Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants!

babyif, you get a plus one from me for being in NJ, i miss that place haha

I definitely agree you should go for it. I felt the same way towards the essays, but kfire has some great advice and is right - you should embrace your differences.

Wow, lot's of PMs and positive responses to my post.

I forgot to mention to add me to R1.

I'm in the same boat as everyone else and will be writing about who I am.

Remember, adcoms are tired of hearing what you think they want to hear. They want to hear about you.

I attended an info session tonight hosted in the new building, E62. It looks great and overlooks the Charles river! E62 should silence the MIT critics who complain about the lack of business-school-like buildings at MIT.

Other highlights:
* Nearly twenty alum/students showed up at the info session!
* Jennifer Barba shared some interesting information on admissions.
- 4780 applications were received for the incoming class, from which 401 students were admitted (I think this includes all the programs, not just the regular two-year MBA)
- 1/3 of all applications were received during R1, 2/3 during R2
- 1/2 the class was admitted from R1, and the other 1/2 during R2
- 16% of applicants were invited to interview
- 60% of interviewed applicants were admitted

I have a few questions on the MIT Sloan cover letter and resume requirements:

1. Does the 500-word limit for the cover letter include the address, salutation, date line etc. or just the text in the main body of the letter?

2. Does the 50-line limit on the resume include white lines? (I have just about managed 51 lines, including white space in Times New Roman size 10.)

1. I would interpret the word limit as all-inclusive. At the MIT info session, Jennifer Barba (from ad-com) made the whole group of attendees say the word limit out loud. When MIT is laying so much stress on not exceeding the counts (line / word), I would recommend sticking to/within the limits.

2. For the resume, I would suggest moving up to font size 11. It improves readability. That should bring down the line count as well.
I just realized my resume's at 51 lines too, with TNR 11. Darn!

I am still confused on whether white lines count for the line count and whether address/salutation/signature coutns towards the word count.

I am at 59 lines! fml

Hi guys, here comes the transcript from one of the MIT chat held today. Jen is one of the adcom who answered the questions:

balakrishnakin:
HI My name is Balakrishna from Bangalore India
balakrishnakin: I have a question regarding elgibility for admission
beckhaut: My name is Austin from SLC, UT
AMassuttier709358: How would be the best way to interact in this chat?
Jen: Hi! balakrishnakin, what is your question regarding eligibility?
Jen: please post your questions.
balakrishnakin: i have 10 years of experience in Information technology project management and operations management with graduation in engineering (Mechanical) , would like to know if GMAT score is madatory for admission to LGO
dustin_cathcart: Jen: I apologize in advance for this being a very specific question. When wait listed applicants reapply, is using the same essays looked down upon? In my case, I don’t think I showed that I could clear the quant. bar at Sloan so this summer I took a few math courses. (hoping to have addressed my weakness).

Jen: blalak: Yes, GMAT or GRE is mandatory for all applicants
balakrishnakin:
ok, that makes it clear , thank you
AMassuttier709358: What are the considerations to make someone eligible for the MBA Program and Executive MBA?
farhan82: What kind of resources are available for spouses and significant others at Sloan to integrate them with the community?
dustin_cathcart: I know its hard to give a concrete answer to that--most likely relative to the applicant.
beckhaut: My question deals with MIT having a program that focuses on energy or medicine. MIT used to have a program that was combined with HBS, but it seems like it has been terminated. What is the status of this program? Are there any other programs that focus on science and business?
Jen: dustin: it's best to write new essays. we have 2 new essay questions this year and we will compare your old app to your new one. so it's a lost opportunity fo ryou if you dont complete a new applicaiton.
HershK0129: Hi, I'm Hersh from Mumbai, India. I am a U.S. citizen who currently lives in India. Would my application be considered a part of the U.S. or International pool? Thanks.
dustin_cathcart: okay, sounds good. thanks.
hempraveen: Hi Jen, Would you be accepting GMAT scores after the deadlines if they are significantly better than the old score?
Jen: amassutt: our eMBA program is for applicants with significant work experience, a minimum of 10 years. also it's important to consider your goals post graduation. if you are looking to change careers, the traditional mba is best
evliloe001: Hi Jen: I am wondering about my GRE test scores. First, is the admission office aware of the fact that GRE verbal scores are different from GMAT verbal scores (there is no logics involved in GRE verbal, just pure vocab). Second, is there some tolerance for non native speakers? Third, do I understand correctly there is no minimum score in any of the sections, so there is no score that would knock-out one's application automatically, either?
Jen: farhan82: we have many students who are here along with SOs. There's a Sloan significant others club, and there's an MIT club for SO's/Family members. SOs are completely part of our community.
ganeshkumar1984: I have a question regarding the constraints in our resumes and essays. In the cover letter, do the salutations, header, date, etc. contribute towards the 500 word count? And second, with regards to the resume, is it ok if the resume is at 55 lines as opposed to 50? Is a 10% overflow acceptable?
SloanBiotech2010: Hi Jen, I'm a re-applicant to the program. A question about letters: would you advise recommenders to write a complete new letter or would it be ok for them to use the previous letter and add updates since last year? Specifically, my current employer asked this question.

