Meet MIT Sloan’s MBA Class Of 2025 by: Jeff Schmitt on November 22, 2023 | 13,918 Views November 22, 2023 Copy Link Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email Share on LinkedIn Share on WhatsApp Share on Reddit Students gather at the MIT Sloan cafeteria. (Photo courtesy of MIT Sloan) Q: Sustainability has emerged as a major attraction to prospective MBA students. How does your full-time MBA program integrate sustainability across its curriculum? A: “There are 95 cross-disciplinary sustainability electives that MIT Sloan students can choose from across MIT’s five schools, including most major management disciplines. For those students who want to specialize in the topic, we offer a sustainability certificate that graduates approximately 100 students each year. In addition, all MIT Sloan students are exposed to sustainability through the core and core electives, in which seven out of nine have sustainability content. We also offer opportunities for students to explore sustainability topics through our weekly luncheon series, subsidized internship programs, independent studies, thesis research, and our annual MIT Sloan Sustainability Summit that connects our students with over 600-plus leaders in public and private sectors.” Bethany Patten, Senior Lecturer and Director of Policy and Engagement, Sustainability, MIT Sloan School of Management Q: What are some key elements in your teaching of leadership? What types of options does your school offer that deepens student experience with leadership and makes them more competitive in the marketplace? A: “MIT Sloan students learn to lead by first understanding themselves, creating self- and other awareness. They then learn how to become the team members and team leaders of choice and continue by leading local change through an action learning experience. For MIT Sloan MBAs, this translates into the Center’s three signature courses: ID Lab (Individual Development and Interpersonal Dynamics), Teams Lab, and Organizations Lab: Leading with Impact. In each course, students participate in the MIT Leadership Center’s tightly integrated programming that weaves together classroom learning, executive coaching, and opportunities to practice, which all leads to meaningful impact. Students who participate in MIT Leadership Center programming develop capabilities that enhance their technical savvy and turn them into the leaders the world needs today.” Abby Berenson, Director, MIT Leadership Center Maura Herson Q: How many courses outside the business school can MBAs take during your program? A: “Students can take three graduate courses from any one of the schools at MIT or Harvard, which count toward the MBA degree. Students can take more if they have room in their schedule.” Q: To what extent has your business school embraced coursework from other schools and departments at your university? A: “We fully encourage students to explore! In addition to formal dual degree programs like the MIT Leaders for Global Operations and MIT Sloan/HKS, our MBA students engage as Legatum Fellows and Morningside Academy of Design (MAD) Fellows, and take classes at the Media Lab, Schwartzman College of Computing and myriad other courses across MIT. There are an additional set of courses that are cross-listed between MIT Sloan and other departments; one example is with the MIT Center for Real Estate.” Q: Are students from other schools and departments at the university allowed to take MBA electives? A: “Yes, except for MIT Sloan MBA core classes.” Maura Herson, Assistant Dean of the MBA program, MIT Sloan School of Management Q: Two years ago, P&Q asked you to share how you’ve integrated AI, STEM, analytics, and digital disruption into your programming. Since then, what types of enhancements have you made in these areas? A: “We have introduced business analytics course offerings throughout our MBA curriculum. In addition to tech-oriented classes focusing on data science models (including deep learning, and LLMs like ChatGPT, etc.), we also have analytics-focused classes in marketing, operations, finance, HR, and applied economics. These offerings teach our MBAs how to use modern AI and ML tools to create intelligent products and services, to wisely use such products and services, and how to act decisively in disruptive business settings.” Rob Freund, the Theresa Seley Professor in Management Science, and MBA Faculty Director, MIT Sloan School of Management Q: What is your biggest student-run event of the year and what does it reflect about your school? A: “Each year, MIT Sloan students organize and lead conferences, expressing their great passion for a wide variety of topics among our community. This year saw the debut of the student-led MIT Sloan Product Conference. It attracted 400-plus attendees and featured cross- functional leaders engaging in dialogue on the changing landscape of product management, product leadership of the future, and how to enter and advance in the industry. In addition to inspirational keynotes and insightful panel discussions the conference featured recruiting events and networking dinners, and the Kresge Auditorium lobby was abuzz with speakers and attendees engaging in conversation between panels. Also, since its launch in 2007, our annual student-organized MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference continues to attract thousands of participants each year. Since 2015, more than 21,000 people have attended while hundreds of thousands more have watched panels and listened to podcasts after the fact. The conference is organized and led by the MIT Sloan Entertainment, Media & Sports Club, which was formed by MBA students in 2001 to fulfill students’ growing interest in the business of entertainment, media, and sports.” Nicole Willits, Associate Director of Student Life, MIT Sloan School of Management Sloan photo 3 ADVANTAGES TO MIT SLOAN 1) Exceptional Faculty: “I first became interested in applying to MIT Sloan after being exposed to the research of