Joon was able to set himself apart from the many other applicants with a consulting background in order to get into his dream school, Kellogg!

Many management consultants pursue an MBA in order to advance in their investment careers, so top business schools often receive a disproportionate number of applicants from this sector. Because most applicants share common work experience, the challenge was to creating a truly unique application for Joon in this hypercompetitive pool.

Thinking out of the box to show your passions

‍Kellogg is known globally for its focus on marketing. Through his engagements at the consulting firm, Joon had always loved integrating marketing with strategy. However, because many applicants also talk about a passion for marketing, the challenge was how to differentiate.  

Our team suggested that Joon start a blog where he could publish his thoughts on new marketing tactics. Over time the blog accumulated more than 70,000 daily views. When writing the essays we focused on this story and demonstrated how Joon went beyond the boundaries of work to channel his interest in marketing.

Providing a framework for recommenders to build a stellar image for Joon

‍As we focused on an “out of the box” story for the main essays, we ensured that using a strong CV and recommendation letters would complement the essays and build a strong profile for Joon.

Our admission consultants provided a framework for Joon to share with his recommenders so that they would be able to speak to Joon's unique strengths and how they relate to Kellogg's values. This allowed the AdCom to get a holistic picture of Joon’s personality with an appreciation for his creativity and work ethic.

Joon had applied to Kellogg, Tuck, Columbia, Yale School of Management. He got admits from Kellogg, Tuck, and Yale. He chose to go with Kellogg.