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MIT 2007 Application Tips

MIT Sloan 2007 Deadlines

                                                             Round 1                Round 2

Submission Deadlines             Nov. 1, 2006                  Jan. 10, 2007

Decision Dates                            Jan. 29, 2007               April 2, 2007

MIT Sloan MBA & LFM Essay Questions and Tips 

Here are my tips for MIT Sloan's 2007 application. I will try something new this time -- indenting instead of putting my tips in red. If  you prefer one approach or the other, please leave me a comment. 

Cover Letter
Prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Please comment on your career goals and those factors which influenced you to pursue an MBA education at MIT Sloan. The cover letter provides a chance for you to discuss your passions, values, and interests. Through what you write we hope to discover whether you will thrive at MIT Sloan and how you will contribute to our diverse community. Address your cover letter to Mr. Rod Garcia, Director of MBA Admissions.

Like all cover letters, this is a sales document. Make you case for admission. What are you going to bring to the school? Where is your fit with the Sloan program. How will Sloan, with its tight community, focus on leadership, and emphasis on innovation, bridge the gap between your past experience and your future goals?


Résumé
Please prepare a business résumé that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part time or full time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged. The résumé should not be more than one page long (up to 50 lines).

Go beyond mere job description to highlight achievement. If your title is "consultant.' Saying that you "consulted on projects" is uninformative at best. Writing that you "led a 6-member team working on a biotech outsourcing project to Eastern Europe with a budget of X and that you came in on time and under budget", says much, much more.


Essays
Use the essays to tell us more about you and how you work, think, and behave. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Include what you thought, felt, said, and did. Please select experiences or events from the past one to two years.

More than that, the essays are a chance for you to discuss your passions, values, interests, and goals. Emphasize those experiences that were most important and meaningful for you — which may not necessarily be those that were most outwardly prestigious. Be sincere and be specific. There is no one "right" kind of MIT Sloan student; in fact, MIT Sloan deliberately builds each class to unite varied strengths and perspectives. Tell us what particular experiences and expertise you will bring to the mix. The essay instructions and questions are included below.

As I did last year, I bolded the above paragraph. I think it is a critical piece of instruction. Don't write what you think they want to know. Write with sincerity about what's most important to you.


We are interested in learning more about you and how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response.

MBA and LFM applicants only:

Essay 1: Please tell us about a time when you had an impact on a person, group, or organization. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

The devil is in the details, and Sloan wants them for each of these stories. Look for moments that stand out in your mind. You don't have room for anything but those stand-outs.

OK. The question. When did you effect change? When did your presence make a difference? What was you contribution. How did you innovate? In terms of structuring this essay, you can start in so many different ways: PAR. The situation before you got involved. The challenge. Your statement that turned the tide. Your mood when things were not going the way you want. The list is endless.


Essay 2: Please describe a time when your team had to arrive at a compromise. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

New for 2007. You have to give credit to Sloan's admissions office. They have made it very clear what they want to know. How have you contributed to compromise? You could use a professional experience or a non-professional one for this -- sports, community service, or even the arts could you provide you with a situation where a team that you were a part of had members going in different direction.  What did you think? How did you contribute to achieving that compromise?


Essay 3: Please tell us a time when you advocated for a position. What alternatives did you consider? Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

New for 2007. When did you persuade others to follow your lead? When did you argue for a particular course of action or position? If you can, in addition to revealing what you thought, felt, said, and did, if you can describe the outcome. How did you affect, influence, and contribute? Quantify if possible.

Essay 4: Please tell us a time when you put an idea into action. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did (500 words or less).

This question relates directly to the MIT Sloan emphasis on innovation as well as its motto: mens et manus or "mind and hand" How can you translate your ideas into from potential to real, from thought to action. More importantly to MIT, when have you done so.

If you take a step back and look at these four questions they relate to MIT Sloan's core values: innovation, leadership, and collaboration as well as its motto of mens et manus . MIT Sloan clearly -- and this is true of most schools, wants to see that you have the qualities they value and want to develop (not create.)  Keep those values in mind as you choose what and how to portray yourself  in your essays. Also realize that if you don't share those values or can't demonstrate that you share them, you are probably not a fit for MIT Sloan.

Supplemental Information
Use this part of the application to give us any additional information that might help us understand the choices you have made, your leadership activities and skills, and your scholastic and professional achievements. Please elaborate on your personal interests, activities and hobbies, as well as any special circumstances you feel are relevant.

We would like to know what you've learned and how you learned it. Please tell us anything that will round out our impression of you as a unique individual. 

