Calling all MIT Sloan 2008 applicants

Essay 2: Please tell us about a challenging interaction you had with a person or group. Describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did. (500 words or less.)

In the above question, what do they mean by challenging interaction? Can I talk about communication problems I faced due to accent or cultural barriers?

That would work pretty well. Obviously you want to make sure this comes across right or you run the risk of making it seem like you wont be able to communicate with classmates from other countries.

Thanks river !

I did not consider that risky side..

For reference, I'm using an example from work in which we were working with 10 other groups from across the country, and there were a lot of logistical and "political" issues that made it a big headache.

Your example seems to answer the question very well.

Operational issues and political agendas do create barriers for meaningful interaction.

Hi Prasad, can you show me where these instructions are? THanks.

At the info session the admin actually said that the 2 year rule was something they really wanted but the instructions are different in different spots. Its one way on the website and another on the applications. So if you have something older that works he said they wont be holding it against people. Since the directions are different it would be unfair to apply a standard to all people if some don't see the instructions on the web.

Moral of the story, use whatever stories you have that best fit the responses. Though I would not use all stories that are 4 years old. But a story or two wont hurt you too much. Especially if you have a lot of work experience. I doubt they want someone with 3 years work experience delving into their college lives deeply for all their examples.

agree fully with river - can go over 2, but try not to make it over three unless you climbed Everest or something.

Are you guys using any particular resume format - as in chicago needs for you to mention how many people you were supervising, an some others want you to mention your salary.

So are you aware of any special needs of mit resume??

"Please prepare a business resume that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged. The resume should not be more than one page in length (up to 50 lines)."

has anybody finished the cover letter?

should it fit on one page? does the 500 words include words for the greeting/address, etc.?

How is everyone doing on their Sloan essays?

I have rough drafts of all mine written. Only thing is, two of them (the challenging interaction and defending an idea) are kind of "similar". Is it just me or do these questions touch on a lot of the same things? Defending an idea by default somewhat involved a challenging interaction, no?

Any advice on the minor differences between these two and what I should highlight in one over the other? It just seems my challenging interaction essays says a lot of the same things the idea one does, just without the idea being the centerpiece of the essay.

Thanks!

seriously. i could easily write all the essays using a single experience.

Ok...I cannot find anything that says anything about 2 years on the sloan website or in the application....any ideas?

They may have removed it but in the original online instructions on their website it said 2 years. The application itself did not, so the adcom actually said they wouldn't hold it against people for not sticking to the two years rule. Its also not a hardset rule, its something they like but you could use something else if you have a very compelling story. However, keep in mind he went on to say they look much more favorably on recent experiences since it is more relevant to where you are today than something you did 5 years ago.

An interesting blog on entrepreneurship learnings at MIT:

https://mitsloanblog.typepad.com/inaki/

This is a very interesting blog. One interesting point that I noticed right away was:

"Southern California (i.e., Los Angeles and San Diego) now receive more VC funding than New England."

I was also impressed with the kind of exposure the guy is getting.