farhan82: What is the breakdown of backgrounds of the incoming class? Also, what is the breakdown for the fields that the last graduating class chose to work in?
AMassuttier709358: Are MBAs overrated after the big financial collapse?
farhan82: Thanks for the answer to my previous question.
beckhaut: Also I have a lot of entrepreneurial experience where I have been involved in a variety of difference industries/markets. How can I present this best in the application or is entrepreneurial experience looked down upon?
Jen: beckhaut: you're referring to the BEP program, a joint program with MIT Sloan and Harvard's HST program (Heath science and technology) not hbs. this program is not offered this year, beacause tehy are re-examining the format. we hope to offer it again in teh future.
Jen: hershK: we consider applicants based on their country of citizenship, not region of residency. so you're considered a US applicant
Jen: hemprav: no, we only consider valid test scores
dhale7q: Can you please comment if there is any preference between GRE and GMAT? Does a GRE look less favorable?
babyif19: Hi Jen - two questions on the application - 1. I did a master's with my UG, when calculating the major GPA, should the master's classes be included? Also if I took classes prior my bachelor's degree, but the courses are captured in my undergraduate transcript, do i have to obtain a separate transcript from the other institution?
beckhaut: Is MIT considering getting a new webpage because I have found that it is very user-UN-friendly?
AMassuttier709358: From the top of you head, what percentage of MBA graduates coming from O&G industry and returning to it reach Senior Executive Levels?
hempraveen: Thanks Jen.
Jen: evil: we are very familiar with the scoring of both gmat and gre. we do consider non-native english speakers, and from our stats you'll see that we have many students from outside the US (40%).
beckhaut: Thanks Jen about the BEP program information.
farhan82: What was the median GMAT score (also quantitative/verbal individually) for the incoming class this year?
Jen: gane: the saluatation/header/closing do not count toward the 500 words.
CWangff7465: Hi Jen, this is Kelly from Toronto.... in your opinion, what would be the attributes in a student that value high in Sloan admission office?
Jen: sloanbiotech: i advise you to get new letters. we'll also consider your old letters in teh review of your new application.
Jen: farhan: the stats for our class can be found online at: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/experience/profile.php and employment stats are at: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/career/emp-report.php
ayalaman: Jen: What are the different backgrounds (distribution) of students applying to LGO program?
jcanto: Good afternoon Jen and Sara. Do you take in to account at all other family members which are alumns?
Jen: beck: we do not look down upon entrepreneurial experience. these unique experiences are often the ones you learn the most from.
CWangff7465:
For one self-employeed, recommendation letters from her clients ok? Or do you want to trieve back to older jobs for a supervisor opinion?
angela.ferrante: Jen- Any advice for integrating into my application the experiences I've had as a non-student with the MIT community?
Jen: dhale: no difference to us. we will consider gmat and gre the same
SloanBiotech2010:
Thanks Jen. But wouldn't most of the info in the new letters presumably be the same as the info in the previous letters?
kimigtsc: Hi. I am from Australia. Australian grading system is very different from the one in the US. In many countries, the highest grade is equivalent to "A" in the US. But in Australia, the highest grade is "high distinction", which is more like "A+". Only about 3-5% people in the class get "high distinction". Is MIT familiar with the grading system in Australia?
farhan82: Thanks Jen.
Jen: baby: we only need transcripts from the schools you received a degree from. you should report your GPA as it reads based on each degree you received. you should not re-caclulate anything.
evliloe001:
Jen, thanks for your previous answer. Regarding recommendations: can both letters come from professionals at the same firm? Or, alternatively, can one letter stem from a peer / somebody whom I have known through sports and leisure time?
ganeshkumar1984: Thanks Jen! Can you clarify the resume constraints? The instructions say one page, 50 lines. My resume is one page, but 59 lines (including name, contact info, etc.). Is that acceptable?
Jen: beck: yes, we agree we're trying.
babyif19: Thanks, Jen
beckhaut: Jen: haha! Even though MIT no longer has the BEP program, does MIT have a way to foster employment in the energy or pharmaceutical industries? If so, how does it compare to other higher end B-schools?
farhan82: Is there an advantage to applying in Round 1 than Round 2?
Jen: amass: is O&G oil and gas? i encourage you to look at the employment report stats.
