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BruceLee
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 09:08
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sanlitun
I having last minute jitters about my answer to one of the essays.

"Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page) "

If I discuss a situation where I convinced a customer that an equipment was functioning as per requirement when he was convinced it was not, does that cover this essay ? or does it have to be an idea / innovation which people had not thought about before ?

I guess my question is - Does ad com want to see if a person has the ability to convince others or they looking for that innovative streak ?
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You're overthinking this. Your answer seems fine. If they wanted a glimpse of your innovative abilities specifically they would have asked you about a time when you thought outside the box, a question they sometimes ask during the interviews.
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chaoticsilence
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 09:13
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Does the recommendation letter have any formatting requirements as well, like the essays, save for the 2 page limit?
Any font size, line spacing requirements?
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biochemist
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 09:13
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TLgirl
Count me in for R2.

I've been working on the Sloan app on and off for the past month, and after going through the whole application today, I realize compared to other apps it is (1) fairly short and (2) doesn't give much a chance to get comprehensive, especially with its strict guidelines on resume, etc.

Also I am getting worrying that my app is not Sloan-specific enough. I'm also wondering where to state your "love" for Sloan - would this be in the cover letter? I haven't visited the school or spoken to any students - any recommendations on ways to research the school from afar?

Many thanks, guys! Good luck to all. :P
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Yeah the MIT application is unique in that aspect. They know how good they are; but they've also said that they know applicants will do their research and know why MIT is a fit for them so they don't really ask or want you to express that in detail. I had like two lines in my cover letter that addressed "Why MIT." Also, about being specific....on the contrary, I thought my MIT essays were the most specific. They were very action and impact oriented. Have you watched this video? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spX2Lba5mEI. Rod Garcia talks about how they don't want applicants to focus on 'results' but more so their thought process and the actual actions they took to solve a problem. So with that being said, my essays were very specific. Even when I interviewed, they probed for specifics of my examples, much like what I thought they wanted in the essays. Of course, you don't want to be TOO specific that you don't have a well-told story but I think it may be a bad sign if you don't feel you were specific on your Sloan application.
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randompasserby
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 09:43
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sanlitun
I having last minute jitters about my answer to one of the essays.

"Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page) "

If I discuss a situation where I convinced a customer that an equipment was functioning as per requirement when he was convinced it was not, does that cover this essay ? or does it have to be an idea / innovation which people had not thought about before ?
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Without knowing the specifics of the essay... make sure it doesn't come across that you had a genuinely faulty product and convinced someone otherwise with your negotiation skills... that would reflect very badly on your core values.
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 09:55
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sanlitun
I having last minute jitters about my answer to one of the essays.

"Please describe a time when you convinced an individual or group to accept one of your ideas. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page) "

If I discuss a situation where I convinced a customer that an equipment was functioning as per requirement when he was convinced it was not, does that cover this essay ? or does it have to be an idea / innovation which people had not thought about before ?

I guess my question is - Does ad com want to see if a person has the ability to convince others or they looking for that innovative streak ?
Show more

I think you are answering the question, my only 2 cents is to remember that MBA programs are looking for leadership. As has been said by biochemist - focus on the process -

1) How did you navigate this situation, did you relieve tension, reassure the customer, and ensure his needs were met due to your knowledge, pride in your product, and leadership of the team that produced it

2) Did he resist and how did you overcome the resistance

3) Did you convince him alone or as part of a team or a leader of a team etc.

4) What was your thought process throughout?

5) Did you take the lessons and ensure your teammates/co-workers were aware of the situation in case they faced the same challenges

I know this seems like alot but you can make the stories better by getting into these details, specifics are good IMO, it is better to stay i led a 10-member team then i led a team, that way the adcom knows exactly what you did and can picture you sitting there and talking to the team etc to resolve the conflict or get the customer to accept your explanation

Above all else, I think a focus on decision points, throughts, and leadership can help you make the story work because it does answer the question.

Best of luck,
ryan
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 10:17
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Thanks brucelee, wp06 and random passerby for the quick feedback. I feel better about my essay now . :)
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 12:15
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TLgirl
Count me in for R2.

I've been working on the Sloan app on and off for the past month, and after going through the whole application today, I realize compared to other apps it is (1) fairly short and (2) doesn't give much a chance to get comprehensive, especially with its strict guidelines on resume, etc.

Also I am getting worrying that my app is not Sloan-specific enough. I'm also wondering where to state your "love" for Sloan - would this be in the cover letter? I haven't visited the school or spoken to any students - any recommendations on ways to research the school from afar?

Many thanks, guys! Good luck to all. :P
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To MIT's credit (in my mind), I don't think they care about this at all (they don't want to know your career vision either, which they know is probably BS). I submitted first round and just interviewed, and none of my essays mention my career vision or why MIT, and my interviewer did not ask me about why MIT in my interview.
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 12:21
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jumbalaya112
TLgirl
Count me in for R2.

