MIT Sloan MBA Admissions & Related Blogs

Just what is Big Data? And how is it used to make real business decisions? Anyone interested in the burgeoning field of business analytics should check out this story in the Wall Street Journal on how the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania is expanding its offerings in this area and will now offer an MBA major in the subject.

The move comes as fewer students head to b-school with a career in finance in mind after graduation. According to the WSJ, 306 students in Wharton’s 2008 MBA class entered the financial-services industry right after graduation; last year, the school reports that number was 219.

While many professionals understand the technical side of business analytics, they don’t know precisely how to frame their business strategy. Companies need people who can also understand the business side and offer data-based solutions.

Wharton Professor Adam Grant tells WSJ that the strengthened focus on analytics will train students in rigorous thinking and decision-making based on large data sets, rather than the isolated scenarios students encounter in a case study.

“We want to create a hub where evidence-based management is the norm rather than the exception,” says Grant.

But Wharton isn’t the only elite business school upping its Big Data game. NYU Stern School of Business and USC Marshall School of Business also offer specialist masters courses in business analytics.

In March, MIT Sloan School of Management announced the launch of a new, specialized Master of Business Analytics program designed to prepare students for careers in business analytics. The inaugural class will enter MIT Sloan in fall 2016.

“The professional opportunities for our graduates will be extensive,” says MIT Sloan Professor Dimitris Bertsimas, the co-director of the MIT Operations Research Center. “Companies from IBM to Dell to Amazon to Google are collectively investing billions of dollars in data collection to build models that help them make better, more informed decisions. This is a transformational moment in business and management science.”

Wharton administrators, meanwhile, have said the school has no plans to create a separate degree program, and aims instead to further integrate analytics content into its full-time MBA program.

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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

The MIT Sloan School of Management has announced the MBA application deadlines for the 2016-2017 admissions season. The application to the full-time MBA program will not include a traditional essay question this year; instead, the admissions team has come up with a new twist for Sloan aspirants.
Fall 2017 Deadlines
Round 1
Application due: September 15, 2016
Decision released: December 19, 2016

Round 2
Application due: January 17, 2017
Decision released: April 3, 2017

Round 3
Application due: April 10, 2017
Decision released: May 17, 2017
Fall 2017 Essay Alternative
“This year, instead of responding to an essay question,  we are asking applicants to submit a cover letter along with their resume. Your cover letter is an opportunity to introduce yourself, describe your past successes, and explain why MIT Sloan’s MBA Program is the right place for you.”

Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions. (250 words or fewer)

Optional Essay:
The Admissions Committee invites you to share additional information about yourself, in any format. If you choose a multimedia format, please host the information on a website and provide us with the URL.

Suggested guidelines:
Please keep all videos and media limited to 2:00 minutes total in length.
Please keep all written essays to 500 words or less.

The MIT Sloan application goes live on July 11, 2016. Please visit the admissions website for further details and directions.
Image credit: Vitor Pamplona (CC BY 2.0)


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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

Today we’re discussing a unique MBA option for mid-career professionals – an option to study in a full-time, immersive program with other professionals at the same level.

Joining us today are: Stephen Sacca, Director, MIT Sloan Fellows Program; Silvia McCalliser-Castillo, Director, London Business School EMBA-Global and Sloan Programmes; and Mike Hochleutner, Director, Stanford MSx Program. Welcome!

Why pursue mid-career graduate education in business? [3:00]
Stephen: It’s not easy to hit the pause button in an established career that’s gaining momentum, but it’s really to pause and reflect on what you’ve done and what you’d like to do. I think of it as a reflection year from a personal perspective.

Mike: The world has evolved a lot. People are marrying later, having children later, etc. And they’re going through more career transitions and working longer. The notion that early career training/education will train you for a full career isn’t as accurate as it once was.

Silvia: I absolutely agree. Careers are evolving – people are living longer and working longer. Our program is actually trending older (more years of experience). The opportunity to study with other mature students with a similar amount of experience is really compelling! Students gain exposure to new frames of reference, new industries, new ideas.

Can you give us an overview of your programs? [6:35]
Mike: These three programs have some common heritage. The program at MIT was started with the support of Alfred Sloan, the retired CEO of GM – a forward thinking CEO. The idea was to create a model of education for people who already had some experience, and the potential to run great companies on a global level.

Here at Stanford, our program is in its 60th year. The MSx program is one of only two grad programs in the b-school. We require a minimum of 8 years of work experience.
The MSx program is integrated with the FT MBA: for electives, MSx students have free rein within the GSB and the full university (you can take classes across the campus). We have a global and diverse cohort. We want to help students create a network they’ll draw on for the next 20, 30, 40 years.

