Sloan 2013 (MIT) - Calling All Applicants

Great question! I'll try to lay out my rationale as clearly and concisely as possible. Keep in mind, though, that this was a very personal decision and is therefore by no means gospel.

Important Things for Me
Consulting recruiting
Sense of community
Hands-on consulting projects (preferably abroad and at little-to-no cost to me)
Global brand

Sloan vs. Haas
Between Haas and Sloan, I felt Sloan offered everything Haas offered (e.g., a strong community, emphasis on innovation, strong West Coast presence), but was better for me in a few key ways. To name one thing in particular, placement at top consulting firms is stronger at Sloan, which was very important to me. Also, when I originally applied to all my schools, I thought I wanted a strong general management curriculum. However, over the last few months, I came to realize I really want to get back to my quant roots. Also, international travel and hands-on consulting experiences are incredibly important to me. Sloan, given MIT's motto of mens et manus, has really put a staggering amount of resources into action learning classes like India Lab, China Lab, and Global Health Delivery Lab. That really spoke to me.

Plus, I am originally from the Bay Area and have tons of friends out there. While you may think that would be a point in favor of Haas, I was actually very hesitant about going back there for business school. After all, I will be spending $150K+ on school, so the last thing I want is to be tempted (or feel pressured) to fall back into old social circles and fail to throw myself fully into my school's community. For all these reasons, between Sloan and Haas, Sloan was the easy choice for me.

Sloan vs. Tuck
I actually agonized about this decision for a few weeks. I really love Tuck, too, specifically because of its incredible community. Plus, both schools are aces for consulting. That said, the more I thought about what I wanted to get out of school, the more I realized Sloan was actually a better fit. On top of the different curricular focuses (general management vs. quant/action-learning), I realized that I would rather have a one-semester core than a full-year core. Also, I think I would like to move back to California within the next five years, so it is important to me that Sloan and MIT are more well-known on the West Coast.

However, it wasn't until AdMIT Weekend that I was able to make my final decision. Although Sloan "checked more boxes" than Tuck in terms of what I want out of school, I wasn't willing to sacrifice a strong community to achieve my goals. Unsurprisingly (and I'm sure aerien felt the same way about Yale), what really made the difference for me were the people I met. Whether speaking with current students or fellow admits at AdMIT Weekend, I really felt an overwhelming sense of community. That amazing sense of togetherness and community, combined with the "checked boxes," really made the decision easy for me: Sloan had to be my choice.

All three schools are fantastic and I am incredibly grateful to have been able to make this choice. For me, MIT was also the "one that got away" for undergrad, so I'm thrilled to close that loop and make Sloan my home for the next two years (and beyond!).

That's a very interesting post, thanks for putting your thoughts on this down! I'm admitted at Haas and currently applying at Sloan so this might become a question for me as well, but I'm tending more towards Haas than Sloan right now to tell the truth. I like their focus on their core values and innovation. Do you feel that Sloan is similar in that regard? And you said that Sloan is more quant based than Haas - what do you mean by that? Do they do a lot more number crunching etc in their coursework?

ml1, if you're concerned about core values and innovation, Sloan is also fantastic in that regard. After all, Sloan's mission is "to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world."

Core Values
Just two days ago, I sat in on a presentation by Prof. Andrew Lo, a world-renowned finance professor who is looking to use financial engineering to cure cancer through securitization. Likewise, Prof. Zeynep Ton talked about how low-cost retailers can improve outcomes for customers, employees, and society by treating their employees as assets to be maximized rather than costs to be minimized. Time and time again, Sloan faculty and staff emphasized a principle you have probably heard at Haas: do well by doing good.

Innovation
Sloan is huge on innovation in terms of both school support and student interest. Although I'm not really targeting the startup scene, I can tell the energy will be infectious. Here are some excellent resources offered off the top of my head: MIT $100K Competition, Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship & Innovation Track, and more. Also, there are already multiple spreadsheets on our admitted students Google Group where people are sharing their backgrounds and collaborating to find their startup partners.

In terms of the curriculum, Sloan is said to be one of the most quantitatively rigorous business schools along with Booth. Obviously I haven't gone through it yet, but it does sound like Sloan will require (and produce) comfort with a numbers-based approach to solving business problems. I don't think it's overwhelming for the "poets," but that is certainly something of which you should be mindful.

I couldn't have said it better myself!

R2-ers (and the R1-ers still making last minute decisions): you have so much to look forward to beyond getting the admit calls. Finding the right school really brings this process full circle -- after all the hours spent on essays and the money spent on app fees and traveling for interviews, knowing you're matriculating somewhere that serves your purposes in getting an MBA and brings together a great community that speaks to you is really one of the best feelings. Definitely looking forward to the fall. I haven't been this excited about something in a long time.

Anyone other than ps_97 get an invite?

Any news on the LGO front? Not sure what to expect since our admissions decisions are sent out earlier than Sloan's (March 11 vs. April 2)...

So...we submitted our apps eight weeks ago and only one person has heard anything? Anyone else?

I think the adcom was really busy planning (and then hosting) last weekend's AdMIT Weekend. I bet you'll start to see some movement now that it's behind us/them.

Congrats man, I knew the decision would jump out to you!

Thanks! Honestly, I did (and do) love the Tuck community, but visiting Sloan this past weekend showed me that the Sloan community is fantastic, too. This way, not only do I get an incredible community, but also the quant curriculum, one-semester core, and action learning I desire, too!

got invited! i am based in nyc. good luck everyone!!

Just got the invite...Good luck everyone

For those in NY who are getting invites today, when did you submit your application?

deadline day noon.

Interview received today. Located in NYC. Submitted app on deadline day.

Likely an East Coast thing as I'm based in DC, and received the invite today. Submitted before Christmas eve. Was hoping to do a NYC day-trip interview but seems like they do not offer it.

For others still waiting, more than half of on-campus interview slots (albeit less desirable mid-week ones) are still available as of 5 min ago, so emails are definitely still being rolled out. Not to mention off-campus invites!

Ding dong by email right now....