Prompt: 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 maximum, excluding address and salutation).
Possible topics for your cover letter:
Sloan's cover letter format is maybe the most difficult of all the business school essays. The MIT Sloan full-time MBA program's cover letter only allows you 300 words. The MIT Sloan Fellows (for mid-level executives) cover letter gives you 500 words, which is much longer.
I am providing two examples of successful cover letters below. I don't like templates, but reading the letters, here are some important elements that were incorporated:
From my past experience, I believe that Sloan wants to see one example of the applicant doing something above & beyond, something that he or she didn't have to do, but did just because it was the right thing to do.
For example, one of my clients looked into robot builders as a possible solution to the housing crisis in Mexico, even though he was initially told that the project wasn't important. Another client, a military officer, created and taught classes on personal finance to his soldiers, for two years, just because they needed it.
The first letter writer below insisted on doing the right thing for customers, even though that meant she had to push back against company politics (also, she had adopted an anxious rescue dog, which she talks about in her application video).
The second writer refused to give up on a soldier, even though he was told by his superior to give up.
So, it can appear in the resume, cover letter, or video, but that is what Sloan is looking for.
To the Admissions Committee:
I am the youngest product manager in my division at Acme Healthcare Services. In keeping with MIT Sloan’s mission, I want to bring positive change to the healthcare sector through technology while never losing sight of the end-users – the doctors and patients.
Two years ago, I joined the project team building a brand-new online scheduling system for our patient portal. I often find myself speaking up to ensure that the technology is not prioritized over users. As a young woman without a background in software, I rarely get the buy-in I seek immediately. But I refuse to give up. I gather evidence, reframe the problem, and ultimately convince my team to do what is right.
First came the debate over incorporating a new login. I knew from experience how much patients despised logging in for every service. I used data to prove to management how much better our results could be if login requirements were relaxed, and I see the payoff in conversion results and positive user feedback. Then came the CTO’s mandate to use a new third-party service to predetermine whether a patient’s insurance would be accepted. But when I tested the service, I realized that it was intended for behind-the-scenes use and wasn’t user-friendly at all. Despite the political drama that ensued, I insisted that we forgo the service for a simple textbox that would serve our clients without confusing patients.
These situations, and many more like them, have strengthened my desire to lead more directly. I seek more impactful management roles, starting in product strategy at a small healthcare technology company that is pursuing opportunities in value-based care. Only at MIT Sloan will I find opportunities like the Sloan Healthcare Innovations Prize to hone my strategic and leadership skills. Thank you for considering my application.
To the Admissions Committee:
My leadership philosophy includes making the most of the resources I have available to me, to include maximizing the potential of each member of my team. I take pride in motivating weaker members of my team and developing innovative solutions so that they become successful.
This trait was apparent when I stood up for a subordinate in order to turn around his professional career. When I took command of A Troop, both my predecessor and my new commander insisted that I remove Specialist Campos from the Army. Campos had been disciplined twice for insubordination and reprimanded on multiple occasions for poor performance. Although my commander felt that Campos was unsalvageable, I challenged him to give me the opportunity to reform Campos. After some tense exchanges, my commander allowed me to try, but informed me that failure would be a direct reflection on my leadership abilities and could potentially jeopardize future leadership roles.
In order for me to better understand the situation, I had Campos’ chain-of-command compile all relevant information on him; to include his disciplinary record, family history, and who he spent time with on weekends. We found that Campos had a troubled past that included involvement in a street gang prior to the military. Additionally, Campos had an infant son that passed away a few months prior that he was still grieving over.
I moved Campos from one platoon to another in order to give him a fresh start. I worked with his new chain-of-command to develop a plan to keep him involved and give him a sense of belonging. This plan included regular counseling sessions to ensure he was making progress and setting him up with a “Battle Buddy” that would check in on him after work hours. Additionally, I procured the funds necessary to send him to a civilian clinic that specializes in child-loss grief.
Campos improved considerably, winning praise from the people who previously derided him. He went on to earn the “Soldier of the Quarter” award and received an Army Achievement Medal for his actions during a training event. We eventually made him a team leader and put him in charge of three soldiers.
As a leader, I ensure every member of my team reaches their full potential and contributes. This takes significant commitment, devotion to your convictions, and innovative thinking. It is difficult, especially in the Army, to go against the grain and challenge superiors in an effort to reform certain individuals. Furthermore, not every individual is the same, so their particular situations necessitate new and creative solutions. This is how I plan to contribute toward advancing the mission of Sloan. I am deeply rooted in my principles and I do what I feel is right, even if that means going against the grain. I also understand how to analyze a complex problem and develop innovative solutions for it. These traits have proved successful during my time in the military and I plan to apply them in business school and my future career.
The MIT Sloan video essay is one minute long. You should write out a video script to look at, and then you and I will brainstorm.
