Application Instructions for Fall 2013 Entry
Instructions for MBA applicants
A complete and accurate application consists of the following:
- Cover Letter
- Résumé
- Essays
- Letters of Recommendation
- Transcript
- Test Scores
- Application Fee
Instructions for reapplicants and candidates for the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) and Harvard Kennedy School (HKS) dual degrees are listed below.
Cover Letter
Please prepare a cover letter *(up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should describe your accomplishments, address any extenuating circumstances that may apply to your application, and conform to standard business correspondence. Your letter should be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions.
*The 500 word limit refers only to the text (or body) of the cover letter and does not include the salutation, inside address, etc.
Résumé
Please prepare a business resume that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business resume is welcomed and encouraged. The resume should not be more than one page in length (up to 50 lines).
Essays
We are interested in learning more about how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide a brief overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Please limit the experiences you discuss to those which have occurred in the past three years.
In each of the essays, please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.
- Essay 1: Please describe a time when you had to convince a person or a group of your idea. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
- Essay 2: Please describe a time when you overcame a personal setback. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
Supplemental Information (Optional)
The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us or your future classmates to know about you. This may be in written or multimedia format. Written essays should be 300 words or fewer (limit of 2000 characters).
Suggestions for multimedia: Please do not use Flash, and include a URL where it can be accessed online. Files in Dropbox or any link that is password-protected or set to expire have been problematic. We are looking for a link to content hosted online, and we cannot accept any uploaded files.
Recommendations
MBA applicants must submit two letters of recommendation. Professional recommendations are preferred from individuals who are able to speak with certainty about your professional achievements and potential. Recommenders must submit recommendations online. We do not accept mailed recommendations. Recommendations may be in either letter or short answer format and should not exceed two pages each.
Please choose recommenders who are able to provide specific answers to the following questions:
- How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?
- How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?
- Please give an example of the applicant's impact on a person, group, or organization.
- Please give a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people.
- Which of the applicant's personal or professional characteristics would you change?
- Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.
Academic Records (Transcripts)
Please scan and upload copies of your academic records. Do not mail in your official academic records or transcripts.
Applicants admitted to the program will be required to provide an official transcript from each school attended. All admitted students will receive further instructions after the decision deadline on where to send the materials. Any discrepancy between the scanned transcripts and official transcripts may result in a rejection in our decision or a withdrawal of our offer of admission.
Test Scores
The GMAT or GRE is required of all applicants and must be taken before submitting your application. Once your online application is submitted, we will not allow replacement of your test scores. Only tests taken after September 1, 2008 will be considered. We require that the official GMAT/GRE test scores are sent to us by the application deadline. We understand that sometimes it takes 1-2 weeks for the test centers to release the scores. Therefore, it is acceptable if we receive the scores shortly after the application deadline. The TOEFL or IELTS is not required for MBA or LGO applicants.
MBA GMAT School Code: X5X-QS-41
MBA GRE School Code: 3791
Application Fee
MBA Application Fee: $250.00
The application fee is payable by credit card online when you apply. You will be prompted for payment information after pressing the “Submit Application” button. If you wish to pay by means other than a credit card, you must send an email to adcom@sloan.mit.edu at least one week before you intend to submit your online application. Current college seniors who are U.S. citizens graduating from a U.S. institution in 2013 and active U.S. military personnel may request an application fee waiver by emailing adcom@sloan.mit.edu prior to submitting your application. Please include your school name, graduation date, and the email address used to create your application. The application fee is non-refundable.
Submission of Your Online Application
The online application is due at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline dates. You may complete and submit the online application at any time before the deadline. Save your work before moving to the next page and print a copy for your own records. Please note that all required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
Instructions for LGO Applicants
Applicants to the Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program should read the LGO Supplemental Section of the online application for further instructions and information. For further details, also visit LGO's application web site.
Cover Letter
Please prepare a cover letter (up to 500 words) seeking a place in the MIT Sloan MBA program. Your letter should describe your accomplishments, address any extenuating circumstances that may apply to your application, and conform to standard business correspondence. Your letter should be addressed to Mr. Rod Garcia, Senior Director of Admissions.
Résumé
Please prepare a business résumé that includes your employment history in reverse chronological order, with titles, dates, and whether you worked part-time or full-time. Your educational record should also be in reverse chronological order and should indicate dates of attendance and degree(s) earned. Other information appropriate to a business résumé is welcomed and encouraged. The résumé should not be more than one page in length (up to 50 lines).
Essays
We are interested in learning more about how you work, think, and act. For each essay, please provide an overview of the situation followed by a detailed description of your response. Limit the experiences you discuss in essays 1, 2, and 3 to those which have occurred in the past three years.
In each of the essays please describe in detail what you thought, felt, said, and did.
- Essay 1: Please describe a time when you had to convince a person or a group of your idea. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
- Essay 2: Please describe a time when you overcame a personal setback. (500 words or fewer, limited to one page)
- Essay 3: Why do you wish to pursue the LGO Program? What are the goals that you hope to accomplish both as a student and as a graduate of the program? Be sure to include a description of your post-LGO career plans. (250 words or fewer, limited to one page) You may copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.
