Sloan (MIT) Class of 2016 Calling all applicants

Agreed. At a prospective applicant event, I was told the open-ended question is nearly mandatory. I completed it and you can see that it worked out for me (I wrote an essay, but it was the best I had). Do note, though, that some of my classmates got in without submitting anything for the optional answer.

Nicely executed, kingfalcon! A well-written essay can definitely add value, as you have proven.

Yup, we've heard Sloan Admissions say something similar too. It's another one of those cases where you gain so much from attending an event - it would be sorta nice if they were more forthcoming on the website about the importance of this puppy, but at the same time, knowing that schools share such guidance during their info sessions is certainly a strong motivation to attend them - they have strong ROI.
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I would also suggest that everyone does the optional essay. I did not do it and I was wait listed. I eventually got in but that was after a couple of months and a lot of extra work that I put into get off the wait list. Would I have gotten in right away if I did the optional essay, maybe, maybe not, who knows. However, if you do it, you will not have to ask yourself that question.

Ooo that is such good advice PNW - coming from a place of hard-won wisdom. The regret that people feel late in the process when things don't pan out as they'd hoped can be very painful. It's one reason that so many reapplicants are so successful - they pull out all the stops the second time around. Glad to see it didn't come to that for you!
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From today's online chat with Sloan Admissions re: Optional Answer:

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Is this my first post?

Just went to a Sloan on the Road event today in Taipei. What a great group of down to earth people. The admissions people were very friendly, and the alum were incredibly willing to help answer questions and showed such enthusiasm for the school. I ran into my high school buddy's brother and found out just today that he was a Sloanie class of 99. Before I was only mildly curious about the school, but now it's going to be one of my top choices. Count me in for R1!

For the optional essay/video/blog, do you really feel that they will go through a blog if a link is provided??? A blog can contain tons of information about an individual. AdCom can pretty quickly get a feel of the individual by reading a blog.

Is the online application open yet? I just checked and did not see any selectable options in the app.

Same case for me...I've checked a few times this week. No selectable options, and last year's deadlines are still up. They did say the app would be up around mid-July, so hopefully it'll work by the end of this week. I also saw that the "create an account" option is gone, so they're probably re-working the system.

Anyone know when the online application is going to be live? When I logged in, I only saw a comment about 2013 entry.

I can't access the application either. I thought I was doing something wrong so I submitted a technical support trouble ticket with the administrator of the application. Their response was, "The online application is currently being updated, and the institution has made the site unavailable at this time. You may check the application login page periodically for a status."

I am still a bit confused as to what they mean when they say "in any format". For something like blogs or photo galleries, do we just provide a link? Hmm maybe when the application opens, there will be more guidance?

Fellow applicants --

For essay 1, do you think MIT is looking to hear one specific story that demonstrates how one can contribute to advancing its mission, with detailed description of how one handled situation, thoughts and conclusion, or can we answer the question more broadly through various examples with less details about each?

I think a better approach is to provide 2 or 3 examples and tie them with MIT's mission.

Hi,
how important a factor is GPA for Sloan admissions?
I come a very competitive pool of applicants (Indian male)
I have graduated from one of the top 5 engineering colleges in India, but my GPA is only 6.53/10.
Can this be overcome by a good GMAT score?

@nksbits, a mediocre GPA can't be "overcome" by a good GMAT but it does help. To some degree it matters how long ago your college days were and also if there were any extenuating circumstances. The fact that you went to a top school also helps; sometimes grades received from an unranked institution are informally marked down by the adcoms when evaluating candidates, and the opposite is also true. MIT and most top schools care about college grades. Your grades are borderline but maybe not in trouble territory.

EssaySnark
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It is tough for Indian applicants to overcome a low GPA. Especially, at elite schools like Sloan. There will always be enough number of Indian male students applying who had a decent gpa and a great work experience.

GMAT won't necessarily overcome your low gpa because of the pool you come from. But, it won't hurt to get a good one.

I'm no expert, but I have a hunch that building additional transcripts etc. is not a very viable option for Indian candidates.

What you may (should) do:
1.) explain extenuating circumstances - why was your gpa that low?
2.) Highlight other parts of your app that are super solid.

Not discouraging you to apply. Giving you ideas to mitigate the low gpa barrier.

@essaysnark and jumsumtak
Thanks for the quick response.
How much does displaying leadership in sports related activities help while applying to top schools?
I led my college team to winners position in a national level sports event.
Do I have any competitive advantage for having done this?

That's a double-edged sword. Yes, it displays teamwork and leadership, and that's always valuable... but it implies that you cared only for sport and not for the whole reason you were in school, which was to get an education (priorities were off). It really doesn't help in the context of trying to explain a low GPA. We discussed this before on the EssaySnark blahg:

* Low GPA + lots of leadership in undergrad = optional essay
* essay critique: optional essay low GPA (sorry that one is behind the paywall)

Hopefully those help you see how to handle this.
EssaySnark
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