MIT Sloan wants you to be "authentic," but don't set a low standard for yourself. I will never forget when a client sent me his video that he had completed the night before. It was the day before the deadline, and my client had shot the video while sitting on his bed. He sounded great, but the video looked unprofessional (though at least the bed was made neatly). Sadly, it was too late for me to suggest that he re-do the video.
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I have been compiling the best of short video introductions, without worrying about which school it was made for. Here is Sloan's prompt.
In your video, you should introduce yourself to your future classmates, tell us about your past experiences, and touch on why MIT Sloan is the best place for you to pursue your degree.
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.
I also recommend using a little humor in your video introduction – don't take yourself too seriously.
Do NOT repeat your resume. Enhance your resume with something new, and add something that they wouldn't get from your resume.
Although I recommend that you use a script (again, I would like to review it in advance), but memorize it so that you are not obviously reading.
There are two approaches to the video introduction. One is to stay still and talk. It gives the Admissions Committee an idea of what you would be like in an interview situation or giving a presentation.
If you are shooting indoors, set up a background that is calm and uncluttered, and make sure that you have good lighting. Try to make the background represent yourself. Don't shoot the video in your bedroom, even if it's an uncluttered bedroom. Make sure that the camera is raised to be centered on your face - you do not want a video shot up your nose.
Here is a good example of someone sitting down, talking. He has an engaging introduction (although he makes the mistake of mainly focusing on his resume). Notice how he posed in front of a world map, representing his global interests.
In the next two videos, the applicants stay still and talk, but they both choose locations that depict career plus personal life. Of course, if you choose to shoot from an outdoor location, be sure to use the best sound equipment that you can!
Consider how your background and props relate to your story:
A past client spoke a little about her rescue dog, to whom she had been devoting a lot of time after work. She sat on a sofa with the dog snuggled up to her. Sure, it was an obvious play for the "Awwwww" factor, but it was authentic. It also worked with her professional goals - she was in healthcare technology, and she went into that field because she wanted to improve healthcare for doctors (her dad is a doctor) and patients. Her rescue dog was part of that care-giving personality. She was admitted.
Another client took his video on a skiing vacation. He spoke about how skiing helped him to learn to get right back up after inevitable falls, and taught him appreciation for the natural world, in line with one stated goal of putting environmentalism on the same level as capitalism. He also mentioned that he had taught his wife and many friends how to ski, in line with his volunteer work as a soccer coach. After telling his story, he skiied down the slope. He was admitted.
Another approach is the show & tell -- you don't just tell them, you show them as part of the video.
One of my clients, who was co-founder of a food manufacturing startup, did a walk-through of the factory that she built. As she walked, she named the assembly line workers. Her co-founder occasionally popped up in the background and made faces. She wore a blue cap to keep her hair out of the food. The effect was both goofy and serious, in that it conveyed she had built a real business. She was accepted into MIT Sloan's MBA Fellows program.
The difficulty with this approach is not coming off as cheesy, or doing something that has not been done too many times before. For example, people often put on and take off hats to show their many "hats" (roles). Similarly, people stand and talk, then put on a hat, or hold up a picture, put that down, pick up something else, put that down, and so forth. Sadly, this has been done too much.
In general, avoid using lots of props. When you use props, make sure that you are really showing the admissions people something new about yourself.
This one is filmed inside, but he moves around and his activities are an example of show & tell. This is an older video, so he did this in two shots ... but I bet that he could have done it in one. Difficult, but comes across as "natural."
In this video, the applicant combines location, photos, and prop use ... but most of all, she turns on her personality. She doesn't use props as a crutch.
In this one, the applicant relies very heavily on the use of photos on her tablet, swipe, swipe, swiping away ... so she's using the equivalent of the many "hats" approach. But she's so charming and confident about it, that she gets away with it ... because she stays focused on talking to the viewer.
Most videos are not as good as these examples. Even if the video wasn't super-spectacular amazing, the applicant may still be accepted by Sloan.
I hope that you get some good ideas from these! Be strategic, but also, have some fun with it!.
The video essay tab will be created within the application when the app is almost completed, and must be completed before the app is submitted.
MIT Sloan asks for a video essay component. You have one minute to answer, and that is what you need to practice: The One Minute Answer.
These will all be random questions.....
The question appears as a page within the application after about 80% of the app is complete. You will need to submit this video essay at the same time as the rest of the application.
Prompt: 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. (250 words maximum)
This question is about who you are – a background or a unique perspective – and how it may have changed what you do or behave (actions), how you see yourself, or what you most value today (professionally or personally).
To help us better understand your current role and the impact that you have on your team and department, please submit an organizational chart. We should be able to clearly understand the internal structure of your organization, where you sit in your organization, and your line of reporting.
Organizational charts should not be more than two pages and keep the following in mind:
Organizational Chart Example Provided by Sloan