Silvia: The LBS Sloan Fellows Programme is a master’s in leadership and strategy. Our students have, on average, 15-18 years’ experience (no less than 10 years), and their average age is 42-44. They take a core curriculum in cohort, all together: some of our areas of emphasis include globalization and strategy in a changing world. LBS has a lot of master’s programs, EMBA programs and partnership programs. Sloan students can take electives with the entire b-school, or with part time students.

Stephen: MIT’s Sloan Fellows Program is in its 87th year. Alfred P. Sloan started the program for people with exceptional potential to lead dynamic organizations. It’s a combination of academics and practice. We emphasize 3 pillars: Academics, leadership, and global perspective. We have 110 students from 35 countries. The minimum is 10 years’ experience, and the average is 14. Our cohort is 70% men and 30% women.

Mike: The minimum experience for Stanford’s MSx program is 8 years. We’re looking for people who have experience in a managerial role: people who have grappled with management challenges.

What is the application process? [13:50]
Silvia: At LBS, we have a unique process for the Sloan Fellows. First, we ask interested candidates to submit a copy of their CV and have a chat with a recruitment coordinator to see whether it’s a good fit. We don’t want to waste anyone’s time. If it’s not right, we may recommend another program at LBS, or waiting a few years to apply, or even applying to a different school. If it’s a good fit, we encourage them to apply. In terms of the application process, it’s an online form (essays, LORs), and they submit their scores from the GMAT or the new Executive Assessment.

[Do the other programs accept the Executive Assessment? MIT: talking about it! Stanford: GMAT or GRE is required.]

Silvia: The process continues with interviews. We’re looking for people who’ve had important responsibility. Our cohort is only about 50-60 people, so it’s important to get the class dynamic right!

Stephen: The process is similar for the Sloan Fellows at MIT. There’s a registration form on the website. We contact people who seem like a good fit and invite them for a campus visit. We also do global visits in the fall. We normally interview about 40% of the applicant pool. If applicants would be a better fit elsewhere, we often counsel them to consider other programs. Our cohort is about 110.

Mike: There are lots of opportunities for people to learn about the MSx program. We do an initial review to see if it’s a good fit, so people can assess before they go through the process. We’re looking for three things: 1. Demonstrated leadership and accomplishment (made an impact) 2. Intellectual vitality (aptitude and attitude) 3. Clarity of purpose. The third point is very important! This is a 1-year program. It’s important to know what you want to do with the program. If you don’t know what your plans are, you might spend the year going too many different directions.

We ask for essays, test scores, LORs. We also consider work experience. And we work hard to assess fit.

What kind of career services support does your program offer? [22:00]
Stephen: We have a shared career services office – within that office, we have people who have experience with executive level career searchers. We’re not seeking career changers, but if they come, we’ll give them what we can offer them. There’s no on-campus recruiting. But we provide coaching on resume development, how to approach the search, etc. And we have tailored help for international students. We expect students to be fully engaged in the program. We had 46% sponsorship this year, and we would like to increase that. If somebody’s looking to pivot, we’re happy to help them, but they have to have a plan.

Mike: The career situation for mid-career folks returning to school is a bit of a quandary. We made a choice: focusing entirely on sponsorship wasn’t in our interest. About 30% of our fellows are sponsored. We have a dedicated team in our career management center that works with our students and sees how they’re different from MBA students. We also work with our employer relations team to make sure they’re aware of our more experienced students. It’s very much a networking-based job search process. It can be a challenging cohort to work with from a career development perspective. But one of the things we can help give people is a set of skills.

Silvia: The LBS Sloan Fellows are a mix of sponsored students, entrepreneurs, and self-sponsored students looking for a change. We don’t have on-campus recruiting. But we work with our contacts to promote our students. And we teach our students to manage their careers. We provide career coaching, mentoring, and advice. Each student is expected to come in with a plan. And the coaching continues after graduation.

What kind of contact do students have with the wider b-school community? [35:45]
Silvia: During electives, our students might work alongside both fellow Sloan fellows with decades of experience and 23-year-old MiM students. We also promote social interaction through clubs and societies.

Stephen: MIT Sloan offers 10 degree programs; 56% of the courses the Sloan Fellows take are electives that are integrated with other students (other courses from the b-school, and the whole MIT campus – as well as Harvard). Our competitions engage the full campus. And every year we have the 1 Sloan Initiative, to bring the school together.

Mike: The GSB has 150 electives for the MBA and MSx programs. And about 15% of the required units can be taken across the full campus, in any division (engineering, education, etc).

How would you coach somebody deciding between the MBA and MSx? [39:20]
Mike: They’re similar in terms of content. What’s different is the individual learning process. (For example, there are smaller sections in the MSx.) Some people want a 2-year program. The core of the MSx is that it’s building on what they’ve already done. If you have over 10 years of experience, that’s what they probably should be doing. We let people make the choice in terms of what’s most appropriate for them. If I think they can get more from another program, I’ll direct them in that way.

