there are plenty of collaboration opportunities available, for instance through the NUvention experiential learning projects. But Evanston is not as dense a hub of research and innovation as Cambridge or Palo Alto.

Ben
MMM class of 2013

Is it possible to participate in two GIM courses? Participate in one and lead another as a SY? I am interested in both Brazil and China.