MIT Sloan has a wide range of exciting master’s programs for a variety of students and career goals. So, it might be smart to do your research and apply to the program that would help you the most:
- 2-year MBA
- Sloan Fellows MBA (1-year)
- Leaders in Global Operations (LGO)
- Master of Finance
- Master of Business Analytics
If your target MIT Sloan MBA program is a 2-year program then this article is for you.
MIT Sloan School of Management’s MBA application is very different from those of other business schools.
There is no MBA essay as such in the application, but it asks for a cover letter, a video essay, a resume, and an organizational chart that essentially serves the purpose of an essay.
In some ways, this structure shows how MIT Sloan wants to admit people with practical (but still innovative) ideas and experience.
Also, the cover letter is a way to talk about your most important accomplishments and show that you meet the admissions requirements. These criteria are: being independent, being real, and being creative without fear—true doers.
MIT Sloan MBA Essays and Application Requirements
While getting an admit to MIT Sloan can be difficult, applying to the program doesn’t come easy either. The MIT Sloan MBA has an extensive application with the following requirements:
- Cover Letter (300 words or fewer)
- Resume (one page)
- Video Statement (1 minute)
- Letter of Recommendation (one)
- Additional References (two)
- Organizational Chart
In this article, we’ll discuss how to create the MIT Sloan cover letter, resume, video essay, organizational chart, and the optional short answer question.
Cover Letter
This is what MIT Sloan says regarding the cover letter:
“MIT Sloan seeks students whose personal characteristics demonstrate that they will make the most of the incredible opportunities at MIT, both academic and non-academic.
We are on a quest to find those whose presence will enhance the experience of other students. We seek thoughtful leaders with exceptional intellectual abilities and the drive and determination to put their stamp on the world.
We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas. We demand integrity and respect passion.”
Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).
MIT Sloan MBA cover letter tips
MIT tells you what it wants to see in a cover letter, which is helpful. This cover letter is a marketing document, just like any other cover letter. When you apply for a job, you look into the company to find out what it wants and what it values. Based on what you find out, you send your resume along with a cover letter that is meant to make you look as good as possible to the company and shows that you have what the company wants.
Given how well the process of crafting a cover letter coincides with Sloan’s objective of admitting practical individuals with a track record of achievement, this is not surprising. Thus, the cover letter enables you to demonstrate to Sloan’s admissions committee that you “fit” their program in a succinct and pragmatic manner by highlighting your main accomplishments and career goals.
As you work on this assignment, keep in mind the usual parts of a cover letter: your skills and qualities, why you want to do an MBA from MIT Sloan, and what you think you can bring to the table.
Use your accomplishments, especially the ones that show the above qualities, to show why you should be accepted. How do the skills shown in your examples fit with the MIT Sloan program, its close-knit community, and its culture of innovators who get things done?
When you make your case and list your accomplishments, be sure to emphasize your role and the impact it had.
Please note that this is not an essay. Make sure your letter is formatted as a professional letter with a date, address, header, salutation, and close.
To learn more about what MIT Sloan is looking for and how to make your application stand out, get in touch with us at contactus@admitexpert.com
Resume
The resume you send to a business school is very important because it gives the admissions committee a detailed picture of your work history and is one important document the interviewer will look at (once you receive an interview invite).
Some business schools don’t tell you how to format your resume, but MIT Sloan does. In addition to telling you how to put the different parts of your resume in order, you are directed to remove your personal information.
Please submit a one-page resume. This will help MIT Sloan adcom easily track your academic and career path. Try to focus on your work results, not just your title or job description.
Here are some pointers on formatting:
- One page limit
- Times New Roman font
- Size 10 font
- Word or PDF formats only
Provide the following information in reverse chronological order:
- Education: Please include relevant awards, scholarships, and professional societies
- Work Experience: Please include company name, title, results-oriented bullets that demonstrate your achievements, and dates
- Additional information: Please include extracurricular activities/community service, technical skills/certifications, special skills/interests, and languages spoken (if applicable)
Do you want to impress the MIT Sloan Adcom?
At Admit Expert, we have helped hundreds of students get into top MBA programs around the world. We would be happy to help you too.
Schedule a free call with us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals.
