MIT Sloan Essays for the Class 2027

MIT Sloan Essays for the Class 2027

Sep, 11, 2024

This is a short post on the MIT Sloan Essays for the Class of 2027.  I am too busy to do a full post right now, but wanted to provide basic essay analysis.  This is an update and revision to my prior posts on MIT.

CORE LEARNING POINTS: (1) Making a pure fit argument (2) Making a strong first impression

 

Overview:

MIT’s motto, “Mens et Manus” (Mind and Hand) fosters an attitude of excellence that transforms a career path into a lifetime of exploration, innovation, and leadership.

 

MIT is well known for transforming theory into practice and this is certainly true of its business school. Amongst all the M7, MIT Sloan has long been the leader in experiential learning and the use of multiple classroom methods.  It has long been the anti-HBS (flexible, collaborative and not high pressure, practical not case-based). If anything, HBS is now trying to be more like MIT Sloan. The first year Field course at HBS is a total copy of the sort of experiential learning that MIT Sloan has been doing years.

 

MIT has the shortest essay set of the M7, a 300-word cover letter and a one-minute video. It also has great optional essay for talking about what your background. For anyone who has done some of the other M7 apps, MIT is usually easy to do because it mostly involves repurposing and reorganizing existing content. I think it is amongst the worst schools to do first because it is much better to have a portfolio of content to select from in order to put it together. Fortunately given the late deadlines R1 ( 9/30/24 and  R2 (1/14/25), most applicants will have worked on other schools already.

 

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 has been using this cover letter concept for a very long time now. The first time I visited with MIT admissions in 2007, I asked about the cover letter. At the time I was told it was because MIT Sloan thought everyone should know how to write a formal cover letter as a standard piece of business correspondence.

 

 

Keep in mind that great cover letters result in job interviews. The purpose of a cover letter is to accompany a resume and get you an interview!    How will your cover letter standout?

-If you don’t know how to do a US-style cover letter, you need to learn. For more about a standard job cover letters see here or just do an internet search.

-Highlight 2-3 ways you fit MIT’s criteria.

-This is an argument about why you fit Sloan’s criteria, not why you want to go to Sloan.

-If you can touch on about 2-3 key selling points while actually making an argument for why you belong at MIT Sloan, you will have done a good job. Assume one paragraph equals one way you fit at Sloan and highlights one or more selling points.   Assume in 300 words including a brief formal intro and brief formal conclusion you have about 200-250 words for these paragraphs. Most clients highlight two stories.

Paragraph structure: Relate one specific aspect of Sloan culture or values to something you have done to show your fit.  In the process of doing this include important details about your professional experience.

Cover letter structure:  Beyond a brief 1st paragraph asking for admission and conclusion asking for an interview as per cover letter format, Make 2-3 such paragraphs showing your fit for MIT. Your objective is show why you should be interviewed based some of the criteria stated in the cover letter question:

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.

 

It is impossible in a 300 word letter to connect yourself with all the above in bold. Just focus a few aspects to highlight your fit for MIT Sloan.

 

You will notice that I have specifically not included post-MBA career goals in the above questions.  That is because your cover letter should not focus on such goals. MIT makes it clear in all their events that they don’t want that here. If you are sponsored by your company or come from a family business fine to mention that but DON’T WRITE WHY MIT SLOAN FITS ME ESSAY or discuss post-MBA goals.

 

VIDEO STATEMENT

Please take a minute to introduce yourself to your future classmates via video. Videos should be a single take (no editing) lasting no more than one minute and consisting of you speaking directly to the camera. We recommend using an application such as QuickTime or iMovie to record yourself.

This video has a few different purposes:

1. It is a great way to get an overall first impression of an applicant.
2. The question itself is a very good way to see who is actually paying attention to who the intended hypothetical audience is. This is useful for getting rid of social idiots who cannot construct even a one-minute appealing statement to their future classmates.
3. Since MIT Sloan does not require TOEFL, it is an easy way to get an impression of English ability even prior to an interview.

 

What all successful versions of this video do:

1. Help the viewer understand why they would like the applicant as a person and as a classmate
2. Highlight a few key characteristics about the applicant not covered in the cover letter.
3. Showcase what makes someone special.
4.  Provide a great first impression. This is speed dating.  FOCUS ON PERFORMANCE!!!!

 

How to make the video:

1. Write a script. It will mostly likely be too long. (Once you add in breathing, facial expressions, in acting you might do, and speaking a speed to heard effectively, your script should be 90-120 words long most likely).
2. Have your script reviewed by whoever you are sharing it with.
3. Make an initial video. If your script is too long at this point, edit it down again.
4. Have your video reviewed, taking feedback into consideration, alter the script as needed.
5. Record until you have an acceptable take.
6. As the instructions say, don’t edit it. They don’t want a well-produced TV commercial.

 

 Background Essay

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 life experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background.

(250 words)

For those who have written essays and/or short answers about their background, values, education,  life story, or other personal aspects, this will be easy.  Essentially you are trying to highlight to MIT a few (say 2-4) key aspects about who you are that cannot be understood  (or fully understood) from the resume, cover letter, or video.

Some possible topics:

1. Academic/intellectual/cultural/political  interests that have shaped you.
2.  The personal significance of where you grew up. The impact of that place(s) on you.
3.  Context related to one or more of your essays.
4. Major positive or negative impacts of your family on you.
5.  Economic considerations that impacted your family life.
6. The ethnic, religious, or other identity of your family and its impact on you.
7. The culture or values of your family and its impact on you.
8.  Key personal challenges you have had to handle.

Best of luck with your MIT Sloan Application!  See here for how to prep for MIT interviews.