guptaneeru: I am a Software Engineer with 6 years experience. Want to know what are my prospects afters MBA to go into higher management both in IT or Non IT industry. Will my previous experience be void if I chose a non IT industry?
kunoflo: Hi Jen, when reading a re-applicant's application, do you go back and compare the application from the year before in its whole (resume, essays, recommendations)? Thanks!
Jen: farhan: check our class profile https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/experience/profile.php
HershK0129: Thank you, Jen. I have one more question - Does MIT Sloan encourage students who have started their own business prior to enrollment to take advantage of MIT's resources to further develop their venture during the MBA program?
Jen: cwang: we are looking for smart, motivated students who are willing to try new things, and who are really nice!
Jen: ayal: you should post your question in the LGO room
Jen: jcanto: we do consider if you have family members taht are alums. there's a question in the app to identify this.
jcanto: Thank you.
Jen: cwang: clients are okay. also an older supervisor would be good too
CWangff7465: I see, thanks Jen, does GPA 3.45 sound ok? MIT people seem all super intelligent to us, donno if this score sounds ok
Jen: angela: either the cover letter or supplemental essay
CHill0b2670: Does Sloan care at all about leadership in college sports or only leadership in both work and community activities?
Jen: sloan: not if you ask new poeple.
Jen: kimigtsc: we are familiar with the grading policies from all of the different countries. you dont need to recalculate anything, please just report as is.
ldonchak: @Jen - Thanks for answering all of our questions. Is there anything specific the admit committee is looking for in cover letter?
angela.ferrante: Thanks.
guptaneeru: Jen: Please let me know, will an MBA degree help me in switching career from IT to higher management role.
Jen: evil: we prefer professional references, from supervisors (not peers). but it's your call. if you feel someone you've worked with in an outside organization is a good choice, that's fine too
hempraveen: Hi Jen, would the age of an applicant be a huge factor applying to full-time? I am 31, but I don't want to miss out on the experience by going to a part-time program. MBA experience is only a once in a life-time opportunity.
bzhai: Hello from TX! I have a question on LGO recommendation. It needs three letters. I know two probably will come from work. Would the third be from a peer or a previous professor?
Jen: gane: yes
Jen: beck: yes of course! we have strong relationships with biotechs/pharma/healthcare companies. many students here are interested in pursuing careers in this industry
Jen: farhan: typically we see 1/3 of apps in round 1 and 2/3 of apps in round 2. and we admit 50% of the class in each round.
Jen: guptan: no, your previous experience no matter the industry is always valuable in your post mba career search
Jen: kunoflo: yes we look at both the old and new app
ganeshkumar1984: One last question: with regards to the resume, it says that it should be in business resume format. Does a business resume format include extracurriculars and interests?
kunoflo: thanks!
ldonchak: Jen: How much emphasis is placed on undergraduate success? Is it weighted differently depending on the amount of work experience an applicant has?
beckhaut: What is the likelihood that I could get in with a 660 on the GMAT? Should I take it again before applying?
Jen: hersh: some students have done this but it is not required.
CWangff7465: Jen, so regarding the quants, you have limits on each round, rather than good-to-fill, first come first serve? So round 2 would have equal opportunity as competing against that pool, rather than accumulated students starting from round 1?
SloanBiotech2010: Thanks Jen, I thought the most important aspect of finding a recommender is asking someone that knows your ability and performance the best? Would you recommend that I ask a new recommender even though my direct superviser, who recommended me last year, knows me the best?
Jen: cwang: our avg. gpa is 3.5 i'd say 3.45 is great!
Jen: chill: we care about all of your leadership experiences
ayalaman: Jen: Can you please provide some statistics on the acceptance rate , like number of people applied vs accepted?
CHill0b2670: Does Sloan give any sort of advantage or disadvantage to students who studied tougher majors (such as engineering) ?
HershK0129: Thanks, Jen.
ldonchak: @Chill good question!
Jen: ldon: the cover letter is a place for you to summarize your past experiences and also answer the question about an impact in the instructions
sdurhamgt:
or tougher schools (Georgia Tech)?
Jen: guptaneer: yes, this is a common path
tanu.aggarwal: If the gpa in a certail college is not normalised , the applicant might have a lower gpa .. as in my case, i have a gpa of 3.25 , will it be considered negatively ?
