From Dell to Kellogg: How I got where I am today

I came to Kellogg after four years in corporate finance at Dell, based in Austin, Texas. I was part of a leadership development program where I had the opportunity to rotate through roles all across the finance and accounting function.

Once Dell went private, I decided I would take the opportunity to apply to business school for the fall. I always knew I wanted to go back, but the leveraged buyout was definitely the catalyst.

While applying, I was trying to decide which business school would be best for me. Luckily I ended up with a couple of options, but after attending DAK (Day at Kellogg – our version of admitted students weekend) there was definitely only one choice! I loved how students planned all the weekend events. That just proved to me how much the people here care about Kellogg. After being around my new classmates for a couple of months, I can tell that was the right decision.

Another reason I was drawn to Kellogg was the generalized (and flexible) curriculum. Coming from a business background, the opportunity to waive some of the core classes really appealed to me. This way I could get right into some electives, allowing me to get deeper into subjects I am interested in learning more about.

At Kellogg, I joined the Two-Year program. Even though I’m coming from a business background, I knew I wanted the opportunity to have a summer internship and try something new. I am really excited about the opportunities to take new classes in areas I’ve never experienced. I’m particularly excited about learning more about competitive strategy and MORS (management and organizations).

After graduation, I hope to work in management consulting. Ideally this will give me the opportunity to work across a variety of both industries and functions and apply what I learn at Kellogg.

Ryan Grandin is a first-year student in Kellogg’s Full-Time Two-Year Program. Prior to moving to Evanston, he worked in a variety of finance and accounting roles at Dell, Inc.