Overview.
Analysis. MIT Sloan 2021-2022 MBA & LGO Cover Letter.
Example 1. MIT Sloan MBA & LGO Cover Letter.
Example 2. MIT Sloan MBA & LGO Cover Letter.
| MIT Sloan MBA Application ROUND | MIT Sloan MBA Application DEADLINE | MIT Sloan MBA Application DECISION |
|---|---|---|
| Round One | September 28, 2021 | Usually 3rd week of December |
| Round Two | January 19, 2022 | Usually 1st week of April |
| Round Three | April 12, 2022 | Usually 1st week of May |
Below you’ll find two examples of MIT Sloan’s cover letter for the 2021-2022 full-time MBA admissions season. You’ll find additional essay examples and essay topic analyses for leading MBA programs at the preceding link.
Overview.
MIT Sloan’s essay (a.k.a the cover letter) is an opportunity for candidates to give the admissions committee a sense of their experiences, personality, and understanding of the school’s core values.
We welcome people who are independent, authentic, and fearlessly creative — true doers. We are as interested in your path to accomplishment as we are in the results that you have attained. We want to know the effect you have on the people with who you engage, and, in turn, how you influence the world around you.
MIT’s motto is mens et manus (mind and hand). There is a definite line of thinking at Sloan which goes, ‘who you are and how you think is best reflected through your actions’. In past application years, Sloan has shown a great interest in candidates’ past behavior as a means to understanding the way they frame the world around them. That makes sense because what makes or breaks a person’s potential as a leader or manager begins with the way they think about, and ultimately frame interpersonal relationships, social situations and group/organizational dynamics and culminates in what they say and do.
Sloan’s admissions committee has always shown an interest in how candidates ‘overcome’ in their professional lives: defying norms, convincing others, making decisions with imperfect information, handling setbacks and moving outside one’s comfort zone. Leveraging a very short cover letter and the optional essay you’ll need to be creative about how you convey those aspects of yourself and your work to the admissions committee.
With such a tight word limit, I can’t stress enough how important it will be for you to carefully organizing your thoughts and determine what information is truly critical before writing your cover letter in the most succinct way possible. In that sense, the new cover letter’s restrictive format provides a means for the admissions committee to identify candidates with strong communication skills – which is a characteristic common to MBA graduates from top programs.
Here are some tips as you sit down to write your MIT Sloan cover letter:
- Write this essay last. I’ve often drawn on other school essays for inspiration writing the Sloan cover letter.
- If you’re over the word count, don’t waste precious word count with a sentence like ‘It is my pleasure to write to you today to request that my candidacy be considered for a place in the MIT Sloan MBA class of 2021‘.
- Don’t just mention what you accomplished, give some additional insight like a) what inspired you to pursue that goal/accomplishment? b) how did other people react? etc.
- Don’t over-analyze the cover letter prompt. You don’t have to touch on every single point in the prompt. In other words, you needn’t touch on your exceptional intellectual abilities and drive and fearlessly creative attitude and your many cutting edge ideas etc. There’s just not enough room for that!
Analysis. 2021-22 MIT Sloan MBA & LGO 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 examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Assistant Deans of Admissions, Rod Garcia and Dawna Levenson (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).
Example 1. MIT Sloan MBA & LGO Cover Letter.
Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program.
Sam Eslien
277 E. 7th Street
New York, NY 10009
September 25th, 2018
Ms. Dawna Levenson and Mr. Rod Garcia
Assistant Deans of Admissions
MIT Sloan School of Management
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142
Dear Mr. Garcia
When I joined my current employer, Zapier, commercialization efforts for our latest enterprise software had only just begun. The timing was fortuitous, and, with the benefit of supportive mentors and a flat organizational structure, I was able to gain cross-functional experience: raising capital, improving our marketing system and finally managing a sales team as the VP of Business Development.
While those achievements are mine, the credit belongs to Wade Foster, Zapier’s founder. At a time when I was still recovering from Retinopathy, an eye condition that can cause blindness, Wade believed in me and gave me a chance to prove myself. While Wade is adept at seeing potential in ideas and transforming them into successful companies, I admire him most for his wonderful ability to see and nurture potential in people.
While most people focus on extracting the best from others, Wade’s example taught me that true leaders focus on giving the best of themselves to others. I’ve applied that lesson through my leadership and community activities. In the last three years I’ve volunteered as Head of Marketing for the Retinopathy Foundation and Head of Sponsorship at ALCF. I’ve also provided pro bono marketing and business model advice to a number of startups.
I’d plan to continue giving the best of myself in my professional endeavors, as I and my colleagues devise practical solutions to the business world’s pressing issues. I would be delighted if you would consider me for a place in the MIT Sloan Class of 2021.
Sincerely,
Sam Eslien
Example 2. MIT Sloan MBA & LGO Cover Letter.
Taking the above into consideration, please submit a cover letter seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA Program.
Kate Maes
4501 Woodward Avenue
Detroit, MI 48201
January 3rd, 2021
Ms. Dawna Levenson and Mr. Rod Garcia
Assistant Deans of Admissions
MIT Sloan School of Management
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142
Dear Mr. Garcia,
At twenty-seven, I sometimes think that my long-term goal, to become the CEO of a global manufacturing organization like General Motors, seems like a lofty one, but in those moments I remind (and reassure) myself that good business leaders aren’t born, but rather developed. For me, that development process is a three-fold one and involves cultivating knowledge, experience and good judgment.
I’ve grown in practical experience through steady career progression at COMPANY and progressive responsibility for larger projects, teams and deliverables. I’ve sought out and gleaned knowledge through the mentorship of seasoned professionals like Henry Brooks, a President at COMPANY,who has generously shared lessons and insights from his own career.
MIT’s Sloan’s mission to develop leaders who improve the world and advance the practice of management aligns with my own commitment to hone good judgment in my current and future endeavors. In addition, the possibility to grow personally and contribute to the growth of others at MIT Sloan is made possible by the nature of the school’s student body, with a wealth of different industry and functional perspectives and the welcoming and down-to-earth approach I’ve experienced through first-hand interactions.
Working closely with Jane Stilton, one of the Interiors Division’s co-Heads, I’ve been impressed by her ability to successfully lead over 800 people while consistently meeting the division’s performance expectations. The internal strategic issues we face at General Motors are both interesting and challenging and in the short-term I plan to take General Motors up on an offer to return post-MBA and take on a role as a Site Lead in our Interiors Division.
In closing I’d like to thank you for your time in reviewing my application for the MIT Sloan MBA Class of 2021.
Sincerely,
Kate Maes