MIT has a full menu of programs – who should choose what? [42:50]
Stephen: We’re up-front: we share our portfolio of programs so people can see which program will be most appropriate for them. We’re up-front about our minimum criteria. We don’t encourage people to apply to both the Sloan Fellows and the MBA.

How do you help people determine which LBS program is right for them? [44:30]
Silvia: A lot of Sloans already have an advanced degree. Often, people who choose the Sloan program over an EMBA are people who are looking for a full-time degree.
We encourage people to talk to their employer if they’re hesitating between the EMBA and Sloan Fellows. Sloan is differentiating more and more from other programs. A lot of EMBAs are hoping to accelerate their careers. And we’re finding that Sloans are looking to take a step back, think about their legacy – many are considering entrepreneurship or other pivots (social enterprise, etc).

What do you consider the strengths of your specific programs? [48:00]
Stephen: Sloan is the business brain of MIT, where we have unparalleled strength in science and engineering. We’re also in a densely populated university environment in Boston-Cambridge, which provides a unique environment.

Mike: The strength is Stanford. It’s a unique school and a unique environment at the heart of the innovation economy – it places students in a special ecosystem in Silicon Valley, amid innovative companies in every industry. It’s a global center of innovation.

Silvia: For us, the London experience is critical. London is a world city with a global outlook. We just set a Guinness World Record for a song sung in the most languages here at LBS – and it wasn’t even difficult. This was the first non-US business school to have the top-ranked MBA program.

Can you tell us about a recent grad doing great things? 53:45
Silvia: We had a recent student from Northern Spain who wanted to grow his network in the UK for entrepreneurship. He invested in a classmate’s startup (she’s from Mexico and had been working in the US). It was such a great story of people working together who wouldn’t have met except for the program.

Mike: We had a couple of students, one from a tech background and another from consumer marketing, who were in class, and talking about how social norms can be as motivating as financial incentives when it comes to paying back loans. This led to the idea behind SoFI. A team of 4 students raised $50K in seed money from their classmates, then $70 million after graduation. And now the company is the largest financer of student loans, and it’s moved into mortgages, and is valued at $4 billion. From an insight they had during the program and their work together, this is what they created. It’s not a typical story! But a phenomenal one.

Stephen: A couple of recent grads – one from the US and one from Mexico – had sold their ventures before coming to Sloan. They did a joint thesis, and have now launched a new venture with several of our faculty members on the advisory board. Funding is looking very promising! The program allows people who have mid-career experience to harness their opportunities in ways other people might not see.

The importance of the immersive experience: it gives participants a chance to unplug, but also a chance to get skills (strategy, leadership), along with perspective. [60:50]

Can you share one piece of advice for prospective applicants? [61:55]
Stephen: Be very clear on your objectives and how the program will help. We take the essays very seriously. We want to know why you’re interested in this program, and why now – your real interest and motivation. This year we’re adding a short video.

Silvia: I agree completely! Also: talk to alumni. Sometimes people have forgotten what it’s like to be a student and underestimate how difficult it can be to return to school. Get a sense of what it’s like.

Mike: One of the criteria we look at is clarity of purpose. This is not a program for people who’re trying to decide what they want to be when they grow up. Set priorities. And get clarity in order to explore the program and also get the most out of it.



Related Links:
• MIT Sloan Fellows
• Stanford MSx
• London Business School Sloan Fellows
• EMBA 101

Related Shows:
• A Transformational Year: The MIT Sloan Fellows Program
• Insights into MIT Sloan MBA Admissions with Dawna Levenson
• The Stanford MSx Program for Experienced Leaders
• SoFi: Alumni Funded Student Loans
• The Scoop on the London Business School MiM Program
• How to Become a Corporate Executive
• Excellent Executive MBA Admissions Advice
• The Wharton Executive MBA Program: An Insider’s View

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This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help you get accepted!

In my experience assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants for over a decade (Successes every year, and last year all of my MIT Sloan Fellows clients were accepted), I have seen consistently that the adcom values applicants who, among other things, demonstrate consistent outstanding impact and are on track to become leaders in their company and even industry (“high performing” per the MIT SF website). While your application as a whole should convey these points about you, the essays are an ideal opportunity to make the case affirmatively and directly, with example and detail.

Simultaneously, use the essays to convey fit with MIT Sloan’s enduring emphasis on being a proactive, innovative leader and agent of change – as the Sloan Fellows’ website says, “individuals who aren’t satisfied with the status quo and have demonstrated their ability to effect change.”

The essays together should create a vibrant, holistic view of your candidacy:
• The Statement of Objectives, which serves as a lens and sets the context for understanding your candidacy

• Two “story” essays delving into different aspects of your experience – at least one of these should be relatively recent, to strategically show you performing at your highest level organizationally

• A video essay focusing on (for most applicants certainly) a non-work aspect of your life and showing how you engage people personally.

