Kellogg

I visited Northwestern University's business school, Kellogg, this spring and I loved it. Everything about the school felt right, including the people and the city. Though, that didn't surprise me - throughout my research, Kellogg has stood out as my kind of place. From everything I've read and experienced, it seems to nail my five E's, and not just because it's the only school I've visited so far. Here's a rundown of Kellogg ...

Education The quality of Kellogg's education is world renowned: The Wall Street Journal notes that it has "great course content and curriculum", students gave professors an "A" quality rating in BusinessWeek's poll, and the Economist Intelligence Unit ranked the "education experience" number three in the world. I saw the quality of their teaching first-hand and, believe me, I walked out of that Game Theory class with absolutely no reservations about a Kellogg education. What's more, they offer a "Triple-M" (Masters in Manufacturing Management) degree that you can earn along with your MBA. It costs nothing extra and takes no additional time. You simply need to tailor your electives to follow a slightly more quantitative path. Given my desire to add a supply chain flavor to my degree while boning-up my quantitative credentials, I'm also going to apply for the Triple-M option. Kellogg also offers a project-based program that sends students all over the world - a must-have for the b schools on my list.

Employment Kellogg can, without question, help me reach my goal of working for a top strategy firm. It places 32% of its graduates at management consultancies and its top recruiters are McKinsey, Boston Consulting Group, and Booze Allen Hamilton (in that order). Only Wharton and INSEAD place more graduates in the top strategy firms and, as a percentage of the graduating class, Kellogg's is the highest I've found on the Wall Street Journal's Career Journal. While the recruiters at the WSJ complain that the career services office can be "unresponsive and not customer focused," the students I spoke with had very good experiences and virtually every article and ranking I've seen says that Kellogg grads enjoy plenty of recruiting attention. What's more, students gave Kellogg's career services an A+ grade.

Exposure Kellogg seems to lurk among the top five on every ranking: #3 in BusinessWeek, #6 in The Economist, #6 in the WSJ, #4 in US News, That kind of consistency is very appealing, given that even a strong school like Stanford can rise as high as #2 (US News) and as fall as far as #18 (WSJ). All of this means that Kellogg has entrenched itself as a top-flight b school no matter how publications measure it. While the average person on the street might not recognize its name as readily as Stanford or Harvard, it certainly has a powerhouse reputation in the business world.

Environment We all know that Chicago can dish out some nasty weather, but I can stand anything for 18 months. In fact, that's my only knock (other than cost of living) on the city. Otherwise, it seems like a great town. Physically, it rests in the middle of both coasts so, theoretically, it has reach in both spheres. It's an urban environment without the East Coast edge. I even have a few friends there. The school's building isn't as new as some (Michigan, for example, opens its new state-of-the-art b school in '08) but it has all the tools and amenities I would expect at a top institution.

pEople Given just two sentences to describe Kellogg, BusinessWeek uses one to say, "the word used over and over by Kellogg students is 'collegial'." In my opinion, that's most glowing endorsement they could have received. As I've stated several times, I want to go where people learn side by side, not where they cut each others throats for grades. From an alumni perspective, Kellogg graduates seem to follow suite and support their own. The Economist rates the breadth of their alumni network and alumni effectiveness at #14 and #10 in the world, respectively.

If it seems like I'm high on Kellogg, that's because I am. I have a hard time finding bad things to say on almost any front; the evidence overwhelmingly suggests that it would be a great fit for me. Without question, Kellogg belongs at the tope of my short list.