- Essay 4: Why do you wish to pursue the engineering field and specialty area you have selected? (250 words or fewer, limited to one page) You may copy and paste text directly from your cover letter.
Supplemental Information (Optional)
The Admissions Committee invites you to share anything else you would like us and/or your future classmates to know about you. This may be in a written essay of 300 words or less (limit 2000 characters) or in a multimedia presentation. Presentations must be accessible via an unprotected URL and cannot be uploaded directly into your application. Videos should be no more than one minute long; please do not use Flash. If you wish to share a link, please only link to content that is hosted online already. We are not looking for links to download files (e.g. no Dropbox, ftp, etc.).
Engineering Master's Program
Select an Engineering Master's program you wish to pursue, using guidelines explained on the LGO application page.
Recommendations
LGO applicants must submit three letters of recommendation. One of the recommendations should be from an academic source or someone who can speak definitively of your technical skills. Recommenders must submit recommendations online. We do not accept mailed recommendations. Each recommendation should not exceed two pages.
Academic Records (Transcripts)
Please scan and upload copies of your academic records. Do not mail in your official academic records or transcripts.
Record of courses taken in preparation for graduate study: Depending on the Engineering Department you wish to pursue a degree in, we ask that you complete a detailed list of courses taken in preparation for graduate study. Please use guidelines explained on the application page.
Applicants invited to interview will be required to provide an official transcript from each school attended. Any discrepancy between the scanned transcripts and official transcripts may result in a rejection in our decision or a withdrawal of our offer of admission.
Test Scores
The GMAT or GRE is required of all applicants and must be taken before submitting your application. Once your online application is submitted, we will not allow replacement of your test scores. Test scores are only valid for five years; therefore, only tests taken after June 1, 2008 will be considered. We require that the official GMAT/GRE test scores are sent to us by the application deadline. We understand that sometimes it takes 1-2 weeks for the test centers to release the scores. Therefore, it is acceptable if we receive the scores shortly after the application deadline. The TOEFL or IELTS is not required for MBA or LGO applicants.
MBA GMAT School Code: X5X-QS-41
MBA GRE School Code: 3791
Application Fee
LGO Application Fee: $250.00
The application fee is payable by credit card online when you apply. You will be prompted for payment information after pressing the “Submit Application” button. If you wish to pay by means other than a credit card, you must send an email to adcom@sloan.mit.edu at least one week before you intend to submit your online application. College seniors who are U.S. citizens studying at a U.S. undergraduate institution and active U.S. military may request an application fee waiver by emailing adcom@sloan.mit.edu prior to submitting your application. The application fee is non-refundable.
Submission of Your Online Application
The online application is due at 3 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline dates. You may complete and submit the online application at any time before the deadline. Save your work before moving to the next page and print a copy for your own records. Please note that all required fields are marked with an asterisk (*).
Instructions for HKS Applicants
Applicants intending to pursue the dual degree option with the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) should follow the MBA Applicant Instructions above.
The MIT Sloan MBA program and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government (HKS) offer a dual degree program that can be completed in three years:
- One year in residence at one school
- A second year in residence at the second school
- A third year with one semester at each school
Applicants who wish to pursue the dual degree option must receive:
- Admission to the MIT Sloan MBA program;
- Admission to the Harvard Kennedy School; and
- Permission from MIT Sloan to pursue the dual degree option in three years
Applicants may apply to both programs in the same year. Alternatively, current HKS students may apply to the MIT Sloan MBA program during their first year of study at Harvard. Finally, current MIT Sloan MBA students may apply to HKS in their first year of study at MIT. Instructions for each option are included below.
Candidates admitted to both programs who are not granted permission to pursue the dual degree option in three years have the option to complete the two degrees in four years.
Concurrent Applicants
If you apply to the MIT Sloan MBA program and the Harvard Kennedy School in the same year and wish to be considered for the dual degree option, you must:
1. Apply in the MBA Round I or Round II (not the HKS Round),
2. Note on your application that you are applying concurrently to MIT Sloan and HKS; and
3. Notify MIT Sloan immediately if you are accepted into HKS
The MIT Sloan School will review your application to determine whether you will be granted permission to pursue the dual degree option. You may be required to submit additional information after admission to MIT Sloan. If permission is granted, you will have the option to choose which degree you wish to pursue in your first year.
Please note: If you choose to begin your studies at MIT Sloan in your first year, you will have more flexibility in completing the MBA degree requirements.
HKS Starters
First-year HKS students are required to select the HKS Application Round. If you are admitted to the MBA program, the MIT Sloan School will review your application to determine whether you will be granted permission to pursue the dual degree option.
MIT Sloan Starters
Candidates interested in pursuing the dual degree option who begin their studies at MIT Sloan must apply to HKS in their first year at MIT Sloan. Candidates must also notify the MBA Student Affairs Office of their intention to apply to HKS by the end of the first semester.
Instructions for Reapplicants
For applicants who applied for entry in 2012, we require that you complete and submit an entire new application, including new recommendation letters, essays, and transcripts.
For those reapplying to either the LGO or MFin programs, please complete and submit your new applications by the respective program deadlines.
Please note: Reapplicants who created an account last year and submitted an application will need to register with a new email address.
Applicants who applied for entry prior to 2012 are not considered reapplicants.
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