As you select your essay topics and prepare the essays, keep this holistic picture in mind – especially important given the expectation that each MIT Sloan Fellow contribute substantially and distinctively among highly accomplished peers.

ESSAYS

Statement of Objectives: What are your immediate and ultimate professional objectives and, specifically, how will the MIT Sloan Fellows Program help you to achieve them?  What unique contributions will you bring to enrich the experience and diversity of the Sloan Fellows community? (500 words or less, limited to one page)

Let’s break this question into its three parts:

First, your professional objectives. Be specific about position, company/industry, expected scope of responsibilities, and vision for what you want to accomplish. Give more detail for the 1-5 year segment. For the longer term goals, show direction – but not as detailed.

Second, your objectives’ fit with the program. Identify and describe specific aspects of your objectives that align with the values and purposes of the program. Focus on the 2-3 key elements of this fit – fewer, with thoughtful discussion, is far better than a “laundry list” of fit points.

Third, your potential contributions to the community. Again, focus on the 2-3 key aspects. “Unique background” certainly could refer to professional background, and it can also include other relevant, interesting factors and experiences if they represent a potential contribution, such as intimate knowledge of a poorly represented geographic region. This section can be tricky – interesting facts alone don’t show potential contribution; you need to add your insight to make it meaningful; after all, that’s really what you’ll be bringing to the table.

Essay 1:

Think about an instance when you were on a team which did not work well together. What challenges did you face and what did you learn from this experience? (500 words or less, limited to one page)

In selecting a story for this essay, keep the focus on the difficult team dynamics. In addition, be strategic – look for a story that shows an aspect of your work that is particularly interesting and/or impactful and/or represents diversity in some way and/or impressive. (Keep in mind essay 2 to ensure you are portraying different elements.)

Use a story-based structure, which is both efficient and engaging for the reader. First, set the scene briefly – what, where, when, who – and clarify what was at stake for the team. Next, narrate the story, clarifying your specific role in the events. The challenges you faced should be woven into the story. Provide your perspective at key moments: what were you thinking, feeling, saying. Conclude the story with the team’s results.

After the story, add a short paragraph reflecting on what you learned from the experience. I recommend 1-3 points derived specifically from the story. Avoid generic lessons here.  And ideally add a sentence or two noting how you applied one of those lessons subsequently.

Essay 2:
Please describe a time when you made a significant positive impact to an organization that demonstrates your ability to lead. (500 words or less, limited to one page)

When you discuss a “significant positive impact” for a MIT Sloan essay, I suggest finding one that is “bottom line plus.” By that I mean, one you can quantify in some way or for some aspect, but that also extends beyond mere numbers to include change, even in some small way. And this change will likely be related to your demonstrated ability to lead.

Here too (as in essay 1), follow a straightforward story approach to structure the essay –make it a story of your leadership. Use your leadership role as the lens for telling the story. Unlike essay 1, you do not need to include anything about what you learned. I’ve found that it’s almost intuitive for people to add that that the end (“What I learned from this experience is…”) even when it’s not asked. I’ve found pretty consistently that with only 500 words and a compelling story, it’s a much more powerful to just end, if additional reflection isn’t requested. It lets the story reverberate, and it conveys confidence.

Video Essay:

Please choose one of the questions below, and upload a video (90 second maximum) of you responding to the question.
• What are you passionate about?

• Tell us something that we would be surprised to learn about you.

• What do you like to do for fun?

Video can be uploaded on the Multimedia tabVideo: .avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv

In deciding your topic, respond to the “tone” of the question – it’s kind of begging for something that will make the viewer of the video smile. It doesn’t have to be hilarity – it can be a warm smile or a delighted smile or a charmed smile or a moved smile or a surprised smile.

You can certainly, with an effective presentation, simply discuss your chosen topic on the video. Given the wording of the question, “…of you responding to the question…,” you must be in it and should be the key visual component. But since it’s a visual medium, you could, and I believe should, if the topic warrants, show some aspect of your topic as well (e.g. if you’re discussing your hands-on restoration of an old farmhouse in answer to “tell us something we would be surprised to learn about you,” set the video in the location and walk us through). Keep in mind that it is a visual presentation, not just an essay spoken aloud.

If you aren’t accustomed to doing video presentations, practice and expect to put some effort into visual elements like background and lighting. Keep the background simple, clean, and uncluttered. Have the light behind the camera and shining on you.

Additional Information (a separate question in the application):

Please use this section to include any additional information that you believe is important for the Program to have when evaluating your application that you have not been able to address elsewhere.

If needed, use this space to address a weakness in your profile or qualifications. You can also use it to explain things that are not weaknesses but still need explaining (lack of recommendation from a boss or gap in resume for understandable reason). This question also allows you to discuss a diversity element in your personal background or simply some unique – and relevant -- area of interest.

