The MIT Sloan School of Management holds a lot of appeal for MBA candidates as an M7 school (i.e., it is considered to be one of the most elite business schools in the world). MIT Sloan’s mission, as stated directly on its website, is to “develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice.” Within this mission statement itself, it’s quite clear what the key qualities are that MIT Sloan looks for in candidates – these are laid out in more detail below.
Principled leadership
While every top business school strongly values leadership potential in candidates, MIT Sloan takes this one step further by emphasizing its high regard for principled leadership. In other words, having a sense of integrity as a leader is important to MIT Sloan. Throughout the application (such as the essay/cover letter, resume, and recommendation letters), MIT Sloan will be looking for data points from each candidate to support this. On this note, it’s important to point out that the business school looks at past actions to gauge how an applicant will behave in the future. Therefore, as you approach the application, think about how you have demonstrated principled leadership in the projects and initiatives that you have led, both in the workplace and in your extracurricular endeavors.
Innovative problem solving
Known for its entrepreneurial environment, it’s not surprising that MIT Sloan seeks applicants who can display innovative thinking and the ability to creatively solve problems. In its directions for the essay/cover letter, MIT Sloan explicitly states, “We want people who can redefine solutions to conventional problems, and strive to preempt unconventional dilemmas with cutting-edge ideas.” This criterion is important regardless of the field that you may be in – entrepreneurship, finance, healthcare, technology, the military, etc.
What are some ways in which you have thought “outside the box?”
Robust analytical skills
Having strong analytical skills is extremely important for MIT Sloan given the rigor of the curriculum, which will require being comfortable with numbers and running analyses. In particular, being able to understand and interpret data in order to provide meaningful insights is critical for the MBA program. MIT Sloan will assess a candidate's analytical and quantitative prowess in multiple ways – undergraduate GPA, GMAT/GRE score, and professional work experience. Recommenders can also emphasize an applicant's analytical and quantitative skills through their recommendation letters. As a result, do your best to maximize your “stats” in order to be competitive in the applicant pool at MIT Sloan.
Emotional Quotient (EQ)
At MIT Sloan, EQ, especially when it comes to promoting a diverse and inclusive environment, is also an attribute that the Admissions Committee likes to see. Therefore, while the “stats” are important, who the person is behind the “stats” is equally vital.
Keeping these points in mind will help you to put together a strong application and maximize your chances of admission at MIT Sloan.
About Ivy Groupe:
Ivy Groupe is a boutique MBA admissions consulting company founded by Shaifali Aggarwal, who has been recognized as a top MBA admissions consultant by Business Insider and Poets & Quants. She received her MBA from Harvard Business School and undergraduate degree from Princeton University. Shaifali’s philosophy focuses on authenticity and storytelling to help clients craft compelling and differentiated applications that stand out. With this approach, Shaifali’s clients have gained admission to top-tier MBA programs such as Harvard, Stanford, Wharton, Kellogg, MIT, Columbia, Booth, Tuck, and Yale, among others.
Click on the links to learn more about our company and how you can work with us to maximize your chances of gaining admission to the MBA programs of your choice.
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