ganeshkumar1984: Sorry Jen, one more question! Thanks for answering so many so far. With regards to supplemental information, what information would be acceptable? (low GPA, transfer courses from another college, etc.)?
Jen: hemp: no, we consider all applicants regardless of age! and you're still young... 31 is nothing!
ALeea19e29: Hi Jen, I just started a new job in August. I was wondering whether it would be ok to include two recent recommendations from my previous employer (up-to-date as of July) instead of one from my current employer, who I do not believe knows me well enough yet to write me a strong letter of reference
ALeea19e29: (This would be for a Round 1 application)
Jen: bzhai: i believe they ask for one technical reference. but you should ask this specifically in the LGO room
hempraveen: Thanks Jen... you just made my day!
guptaneeru: Thanks Jen. Will my IT experience help me in getting to MIT solan. Have heard IT experience is not given equal value unless it involves client intraction.
dberlin: Jen - in speaking with alumni and doing a bit of research, it seems that the lion's share of Wall Street recruiting is done for investment banking positions. do the financial services firms also recruit for positions on the markets side - sales and trading for instance? Do you have any recruiting data that you can share on this point? Thanks...Dan
Jen: gane: yes
Jen: idon: yes, we are most concerned with your past 3 years of experience. but if you had significant accomplishments further back than that, we are still interested in seeing htem, on your resume.
guochuan: how is the recruiting environment, particularly for finance? are you guys seeing people going to smaller firms, etc?
poojagarg:
Hi Jen I had a question regarding transcripts. Are transcripts required from each university one has attended, even if grades from that university have not contributed in any way to the undergraduate degree
evliloe001: Jen, thank you. I am also wondering: my undergraduate did not finish with a bachelor's degree . instead there was a seamless transition, based on academic performance, to the master's degree (that's the traditional french system). How should I fill in the application form / undergrad section, having no real undergrad degree?
Jen: bechk: a 660 is on the low end of our 80% range. but if the other parts of your application are very strong (academic experience and work experience) gmat score could be balanced out with that.
beckhaut: Thanks
Jen: cwang: we dont have any quotas or limits. we take the strongest people who apply in each round.
ldonchak: Jen - to add on to Guochuan's question - can you provide any info on recruiting from large IT firms? Also, do graduates often go on to start their own firms after graduating?
Jen: sloanbiotech, this is your call. you have to use your best judgement
Jen: ayal: last year we had about 4800 applicants, and accepted about 10% for a class size of 350 mbas
SloanBiotech2010: OK, thanks Jen. I appreciate your advice.
evliloe001: Jen, sorry for this second question. What do you mean in your reply to bechk with "our 80% range"? Thanks
Jen: chill, yes we consider both your gpa and what you studied
ankateif: If someone has 3 degrees undergrad MSc and PhD how can he fill them on the online application?
Jen: tanu, we look at the specifics of everyone's situation (school attended, courses taken, GPA)
tanu.aggarwal: great, thanks !
Jen: gane: yes all of that is fine.
Jen: alee: yes that is fine
esmoses: Hello Jen, Where would be the best place to call out interests in specific tracks
. For example with the Sustainability Track
beckhaut: If I graduated with a 3.7 in Neuroscience at an upper end school and have 5 years entrepreneurial experience in the renewable energy industry and 2 years management in another industry, would it make up for my worthless GMAT score of 660?
adadakis: Hi Jen. Is there an average length of time from submitting the application to hearing if you received an interview? Thanks so much!
Jen: gupt: IT Experience is considered the same as other types of experience. there's no +/- for IT specific experience
CHill0b2670: Thank you so much. Last question: Is your gmat score weighted more than your GPA since the gmat represent who you ARE rather than you who you WERE (gpa: 2.9, gmat 750)
varunoberoi: Jen, my undergrad college GPA was nothing to write home about (2.6). is it possible that the fact that i had an extremely difficult double major of computer science and applied mathematics, was the captain of the tennis team and led them to turning around losing seasons to winning seasons, working two jobs to be able to finance my education be able to offset that blemish. i also have a 720 on my GMAT and have very good work experience. thanks
CWangff7465: Jen: would round 1 have stronger students than 2, 3? I heard that typitally round3 not many students get accepted any more, as 1 & 2 good students take up most of the spac. So timing is kind important, appy as early as possible?
Jen: dberlin: yes we do see financial services firms recruiting for other positions. sales and trading is not as common, but still an option.