Several years ago Rod Garcia told me that he starts reading an application with the answer to this question, which at the time was optional. This is not a throw away. Make a good impression on Rod if he is the one reading your file. Give everyone reading it another  reason to admit you. 

If you would like help with your MIT Sloan application or with any other MBA applications, you can now take advantage of Accepted.com's Early Bird Special and get 10% off all MBA essay advising and editing services purchased online. But only through July 31 so sign up ASAP.

If you would like help with your MIT Sloan MBA application, please consider Accepted.com's MBA essay editing and admissions consulting or a MIT Sloan Comprehensive Package, which includes essay editing, interview coaching, consultation, and a resume edit for the MIT Sloan MBA application.

 

Posted on Monday, July 17, 2006 at 08:41AM by Registered CommenterLinda Abraham in , | Comments13 Comments | References5 References

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Reader Comments (13)

Hi,

Great analysis.
Re: question 4: I wonder whether it's ok to talk about a time when I had an idea but to took it into action I worked with a team.
I can write that I did X, and I did Y. But reality is that you work with others even whom you lead to do things.

Thanks!

September 30, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterWants MIT
Sure. It could work really well. Good luck!
October 1, 2006 | Registered CommenterLinda Abraham
Hi,
I was wondering if talking about one's childhood dream of studying at MIT would be too lame...that's after all, one of my deepest motivations anyways
October 27, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterBernardo
Frankly, I think it is a little lame and might make you seem immature. They want to know why as an adult with adult thought-processes want to attend Sloan.
October 29, 2006 | Registered CommenterLinda Abraham
Will there be any disadvantage writing a little more than 500 words per essay?

Also, how long should the supplemental info. be?

Thanks in advance!
December 1, 2006 | Unregistered CommenterClever
Our rule of thumb is not more than 10% over the word limit. So "a little bit" is OK.

I would try to keep it under 500 words. This question should not be the equivalent of a kitchen sink, the back of the bedroom closet, or the local (brain) dump. It should be a coherent, focused essay that highlights something(s) you believe the adcom should know and that you didn't have room to include in the other essays.

Good luck!
December 1, 2006 | Registered CommenterLinda Abraham
In 2007 Sloan supplemental info there are 5 items, 2 market with a 500 word limit. Does this mean 500 word limit for these 2 only? I am a bit confused on the word limitation here.

1. List the leadership activities in which you have actively participated, including your responsibilities and positions held in the organization, and dates. Provide contact names(s) and contact information for each leadership activity.

2. List your academic and/or professional awards, including the basis for your selection and the date(s) of the honor(s).

3. List your hobbies, interests, and activities, including any significant accomplishments related to them.

4. Special circumstances related to your academic program which you would like to mention (up to 500 words).

5. Whatever else you would like the Admissions Committee to know (up to 500 words).
January 3, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterApplicant
Yes, the five-hundred word limit applies to #4 and #5. But 1-3 ask you to "list" not "expound on." ;-) Good luck!
January 4, 2007 | Registered CommenterLinda Abraham
Hi Linda,
I would want your comments on following.
- If I have taken GRE on 30th sept, 2002, can I use that score to report instead of a not-so-good GMAT that I took few months back.
How does it reflect on my candidature, when I am choosing to report an 'old' Not-Gmat score.!
I am considering - Stanford (already sent score), MIT (I haven't sent).

- When I took GRE, AWA wasn't a written section, instead it was a normal score on 800 scale. So, no AWA on scale of 2-6 to report.

Thanks in advance

January 7, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterAkshay
Linda,
You may ignore this comment, I have got an answer from adcom itself.
Thanks
January 7, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterAkshay
Aren't the supplemental questions optional? This text is from the actual online application (notice the "may"): "You may provide additional information about any of the following topics that you consider relevant"
January 8, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterCarlo
Reading the MIT web site, I don't believe the supplemental questions are optional. Even if you check and the office says they are optional, I think not responding to these supplemental questions is missing an opportunity to provide the adcom with more reasons to admit you. If you are applying to MIT and want to have a good chance of acceptance, you should have more to tell them and can use the supplemental material to tell it. In my mind, even if they say it is optional, it is really optional in name only. A competitive applicant will have what to say. And this is a competitive process. Good luck!
January 8, 2007 | Registered CommenterLinda Abraham
I'm currently writing my Sloan essays for admission in fall 2008.

But i need an alumnus to have me read it and tell me if i'm in the right direction. Can anyone help me?
July 7, 2007 | Unregistered CommenterBambo
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