Image: MIT Sloan School of Management (Rights to image not owned by MBA Conquerors; parts of image are AI generated)
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 professional examples that illustrate why you meet the desired criteria above, and be addressed to the Admissions Committee (300 words or fewer, excluding address and salutation).
UNDERSTANDING THE ESSAY PROMPT (Creator's commentary will be made available to have a better understanding of why the components of essay have been chosen)
Couple of words have already been highlighted in the essay prompt to help you understand the keywords that make an MIT Sloan MBA student special. It highlights the essence of what the admissions team expects your personal brand to be.
Couple of things that do stand out here - "MIT looks for people who want to leave their stamp on the world" being the most important line as this essay really wants to ask you how exactly will you be immersing yourself in MIT culture to realize your goals that will leave a stamp on the world.
If you were to put this in short, this essay is asking you two things- What are your goals? Why MIT? If you know what MIT's values are and what MIT Sloan's mission is- The mission of the MIT Sloan School of Management is to develop principled, innovative leaders who improve the world and to generate ideas that advance management practice. How MIT views diversity can also help you understand what MIT defines as systemic challenges. (Understanding how the school's views contrast with your own can also help you define what makes your views unique. Additionally, aligning your perspectives with that of MIT helps the school assess your fit). Of course, the employment reports and class profile are important factors in understanding your fit but cultural fit is as important!
Lastly, MIT asks some proof of your past professional experience that shows this fit into MIT. A lot to unpack in 300 words- Why MIT, What are your goals and Why you! Also, know that there is a video essay which can serve as a complement to this essay to unpack more sides of your personality. Instead of putting in too many things together here, I recommend using both essays as compliments of each other.
With that understanding, we're going to look at Michael Scott's essay. Given Michael's personality, MIT does not seem like a good fit but, Michael does have a willingness to leave a mark on the world and probably the goals as we have seen from the profile can help. But this essay will be an example of a forced fit essay where the candidates are not a fit for the school but are trying to align themselves with the school.
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Admissions Committee
50 Memorial Drive
Cambridge, MA 02142
Date- 21st September 2024
Dear Admissions committee,
Having worked for Dunder Mifflin Inc. for all those years didn't just help me leave a mark on the company but also confirmed the leadership's respect for my work when Dunder Mifflin acquired my startup - Michael Scott paper company, and kept me on in my former position as regional manager.
When I founded Michael Scott Paper Company, two former coworkers joined me because they trusted my vision. Despite fundraising challenges, we learned from investors and decided to bootstrap the startup. Being underfunded led me to innovate and create lean systems that could compete with larger companies unable to adapt due to rigidity.
While we had to get creative in our approach to sales, delivery and operations, the efforts paid off and we made a mark on Scranton market by acquiring more than 40% of the market share within a few months of launch. There was nothing unique about what we were doing except the diverse ideas that ended up creating a company which got acquired along with its employees into the very company we used to work for so that we can lead the branch with our cutting-edge ideas.
With these lessons from the past, I want to startup in a new innovative way that can transform the paper industry as we know it- a company that can evolve with technology but keep the true value of paper- a medium to communicate ideas and art and develop relationships- constant. At MIT, I want to engage with the Martin Center as they believe that Entrepreneurship is a craft that can be taught- from orbit to the engine, MIT has a resource for every phase of entrepreneurship. With the E&I track and Entrepreneurs in residence, I could have all the guidance I need as I now set my eyes to leave a stamp on the world.
Best,
Michael Gary Scott
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Creator's commentary coming soon!
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