***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***

MIT Sloan Fellows Deadlines:






By Cindy Tokumitsu, author and co-author of numerous ebooks, articles, and special reports, including Why MBA and Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One. Cindy has advised hundreds of successful applicants in her fifteen years with Accepted.

 
Related Resources:

• Best MBA Programs: A Guide to Selecting the Right One [Free Guide]
• MIT Sloan 2016-17 MBA Essay Tips & Deadlines
• Individual Mobile Test Prep and the MIT Sloan MBA Who Created It [Episode 156]

This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help you get accepted!

Looking for the best possible admissions advice?

How about admissions advice from the admission committee members themselves?

Linda Abraham, founder of Accepted and host of the Admissions Straight Talk podcast has a collection of highly enlightening interviews with directors of admissions and adcom members of top business schools!

Listen in as Linda asks her adcom guests pointed and to-the-point questions about the school, the admissions process, how to get in, and…how to get rejected.

Listen, enjoy, and apply successfully!

Columbia Business School
Emily French Thomas, Director of Admissions

Yale School of Management
Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean and Director of Admissions

USC Marshall
Keith Vaughn, Former Assistant Dean of Admissions

Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business
Shari Hubert, Associate Dean of Admissions and Doreen Amorosa, Associate Dean and Managing Director of Career Management


UCLA Anderson
Jessica Chung, Associate Director of Admissions 

MIT Sloan
Dawna Levenson, Director of Admissions

Rotman School of Management
Niki da Silva, Recruitment & Admissions Director

Tuck School of Business
Dawna Clarke, Director of Admissions

Univ. of Michigan’s Ross School of Business
Diana Economy, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, and Terry Nelidov, Managing Director of the Erb Institute for Global Sustainable Enterprise

The Fuqua School of Business
Liz Riley Hargrove, Associate Dean for Admissions

HEC Paris
Philippe Oster, Director of Communication, Development and Admissions

Johnson at Cornell University
Ann Richards, Associate Director of Admissions and Director of Financial Aid

For a varied menu of thought-provoking and informative conversations with business leaders, entrepreneurs, MBA students, and more, check out the Admissions Straight Talk Podcast:

Subscribe:







This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.

Applying to a top b-school? The talented folks at Accepted have helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to their dream programs. Whether you are figuring out where to apply, writing your application essays, or prepping for your interviews, we are just a call (or click) away.

Contact us, and get matched up with the consultant who will help you get accepted!

Round 1 applicants, get ready for your interviews! Whether you’ve already received an interview invitation or are hoping to get an invite over the next few weeks, you want to make sure you’re prepared to do your best when the big day arrives.

With that in mind, Jennifer Barba, associate director of admissions at MIT Sloan School of Management, has shared a video with tips and insight regarding MBA interviews at Sloan, which she calls a critical piece of the evaluation process.

Candidates will meet with a professional member of the admissions team, not alumni, and should plan to spend 30-45 minutes discussing both data in their application as well as answering three or four behavioral questions. An example of this type of question is: “Tell me about a situation where you had a difficult interaction with a team member.”

“Interviewing candidates is my favorite part of the evaluation process,” says Barba, and she urges applicants to talk about things that are different than what you shared in the written application. When you ask questions, she adds, make sure they are more thoughtful than what you can find in the FAQs on the website.

Here at SBC, we advise clients to begin their interview prep by learning your application backwards and forwards and crystallize your professional goals and motivations. Then, ask yourself these key questions:

• Can I clearly articulate my career plan and future goals?
• What is my motivation to obtain an MBA?
• How do I plan to use my MBA in my career?
• What do I really want from my MBA experience?
• Why is X business school the right place for me?
• What can I bring to this MBA community?
• Where do I see myself in 5, 10 or 15 years?

You should be prepared to mention school-specific examples of courses, clubs, and other aspects of the curriculum that fit with your career goals. In short, do your homework and refresh your memory of School X’s program before your interview!

Finally, don’t forget to send your interviewer a thank-you note or email no later than the following day.

Our parting advice: be yourself. You want the admissions committee to admit you for who you really are.
You may also be interested in:
Application Advice from MIT Sloan MBA Students



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If you are looking for guidance on your MBA application, Stacy Blackman Consulting can help with hourly and comprehensive consulting services. Contact us to learn more. Visit the website for Stacy Blackman Reviews, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school-by-school guidance.

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: MIT Sloan 2017-18 MBA & LGO Application Deadlines

Happy Summer! We’re excited to announce our 2017-2018 MBA application deadlines and decision dates:   MBA Deadline MBA Decisions Released Round One September 25, 2017 December 19, 2017 Round Two January 17, 2018 April 3, 2018 Round Three April 9, 2018 May 14, 2018 Our application will be going live later this summer (think mid to late July) and we’ll be sharing additional tips and information in the months to come. We have made some changes to our application, so please check our website for further details and directions! For those applying to our dual-degree LGO Program, we are excited to announce two separate application deadlines for this year. For more information on the LGO application process, please visit the LGO website.   LGO Deadline LGO Decisions Released Round One September 25, 2017 By December 19, 2017 Round Two December 4, 2017 March 2, 2018 Our admissions team is hitting the road soon with a busy summer recruiting calendar. We hope to see you at one of our events this summer!

