Welcome to Kellogg, Round 2 admits
Today is one of the busiest, most exciting days of the year at the Kellogg Admissions Office.
Why?
It’s Round 2 admissions day! Today, our Admissions team will be making phone calls across the globe to individually congratulate Round 2 admits.
Kellogg Admissions team members say that being the bearer of such good news is a powerful and rewarding experience … And sometimes, even an emotional one.
In the spirit of showcasing Kellogg’s excitement for Round 2 admits, we interviewed our Admissions officers to learn what they enjoy most about delivering admissions news and their most memorable new admit phone calls.
Melissa Rapp
Director of Admissions – Full-Time MBA & MSMS Programs
What do you enjoy most about calling newly accepted students to deliver the good news?
What I like most is knowing that the phone call I am making is changing the course of someone’s life. To be a part of something so huge and hear the excitement in their voices is incredible.
What is your most memorable admit phone call?
I called a woman to tell her she was admitted to Kellogg, and she seemed very distracted. She called me a week later to explain that she was in active labor having a baby when I called! I laughed and told her that I was surprised she answered. The woman explained, “I knew I wouldn’t be able to focus if I didn’t answer your call!”
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Andrea Calderon
Associate Director of Admissions
What do you enjoy most about calling newly accepted students to deliver the good news?
My favorite part is the variety of reactions we get. Hearing people say we changed their lives is pretty powerful to hear. We get everything from screaming to crying. It’s great to share with people that they’re getting their MBA when they’ve been working super hard for it. It’s definitely one of our best days of the year.
What is your most memorable admit phone call?
One call that really stands out is an admit I called for our MMM Program. He applied previously but wasn’t accepted, so I got to tell him that all of his hard work and reapplication paid off. It was really gratifying. It sounded like he was crying on the other end of the phone.
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Lance Bennett
Director – Diversity Admissions
What do you enjoy most about calling newly accepted students to deliver the good news?
The day we call admits is the culmination of months of working with many of them. I most enjoy getting to hear their excitement about being admitted to Kellogg.
What is your most memorable admit phone call?
My most memorable call was when I called an admit and he told me, “I knew you’d call, Lance!” The admit then started running out of his office so that he could scream out loud. While he was making his way out of the office, he kept saying into the phone, “Hold on Lance, don’t hang up! Hold on Lance, don’t hang up!” He started screaming and was completely out of breath … And I hadn’t even told him that he’d been accepted yet!
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Jennifer Hayes
Senior Associate Director of Admissions
What do you enjoy most about calling newly accepted students to deliver the good news?
I think for us, it’s the culmination of lots of hard work. It’s the internal work for the last three months of assessing the best candidates for Kellogg. Most people are extremely excited when we call, and being able to hear their joy, enthusiasm and sense of accomplishment is awesome.
What is your most memorable admit phone call?
There was a more tenured professional who had significant military experience who couldn’t compose himself and was crying. I think such a sense of emotion that goes with being accepted is humbling for an admissions officer. We really are changing people’s lives, and being able to hear that raw emotion is a good reminder that we are making a difference in people’s lives and professional careers.
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Christine Mayer
Director of Admissions – Two-Year Program
What do you enjoy most about calling newly accepted students to deliver the good news?
For me, it’s being able to finally meet the people you read about. You read about these people for months, so being able to call them and give them good news, plus know you’ll impact their lives, is pretty cool.
What is your most memorable admit phone call?
My favorite call that stands out is to a woman in Japan. Since she lived in a different time zone, I was having trouble getting through to her, so I had to email her. Within seconds of sending the email, my phone rang, and she was hyperventilating with excitement! She called back instantly!
Do you have a memorable Kellogg admit story of your own to share? We’d love to hear it – leave a comment below!