2011 MIT Sloan Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) thread

dwiesenfeld,

Thanks for the questions. It sounds like you definitely have an interesting background.

Neither Paul or I have anything to do with admissions, so it's tough to comment on your specific credentials. That said, there are no exact requirements for GMAT score (or the quant portion) or GPA. I know that the application is viewed in its entirety, so the better you are able to communicate why LGO is right for you, the better your chances. It seems to me like you have a good story to tell.

You may want to email the program staff directly at lgo@mit.edu to find out about some of the more technical questions you asked (e.g. whether or not additional engineering courses would be necessary).

-Amil

Dear Paul and Amil,

Thank you for sharing the info and your thoughts on the LGO program.

Amil - could you please tell us a bit more about your finance background and how the GS experience fits into the LGO picture? Is LGO, for you, a part of a career twist where you move away from investment banking to operations or manufacturing?

Do you feel that most of your classmates are on a straight (operations n' manufacturing) line or do they all have different backgrounds (even finance...!) that somehow come together in the hybrid LGO program?

Again thanks for your time and effort.

Regards,

Andri

Andri-

Good question. The short answer is yes, it is intended to help me change careers away from finance.

While working at GS I definitely learned some valuable things about business that I wouldn't have if I had gone straight into a more technical career. I also got some valuable exposure to the energy industry (I worked in the Research division covering oil and natural gas companies). The thing that was missing for me is that I need to solve more tangible problems, which finance usually doesn't allow you to do.

When I thought back to undergrad, I really enjoyed my Operations Research (OR) classes, mainly because in OR there is a very strong connection between the theoretical stuff you learn inside the classroom and the application of the material to the real world. So I wanted to go back into it.

It was pretty easy to figure out that I could connect my new interest in the world of energy with my "roots" in engineering. I just needed a way to learn more about how to really tie the two together, and that's where LGO entered the picture for me (as of now I intend to pursue the Energy and Sustainability track).

There's definitely a wide variety of backgrounds in my class, which is one of the great things about the program. It's true that most people are coming from a operations or manufacturing role, but we do have a few people from finance and consulting as well.

Hope that all helps.

Amil

Thanks Amil, much appreciated.

A

All prospective LGO's:

We have a set date for our fall ambassador day and info evening. The day will include an opportunity to meet and hear from current students, attend a class and generally learn more about the program.

The best way to keep updated is to give us your information and let us know what events you are interested in:
https://inq.applyyourself.com/?id=mit-lgo&pid=1397

Hello,

Thank you for starting this thread. My question is regarding Operations outside of the LGO program. I understand MIT has a strong reputation in Ops (ranked #1 in US News), but is this because of LGO? I would like to study Operations (specifically in manufacturing and supply chain) at MIT, but cannot do so at LGO because I do not have an engineering undergrad degree. Would I still get a quality education in Operations Management from the regular Sloan program?

Thank you.

I had the same query and contacted the Adm Office at MIT. This is the response that i got from Leah who is the Admissions Coordinator for LGO. Hope this helps.
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Hello,

Thank you for your interest in the MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program. Leaders for Global Operations students learn to solve challenging operations problems by developing knowledge at the intersection of engineering and management. Our dual-degree program awards an MBA or a Master of Science from MIT Sloan School of Management and a Master of Science from MIT School of Engineering. The two-year LGO experience features a cross-disciplinary curriculum, a global orientation, significant internship opportunities, and an emphasis on leadership and teamwork. Our partner companies play a critical role in all facets of the program and provide generous fellowships for LGO students. ‘

In response to your question, the reason why the most competitive candidates for the LGO program have an undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering or science is because applicants need to satisfy admissions requirements of the MIT Sloan School of Management and a participating MIT engineering department. It is important that a student's academic history shows an ability to keep up with the rigorous requirements of the MIT engineering curriculum. Without a bachelor's degree or a master’s degree in engineering or science, chances of admission may be lower. If you feel that your transcripts reflect a strong record in math, science and/or engineering courses without an engineering or science degree, we encourage you to complete an application. With that being said, we do admit students with very diverse background. Each successful applicant clearly explains both why LGO would be the best next step toward furthering his or her educational and career goals, as well as how his or her current background (particularly in regard to technical ability and leadership experience) would contribute to the cohort's group dynamic. If you feel that the LGO program is right for you, we encourage you to complete an application.

To see an electronic copy of our brochure, visit: https://lgo.mit.edu/docs/lgo_brochure_12.pdf. To connect with current LGO students, I encourage you to visit our student blogs: https://lgo-blog.mit.edu/. You can also join us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or find us LinkedIn.

I hope this helps you clarify. Please let me know if you have further questions.

Best regards,

Leah

Amil,

Thanks for taking time to respond to candidates' questions. This has been a very helpful thread.

My question is in follow-up to your post regarding LGO student's backgrounds. I have an industrial engineering degree from Georgia Tech and completed a couple manufacturing/quality engineering internships while in school but decided to go into management consulting after graduating (wanted to get a broader view of business before specializing). Now I'm trying to make a transition back into industry, specifically operations and manufacturing (and would love to have a job at any of the partner companies). LGO seems like a perfect way to make that transition. However, because I don't have recent manufacturing/operations experience does that essentially take me out of the running for LGO or at least really hurt my chances of being accepted? I'm considering making the switch to industry (manufacturing position) in Dec/Jan (independent of my LGO application) but that will be after the LGO application is due.

Essentially my question comes down to, how can I convince/prove to admissions that even though I've been in consulting for the past 3 years, I'm ultimately passionate about manufacturing and operations? Does my consulting-only background disqualify me from being admitted?

