In my decade-plus of assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants (successes every year!), I have seen 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 in their industry (“Exhibit exceptional leadership performance, functional expertise, and a commitment to leading innovation” per the MIT Sloan Fellows website). While your application as a whole will convey these points about you, the cover letter and video statement present ideal opportunities to make the case affirmatively, directly, and vividly, with examples and details strategically chosen.
Optimizing your MIT Sloan Fellows cover letter and video statement
Use the cover letter and video to convey fit with MIT Sloan’s enduring emphasis on admitting students who will be proactive, innovative leaders and agents of change. These items together should create a vibrant, multifaceted view of your candidacy:
- The cover letter serves as a lens, sets the context for understanding your candidacy, and, through the requested examples, delves (albeit briefly) into your experience.
- The video essay is your chance to show your fit with your prospective classmates, your understanding of what value you bring to them, and your social and emotional IQ. This last is important because the adcom wants people who, while being amazing in multiple ways, also can connect with people. Sloan Fellows students are expected to contribute substantially and distinctively among highly accomplished peers.
MIT Sloan Fellows cover letter
This global leadership development program is a 12-month, full-time executive MBA program designed to prepare an elite group of global mid-career managers with the management skills necessary to magnify their impact as leaders and innovators. Our guiding principles are to help you develop critical skills essential for future leaders; to instill a spirit of innovation through exceptional opportunities at Sloan and across MIT; to foster a deep spirit of community among fellows; to provide a breadth of electives and depth through one-on-one relationships with senior faculty; and to offer flexible curriculum to allow you to tailor the program to meet your specific professional objectives. We accomplish this by maintaining a foundation in our three pillars of: leadership, innovation and global perspective.
Taking the above into consideration please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA Program. Please share your short and long-term professional objectives and how the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA program will help you to achieve them. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria and be addressed to the Assistant Deans of Admissions, Rod Garcia and Dawna Levenson (500 words or less).
Let’s break this question into three parts:
- Your professional objectives. Be specific about position, company/industry, expected scope of responsibilities, and vision for what you want to accomplish – this vision (your motivation) is what animates the goals discussion. Give more detail for the short-term goals; for the longer-term goal, show direction, but less detail.
- Your fit with the program. Identify and describe specific aspects of your professional objectives that align with the program’s offerings and resources. Focus on the 2-3 key elements of this fit and discuss them thoughtfully. Avoid a “laundry list” of points.
- Examples that show you meet the desired criteria. MIT is always interested in what you’ve done (action, not talk) as evidence of what you’ll do – so present 1 or 2 brief, specific examples (at least one fairly recent) of your actions that show how well you meet the stated criteria. Use these examples strategically by selecting ones that let you zoom in on notable, relevant aspects of your experience, expertise, and/or character.
MIT Sloan Fellows video statement
Applicants are required to upload a 1 minute (60 second) video as part of their application. In your video, you should introduce yourself to your future classmates, tell us about your past experiences, and touch on why MIT Sloan is the best place for you to pursue your degree.
Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:
- No more than 1 minute (60 second) in length
- Single take (no editing)
- You should be speaking directly to the camera
- Do not include background music or subtitles
Upload the video file according to the detailed instructions within the application. We support the following file formats:.avi, .flv, .m1v, .m2v, .m4v, .mkv, .mov, .mpeg, .mpg, .mp4, .webm, .wmv. Apple ProRes is not currently supported. If uploading a .mov, please use an alternate codec.
Should you experience difficulties uploading your file, please ensure that you’re using a modern web browser (Chrome, Firefox, or Safari) on the fastest wired internet connection available. An intermittent or slow internet connection can cause uploads to timeout.
First, keep your dual audience in mind: the hypothetical future classmates cited in the question AND the very real adcom. You need to present an effective elevator pitch to the former that also enhances your candidacy to the latter. Your future classmates will not know your resume, so include a professional snapshot, but keep the facts short (as they are redundant of other application info) and leaven them with the “why” behind the story – what propelled you onto this path. That “why” should be consistent with but not redundant of the cover letter). Include possibly also a key non-work point or two, and these topics will vary person to person – they could be a compelling formative experience, unique geographic or cultural background, important avocation or activity, etc. For this latter part, think about (a) what will differentiate and distinguish you, and (b) what will represent a contribution in some way.
If you aren’t accustomed to doing video presentations, practice and put some effort into visual elements like background and lighting. Keep the background simple, clean, and uncluttered. Have the light somewhere behind the camera and shining on you. Dress professionally.
For expert guidance with your MIT Sloan Fellows MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to MIT Sloan Fellow’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!
MIT Sloan Fellows remaining application deadlines for June 2021 entry
| Application Deadline | Decision Notification | |
| Round 2 | January 11, 2021 | February 16, 2021 |
| Round 3 | March 1, 2021 | March 31, 2021 |
Submit applications by 3:00 p.m. EST on date of application deadline.
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***
Source: MIT Sloan Fellows website
Cindy Tokumitsu has advised hundreds of successful applicants, helping them gain acceptance to top MBA and EMBA programs in her 20 years with Accepted. She would love to help you too. Want Cindy to help you get Accepted? Click here to get in touch!
Related Resources:
- Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, a free guide
- MIT Sloan EMBA and Sloan Fellows Programs: Move from Success to Significance, a podcast episode
- MIT Sloan Fellow, User Experience Expert, and Busy Mom, a podcast episode
This article originally appeared on blog.accepted.com.
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