Sloan 2013 (MIT) - Calling All Applicants

I'll add my two cents about supplemental material and LinkedIn profiles. I neither did a video for the supplemental material nor added my LinkedIn profile in my application. And, of course, I'll add the caveat that this is based on one person's experience and is, by no means, the "correct" thing to do for everyone. It may seem like an obvious statement, but a lot of times, when applicants are looking to figure out how to get that interview, they can't see the forest through the trees. They will just think that because one person did it and was successful, it automatically means that they have to do it as well. I had to tear myself away from that urge too when I was applying - there's just no formula that is going to guarantee you an interview. I digress ....

I'll start with LinkedIn first - I didn't do it because 1) I really don't use LinkedIn that much and thus don't have much material on there, and 2) if I were to add more material on my LinkedIn profile, it would be much of the same stuff that I had on my resume. I didn't see there being anything extra that the Adcom could glean from me adding a LinkedIn profile, so I decided against it.

In terms of the supplemental material, I think it is necessary to always keep in mind that you're still trying to give the Adcom a more complete picture of you as a candidate/applicant. All the rules that you were fastidiously adhering to in your essays, your guidance to your recommenders, your interview preparations, etc., still apply. It is your chance to add something extra about yourself that can help them remember you as a unique candidate. So why some people find that 1) pandering to the Adcom, 2) reiterating something that was probably already iterated in their resumes/essays, 3) go way over the time limit, or 4) having typos or displaying generally poor execution is/are the way to go for their supplemental material is completely beyond me. It's still part of the overall package and speaks volumes about how self-aware you are. If it's poorly done, it's likely not going to reflect well on you.

Having lurked a bit in the Sloan forum while I was preparing my application, it just seemed like people were being (self-)intimidated into doing a video for their supplemental material. That's just one medium, and a few people do it very well, while many don't. If videos aren't your strength and/or if you don't have time to properly spend on the video, it would probably be best for you to stick to something that would make a better impression on the Adcom. The counter argument I'll get for this is that if everyone does videos, then I'd be at a disadvantage if I do an essay because videos make a lasting impression. Yes and no. If your video sucks, then you've hurt yourself a whole lot more than if you spend time on a stellar essay about something that the Adcom thinks is really unique.

And - at least for me - the supplemental material should NOT be a music video for the sake of music videos. It's important to step back and realize that the people on the Adcom look at thousands of these things. They know kitsch when they see kitsch, they know lack of substance when they see lack of substance. Just because you have a song in the background doesn't make it substantive. And by the way, a slideshow in video form is just that - a slideshow. AND, it is tougher for the viewer to control the rate at which they view each "slide" in your video, especially if you have text (and some videos I saw on YouTube had LOTS of it), do you really want it to skip by in a flash? These reviewers go through these things really quickly and, I'd think, often have to take the path of least resistance because there are so many applications.

Anyhow, when I thought about my strategy for the supplemental material, I realized that I really didn't have the time to properly put together a strong video, plus, the stuff that I wanted to get across would've likely required more than a minute's worth of video. So I ended up sending a PDF instead - it was something that I knew I could put together well *and* it would get my point across.

So yes, that's my two (or twenty) cents. Take from it what you like. Good luck to you Round 2 applicants!