The Application Process

I have an idea for Essay #4 but would like some input on it. The prompt I want to use is "People may be surprised to learn that I..." and I want to talk about how I am creating my own cookbook and relate that back to being a young female with a career in construction. I want to compare the two by saying that a recipe is created from core ingredients and can be tailored based on the preferences of the person making the meal. With construction, I will be able to make the skills gained during the MBA program applicable to my own career.

I will go into more depth but I am not sure if this is a strong enough idea for Kellogg. Will the admissions committee think of it as trivial?

I appreciate any advice!

Hi cmmancin--

It's a little hard to evaluate this idea outside of your full set of Kellogg essays (which is obviously beyond scope for a BTG post!!) but in general, it sounds like a creative idea. You'll want to step back and ask yourself what you're trying to convey -- this is true for anyone, with any essay for Kellogg question #4. It's important that you include some new facts about your profile in this essay. It sounds a little conceptual to use the link between recipes and construction - oftentimes that approach is very difficult for applicants to pull off. This is not meant to be an essay that shows you as a creative writer, so much as one that gives the adcom new insights into your candidacy.

The fact that you have written a cookbook is pretty cool, we like that as the basis of this essay - the link to construction was harder for us to follow.

If you have a draft ready and want to send it to us for review on our website, feel free! (Email to essaysnark at gmail dot com - note though it's a public review, not everyone is comfortable with that.) Or if you want to clarify or expand on what you've got to better explain it to us, we can continue the conversation here.

EssaySnark