hempraveen: What would be the best time to arrange for a campus visit... Nov/Dec?
ankateif: Jen: If someone has 3 degrees undergrad MSc and PhD how can he fill them on the online application?
dberlin: Thank you.
ganeshkumar1984: Thanks Jen!
Jen: guoch: recruiting is great! we had a successful year and many of our students found positions at both large and small financial institutions
Jen: poojag: we only require transcripts from the schools you've received degrees from
babyif19: hi Jen - what is the policy on deferment - if accepted, any chance to enter 2012 instead of 2011?
guptaneeru: Jen: At what level companies recruit candidates after MBA?
SloanBiotech2010:
To Jen, during the info session on Monday, you mentioned that essays are read together, thus they should stand on their own without info from other parts of the application. My question: Is the cover letter read with the essays, with the resume, or on its own?
poojagarg: Thanks Jen!
Jen: evil: just complete the application form based on the academic course work you do have. basically you'll just need to upload a scanned copy of yoru transcript
evliloe001: thank you!
hempraveen: @gupta - you can find the information here - https://mitsloan.mit.edu/corporate/recruiting.php
babyif19: Also if i took technical training or management classes via work, where should that be mentioned
guptaneeru: thanks hempraveen
Jen: ldon: we do see some students go on to start their own companies, but not as many as you might expect. the typical path for entrepreneurs is to work for someone else first, then start a company later (or at the same time)
hempraveen: @gupta - you can download the report - https://mitsloan.mit.edu/cdo/employmentreports.php
ankateif: How important is the age of the applicant in the evaluation of his application?
Jen: evil: if you review our class profile data, you'll see the gmat range we post represents the middle 80% of the class: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/experience/profile.php
Jen: anka: there's space to upload information from all of your degrees.
erodriguez7: Hi, I'd like to learn a bit more about Sloan and government. I'm really interested in public-private partnerships and most of my work experience is in government, does MIT have thoughts about folks from the public sector?
Jen: esmoses: cover letter
esmoses: Thank you Jen
kimigtsc: Thanks for answering my question, Jen. How important is the length of undergraduate study? My undergraduate study is only 3 years.
aw1901: Jen, I am a bioengineer interested in transitioning into the business world. One of my recommenders is my current supervisor at a startup I am working at. Previous to that, I was working in a lab to complete my thesis in a engineering graduate program. Would it be a problem if I asked my thesis adviser to write my second recommendation? My grad school experience does a great job of highlighting my management potential due to my role in mentoring younger students and managing the lab.
Jen: beck: i did not say your 660 was worthless. and from this very brief description it is not possible for me to say either way
CHill0b2670: @varunoberoi: I feel you, tough majors at a tough school with solid extracurriculars...but the experience adds to your character
ankateif: Thanks Jen!
beckhaut: thanks! I was just messing around.
varunoberoi: @CHill, i know, it feels weird when people ask if there 3.4 GPAs are good enough
Jen: adad: yes. if you apply in R1 you'll start to hear about interview invites in December (intv's will take place in Dec/Jan) and in R2 intv's happen in march
fsaeteurn: I'm interested in pursuing the entrepreneurship route, and looking to start or join a tech start-up. How does the MBA program at MIT compare to one from Stanford? Advantages / disadvantages?
adadakis: thx!
Jen: chill: there are all weighted the same.
evliloe001: Jen, you don't have statistics for GRE scores of successful applicants yet , do you? Thank you.
Jen: varun; gpa is just one small part of your application. we consider everything as a whole (and there are no knock out factors). so although it's lower than we'd like to see, sounds like you have good reason for it.
AKoshe2dba4f: Jen, could you please let me know about the MBA program for Information technology Management..
wchu9437:
Hi Jen or Sara - hope all is well. Would you mind discussing how you rate, by importance, for candidates with over ten years of experience? I recognize that backgrounds and GMAT do vary, as do the undergraduate experience and extracurriculars, where appropriate. Your insight would be much appreciated. I am debating between the eMBA and the traditional MBA program.
Jen: cwang: we only have 2 rounds (no round 3 here). that said, we see a very strong pool in both R1 and R2.
CWangff7465: Thanks Jen, i got it!
varunoberoi: thanks jen, that makes me feel better
adadakis: I saw that 700+ interviews are granted. Do you release what % of interviewees are admitted?

