Sloan 2013 (MIT) - Calling All Applicants

I'll add my two cents about supplemental material and LinkedIn profiles. I neither did a video for the supplemental material nor added my LinkedIn profile in my application. And, of course, I'll add the caveat that this is based on one person's experience and is, by no means, the "correct" thing to do for everyone. It may seem like an obvious statement, but a lot of times, when applicants are looking to figure out how to get that interview, they can't see the forest through the trees. They will just think that because one person did it and was successful, it automatically means that they have to do it as well. I had to tear myself away from that urge too when I was applying - there's just no formula that is going to guarantee you an interview. I digress ....

I'll start with LinkedIn first - I didn't do it because 1) I really don't use LinkedIn that much and thus don't have much material on there, and 2) if I were to add more material on my LinkedIn profile, it would be much of the same stuff that I had on my resume. I didn't see there being anything extra that the Adcom could glean from me adding a LinkedIn profile, so I decided against it.

In terms of the supplemental material, I think it is necessary to always keep in mind that you're still trying to give the Adcom a more complete picture of you as a candidate/applicant. All the rules that you were fastidiously adhering to in your essays, your guidance to your recommenders, your interview preparations, etc., still apply. It is your chance to add something extra about yourself that can help them remember you as a unique candidate. So why some people find that 1) pandering to the Adcom, 2) reiterating something that was probably already iterated in their resumes/essays, 3) go way over the time limit, or 4) having typos or displaying generally poor execution is/are the way to go for their supplemental material is completely beyond me. It's still part of the overall package and speaks volumes about how self-aware you are. If it's poorly done, it's likely not going to reflect well on you.

Having lurked a bit in the Sloan forum while I was preparing my application, it just seemed like people were being (self-)intimidated into doing a video for their supplemental material. That's just one medium, and a few people do it very well, while many don't. If videos aren't your strength and/or if you don't have time to properly spend on the video, it would probably be best for you to stick to something that would make a better impression on the Adcom. The counter argument I'll get for this is that if everyone does videos, then I'd be at a disadvantage if I do an essay because videos make a lasting impression. Yes and no. If your video sucks, then you've hurt yourself a whole lot more than if you spend time on a stellar essay about something that the Adcom thinks is really unique.

And - at least for me - the supplemental material should NOT be a music video for the sake of music videos. It's important to step back and realize that the people on the Adcom look at thousands of these things. They know kitsch when they see kitsch, they know lack of substance when they see lack of substance. Just because you have a song in the background doesn't make it substantive. And by the way, a slideshow in video form is just that - a slideshow. AND, it is tougher for the viewer to control the rate at which they view each "slide" in your video, especially if you have text (and some videos I saw on YouTube had LOTS of it), do you really want it to skip by in a flash? These reviewers go through these things really quickly and, I'd think, often have to take the path of least resistance because there are so many applications.

Anyhow, when I thought about my strategy for the supplemental material, I realized that I really didn't have the time to properly put together a strong video, plus, the stuff that I wanted to get across would've likely required more than a minute's worth of video. So I ended up sending a PDF instead - it was something that I knew I could put together well *and* it would get my point across.

So yes, that's my two (or twenty) cents. Take from it what you like. Good luck to you Round 2 applicants!

I think the LinkedIn profile, much like the supplemental essay, is MIT Sloan's response to changing times. A high percentage of applicants use LinkedIn, and have endorsements and recommendation from previous employers on their profiles - while this would be interesting to take a look at, I'm pretty confident that, like the supplemental essay, it is not scoreable, and hence does not eventually feature into the AdCom's metrics (they score your application objectively).

Rod Garcia has stated explicitly in an interview that the supplemental does not factor into their quantitative rating of applicants. It's just a nice "extra" that they look at. My guess is if the rest of your app is strong, a good supplemental will reinforce the strength of your app while a weak app will not be saved by an excellent supplemental.

I too did not post my linkedin url since it's verbatim my resume and would add nothing to my candidacy. And i actually wrote an essay for my supplemental, talking about something i enjoy doing and how i plan to contribute to sloan through it. Unlike the essays, it was a bit funnier and warmer, so it introduced a different aspect of me. The key to all this is that you want to avoid repeating information throughout your resume, essays, powerpoint, video, etc. Come across as interesting and multi-dimensional.

