What It Takes To Get Into Sloan

MIT’s Sloan School of Management had an 11.5% acceptance rate in 2019, making it the sixth most selective b-school in the nation.

It’s no easy feat to get into Sloan. But if you do gain admission, the potential for success is well worth it. According to Sloan, 97% of its class of 2018 and 2019 received a full-time offer within three months of graduation with a median base salary of $135,000.

Business Insider recently talked to Sloan’s assistant dean of admissions, an MBA admissions coach, and Sloan students and alumni to see just what it takes to get into the prestigious b-school.

WHO SLOAN SEEKS

An applicant who gets accepted into Sloan is not your average applicant.

On average, the Sloan class of 2021 had a 3.6 undergraduate GPA, a 727 GMAT, and five years of work experience.

But beyond the numbers, experts say, Sloan seeks out individuals with certain characteristics that would fit well into the Sloan community.

“The people who are admitted to Sloan are those who are authentic and those who show a true passion for the school, the unique curriculum and experiences, and the community and students that they hope to join,” Radhika Brinkopf, a 2016 MIT Sloan graduate and business development director at a food and beverage company, tells Business Insider.

MIT is a community of doers and that’s certainly the kind of applicant that Sloan seeks out.

“Students intend to make an impact and they have no shortage of passion to do it,” Adam Swartzbaugh, a class of 2021 Sloan student, tells P&Q. “MIT’s [culture] is one of rebel thinkers utilizing disruptive ideas to change the world…[It is] an institution focused on placing theory and academia into action to achieve real results.”

TELL A STORY

Experts say it’s important to use your application to Sloan to tell a story to admissions officers.

“Applicants who stand out have put together a well-written application that leaves us wanting to know more,” Dawna Levenson, assistant dean in the office of admissions at the MIT Sloan School of Management, tells Business Insider. “I think that it is helpful for an applicant to think about the resume, cover letter, and video as a package to tell [their] story. The resume will be career-focused, the video can be personal, and the cover letter explains ‘why MIT Sloan.'”

In order to tell a cohesive story, it’s imperative that the elements of your application align.

“If your cover letter and resume sound like they were written about two different people, consider focusing more on the quality and impact of a few of your related successes, rather than the sheer quantity,” Maureen Canellas, an MIT Sloan class of 2021 student, tells Business Insider.

PAST OVER FUTURE  

What makes Sloan’s admissions process unique, according to experts, is that they are specifically looking to understand how your past achievements make you an ideal fit for their community.

Thus, experts say, it’s important to not overly focus on your future goals.

“The belief is that your past performance will be an indicator of how you will perform in the future and how you will contribute to the MIT Sloan community,” Brinkopf tells Business Insider. “This means that rather than wanting to understand what you might do as the future leader of a Fortune 500 company, a startup, or whatever else you think you want to do post business school, MIT Sloan wants you to tell the stories of your successes and your failures.”

Sources: Business Insider, P&Q, Sloan School of Management