Video Essay
Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you!
Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:
- No more than 1 minute (60 seconds) in length
- Single take (no editing)
- Speaking directly to the camera
- Do not include background music or subtitles”
MIT gives you plenty of time to plan and record your video.
Given the limited time you have to make an impression at MIT, your goal with this essay is to introduce yourself to your classmates, and the best introductions typically include a selection of interesting stories.
To begin brainstorming potential stories, imagine you are on your first day of work and need to introduce yourself to your team. What would you like your new colleagues to know about you? Or, better yet, what would you want to know about a new colleague who came in and introduced himself?
Because your entire cover letter will be devoted to discussing your professional accomplishments, we recommend that you concentrate on your personal interests here rather than examples of big wins at work.
MIT Sloan does not want you to hire a video expert because an unedited video levels the playing field for all applicants.
While the video allows the admissions committee to see and hear you, your passion and story will invite them to feel your presence and personality. Prepare an authentic, exciting, and enchanting story. Above all, sound natural and unrehearsed!
Avoid being too casual with your classmates, as they will become your future career and social network, but do remember to smile.
Put on your best professional or business-casual gear for the actual video statement. Dress more formally if you’re not sure of what you’re wearing is appropriate. Make sure the area where you’re talking from is noise-free and that your roommates, pets, and/or kids aren’t going to hear or bother you. Make sure your background is modest and neutral. An empty wall makes for a beautiful backdrop.
Organizational Chart
This is another thing that only the MIT Sloan application asks for. This isn’t a new part of the application, so it shows that MIT thinks it’s important to know where the applicant stands in the organization’s hierarchy.
The key is to make it informative, with good details about your own position and those who may be in levels higher or lower than you. Organizational charts should not be more than two pages.
You might not need to spend a lot of time making the organizational chart look fancy, but a simple chart showing the different levels should work pretty well. Check out the sample organizational chart that the school has given.
Source – https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/inline-files/Sample%20Org%20Chart.pdf
Important Q&A related to the organizational chart
Here are a few important FAQs related to the organizational chart.
What’s the goal of submitting the organizational chart?
The goal is to find out more about you and your work history. The organizational chart for your company will help MIT Sloan adcom figure out what your job is, who you report to, who reports to you, and how you might affect your department or company.
What if no one reports to you. Will this part of the application put you at a disadvantage?
No. At this point in your career, you are not expected to be able to manage other people. The organizational chart isn’t meant to count how many people report to you directly. Instead, it’s meant to help the adcom understand your role in your organization and who you work with.
What if I’m a solo entrepreneur or external contractor? What is the best way to display my chart when I am an organization of one?
If you are a solo entrepreneur or contractor, try this: place yourself at the center of the chart, then make branches representing the various constituents and stakeholders you interact with (for example, clients, suppliers, investors, and board of directors).
My organization’s structure is confidential. Do I still have to submit an organizational chart?
We recognize that some organizations’ internal structures are classified or confidential. In this scenario, do your best to help us visualize your place within the organization without giving away classified details. You can redact names or titles or display only a certain level of your organization. Whatever you can share will be helpful.
Do you want to impress the MIT Sloan Adcom?
At Admit Expert, we have helped hundreds of students get into top MBA programs around the world. We would be happy to help you too.
Schedule a free call with us today to learn more about our services and how we can help you achieve your goals.
Optional short answer question
Applicants are invited to expand on their background by responding to the following optional 250-word short answer question:
How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, community, all help to shape aspects of your identity. Please use this opportunity if you would like to share more about your background.
This question is truly optional; applicants will not be evaluated more positively or negatively should they choose to respond. This is an opportunity for you to share more about yourself with the Admissions Committee, should you choose to do so.
Overall, MIT Sloan is trying to learn more about where you have come from and how that has shaped who you are now.
You could talk about how the lessons you’ve learned from hard times and strange situations have changed the way you approach your career, but that shouldn’t be the main point of this essay.
The adcom wants to know what motivates you, what your values are, or just other parts of who you are. Also, remember that this Sloan MBA essay is optional.
Alexis Marcus from MIT Sloan’s admissions team conducted a live Q&A and you can get a few tips from this session. The video is embedded here.
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