I left linkedin url blank and put an essay as supplemental. However, I was pretty stressed out going by some of the videos I came across. I am much relieved to see that I wasn't alone in thinking so, and resisting the urge to follow the herd.

To add to jwcardinal, I remember reading on some chat transcript - 'If you submit a video, you better ask yourself whether there is a pertinent need to use that medium to convey the info, could the same info be conveyed through an easier way ?'
If the answers are NO and YES, think twice before putting that video in just because you thought it'd give you brownie points for quirk and humor.


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To say that I'm not proud of my MIT application would be an understatement. <sigh> Doing my best to put it out of my mind and concentrate on Tepper . . . hopefully my knowledge of what *not* to do will help me with the next three. One thing: write an outline before writing the essay. It is, however, somewhat sadistic for the application deadline to be right between Christmas and New Years.

Well, MIT and sadistic go together, so you hardly can be surprised by this.

If I'm not mistaken, Sloan is the only top b-school that does NOT have grade non-disclosure. Is this true?

HBS has grade disclosure.

Any R2 applicant heard anything from MIT?

In some schools students can choose whether or not to disclose their grades, which in my view equals directly to "tell your grades".
Its the prisoner dilemma - you don't want to be the only one not telling (grades), and it is nearly impossible to convince everyone on not telling (their grades), so the results is that everyone speak about their grades.
Funny that B-school pull this trick.


R2? it was 5 days ago, man

I actually liked your video Nick. In the beginning, I began to frown a bit when (I thought) you started on a tangent about winning a wedding contest; however, when you got into the actual data on how you developed a social media campaign that produced nearly 17,000 views and secured your votes to win and then tied that into being able to help classmates on kickstarter campaigns. I'm neither an expert nor an adcom; but while I think it could have been slightly more to the point in the beginning, I doubt that this video kept you out of MIT. It appears to do the job. I also have no idea about the rest of your profile. My personal opinion about these videos is that they need to address the most OBVIOUS FLAW in your overall profile head on. Think of it being an opportunity to tell your own story in your own words with Barbara Walters before the tabloids get ahold of it and start twisting the story (which is what will happen in the ad com's minds without an explanation). I'm a strong believer of using optional, supplemental and multimedia essays to plug holes in your profile.

I wouldn't hold my breath. They like to take their time.

Add Kellogg, Tuck, and Fuqua to your grade disclosure list

To add a current student's perspective on grade disclosure...

IT'S NOT A BIG DEAL. Seriously, grades do not really matter. You do NOT have to put it on your resume - in fact, most do not. The only companies that ask are McKinsey and finance recruiters. And the best part is that Sloan is not competitive at all, even with grade disclosure. We all "care" about our grades (we wouldn't have gotten here without caring, right??) but then you realize that it's not going to make any difference in recruiting. You work hard and do well for personal satisfaction and for your team since many assignments are team-based. Second year students reinforced this to us all semester...or perhaps they were just trying to find more drinking buddies

On the flip side, what can happen with grade non-disclosure is this:

"“Grades don’t matter (Michigan has a non disclosure policy for grades, as do most schools) and they should so students have more of an incentive to come to and participate in class.”" https://poetsandquants.com/2012/12/04/th ... schools/3/

Are unincentivized peers what you really want when you're paying $100K+ to come to business school?

In for R2, I am very nervous. I was less nervous before my daughter was born!

Wow guys, we need some perspective! chintamani, please don't worry so much about it, regardless of the result, it will not be the end of the world if things don't go as expected!

Let me tell you a secret, I applied to six schools last year and was rejected from all six, with only one interview: MIT Sloan. I am still here, and my second time around my applications and profile in gerenal were much stronger, I gained a lot of experience from failing the first time!

Just a little tip about something I could not see the first time around.

Cheers!

Ha ha, I was of course exaggerating a little here.
But I do hope I have some good news to share with you at the end of this because this is my final attempt at an MBA.

Hi all.

I'm a Round 1 applicant that just received my interview invite for an in-person interview in London. There were only two other registration spots available when I chose my time slot, but I was only given a three-day window in which to register so it's possible there are other times available beyond those I saw.

Just wanted to pass on the good news in case anyone else in London is waiting for an update!

mit started review R2 apps. just got email.

I was about to write a similar post about the grade non-disclosure issue. I totally endorse purpleshirt's message.