Calling All Fall 2010 MIT Sloan Applicants

I haven't looked at MIT much; but, after a recent convo with a professor, I am very interested in learning more. From the site, it seems like there is a focus on green tech and energy tech. Can anyone give me some type of overview on what type of person/profile would consider MIT compared to other top 10 schools (e.g. HBS, GBS, Columbia, etc.).

Thanks!

Hmmmmmmmmm I too would be interested to know about "fit" for Sloan.

I am by no means an expert but I think in terms of prestige, schools are ranked as follows:

HBS/Stanford
Wharton
MIT Sloan, Booth, Kellogg
Columbia

So it would be highly unlikely for someone to choose Sloan over H/S/W. I know Sloan is strong in consulting/tech and if that was your interest you would probably choose it over Booth/Kellogg. However if you were interested in finance you would prob choose Booth/Kellogg/Columbia over Sloan.

How do other people see this?

When it comes to an MBA at Sloan, a variety of factors come into play. When I first visited Sloan, I tried to eliminate the curriculum as a way to learn about the program and instead focused on what happens outside the classroom. By talking to students and observing some of the clubs, I was able to really see what the culture is like. What I learned? Anything is possible at Sloan: whether it be public health, technology, finance, marketing, health care, policy, engineering. I think it's important to have an open mind about the Sloan MBA; although it's technologically inclined, MIT really tries to appeal to any background. You must not be afraid of the word 'technology'. I've seen students discouraged from pursuing MIT because of this. We tend to picture nuts and bolts in our mind when we think 'technology', look past that and think green, innovation, creativity, the future, etc. It's a lot more than you really think.

I have a public health/nonprofit background and I learned quickly that my strengths and experiences are welcome at Sloan.
Aside the hands-on initiatives and student-run MBA program (fellowships, research, assistant-ships), Sloan really makes you the key stakeholder of your education. Have you taken the time to learn about the Sloan Innovation Period and why no classes go on during the month of January? Are you familiar with Treks? S-labs? G-labs? C-functions? The Entrepreneurship & Innovation Track? The brand new facilities? Unique joint degree programs within and out of the university? I could go on but these are key characteristics of the program that attracted me. Sure, H/S/W all have their pros and cons; it'll come down to fit and where you see yourself excelling. And although rankings will tell you who's 'higher up', don't limit yourself to just numbers. Only you will decide the number one choice for yourself.

Hope this helps and good luck! =)

plz take me off roll call list

no time to write essays

gggg

Grumppee17-

That is very helpful. Thank you. I am actually one of the few that like the "technology" tag. However, I feel like MIT technology doesn't mean the same thing as technology means at Stanford/Berkeley. Is it more bio tech and green tech? I am not as interested in that as I am in computer (silicon valley'esque) technology.

On another note, a lot of those things you listed sound great and I hadn't heard of most of them. I feel like I need to talk to you for about an hour to get a grasp on things. Is there information on the website about all that stuff? I find the site difficult to navigate.

-AJ

You just reminded me of all the reasons I love Sloan if only I could get in....

Noodle,

Why is it so unlikely for someone to choose Sloan over H/S/W based purely on indeterminate rankings? This is really ludicrous.

Having had the good fortune of being admitted to Sloan, Harvard, and Wharton during round 1, I will elect to go to Sloan unless I'm accepted to Stanford during Round 2. This decision was the result of a myriad of factors... certainly not any blind adherence to some general notion of ranking.

Sorry if I come off sounding miffed, but I don't think there's anything particularly different about me than others in my situation, and I'm offended by the concept that my decision to go "against" rankings (if I'm really doing so) is indicative of some misjudgment.


aj1545,

As a graduate of the Haas undergraduate program, I can tell you that the school is very focused in green and energy tech, and there were any number of MBA students while I was there that were engaged in the industry. Stanford, from my understanding, is the same. That being said, I would not say that it's very computer tech focused... there's very little cross curriculum between Haas and the College of Engineering, and the school itself doesn't focus on computer technology. I'm inclined towards Sloan because of its strength in this area -- a strength that is perhaps only rivaled by Stanford, in my understanding. I think any of the three schools would be an excellent choice for a tech centric MBA experience.

Thanks for the insight. I had it completely wrong in my head. I thought that Haas was focusing more on computer technology lately, especially given their location. They seem have a bunch of entrepreneur-centric curricula there. I knew that Stanford was the best for my intended field but getting in is tough. I hate that there are only 2 decent schools within commuting range of SF. Before you laid this out, I was leaning towards Haas over some other schools that would likely get my boo'ed off the GMAT forum. However, I will have to look into this more. It is amazing how much you have to learn just to apply to an MBA program. I feel like I am studying for finals.

I am working on Sloan app now so I can get it in by R2. Good luck with Stanford. I am in for Stanford R2 as well so, hopefully, we will see each other there.

On a side note: For some reason, I can't stop thinking that everything at MIT has to do with robot arms.

Hi

Can someone please help me understand the right strategy for the cover letter?
I seem to remember a past online chat where they said they don't need to hear about your future plans or "Why MIT"
Is this true?

Any good resources?
Can any R1 admits or sloanies please help?

Here is how I did mine. I am a R1 applicant who has interviewed =) Good luck

1) Warm greeting followed by expressing your interest in applying to MIT Sloan. State the intended field that you'd like to pursue and how it is changing in today's time; show how MIT's culture and curriculum will change you coming in as an X individual and leaving Sloan doors as a Y individual ready to tackle on the new demands of your career trajectory.

2) How have you prepared for the Sloan MBA rigors? What is it that you're still missing? What is critical to your success that will make you an agent of change in your desired field.

3) Tell me about your current or prior role in the work field that has inspired you to move forward. In particular, give me a situation from this role where you made a big difference and really changed the way you saw things. You need be very detailed about what you did, how you did it and how you felt. What did your success show you? (THIS IS SO IMPORTANT)

4) You want to leave Rod Garcia in suspense about what's to come in essays 2, 3 and 4 so make sure that the last paragraph gives him a glimpse of the main experience that you will be addressing in each essay, particularly, before you write this paragraph, you may want to preface it with a sentence of what these stories say about you. Do you like living outside your comfort zone? Are you hell-bent on being inclusive and bringing others together? etc.

You want to close with how ready you are to make that stride to Sloan.

Hope this helps! =)

does anyone know how Sloan releases decisions? on Feb 1st? or earlier? do they call admits?

had my interview today, forgot to ask my interviewer this.

I applied in R1 and am still waiting to hear back from Sloan - any others like me still out there?

Is anyone doing the cover letter on two pages? I did not see any guidelines for fitting everything onto one single page, unlike the resume?

I did one page. Think about reading the apps. I would get bored with more than one page and a little annoyed too. Just my opinion.

Posted from my mobile device

that's fine, also remember to put it in formal format, which means including addresses and stuff at the top which naturally push the letter into the second page

Mine was 2 pages. As DreamChaser mentioned the formatting takes up 50% of the page and MIT specifies where # of pages is important (ex. resume).

This is VERY helpful! Thanks very much!