MIT Sloan Fellows

MIT Sloan Fellows is a mid-career program offered by MIT’s Sloan School of management. In terms of candidate experience and course content, it’s between an MBA and an Executive MBA. Given that MIT Sloan is ranked 5th in the 2021 US News Business Schools ranking, Sloan Fellows offers professionals who are too experienced for an MBA another opportunity at a top business school.

This year, we've worked with a Round 1 applicant for MIT Sloan Fellows who was invited for the interview and is now waiting to hear the final decision on 14th December. So, we've also incorporated inputs from our journey with this client to provide you with deeper insights into the MIT Sloan Fellows application process.

Intake & Deadlines

MIT Sloan Fellows MBA application process for June 2022 is structured as follows:

Round 1: 5th October 20211 (Deadline) & 14th December 2021 (Decision)

Round 2 11th January 2022 (Deadline) & 15th February 2022 (Decision)

Round 3 23rd February 2022 (Deadline) & 22nd March 2022 (Decision)

• Application outcomes for those who did not make it to the interviews will be announced earlier than the deadline mentioned above.

• Reapplicants can submit their MIT Sloan Fellows applications in any of the three rounds.

Application Requirements

The MIT Sloan Fellows application requires all of the following:

• Transcripts

• Test scores: GMAT/GRE

• Professional certifications & coursework

• Cover letter

• Resume

• Organizational chart

• Video statement

• Letter of Recommendation

• Additional references

• Interview

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 Fellows is a leadership development program for mid-career professionals who can think outside the box and are aiming to become impactful leaders of tomorrow. For its Sloan Fellows program, MIT is looking for candidates from diverse professional and ethical backgrounds who are authentic, creative and independent. DOers, in other words.

With this in mind, structure your 300-word cover letter to include your motivation to pursue the MIT Sloan Fellows program. It’s a tight word count, so use clear and crisp language to tell them a story.

For example:

• When you used creativity to solve a business problem that saved the company money

• How your innovative approach helped set up a more efficient business process

• How your unique ideas were an asset to the organisation’s growth

• How your drive helped to bring about a change

• Or when you demonstrated leadership skills through empathy.

MIT Sloan Fellows, being a small, close-knit cohort, encourages the cohort to come together and share and learn from each other’s experiences. So, showing your team-building skills and supportive attitude in your story wouldn’t be a bad idea!

Do not stick only to academics such as coursework, electives & professors. Also discuss your plans outside of the classroom, such as the extracurricular engagements you intend to pursue, and how your presence will add value or enhance the experience of your classmates.

Since the MIT Sloan Fellows program is built on the three pillars of innovation, leadership, and global perspective, your alignment with this value system is critical for your cover letter.

Resume

Submit a 2-page (maximum) word doc or PDF with size 10 Times New Roman font. Add all your experiences - education, professional, extracurriculars, community service and skills and certifications. Do it in reverse chronological order.

Include all your relevant scholarships, awards and professional societies in the education section.

Work experience must include the company name, job title, and dates of employment. Next, write bullet points using the ACE: Action, Context and Ending structure to demonstrate your skillset.

In the additional information section, include your extracurriculars, community service, technical skills and certifications, skills and interests and any languages you might want to include.

Organisational Chart

To understand the scope of your role better, the responsibilities you handle and your position in the organisation’s structure, MIT Sloan Fellows’ application requires an organisational chart.

Create a flowchart not more than two pages long, keeping in mind your current role, titles and department, team, where you sit, your line of reporting, and internal organisational structure.

Add in as many details as possible. Ensure that the adcom can easily identify you in this chart. Highlight your references and recommender as well if possible!

Refer to this organisational chart that MIT Sloan Fellows has provided as an example for reference.

Video Statement

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

The Adcom wants to get to know the real you and see who you are beyond your professional journey and experiences. This is the space for you to bring colour to your personality in the application.

Gather your stories and put together an introduction that reflects you.

Brainstorm which stories you can discuss within such a short time span. Stories are a helpful way to bring out something integral to your personality that hasn’t been explained in any other part of the application.

Write a script for the video statement. Then, either learn it word-for-word or outline the key points and practise it over and over again! The presentation in this video is quite important, as highlighted in MIT Sloan’s tips for the 60-second video.

The admissions committee will assess your language fluency, style, confidence, presentation skills, and body language. So, make sure you’re dressed professionally and look straight at the camera while speaking.

You can get help from a friend to record the video, but any editing is strictly prohibited. Choose a well-lit recording space without too many background distractions. If it’s outdoors, find a spot where you won’t be interrupted.

Let your personality shine through and be conversational, just the way you would introduce yourself in person to your classmates.

Letter of Recommendation

Recommendation questions:

- Please provide a brief description of your interaction with the applicant and, if applicable, the applicant’s role in your organization. (Up to 50 words)

- How does the performance of the applicant compare to that of other well-qualified individuals in similar roles? (E.g. what are the applicant’s principal strengths?) (Up to 500 words)

- Describe the most important piece of constructive feedback you have given the applicant. Please detail the circumstances and the applicant’s response. (Up to 500 words)

MIT Sloan uses GMAC’s common Letter of Recommendation form. You need to provide one LOR from a reference who can speak to your professional capabilities.

Your recommender should:

• Explain how they know you.

• Rave about how good your performance has been.

• Reassure that you’re able to receive feedback.

For more details check out the Letter of Recommendation guide.

Don’t leave it to the last minute. Give the recommender a “soft deadline” to ensure that the recommendation is submitted well before the deadline so that your application is considered in that round.

Discuss the values and mission of MIT Sloan Fellows with your recommender in advance so that they can write their recommendation that aligns well with the school values.

Additional References

MIT Sloan Fellows asks you to submit the details of two additional professional references apart from the recommender.

After assessing your application, if there are any questions, the admissions committee will reach out to these references to get a sense of your professional or academic background.

Additional questions (if invited to interview)

If you are invited to interview you'll be asked to write additional essays answering these questions:

- Required Question #1: The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. We believe that a commitment to diversity, inclusion, equity, and well-being is a key component of both principled leadership and sound management practice.

In 250 words or less, please describe a time when you contributed toward making a work environment or organization more welcoming, inclusive, and diverse.

- Required Question #2: We are interested in learning more about how you use data to make decisions and analyse results. Please select one of the following prompts to respond to:

Please select an existing data visualisation and in 250 words or less, describe what it means and why it matters to you. The data visualisation must be uploaded as a PDF. Examples may come from current events, a business analysis, or personal research (e.g. climate change, COVID maps, etc.)

- Alternative Question 2: In 250 words to less, please describe a recent data-driven decision you had to make, and include one slide presenting your analysis. The slide may include a data visualisation example and should present data used in a professional context. Your slide must be uploaded as a PDF.

Interview

Congratulations if you've been invited to an interview, it’s a big step forward. Statistically, you have a 50%+ chance of an admit, so don’t drop the ball now!

Here are some interview questions that you should prepare before your MIT Sloan Fellows interview:

- Why MIT?

- Why Sloan Fellows?

- Why now?

- Tell me about a time you persuaded others.

- Tell me about a time you worked as part of a team.

- Tell me about a time when you demonstrated leadership.

Check out 10 common interview questions and 5 toughest MBA interview questions for more possibilities.

Dress as you would for a typical day in the office. Nothing exceptionally smart, just be comfortable. Gentlemen, consider wearing a tie. Match the trousers - interviewers have been known to ask applicants to stand up to check they're not wearing pyjamas! Present a tidy, professional background. Avoid any interruptions and position yourself to keep background noise to a minimum. For best light face a window.

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