I've been working on the Sloan app on and off for the past month, and after going through the whole application today, I realize compared to other apps it is (1) fairly short and (2) doesn't give much a chance to get comprehensive, especially with its strict guidelines on resume, etc.

Also I am getting worrying that my app is not Sloan-specific enough. I'm also wondering where to state your "love" for Sloan - would this be in the cover letter? I haven't visited the school or spoken to any students - any recommendations on ways to research the school from afar?

Many thanks, guys! Good luck to all. :P

To MIT's credit (in my mind), I don't think they care about this at all (they don't want to know your career vision either, which they know is probably BS). I submitted first round and just interviewed, and none of my essays mention my career vision or why MIT, and my interviewer did not ask me about why MIT in my interview.
Show more

The same here, no one ever asked me why MIT, I said it while chatting with my interviewer. Also, I think it is the same across the river in Cambridge. Honestly, we I think it is better like that, why forcing people to come with "feel good" career paths when we all know where 75% will end up.
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 12:26
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freroht
jumbalaya112
TLgirl
Count me in for R2.

I've been working on the Sloan app on and off for the past month, and after going through the whole application today, I realize compared to other apps it is (1) fairly short and (2) doesn't give much a chance to get comprehensive, especially with its strict guidelines on resume, etc.

Also I am getting worrying that my app is not Sloan-specific enough. I'm also wondering where to state your "love" for Sloan - would this be in the cover letter? I haven't visited the school or spoken to any students - any recommendations on ways to research the school from afar?

Many thanks, guys! Good luck to all. :P

To MIT's credit (in my mind), I don't think they care about this at all (they don't want to know your career vision either, which they know is probably BS). I submitted first round and just interviewed, and none of my essays mention my career vision or why MIT, and my interviewer did not ask me about why MIT in my interview.

The same here, no one ever asked me why MIT, I said it while chatting with my interviewer. Also, I think it is the same across the river in Cambridge. Honestly, we I think it is better like that, why forcing people to come with "feel good" career paths when we all know where 75% will end up.
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Amen brutha, Amen

And I agree that those are essentially the only two schools that don't care about it. I have to give MIT more props though, because HBS knows their yield will be good...
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 12:47
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For those who have interviewed, did you send a hand written store bought type thank you card or did you type and print it on just regular paper?
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jumbalaya112
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 13:33
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mbaapp07
For those who have interviewed, did you send a hand written store bought type thank you card or did you type and print it on just regular paper?
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I bought a bunch of walgreens bulk thank you cards for christmas thank yous - using one of those... I think as long as it's not too memorable you'll be fine? Nobody's gonna give you an admit because of a Papyrus thank you card, but if you send one with a picture of Hitler crushing bunnies in cups on it, they might think twice...
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 16:49
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Quick bump for the MIT Sloan thread. Hope everyone had a fun New Year celebration... I spent a decent chunk of time prepping for my Sloan interview which is scheduled for later this week. Looking forward to being done with the entire app process (at least my side of it).
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 17:39
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In for R2.
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Phoenix9
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 18:31
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Guys..one question.

My recommender just submitted his recommendation and I got a confirmation email. But, he mentioned that he did not repeat the questions in his response. He merely indicated the question number and wrote the response beneath the number.

Is this a reason to worry? He already submitted his recommendation. Should I ask him to delete the file and re-submit a new document with questions and answers? Is that possible with the online application.

Please let me know.
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 18:35
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I wouldn't worry. They know the questions or can find them, and I doubt something as small as that will look reflect badly on you. Also he won't be able to do anything since he's pushed the submit button. Seriously though, don't sweat it. :)
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 19:17
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All - I finished my interview today.

I spent a considerable amout of time preparing and did not use one of my pre-planned responses (leadership, conflict, failure, etc). The questions simply, and naturally, built off one another without giving me an opportunity to dive into one of the topics I planned on discussing. Unfortunately I did bring up an example outlined in one of my essays, I'm not too concerned about it - just bummed I didn't have a chance to talk about my other actions.

Moral of story, prepare for questions you can't prepare for, if that makes any sense. You never know what you may get asked, and they are difficult questions. (Of which, I'd rather not share specifically)
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 22:12
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Sloan employment history asks for expected final date of employment: If one is permanent full-time then what to provide here?

Is it ok to forego small periods of employment in the online-app? I have had various jobs and the previous employer was just 3 months. But the online app has no space for more than 2 employment histories.
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 23:01
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Do the essay questions have to be repeated in the upload document?
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 23:11
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Am making final revisions...

I put the essay q's and my name in the header. Body of answer is ~500 words, fits into one page single space, spaces between paragraphs.
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jk12
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Calling all MIT Sloan Fall 2011 Applicants! 03 Jan 2011, 23:38
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With even 1.5 space, 12pt font, it's more than 1 page. How are you fitting it in one?
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