CHill0b2670: @varunoberoi: at least we can always ask if our 720+ gmats are good enough
CHill0b2670: Thank you so much Jen. enjoy you week
Jen: hemp: register to attend the ambassador program (visitor program on campus) it runs 2x a day mon- thur, thru december. https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/admissions/visit.php
ankateif: How many interviews do you grant. Is it the same number for both rounds?
Jen: baby: we do not offer deferrals. please apply in the year you plan to attend.
Jen: gupt: this depends on your prior experiences. you should review the employment report for more data: https://mitsloan.mit.edu/mba/career/emp-report.php
Jen: sloan: everything is read together, but not necessarily in the order you might expect. thus we should be abel to understand everything without having to refer to anything else
varunoberoi:
good one CHill

Jen: baby: you can include that in the supplemental section or on your resume
Jen: ankat: age doenst matter. what matters is the experiences you've had thus far and how well you are able to demonstrate evidence to the questions we are asking
babyif19: Thanks, Jen!
ankateif: Does the director give all the applications do the admission team to read them?
Jen: erod: yes we have lots of students in terested in workin gin the public sector. there are also a number of students in joint degree program with Harvard Kennedy school.
jeegs6up: In line with Varun and Chill: Can a very high grad GPA help mask a mediocre undergrad GPA (both from very good engineering schools)
Jen: kimig: we understand length of undergrad study varies from country to country. all that matters is that you have an undergraduate degree
Jen: aw1901, that sounds great. you're the best judge of who can write you rletters
aw1901: Thanks!
Jen: fsaeteurn: i dont know the specifics of stanford's program so i can't ocmpare the two. but we do have a strong E&I track, and i encourage you to learn more online at: https://entrepreneurship.mit.edu/ei
ganeshkumar1984: Are students required to pick a track? What if the student is interested in both E&I and Finance?
evliloe001:
Jen, I would like to talk with a Sloanie in person, however I do not know any alumns/ current students, nor am I able to fly in for a visit. Is there a possibility to get in touch over phone or email with current students?
Jen: evil: since we have such a small # of apps who use the GRE, we do not post stats, because they are too small to pull from. but typically we see scores in the 80th percentiles
ankateif: I RSVPed for last Monday's event but couldnt attend will that count in any way against my application?
varunoberoi:
Are there loan consdierations for international students or are they required to have a US co signor as well?
jinmei324: same question as Varunoberoi
Jen: wchu: we evaluate applicants the same, despite the years of experience they have. we are looking for evidence of specific competencies in our evaluation process. these competencies can be demonstrated in many ways, and from both applicants with no experience and those with 10+ years.
babyif19: Hi Jen - are those emails identifying a person as a strong candidate for Sloan solely based on the GMAT scores or was it a better sign than " hey you did well on your GMAT, welcome to apply"
Jen: adad: we usually interview about 16-20% percent of the applicants, and admit about 50-60% of who we interview. each year this varies a little bit. but generally these stats fit
edwardhwang: Apologies if this has been asked. I just joined the chat. How are interviews conducted? Admissions officers, alumni, students? Blind? (resume only)
