Hayden Gutry, Kellogg One-Year MBA Class of 2019
Age: 26
Hometown: Hamilton, New Zealand
Undergraduate Institution and Major: University of Auckland
Pre-MBA Work Experience: 3.5 years in management consulting in Sydney, Australia. The majority of my time was spent working in the mining, media, and sports industries.
Why business school? Why now? I wanted to spend some time honing my leadership skills in a more international setting. Being from New Zealand, and with most of my work experience to date being confined to Asia-Pacific, it was important for me to expand my professional network into the United States and also learn from the experiences of others who have worked in corporate cultures that differ greatly from what I am used to.
Timing wise, I felt like I had enough work experience under my belt—after almost four years in consulting—that I could not only learn from the class, but also contribute my experiences so others could learn from them, too. This is a vital component of the MBA environment.
Why Kellogg? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend? The accelerated one-year program was definitely a major carrot for me. Having completed an accounting and finance undergraduate degree, it was important to me that I got to maximize my time at business school by taking as many electives as possible in disciplines that I had less experience in such as marketing.
Being located in a college ‘town’ in Evanston, that is less than 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, was also a major drawcard, as it has enabled me to get the classic U.S. university experience while also being able to explore one of America’s most well-known cities.
What do you think is your most valuable or differentiating contribution to the Class of 2020? Growing up in New Zealand, a country with a very egalitarian and non-hierarchical society, I think I come to Kellogg with an open mind and actively want to get involved in new clubs and learn from the experiences of my classmates. I’m also passionate about sports and sports management and want to explore opportunities in this space while at Kellogg and facilitate activities for others to do the same.
Fun fact that didn’t get included on your application? This is actually my first time setting foot in mainland America.
Post-MBA career interests? I’ll be heading back to my previous employer in management consulting, but long term I would like to work in the sports and entertainment industry.
Advice to current prospective applicants:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of your application process? Get as many eyes over my essays as possible. In the search for some inspiration that will differentiate yourself from all the other high-quality candidates, it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and start waffling. Getting input from people who know me well—on what did and didn’t resonate with them—was helpful and definitely got me to a better outcome.
–One thing you would change or do differently? I would have done the GMAT while I was still in undergrad—trying to study while juggling the consulting lifestyle was not ideal.
–Part you would have skipped if you could—and what helped you get through it? The weekends in the office iterating essays for the thousandth time. It was worth it, but it definitely didn’t go down well with those close to me at the time.
What is your initial impression of Kellogg’s students/culture/community? The culture is fantastic. Everyone is a lot more humble and down to earth than I expected, and as an international student, they’ve made the transition to life in the United States an easy one.
One thing you have learned about Kellogg that has surprised you? The Duchess of Sussex Meghan Markle is a Northwestern alumnus—am hoping she swings by her old campus at some stage in the next few months!
Thing you are most anxious about in your first year? Being able to watch the All Blacks (New Zealand’s national rugby team) on television. Rugby is growing in the U.S., but I’m not overly optimistic that I’m going to be able to watch much while I’m over here!
Thing you are most excited about in your first year? KWEST—I’m heading to Israel later this month for a week with a bunch of other Kellogg students to swim in the Dead Sea and check out Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.
