MIT Sloan Adds Deferred MBA Admission For College Seniors

MIT sloan School of Management (Photo by John A. Byrne)

Following in the footsteps of Harvard Business School’s 2+2 deferred admissions program, MIT’s Sloan School of Management has begun its own MBA early admission initiative for college seniors. Students accepted for MIT Sloan will work two to five years after graduating from college before matriculating into the full-time MIT Sloan MBA Program.

Similar programs are now in place at Stanford, Yale’s School of Management, and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, among others. Last year, Columbia Business School said it, too, would add a deferred admissions program (see CBS Plans Deferred MBA Admissions). At HBS, more than 1,100 candidates apply under 2+2 each year (see HBS 2+2: A Low-Risk Way To Get Into Harvard Business School?)

In 2017, Wharton joined the deferred bandwagon, announcing the Moelis Advance Access Program, for University of Pennsylvania undergrads only (see Wharton’s New Deferred MBA Admit Program). The school said its new deferred-admission pathway will focus on Penn undergraduates with non-traditional academic backgrounds who can defer admission for between two and four years. Chicago Booth’s deferred admit program, known as Chicago Booth Scholars, was expanded last year to students from any undergraduate institution who are in their final year of study. Initially, it was limited to only seniors at the University of Chicago.

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business launched a deferred option in 2016 called Future Year Scholars Program aimed at top college seniors or fifth-year master’s degree students. Admitted scholars may choose to begin their MBA after gaining two, three, or four years of work experience. At Darden, there are additional incentives for accepted applicants, including a scholarship of $15,000 per year of study at Darden, eligibility for additional scholarships and early access to the Darden network of over 15,000 alumni, among other benefits.

“MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission provides an exciting opportunity for undergraduate seniors to set a future path for themselves at MIT Sloan,” says Rod Garcia, assistant dean of admissions at MIT Sloan. “There is increasing market demand for this type of early admission among MIT undergraduate students and top students around the world. This is a very positive addition to our offerings.”

SLOAN VIEWS IT AS A VALUABLE RECRUITING TOOL

Assistant Dean of Admissions Dawna Levenson agrees. “This is a wonderful new option for prospective students who want to proactively manage their future and make a difference. These are students who have already demonstrated the potential to be principled and innovative leaders who will make a positive impact on the world.”

She notes that MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission is a valuable recruiting tool for MIT Sloan, as several other top business schools offer similar admission options. “We want to increase MIT representation in our own MBA program, and recruit qualified college seniors from other colleges to MIT Sloan as early as possible.”

MIT Sloan senior Elena Alberti says, “As I was finishing my undergraduate experience, I realized that applying to Sloan through MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission was an obvious next step. I have interacted with many MBAs at Sloan and they all have a wealth of different backgrounds that they use to create a formative experience for their fellow classmates. I wanted to be able to learn from these backgrounds and experiences, so that I can grow further.”

APPLICATION DEADLINE FOR DEFERRED ADMISSION IS APRIL 8

The MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission is currently open to enrolled students who will complete their bachelor’s or first degree by July 2019 and plan to work full-time for two to five years after graduation. The application deadline is Monday, April 8, 2019, the day before the HBS 2+2 deadline this year. Slaon says that applicants will be notified of decisions on Wednesday, May 8, 2019.

“We’re looking for students who have demonstrated leadership and an impact on their community, whether it is in the classroom, clubs, athletics, or internships. Thriving in a collaborative team environment, these are students from a diversity of majors who will enhance the MIT Sloan community with their intellectual abilities, drive and experiences,” says Levenson, noting that the application fee is waived for all MIT Sloan MBA Early Admission applicants.

To apply, students must submit a cover letter, resume, video statement, academic transcripts, two letters of recommendation, and test scores. However, the GMAT/GRE is not required for current MIT students who meet the eligibility requirements. Interviews are required and will be scheduled by invitation only after an initial evaluation of a complete application.

To learn more, prospective applicants are invited to a Virtual Information Session on Friday, January 25, 2019 at 1:00 pm ET – 2:00 pm ET. Representatives from the MBA Admissions team will discuss what makes MIT Sloan distinctive, the MBA Program, and the application process.

DON’T MISS: HBS 2+2: A LOW-RISK WAY TO GET INTO HARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL?

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