In my decade-plus of assisting MIT Sloan Fellows applicants (successes every year!), I have seen that the adcom values applicants who, among other things, demonstrate consistent, outstanding impact and are on track to become leaders in their company and even in their industry (“Exhibit exceptional leadership performance, functional expertise, and a commitment to leading innovation” per the MIT Sloan Fellows website). While your application as a whole will convey these points about you, the cover letter and video statement present an ideal opportunities to make the case affirmatively, directly, and vividly, with examples and details strategically chosen.
Optimizing your MIT Sloan Fellows cover letter and video statement
Use the cover letter and video to convey fit with MIT Sloan’s enduring emphasis on admitting students who will be proactive, innovative leaders and agents of change. These items together should create a vibrant, multifaceted view of your candidacy:
- The cover letter serves as a lens, sets the context for understanding your candidacy, and, through the requested examples, delves (albeit briefly) into your experience.
- The video essay is your chance to show your fit with your prospective classmates, your understanding of what value you bring to them, and your social and emotional IQ. This last is important because the adcom wants people who, while being amazing in multiple ways, also can connect with people. Sloan Fellows students are expected to contribute substantially and distinctively among highly accomplished peers.
MIT Sloan Fellows cover letter
This global leadership development program is a 12-month, full-time executive MBA program designed to prepare an elite group of global mid-career managers with the management skills necessary to magnify their impact as leaders and innovators. Our guiding principles are to help you develop critical skills essential for future leaders; to instill a spirit of innovation through exceptional opportunities at Sloan and across MIT; to foster a deep spirit of community among fellows; to provide a breadth of electives and depth through one-on-one relationships with senior faculty; and to offer flexible curriculum to allow you to tailor the program to meet your specific professional objectives. We accomplish this by maintaining a foundation in our three pillars of: leadership, innovation and global perspective.
Taking the above into consideration please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA Program. Please share your short and long-term professional objectives and how the MIT Sloan Fellows MBA program will help you to achieve them. Your letter should conform to a standard business correspondence, include one or more examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (500 words or less).
Let’s break this question into three parts:
- Your professional objectives. Be specific about position, company/industry, expected scope of responsibilities, and vision for what you want to accomplish – this vision (your motivation) is what animates the goals discussion. Give more detail for the short-term goals; for the longer-term goal, show direction, but less detail.
- Your fit with the program. Identify and describe specific aspects of your professional objectives that align with the program’s offerings and resources. Focus on the 2-3 key elements of this fit and discuss them thoughtfully. Avoid a “laundry list” of points.
- Examples that show you meet the desired criteria. MIT is always interested in what you’ve done (action, not talk) as evidence of what you’ll do – so present 1 or 2 brief, specific examples (at least one fairly recent) of your actions that show how well you meet the stated criteria. Use these examples strategically by selecting ones that let you zoom in on notable, relevant aspects of your experience, expertise, and/or character.
MIT Sloan Fellows video statement
Please introduce yourself to your future classmates and let us know why the Sloan Fellows MBA program (SFMBA) is a great match for you. 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.
First, keep your dual audience in mind: the hypothetical future classmates cited in the question AND the very real adcom. You need to present an effective elevator pitch to the former that also enhances your candidacy to the latter. Your future classmates will not know your resume, so include a professional snapshot, but keep the facts short (as they are redundant of other application info) and leaven them with the “why” behind the story – what propelled you onto this path. That “why” should be consistent with but not redundant of the cover letter). Include possibly also a key non-work point or two, and these topics will vary person to person – they could be a compelling formative experience, unique geographic or cultural background, important avocation or activity, etc. For this latter part, think about (a) what will differentiate and distinguish you, and (b) what will represent a contribution in some way.
If you aren’t accustomed to doing video presentations, practice and put some effort into visual elements like background and lighting. Keep the background simple, clean, and uncluttered. Have the light somewhere behind the camera and shining on you. Dress professionally.
For expert guidance with your MIT Sloan Fellows MBA application, check out Accepted’s MBA Application Packages, which include comprehensive guidance from an experienced admissions consultant. We’ve helped hundreds of applicants get accepted to MIT Sloan Fellow’s MBA program and look forward to helping you too!
MIT Sloan Fellows 2019-2020 Application Deadlines
| Application Deadline | Decision Notification | |
| Round 1 | October 8, 2019 | December 16, 2019 |
| Round 2 | January 2, 2020 | February 12, 2020 |
| Round 3 | February 10, 2020 | April 3, 2020 |
Submit applications by 3:00 p.m. EST on date of application deadline.
***Disclaimer: Information is subject to change. Please check with individual programs to verify the essay questions, instructions and deadlines.***
Related Resources:
• Fitting In & Standing Out: The Paradox at the Heart of Admissions, a free guide
• MIT Sloan EMBA and Sloan Fellows Programs: Move from Success to Significance, a podcast episode
• MIT Sloan Fellow, User Experience Expert, and Busy Mom, a podcast episode
The post MIT Sloan Fellows Essay Tips & Deadlines [2019 – 2020] appeared first on Accepted Admissions Blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment