Barry Zhang: Keeping One's Balance

OUTSIDE THE ZONE.  My first year at Kellogg was like a fun roller-coaster ride. The highs gave me memories I'll never forget, such as having thought-provoking conversations with friends that lasted well into the night or watching football together over beer and fried chicken. The key theme was that Kellogg is all about people. The group activities, the supportive recruiting environment, the ability to try something new every once in awhile even if it embarrasses you -- these are all elements that build the lifelong friendships you make at Kellogg.

On the flip side, the diversity of people challenges you to learn how to work outside your comfort zone effectively. One of the most difficult challenges for me was actually very personal: balancing participation in Kellogg activities with my relationship with my fiancée. At Kellogg, I could have always spent more time meeting new people, but that might have led me to neglect the most important person in my life. Fortunately, my fiancée and I have learned to communicate better to grow through these difficulties together instead of letting school divide us.

AREAS FOR IMPROVEMENT.  I've talked about Kellogg's strengths, but to help readers get the real deal, let's also discuss some areas for improvement. As mentioned earlier, the quality of teaching at a top program like Kellogg could be more consistent. There are amazing professors here, don't get me wrong, but not enough for a class of 600 students. Losing the auction for these coveted superstars can send you into academic purgatory for a quarter.

Second, Kellogg's academic and recruitment program could do more to keep up with a few other leading schools in the latest trends in finance. The road for students pursuing private-equity or hedge-fund careers can be lonely relative to Kellogg's bread-and-butter business of feeding graduates to the large marketing, consulting, and investment-banking programs.

My last observation has to do with the admissions process. I thought spending a year a Kellogg would really answer some of the questions I had about Kellogg's admissions philosophy and help me help you. I'm surprised how mysterious the admissions policies are to me to this day. The students that work in the admissions office have to take an oath not to discuss the process with their friends. Having gone to an undergrad college whose motto was "Light and Truth," I'm not sure I understand why there is such opacity.

For the summer, I'm looking forward to my internship at a private-equity fund in Chicago. I also am super-stoked about my wedding this August! I'll let you know how the big day goes. Have a great summer and remember to request those B-school applications in August.

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