kimigtsc: Thank you Jen. What type of class is considered rigorous? Are classes with a median grade of B+ or A- considered rigorous? I spent one year in the US as an exchange student. Even though my GPA was fine, the median grade of a lot of my classes was B+ or A- since professors were nice to everyone.
adadakis: Great, thanks so much - extremely helpful!
shakes82: Jen can you please tell me about scholarships available for international students?
ankateif: If my recommender is an MD and from abroad and has no idea about B-School applications how will you evaluate his recommendation?
digarnick: Hi Jen! Do you know if the Sloan Fellows program offers a Masters in Economics or does it just offer an MBA for experienced students? https://mitsloan.mit.edu/fellows/
Jen: ankat: yes, the director reviews all the applicants along with at least one additional member of the adcom
csoydan: Hi Jen - I was wondering what is the % of students that are coming from entrepreneurship or family business background in the Sloan recent classes ?
ALeea19e29: Hi Jen, I would like to know more about social entrepreneurship opportunities at Sloan - is there a way to get in touch with someone at Sloan (either current student or alumni) who is has pursued this career path/is interested in pursuing this career path?
Jen: jeeg: high graduate gpas are evidence of academic potential, but they do not replace ug gpas
kunoflo: @shakes82 there is Forte (if you are a woman) and another one dedicated to UK citizens. You find the info in the application
Jen: gane: no, students do not need to be in a track, in fact most are not
Jen: evil: the best way to reach current stuents is thru the club websites.
shakes82: I am neither a woman nor a UK citizen
shakes82: Jen scholarships??
bushi07: Hey
Jen: varun: we do have loans for int'l students that do not require a US co-signer
erodriguez7:
Thanks, Jen! I'm actually looking to do the joint degree with the Kennedy School, but I'm unsure about the admissions process at each school exactly. For example, the Kennedy School application seems to focus on leadership, work experience in the public sector, and community service--all of which have been my background. If someone is applying to the joint degree at a B-School (like Sloan) how are they typically viewed? I don't have a business background, but I have deep interest in things like budgets (California's is over two months late!)...
AKoshe2dba4f: MIT does have any program related to Information Management or related to IT.. which we can pursue or any joint degree of any other college for the same program?
Jen: baby; they are based on gmat/gre scores
Jen: edward; interviews are by invite only and are done only by adcom members - all professional staff, no students or alums.
CWangff7465: Hi Jen, if to apply for round 1, but i will take GMAT after the deadline, can I specify the date of the score, but it may have to be delivered after the deadline to school?
Jen: alee: yes, best way is thru the Net Impact website Student club
ALeea19e29: Thank you for your answers and time!
bushi07:
Jen, I got my asscoiate degree in Ivory coast, work for 3 years as accountant and move to the US. I am finishing my bachelor right now and plan on going to Grad school. Do you think I can apply for the MIT MBA?
csoydan: Jen - Are there any chance that international students that cannot make all the way to Boston, may be interview on the phone by adcom members or in somewhere overseas, anywhere in Europe for instance..?
Jen: there are lots of scholarships offered. and all are eligible, both domestic and int'l applicants (men and women). some are specific populations (liek you've referred to above) others are open to the strongest applicants, no matter their background.
Jen: csoy, we go to hub cities around the world to conduct the interviewes.
Jen: thanks everyone for your questions today. it was great chatting with you!!!!