Sloan Professor of the Practice Zeynep Ton on what makes a “Good Job.” I came across her research while working for the Gates Foundation’s Economic Mobility portfolio, and realized that workforce equity and job quality was the intersection of my passions: the economic and racial equity I had focused on in philanthropy and the organizational strategy work I had done in consulting. I’m excited to have conversations in my Sloan courses that treat business decisions as people decisions — shifting the focus to the workers who are responsible for companies’ day-to-day success. While at Sloan, I hope to work with Sloan’s Institute for Work and Employment Research and learn from academics such as Zeynep Ton that are leading the way in this field.” Leah Budson (’25) “The quality of our professors and the diversity of subjects. I seriously can’t stress enough how impressed I’ve been by some of the minds at MIT. Being able to connect with a Nobel Prize winner for a 1:1 or just to knock at the door of some of the most important researchers in the field is completely unrivaled. They are always friendly and willing to help and, in the process, foster a great MIT community. This is also clearly reflected in their quality as educators. The lectures are amazing and I’m constantly in awe of their deep knowledge. Secondly, I’ve been very impressed that you can always find a more niche class in every subject you’re interested in. If it exists, MIT has a class on it. Is the topic less than 1 month old? Well, somebody is already preparing a conference on it. Things move quickly at MIT, but that also means that there’s always something cool to explore.” Paolo Luciano Rivera (’23) 2) Leaders Of Global Operations: “MIT Sloan’s Leaders for Global Operations has a tight-knit alumni network who constantly interact, mentor, guide us and provide us with fun projects (see below about ops lab). LGO offers us the opportunity to intern for six months at a partner company. I feel an extended period of exposure to an operations/ management role ensures adequate training, integration into the team, and better positions us to make an impact during our internship.” Haoting Pan (’25) 3) Sports Programming: “Something that might not always be apparent about me is my deep love for sports. It’s an area of my life and work that I’m very passionate about, especially considering the challenges I’ve faced due to a double spinal fracture and subsequent major surgeries that have restricted how actively I can participate in certain sports. While MIT Sloan’s reputation for pioneering programs and cutting-edge faculty in technology— particularly artificial intelligence—is widely known, it’s worth highlighting that the Sloan is also a global leader in the sports industry. Sports business and analytics are an offering specific to Sloan that set it apart from other schools for me, and something I’m genuinely excited about as I look ahead. I’m incredibly excited about the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. In the classic MIT tradition of analytical outside-of-the-box thinking, this conference discusses and explores the expanding integration of mathematics and analytics within the realm of sports. It is of major significance in the sports industry and is the largest student-led conference in the world. I have a number of friends and connections at M7 and European business schools who have attended this conference and subsequently secured valuable internship and job opportunities. I’m looking forward to making the most of this as a Sloan student and getting involved!” Cameron Russell (’25) MIT Sloan Classroom ADVICE TO PROSPECTIVE APPLICANTS “MIT Sloan’s application is all about what you have done, not what you want to do. If you’re usually humble, now is the time to brag. I’m sure you’ve done incredible things, so make sure they shine through. I also spent a good chunk of time working on the video application and used a few props!” Jack O’Brien (’25) “The one piece of advice I would give prospective candidates is to make sure they submit an application that highlights their most authentic selves. Many candidates self-reject themselves before applying, but it is essential to understand that the ad-com looks at everyone holistically. I recommend genuinely reflecting on your experiences to understand why you made certain decisions, the outcomes of those decisions, and how those outcomes affected you. Sloan’s interviews are pretty detailed compared to other programs and data-backed; real-life examples are an asset throughout the process.” Swaraj Dharia (’25) “Although I can’t fully validate it, I’m sure that what gave me an edge was my recommendation letters. The folks who wrote them weren’t famous nor high profile. They were simply my managers and professors who knew me extremely well. They were the people who had seen, first hand, what I was capable of. People who were truly invested in my development as a professional and as a person. Last, they were able to speak fondly of me and to invest enough time in the writing. I wouldn’t be at MIT without them.” Paolo Luciano Rivera (’23) MBA Student Hometown Undergraduate Alma Mater Last Employer Michael Akpawu Accra, Ghana Ashesi University Green Eight Capital Leah Budson Newton, MA Haverford College Boston Consulting Group Jake Daniels Los Angeles, CA Northwestern University NBCUniversal Swaraj Dharia Mumbai, India Vellore Institute of Technology, India Peak Sustainability Ventures Easlynn Lee Houston, TX Spelman College Dropbox Hector G. Moncada Chandler, AZ United States Military Academy U.S. Army Sofie Netteberg Little Canada, MN Williams College McKinsey & Company Jack O’Brien McLean, VA Princeton University Stonks.com CC Obi-Gwacham Queens, NY University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill COTA Healthcare Haoting Pan Suzhou, China University of California at Davis Lea + Elliott, Inc. Cameron Russell London, United Kingdom Queen’s University Kirkland & Ellis Previous PagePage 3 of 3 1 2 3