This year’s MIT Sloan MBA application, like most MIT applications in the last fifteen years, includes its signature cover letter and resume. It also retains the video component.
Below is must-know advice based on our experience helping thousands of successful MBA applicants:
MIT Sloan application elements:
More about MIT Sloan:
MIT Sloan MBA cover letter and resume
MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic. We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world. We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative – true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity and respect passion.
Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee. (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation)
MIT helpfully provides insight into what it’s looking for in the cover letter. Like all cover letters, this one is a marketing document. If you apply for a job, you research the firm to learn what it values and is seeking. Based on your research, you send your resume with a cover letter designed to make you as attractive to the company as possible, one that shows you have what the firm wants.
Similarly, your MIT Sloan cover letter should show that you have what MIT is looking for. Make your case for admission using your accomplishments, specifically those where you show the qualities mentioned above. How do the talents revealed in your examples demonstrate fit with the MIT Sloan program, its tight-knit community, and its innovative, culture of doers? Your resume should reveal above-average progression on the job and increasing responsibility, as well as the creativity and contribution that MIT Sloan requires.
In making your case and mentioning your accomplishments, highlight your role and the impact on the entities you contributed to. Those results are “your stamp on the world” so far.
Note: this is not an essay. Make sure your letter is formatted as a professional letter with a date, address, header, salutation, and close.
Please submit a one-page resume. This will help us easily track your academic and career path. Try to focus on your work results, not just your title or job description. Here are some pointers on formatting:
• One page limit
• Times New Roman font
• Size 10 font
• Word or PDF formats only
Provide the following information in reverse chronological order:
• Work Experience: Please include company name, title, results-oriented bullets that demonstrate your skill set, and dates
• Education: Please include relevant awards, scholarships and professional societies
• Additional information: Please include extracurricular activities/community service, technical skills/certifications, and special skills/interests, and languages spoken (if applicable)
For MIT Sloan’s detailed resume formatting instructions, visit the MIT Sloan website.
In your resume, go beyond mere job descriptions to highlight achievement. If your title is “consultant,” saying that you “consulted on diverse projects globally” is redundant and uninformative at best. Writing that you “Led a 6-member team working on a biotech outsourcing project to Singapore with a budget of $X; it came in on time and under budget.” conveys infinitely more.
Quantify your impact as much as possible. You want the reader to come away with a picture of you as an above average performer on a steep upward trajectory who has the creativity and hands-on, problem-solving focus that demonstrates you belong at MIT Sloan.
<<Applying to MIT Sloan? Listen to our podcast interview with the Director of Admissions>>
MIT Sloan MBA video statement
Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you! Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:
- No more than 1 minute (60 second) in length
- Single take (no editing)
- Speaking directly to the camera
- Do not include background music or subtitles
The video statement was introduced at MIT Sloan about five years ago. Your goal here: deliver your statement with poise and presence. I suggest you outline a 60-second statement that you would use to introduce yourself to your classmates (not the admissions committee members; they’re just important flies on the wall who happen to be listening in).
Don’t be too casual; your classmates are your future professional network and social group, but do be friendly and remember to smile. What would you tell them about yourself? What would show that you are already a member of MIT’s community – you just don’t happen to pay tuition yet?
A few tips for the video part of this exercise: Practice in front of a webcam so that you get used to talking to a little lens that has no affect, feedback, or expression. Recording yourself on video is not the same as talking on Skype with another human being. I suggest you put a smiley face beneath or above the camera to remind you to smile at appropriate points in your statement. Then view your practice videos looking for poise and presence. During some of the practices, maybe have a friend present to encourage you, but also practice without anyone else in the room. We at Accepted are happy to help you prepare too.
For the real video statement, dress in business or business casual attire. If you’re not confident that your attire is appropriate, it probably isn’t; dress more conservatively. Make sure your location is quiet and that roommates, pets and children are in a location where they won’t be heard or disturb you. Make sure your background is neutral and not a distraction. Blank walls make a great background.
Watch: Two big mistakes people make about applying to MIT Sloan
You’ve worked so hard to get to where you are in life. Now that you’re ready for your next achievement, make sure you know how to present yourself to maximum advantage in your MIT Sloan application. In a hotly competitive season, you’ll want an experienced member of Team Accepted in your corner, guiding you with advice tailored specifically for you. Check out our MBA application package today!
CREATE A SUCCESSFUL MIT SLOAN MBA APPLICATION! >>
MIT Sloan application deadlines for August 2023 entry
| Application Deadline | Decisions Released | |
| Round 1 | September 29, 2022 | December 14, 2022 |
| Round 2 | January 18, 2023 | April 3, 2023 |
| Round 3 | April 11, 2023 | May 18, 2023 |
*Applications must be submitted by 3:00 p.m. EST
Source: MIT Sloan website
Stay on top of MBA deadlines with the MBA Admissions Calendar!
[Click here to add the calendar to your Google calendar; or here to add the calendar to another app.]
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***
MIT Sloan Class of 2023 Profile
Here’s a look at the Sloan Class of 2023, taken from the MIT website:
Size of MIT Sloan Class 2023: 450
Average Years Work Experience: 5
Women: 44%
International: 43%
WATCH: Ask Me Anything with MIT Sloan Assistant Director of Admissions, Dawna Levenson >>
Countries Represented: 64
Median Undergraduate GPA: 3.59
Median GMAT: 730
GMAT Range (middle 80%): 690–760
GRE Quant Range (middle 80%): 158–169
GRE Verbal Range (middle 80%): 157–168
Pre-MBA Industry:
- Consulting: 22%
- Financial Services: 21%
- Technology: 16%
- Government, Education, Nonprofit: 12%
- Pharmaceutical, Healthcare, Biotechnology: 7%
- Other: 6%
- Energy: 5%
- Manufacturing: 4%
- Consumer Products, Retail: 4%
- Automotive, Transportation, Defense: 2%
- Media, Entertainment, Sports: 2%
Undergraduate Majors:
- Engineering: 33%
- Economics: 19%
- Business: 18%
- Math and Science: 9%
- Social Science: 6%
- Other: 5%
- Humanities: 4%
- Computer Science: 3%
- Law: 1%
Do you see yourself as a future graduate of MIT Sloan?
Accepted has the resources to help you decide which program is right for you:
- GMAT, GPA, and MBA Acceptance Rates: The Selectivity Index
- M7 MBA Programs: Everything You Need to Know
- Top 10 or Bust: Dispelling 2 MBA Myths
- Which MBA Program is Right for Me? The Ultimate Guide to Choosing an MBA Program
If MIT Sloan is your top choice, we have more inside information to help you tailor your application:
- What’s New at MIT Sloan’s Competitive Full-Time MBA, a podcast episode
- Ask Me Anything with MIT Sloan Assistant Director of Admissions, Dawna Levenson
For expert guidance with your MIT Sloan MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped applicants get accepted to MIT Sloan’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!