take me in for R2
MIT is the only thing I'm thinking about right now.

Anybody attending the presentation in London next week?

Thanks for passing along the great information. I'll take my chances against 1/3rd of the applicant pool versus 2/3rds any day!

I'm also a little jealous you got to see the new building. I visited back in spring and could only admire it from behind a construction fence. The exterior looked amazing. Hopefully I'll get a chance to check out the interior sometime soon

Thanks for summarizing RogerDodger! Appreciate it

All MIT hopefuls, I attended an on campus information session today and took away from key points, hopefully not all of these are repeats (i will try to avoid redundancy):

1) The first thing I noted was that the Admissions Committee is pretty clear on not wanting to poject Sloan as simply a "quant-based" curriculum. I visited other schools and people I talked to would say "MIT is so quant-based" but they had no real idea what they were talking about. There is definitely a quant focus but the core courses are not rocket science and you do your work in your "ocean" of 6-8 people with different backgrounds. She also emphasized that 45% of those admitted come from humanities or non-quant backgrounds.

2) For interviews, she emphasized that you need to be prepared for more answers to the essay questions. She said some people were dinged because they had nothing to really discuss in their essay. She said one even told her the story was in the essay so why are you asking me (obviously this is retarded). Basically, just think about the essays as framework for the interview questions. They may ask what you felt or to describe the situation more fully or to cite another example.

3) They evaluate applicants by function rather than general demographic. for example at Wharton, I heard alot of as a "White Male" or "Indian IT Male" or "African American male" you need Score XXX. Here, I got the honest impression that it is a much more holistic approach. Obviously the GMAT is important but it is not everything. They made this clear and as a military applicant I def think this helps us to some small extent. Their goal is to have diverse teams of engineers, finance, IT, marketing, international, military, male, female, different religious backgrounds etc so class discussion is better

4) You can customize your major and take up to 3 Graduate Level electives within the MIT schools. I thought this would be pretty cool for anyone wanting to refine a language, take a systems engineering class, or delve into a policy class etc.

5) The main take away is they are much more interested in what you have done and who you are then what exact career that you want. They emphasize everyone changes their mind etc. Other schools seem much more concerned. I can only speak for Wharton, Georgetown, and NYU which I visited recently. Also look at the MIT essays no cliche "why MIT, Career goals."
->Personally I like this because people can BS those essays and try to please the school, I find MIT essays much more interesting, at least for me they caused me to do a lot of self-reflection
-> Also they want you to show how you impacted an organization or community, what you felt, what decisions you made, etc.

6) On another note, I went to a class on Thursday and it was a great experience. At night, MIT students are huge partiers and have a great time. It is a great community, everyone is down to earth and motivated. I went to a party where MIT students performed as "New Kids on the Block" and had the party randomly sponsored by Ocean Spray hahah.

Bottom Line: Essays will be huge to give them an idea of who you are as a person and what you have done for others and how you stack up to your peers in your work place and stuff. Recommenders should compare you to your peers.

Hope this helps, just my observations. Good luck everyone!

Ryan

6)

Excellent write up! That is a lot you gained from the information session.

I will be at MIT on Oct 5 (and HBS on 4th) if anyone else is visiting as well. I am in the afternoon ambassadors program.

What class did you attend? How did you find the overall atmosphere of the campus? the people?

What class did you attend? How did you find the overall atmosphere of the campus? the people?

I attended the core course: Organizational Processes/Social Psychology course with Professor Mortensen. He was a very engaging teacher, he was younger (I am guessing 33-35 range) but very smart and down to earth.

The class had pretty good discussions and had about 50 people or so, since it is a core course, but most people participated. It was about 90 minutes long.


The atmosphere is awesome, the campus has a great community feel with lots of energy. everyone is outgoing and helpful and also seems to have kind of a party side to them. I attended a club function at night at a downtown bar which was awesome and showed just how "normal" the MIT students are. They are all smart/accomplishe but still know how to have a good time and forge some good friendships.

I'd say it was pretty awesome overall but I was only there for 2 days.

in for R1

This is the transcript from the chat on 22 September. I joined a bit late - so these are incomplete.