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: Master of Finance and Master of Business Analytics: 2017-18 Application Deadlines

We’re excited to announce our 2017-2018 Master of Finance (MFin) and Master of Business Analytics (MBAn) application deadlines and decision dates: Application Deadline Decisions Released MFin January 4, 2018 March 5, 2018 MBAn January 9, 2018 March 8, 2018 Our applications for each program will be going live later this summer (think early August) and we’ll be sharing additional tips and information in the months to come. We are expecting some application updates for both programs, so keep checking our MFin website and MBAn website for further details and directions! July 4th Office hours: We’d also like to let you know that our Office of Admissions will be closed on Monday, July 3 through Tuesday July, 4. We’ll resume normal business hours on Wednesday, July 5. Have a safe and fun 4th of July!

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: MBA 2017-18 Application: Three Tips for the MIT Sloan MBA Application

Our MBA application is now live, and you may have noticed that there are some changes to this year’s application. I’d like to take a moment to highlight some of those updates and provide a few tips for navigating the application process: We have expanded the Cover Letter instructions and increased word count We have provided some additional guidance around this year’s Cover Letter and bumped up our word count to 300…We know you are excited about that extra space! We are asking that you please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program taking into account the personal characteristics that we value most at MIT Sloan. Tip: Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria stated in the cover letter instructions! [*] We are utilizing the GMAT Common Letter of Recommendation form [/list] This year we will be using the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation form, which includes a set of competency ratings and a number of open-ended questions that your recommenders should address around work performance, personal strengths, and areas for development. Tip: Choose your recommenders wisely! Pick those individuals who know you and your work best and can explain in detail why you are good candidate for an MBA. We also suggest meeting with each of your recommenders — Take them to coffee and talk with them about why you’re pursuing an MBA and why you chose to apply to MIT Sloan. [*] We have introduced a Video Statement [/list] We have introduced a video statement submission as part of the online application process. This will be required of all candidates and will ask you to “Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.” Videos should be a single take (no editing) lasting no more than one minute. You can use an application such as QuickTime or iMovie to record yourself. Tip: Be yourself! Be authentic! We are using this video to further assess your fit with MIT Sloan and to gather additional insight into your personality, presence, and passions! The question is designed for us to get to know you better! Stay tuned for a few new application tip videos in August featuring our admissions staff! We also hope to see you on the road this summer!

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: Sloan Fellows One Year MBA: Four Tips for the 2017-18 Application

Our Sloan Fellows application is now live, and you may have noticed that there are some changes to this year’s application. I’d like to take a moment to highlight some of those updates and provide a few tips for navigating the application process: We have two required essays – one of which is a Cover letter Explain why you are seeking a place in the MIT Sloan Fellows Program. Share your immediate and long term professional objectives and how the MIT Sloan Fellows Program will help you to achieve them. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence and should include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria. Tip: Be authentic. There are no right or wrong answers. These questions were designed to give the admissions committee a chance to get to know you – so tell us about yourself. [*] We are requiring all applicants to submit a valid GMAT, GRE, or EA (Executive Assessment) Score [/list] GMAC has introduced the Executive Assessment (EA) designed specifically for applicants to executive MBA programs. If you do not already have a valid GMAT or GRE score, we recommend taking the EA. Tip: Study. Spend the time studying for the exam so that it accurately reflects your abilities. If you find yourself having difficulty studying for this exam – ask yourself if you are ready to spend a year in a classroom.  [*] We are utilizing the GMAT Common Letter of Recommendation form [/list] This year we will be using the GMAC Common Letter of Recommendation form, which includes a set of competency ratings and a number of open-ended questions that your recommenders should address around work performance, personal strengths, and areas for development. Tip: Choose your recommenders wisely! Pick those individuals who know you and your work best and can explain in detail why you are good candidate for the Sloan Fellows Program. We also suggest meeting with each of your recommenders — Take them to coffee and talk with them about why you’re pursuing an MBA at this stage in your career and why you chose to apply to the MIT Sloan Fellows Program. [*] We have modified the Video Statement [/list] We have modified the video statement submission from previous years. This will be required of all candidates and will ask you to “Please introduce yourself to your future classmates via a brief video statement.” Videos should be a single take (no editing) lasting no more than one minute. You can use an application such as QuickTime or iMovie to record yourself. Tip: Be yourself! Be authentic! We are using this video to further assess your fit with the MIT Sloan Fellows Program and to gather additional insight into your personality, presence, and passions! The question is designed for us to get to know you better! To learn more about the MIT Sloan Fellows Program, join us at an upcoming admissions event near you!