Any advice or insight you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!
-Ashleigh

GTGal,

I can probably take a stab at your question since my background is a little bit like yours. I was also Industrial Engineering undergrad and did a few internships in that area (Quality with Pratt & Whitney, Lean project with GE Consumer & Industrial), but ultimately ended up in finance with GE for a year (still was close to operations in supply chain and product development) and then in management consulting for 2 years (but again, in operations). I definitely know how you feel. I felt like I was learning a lot from the high level about operations, but was not getting the hands on practice that I missed (from internships) and that I needed (for my development). I did learn a lot in consulting, especially in terms of soft skills, but was to be back in industry close to a product or service that is delivered to a customer.

What it comes down to is what you are interested in. It sounds like you have pretty honest intentions about pursuing an operations career in industry. Just articulate that and be honest in your admissions material. Not saying that I know the magic formula, but that seemed to work for me. The program does look for people that want to work for one of the partner companies, so it makes sense that they look for those type of people and not just ones that want to go back into consulting etc...

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you want to discuss in more depth, I am happy to help!

- Paul

Hi Amil/Paul,

Firstly, Thanks for all the help to the ones in need!

I'd be happy if you could clear out some of my doubts as well:

1. I suppose Amil has come from a Finance background, although closely related to operations, and is now intending to take on an actual Operations role? I have a similar story. I have an Engg. degree, specializing in IT and now working as a Consultant (technical) in the SAP field since 2 yrs. SAP is very closely related to business (ERP) and has thus helped me in understanding some business functions indeed (HR, SRM, Finance, etc). But now I wish (desperately) to switch to the 'core' business operations and understand each process starting from product development to customer delivery! I want to work on the Supply chain side. How feasible you think it is? I would still work for another year (or even more) and planning to give my GMAT in early October this year. I do have some global work experience too. Considering your previous posts, I don't think MITLGO looks for Operations-relevant work experience ONLY. But will my Engg degree suffice?

2. From previous posts, I could understand that MITLGO looks for people 'who can work in the US' and thus, there are fewer International students comparatively. I don't get this. What do you mean by 'people who can work in the US'. I suppose International students are allowed to work after their graduation for few years in US and it is always subject to extension. Also, if someone is happy to work with the Partner companies, why should it be an issue?

Thanks in anticipation.

Junior,

1. It looks like you do have operations experience. I think you are thinking traditional manufacturing, but I would say anything taking A, adding value and turning it into B is operations. What matters is how you are focused on improving that process. That is operations, or at least my take.

2. I don't understand it specifically, but I think it has to do with something about work permits after graduation. I would venture to guess a company does not want to invest in interns that cannot work for them after graduation.

Applicants,

We just released our current LGO brochure. Check it out here:

https://lgo.mit.edu/docs/lgo_brochure_2010.pdf

Hey Guys--great thread.

I know you're not on the admissions committee, but I was hoping some current students could provide a benchmark regarding the letters of recommendation.

The website says, "One of the recommendations should be from an academic source or someone who can speak definitively of your technical skills." Do you fellas know if the majority of accepted people (including yourselves) actually got academic recommendations?

It's been 7 years since I got my BSME, and I doubt my old profs would even remember me. Since then I've done 5 years in development, and 2+ years in production support engineering, so I'm pretty sure I can find someone to comment on my technical skills.....but I just wanted a sanity check that I'm not the only one looking to apply without calling up my old advisor.

RallyNY-

I honestly don't know whether the majority of people got academic recommendations or not, or how these are viewed versus non-academic recommendations. I ended up reaching out to a former professor, but mainly because I worked in finance so it was the only option. It seems to me like you'd be better off getting one from a colleague.

That said, a couple of things I learned while going through the whole business school application process, both from my experience and talking to others- one, professors have really good memories; two, professors are usually pretty open to writing recommendations even if you haven't kept in touch. I think it's pretty normal to approach a professor for something like this, especially if you have the chance to talk to him or her about why you're applying and how your prior academic background (including maybe their class) fits in.

Not sure if that is helpful or not.

-Amil

Prospective LGOs-

Just a heads up that Sloan will be hosting an MBA chat this Wednesday (8/25) at 10:00 am EST. There will also be someone on from the LGO office who can answer any LGO-related questions.

Here are some more details:

https://groupchat02.askadmissions.net/01/Landingpage.aspx?clientname=mitmba

-Amil

Prospective applicants,

Just a reminder about our upcoming ambassador day and information evening this fall, on October 25. If you're interested in attending you can fill out this form: https://inq.applyyourself.com/?id=mit-lgo&pid=1397

-Amil

Thanks Amil!

I am chairing this year's Ambassador Day and Info Evening, so I figured I would share our draft itinerary so you can plan accordingly. A draft agenda for both sessions is included below, but are subject to change. We will provide more details on locations and other logistics closer to the event date.

Ambassador Day Schedule: October 25, 2010, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

By sitting in on a class, having lunch with current LGO students and admissions staff, or participating in a student-run panel discussion, you will engage in a LGO experience that is both informative and interactive.

10-10:30 a.m. Check in at the LGO office
10:30 a.m.-Noon Tour the MIT campus with current LGO students
Noon-1 p.m. Engage in a LGO student panel discussion
1-2:15 p.m. Enjoy lunch and mingling with LGO students and staff members
2:30-4 p.m. Attend a class (Engineering or Business)
4-5:30 p.m. Attend a partner company pro-seminar (Tentatively General Motors)

Information Evening Schedule: October 25, 2010: 6:30-8:30 p.m.

Featuring a program presentation by Don Rosenfield, Director of the LGO Fellows Program; a student and alumni panel discussion; an audience Q&A session; and an interactive reception, this event will offer prospective students an excellent opportunity to connect with LGO students, alumni, faculty, and staff members. Registration will begin at 6 p.m. at the MIT Faculty Club. Light appetizers will be served.