MIT Sloan Application Essay Tips, 2024–2025
MIT Sloan wants you to make your pitch for admission in a somewhat unique application essay format: a business cover letter. Although the information the admissions committee wants is not that different from what most programs seek, the presentation might be a bit daunting for some candidates. Sloan also asks for a short video introduction, which is probably also intimidating, along with a second short video. Please note that in past years, the school’s application included an optional short answer question, but this year, that short answer question is required. So, how do you craft winning application essays for MIT Sloan? Here are our tips.
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).
Sloan’s “cover letter” essay bedevils many an applicant because it is so unconventional, relative to other schools’ more traditional essays. Just keep it simple! Whether framed as a letter or an essay, the spirit is the same: you need to write 300 words that convey your identity as an applicant and can distinguish you from thousands of others. In this case, Sloan’s very lengthy prompt lists the types of people the program seeks: “thoughtful leaders,” “true doers,” “people who can redefine solutions,” and so on. Odds are, with so much breadth in these characteristics, you have an anecdote that demonstrates that you, too, exemplify some of them. So, while “conform[ing] to a standard business correspondence,” quickly introduce an example of how you have exhibited one or more of the qualities the prompt highlights. At the end of your example story, relate the experience and traits not to your goals (the school regards your goals as too hypothetical to matter) but to MIT Sloan itself. Using approximately 75−100 words, discuss your fit with MIT Sloan and your need to experience or learn from specific aspects of its program. Three hundred words is a tight fit; in some ways, it might be harder to write this essay than one with a much larger or even unlimited word count (such as Harvard Business School’s). Still, the brevity of this essay allows the thoughtful ones to really “pop.”
Video Essay 1: 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
Note: While we ask you to introduce yourself to your future classmates in this video, the video will not be shared and is for use in the application process only.
Sixty seconds! One take! This is another daunting prompt that requires a step back. But MIT Sloan will not be viewing your video for Academy Award consideration; the admissions committee just wants to get to know you better as a person and gain some insight into what makes you tick. The prompt specifically requests that you “let your personality shine through,” so before you start worrying about the medium, ask yourself what you would tell others about yourself if you were asked to introduce yourself. This is not a place to reiterate your resume or highlight your work accomplishments. Think about experiences and examples that represent who you are today. What are some bits of information that will help you express who you are and where your values lie?
The admissions committee does not want any background music or subtitles, so be thoughtful about your backdrop and scenery; a setting that is too busy and crammed with props could distract from you and your story. However, a clear and subtle background could be additive. For example, if your future lies in sustainable agriculture, consider shooting your video from a quiet farm or the produce section of a local (not noisy!) market. Remember that you are applying to business school, not film school. Context might help convey your story, but the story itself is what counts! Be yourself.
Video Essay 2: All MBA applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation.
Video Essay 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 10 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response.
For the first time, Sloan is joining several other MBA programs in requiring applicants to answer a randomly generated question in video format. We have heard some concern over whether this video is meant to eliminate the need for an actual interview, but don’t worry; that is not the case. Sloan wants to evaluate your ability to think on your feet and respond to questions that you have not necessarily prepared for in advance. That doesn’t mean that you will have to wing it, though. There are some steps you can take to help ensure that you will be able to answer the prompt that is thrown your way. Review your resume and your volunteer and community work, and think of stories that highlight your leadership and teamwork abilities. Identify examples that demonstrate you using those qualities, including projects that went well and some that did not go quite as planned. Think of a question such as “Tell me about a time you were on a dysfunctional team.” Then, take ten seconds to compose your thoughts. We suggest using the CAR (Challenge, Action, Result) method, in which you briefly set up what the challenge was, state what action(s) you took, and then highlight what the result of your action(s) was. Practice talking about each example you have identified within a 60-second time frame. It can be useful to generate a list of sample questions and enlist the help of a buddy who can read them to you and keep an eye on the time. Ask them to throw in a random question or two that you hadn’t thought of.
Short Answer Question- NOTE this is required of all applicants in the 2024-2025 season: The Admissions Committee is excited to learn more about you and your background. In 250 words, please respond to the following short answer question:
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.
Consider what aspect(s) of your family, culture, and/or community have had a meaningful impact on you. This is your opportunity to delve into it/them and give the committee more insight into who you are as a person. There is no right or wrong answer or focus for this essay. Just be honest.
Reapplicants: For applicants who applied for entry in a previous year, we require that you complete and submit a new and complete application. We strongly encourage you to submit new application materials and emphasize what has changed since you last applied. Reapplicants may submit their applications in any round, and will have an opportunity to highlight changes since their previous application in a short-answer question. LGO reapplicants must submit their applications by the LGO deadline of November 6.
In your new essays, be sure to clarify and highlight how you have grown and strengthened your candidacy since you last applied. Ideally, you have improved on some aspect(s) of your profile — whether that is a higher test score, more work experience, a promotion, or something similar. Be sure to note what it is about the school that has motivated you to apply again, and present the specific and sincere reasons you value an MBA from MIT Sloan.
While not an essay, an organizational chart is also required and gives many applicants pause.
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:
– Give us as much detail as possible (names, titles, etc.) but it’s ok to redact names if you need to.
– Please circle your role in red so that your position is easily identifiable
– Make sure we can easily identify where you are, to whom you report, and if applicable, who reports to you.
– If your recommender or references are on your organizational chart (they may not be, and that’s ok!), please highlight them for us.
– If you are a consultant, entrepreneur, or affiliated with the military review our for suggestions on how to approach the organizational chart.
Through your chart, MIT wants to see where you sit in your organization overall and in relation to your recommenders. Additionally, they want to see whether you have any direct or indirect reports. Don’t read too much into this.
In the Stratus Admissions guide How to Get into MIT Sloan School of Management, you will find information on a variety of the MBA program’s offerings, such as the Sloan Innovation Period, Action Learning Labs, the MIT 100K Competition, and the Sloan Sustainability Initiative.