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: Advice for MBA Applicants: How to Master the Video Statement

We welcomed our new Class of 2019 this past week, and it was amazing and inspiring to see this group of 404 students come together for the first time!  Round 1 deadlines for the Class of 2020 are right around the corner. Questions are streaming into our office about our new video statement (pun intended)! A few helpful words of advice that will hopefully help ease your concerns: Try to relax! This simple, open-ended question is designed to help us get to know you better, so take a deep breath and tell us about yourself! What are you passionate about? What are the most important things you would like for your classmates to know about you? There is no right or wrong answer! We will evaluate your response to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. Don’t have the directorial excellence of George Lucas or the epic, dragon-filled storyline of the Game of Thrones season finale? Doesn’t matter! Again, we care about you and your own story! So go ahead and tell us! This is for our eyes only…Your video will be used for application purposes and will not be shared outside our Admissions Committee. Watch this video if you are looking for insight (or just general reassurance) about your video statement. A few technical points… You will need to use an internet-connected computer with a webcam and microphone.  Videos should be a single take (with no editing) and should last no more than one minute. Please speak directly to the camera. We recommend using an application like QuickTime or iMovie. Stay tuned for additional application tip videos coming soon! We look forward to receiving those applications! Dawna Levenson

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: MBA Round 1 Application Updates: Interview Invitation Dates & Process

Our Admissions Committee is busy reviewing Round 1 applications for the MBA Class of 2020! Now that you’ve spent many hours working on those applications and have finally hit “submit,” you may be wondering, what happens now?… An interview is an important next step in our admissions process, and we meet with everyone who is admitted. The goal of the interview is to personally get to know you better and to hear more about your story and background. Interview invites will be sent by 2 PM ET on the following dates: Thursday, October 5, 2017 Thursday, October 12, 2017 Thursday, October 19, 2017 Thursday, October 26, 2017 Thursday, November 2, 2017 (By end of day, all Round 1 applicants will receive either an interview invitation or final decision) We expect to interview around 20% – 25% of the Round 1 applicant pool. For Round 1, we plan to conduct interviews in approximately 15 cities around the world, as well as on campus. The location of the interview will not be a decision factor, but for those who can make it to campus, we host special programming for interviewees, including lunch with current students and a class visit. Please note that all applicants invited to interview have the option to come to Cambridge for their interview. Some things to keep in mind: Interview invitations are sent based on our interviewers’ travel schedules, and not in any preferential order! If invited for an interview, you will receive an MIT Sloan Interview Guide with details on how to best prepare for the Behavioral Interview This is not a stress interview, so don’t panic! The interviews are conversational and are meant for us to get to know you on a deeper, more personal level. Interviews are conducted by members of the Admissions Committee only. We don’t use alumni or current students in the evaluation process. We’ll plan to post another blog with interviewing tips soon, so keep an eye out for that! Please contact us if you have any further questions!

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: MBA Round 1 Interview Insights

Starting this week, we are entering one of my favorite times of year – interview season! From your perspective, this is likely a time filled with anxious excitement a bit of nervousness, but I speak on behalf of my entire team… we cannot wait to meet you! For those of you preparing for interviews, our goal is to continue getting to know you and your story better. We use a Behavioral Interview model to assess candidates for the MBA program. Our interviewer will spend 30-45 minutes asking questions about your past experiences to better learn how you think, act, and reflect. Check out my video with additional information on what to expect during the interview process. Here’s a quick recap with some important tips on the interview: Your interviewer will have reviewed your application prior to meeting with you, so come prepared with stories and examples that you did not discuss within your written application. Ask important & thoughtful questions that are meaningful to you! (Hint: if the answer can be easily found on the website, it may not be the best question to ask.) Dress for success! Do your research prior to the interview!…We are not only assessing your past experiences but also your fit with, and enthusiasm for MIT Sloan. Don’t stress! We are simply looking to gather even more information about you to supplement your application and to help support your candidacy for MIT Sloan! Sincerely, Dawna Levenson

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: 3 Best Tips When Applying to MIT Sloan’s Master of Business Analytics Program

(The Master of Business Analytics application deadline is January 9, 2018. Apply here.) It’s December, which means one thing for us here in the MIT Sloan Admissions office: application season is in full swing. One of the highlights for me? The day AFTER the January 9th Master of Business Analytics (MBAn) application deadline, when we start reading applications. We look forward to building the next class of data-enthusiasts who will bring their talents to our Sloan community, and to organizations around the world. When we review your application, we want to learn about you – your academic knowledge, your analytics experiences, and your goals for a career in data science. If you have already started your MBAn application, you might have some questions about how our Admissions team will review the application components. In our latest application tips video, Jennifer Barba, Senior Associate Director of Admissions, explains and offers some insight: A few takeaways and additional tips: Essay questions: We want to know about a project that best represents your abilities. This can be from either work or school. In addition to knowing WHAT you did, we also want to know HOW you did it. Focus on process. Video question: This part of the application is not about technical knowledge. We use this to get to know you in a different way. A question might be, “What do you do for fun?” Relax and show your personality! Optional Question: Consider whether or not there is anything else we should know about you, and if so, use the Optional Question space to share it with us. Some applicants might use this space to add additional context to their undergraduate performance. Others might use it as a different outlet to introduce themselves. That being said, it is truly optional. If you feel like the other components of the application show off your talents, you do not need to submit anything. If you have additional questions about your application, check out our FAQ, send us an email or give us a call 617-258-5434. Happy and Healthy New Year! Dawna

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: Applying to MIT Sloan’s Master of Finance Program: What Happens After You Hit Submit?

You submitted your Master of Finance application – congratulations! That is definitely a significant milestone! Our MFin Admissions committee is already busy. As we review your application, we are looking to learn about your academic ability, your passion for finance, and your leadership and teamwork skills.  I imagine you are probably eager to find out more about the evaluation process and start preparing for the next step. In mid-January to early February, we will email interview invitations to a subset of applicants. Interview invitations are sent in no particular order, so try not to stress (easier said than done, I know!). I would like to share some interview tips with you: Preparing for the Interview: There are two main areas of focus for an MFin interview:  one section will have questions focused on your personal attributes and the other section will have questions about your career aspirations. Here are some ways you can prepare: Be ready to provide additional context to experiences you have previously shared AND discuss additional examples not included in your written application. Practice talking about what you have learned from your experiences. Focus on highlighting your own qualities and experiences. There will be no technical questions. We will ask about your aspirations for a career in finance. Be prepared to share the work you have done in finance related jobs / projects.  Be prepared to ask a few questions about the MFin Program and/or the MFin experience. Remember, there are no tricks, just bring your authentic self. After the Interview: Our Admissions Committee will notify interviewees of their final decisions on or before Monday, March 5, 2018. We look forward to getting to know you better and helping you learn what MIT Sloan is all about. Dawna

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: How to Prepare for MIT Sloan’s Master of Business Analytics Interview Process

Thank you for submitting your application to the Master of Business Analytics Class of 2019! I have to say, we are extremely impressed by the academic accomplishments and professional ambitions shared in the applications we have read so far. In late-January to early February, we will be sending emails to invite a subset of applicants to participate in a 30-minute interview with a member of our admissions committee. An interview is a required step in the process and receiving an invitation is a great sign that you’ve moved to an advanced standing in the application process. Interviews will be held on campus here in Cambridge and in several hub cities around the world. Those of you who opt to come to campus will be able to attend a class and have lunch with current MBAn students. This is a great way for you to get a better sense of the vibrant Sloan culture and community. During the interview, we are looking to learn more about your intellectual ability and problem-solving skills, as well as your passion for business analytics. My colleague, Jennifer Barba, shares some information about the interview format and questions: Here’s a quick recap: We will ask a few technical questions. Our goal is to get a deeper sense of how you might utilize statistics, probability, math, or computer-science fundamentals to navigate a hypothetical situation. We will ask some behavioral questions. An example might be “Tell me about a situation where you had to work with someone you found to be challenging or difficult.” With this question, we are looking to understand how you work with other people. We will ask about your career goals. Our goal is to understand how you plan to use your MIT Sloan MBAn degree to achieve your specific professional goals. Always be prepared to ask questions. Think beyond information that is already available on the website. After interviewing, all applicants will be notified of their decision by Thursday, March 8, 2018. Dawna

FROM Sloan Admissions Blog: MBA Round 2 Application Updates: Interview Invitation Dates & Process

Thank you to all of our Round 2 MBA applicants! I know how much time and effort goes into completing each part of the application. Thank you for sharing your accomplishments, experiences and introduction to your future classmates with us. While our Admissions Committee is in the midst of reviewing all applications, here’s an update on what you can expect next: Interview invites will be sent via email by 3 PM ET on Thursday, February 22, 2018 and Thursday, March 1, 2018. Applicants who do not receive invitations to interview will also be notified by 3 PM ET on Thursday, March 1. Interviews will take place throughout March on campus and in cities around the world. Applicants who opt to come to campus for their interview will be able to sit in on a class and meet current students. No matter where you interview, one of our goals is to help you walk away with a better sense of what it means to be an MIT Sloan MBA student. A note to all waitlisted students from Round 1: we will continue to revisit and review your application for consideration in Round 2. Applicants invited to an interview should check out the tips I shared in my recent MBA Round 1 Interview Insights post. All interviewees will be notified of their final decision by Tuesday, April 3, 2018. Thank you for allowing us to be part of your MBA journey! Thanks, Dawna