Rather than framing its required application essay as a traditional “essay,” the MIT Sloan School of Management instead requests that applicants submit a “cover letter,” including even the standard formal correspondence elements of an address and opening salutation. Writing cover letters will undoubtedly be a large part of students’ career development efforts at Sloan, after all, so why not start now? Candidates must also submit two brief video “essays.” The first is a one-minute self-introduction video in which they are expected to convey their personality. For the second, applicants will be given an open-ended question and must respond extemporaneously within 60 seconds. MBA programs generally use these kinds of videos to evaluate candidates’ communication skills, grace under pressure, and potential to contribute to classroom discussions, as well as to gain insight into who the applicants are as living, breathing people, rather than one-dimensional aggregates of words and numbers in a folder. And finally, Sloan asks candidates to submit a short essay on how their past has influenced the person they are today. While somewhat unorthodox, the school’s “essays” allow applicants to deliver a balanced view of their professional and personal profiles, with a good amount of leeway for creativity. Read on for our full analysis of MIT Sloan’s application prompts for 2024–2025
MIT Sloan 2024–2025 Essay Tips
Cover Letter: 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).
To start, we strongly advise that you avoid beginning your letter with a rote opening like “My name is , and I am seeking a place in the MIT Sloan Class of 2027.” Your reader will likely be asleep before they even finish the sentence! Such information is obvious—we can assure you that the admissions committee is well aware of your desire to be admitted to the MIT Sloan program—and is therefore a waste of precious word count, not to mention that it is hardly the kind of gripping opening that will grab and hold someone’s attention.
The broad scope of this essay prompt allows you a great amount of freedom to choose and share the information you believe is most important for your candidacy. The 300-word maximum is equal to roughly three short paragraphs. Including specific examples of impact and leadership that clearly illustrate that you possess the qualities discussed in the prompt is crucial (we would encourage you to share at least two). Informal guidance provided by MIT Sloan’s admissions committee after the initial release of this essay question in 2017 indicated that applicants should focus on sharing their personal experiences, accomplishments, values, viewpoints, and/or skills to demonstrate (1) what they can contribute to the school’s greater community as a result and (2) why Sloan’s MBA program in particular is the best one for them. The school does not ask you to outline your post-MBA goals, but if doing so allows you to better substantiate your need or desire for a Sloan MBA specifically, a (very) brief explanation of your aspirations could be appropriate and useful.
After discussing your accomplishments—being careful not to brag!—along with any other elements of your profile that you feel make you a strong candidate for the MIT Sloan MBA program, strive to relate these achievements and qualities to the school’s offerings and community. Citing specific courses, experiential opportunities, or other relevant resources can help you make a compelling case for your spot in the next incoming class. For a thorough exploration of the MIT Sloan academic program, unique offerings, social life, and other key characteristics, be sure to download a free copy of the mbaMission Insider’s Guide to the MIT Sloan School of Management.
Video Question 1: Introduce yourself to your future classmates. Here’s your chance to put a face with a name, let your personality shine through, be conversational, be yourself. We can’t wait to meet you! Videos should adhere to the following guidelines:
– No more than 1 minute (60 seconds) in length
– Single take (no editing)
– Speaking directly to the camera
– Do not include background music or subtitles
Before you do anything else, stop and take a deep, cleansing breath. We know video essays can be scary, but MIT Sloan is not trying to stress you out. The admissions committee just wants a more dynamic representation of your personality than a written essay can provide, so your primary goal is simply to be as authentic and natural as possible. This is not a job interview, and you are instructed to consider your fellow students your intended audience, which certainly implies that a less rigid and traditionally “professional” demeanor is okay, though you should obviously never be inappropriate or offensive. Do not concern yourself with trying to say the “right” things in your video. The topic here is one you know very well—you! A good brainstorming tactic is to imagine meeting someone for the first time at a party or other event and to think about the kinds of questions you might ask one another in the process of getting acquainted. What kind of information would you want to know about this person, and what facts about yourself would you be most eager to share, as a way of conveying who you are and making a connection? Take some time to delve into your personality in this way.
The admissions committee’s enthusiasm comes through very clearly in this prompt, and we encourage you to make sure your own enthusiasm comes through just as clearly in your video. In a video on the school’s YouTube channel, Sloan’s associate director of admissions noted that this submission is “one of [their] favorite components in the application,” and we are pretty confident that is not because these videos tend to be stiff, boring recitations of applicants’ resumes and cloying compliments of the school. Spend some time really delving into what makes you you, what you are proud of, what you get excited about, what you like about yourself and feel you can offer to those around you—all the elements that make you the individual you are today. This is the content that will breathe life into your application. For further inspiration, consider asking your family members and friends how they would describe you to someone who had never met you and what they believe are your standout qualities, abilities, and/or accomplishments. Such outside perspectives can be inspiring and can alert you to compelling points you might have otherwise disregarded or forgotten.
Even though in the scenario the school presents, you are supposed to be addressing your fellow students, your actual audience will be the admissions committee, so keep in mind what they will already have learned about you from your cover letter essay and other portions of your application. If you have a particularly significant story or relevant aspect of your candidacy that you have not been able to convey elsewhere in your materials, this could be a great opportunity to share it (though this would not be the time or place to explain any problematic issues). Avoid pandering to the school or expressing your generic admiration for the program. You have only one minute in which to make an impression, and even without knowing you personally, we are confident that you have more to your character than can be conveyed in a mere 60 seconds—so do not waste any of them!
Given that this is a video, you will want to pay some extra attention to the clothing you will wear, your tone of voice, your language style, and other such details. In the end, your message is what is most important, so no fancy bells or whistles are needed, but if you are a more creative type, you might consider ways of nonverbally communicating some of your strongest attributes and key aspects of your life to help permeate your submission with as much information as possible. For example, if you are an avid cook, consider filming your video while standing in a kitchen, perhaps wearing an apron (if you typically do so) and surrounded by the ingredients and tools you need to create one of your favorite recipes. If you are a dedicated guitar player, perhaps hold your guitar as you speak. If you are especially confident, you could even sing about yourself! In short, think about what makes you who you are today, decide what you most want to share with your future classmates, and then let your creativity flow.
On a practical note, be sure to speak clearly. You naturally do not want any part of your message to be lost or misunderstood, and the admissions committee could view your communication skills and style as indicators of how you might interact with your classmates and/or speak in the classroom. Although we recommend spending some time practicing in front of a mirror or a friend, do not over-rehearse, and avoid simply reading from a prepared script. You want to come across as genuine as possible so the admissions committee can “meet” the real you.
Video Question 2: All MBA applicants will be prompted to respond to a randomly generated, open-ended question. The question is designed to help us get to know you better; to see how you express yourself and to assess fit with the MIT Sloan culture. It does not require prior preparation.
Video Essay 2 is part of your required application materials and will appear as a page within the application, once the other parts of your application are completed. Applicants are given 10 seconds to prepare for a 60-second response.
First, try not to panic. Sloan is not looking for the next prime-time anchor or expecting an Oscar-worthy performance—the admissions committee, again, simply wants to get a better sense of your spoken communication style, personality, and perhaps demeanor. Because you cannot choose the question you will be asked and will not know what it is ahead of time, the school is likely also using this video as a way of gauging how you deal with the unexpected, think on your feet, and convey relevant answers in a time-conscious way. This is, after all, similar to what you will be doing in the Sloan classroom as an MBA student.
Although you cannot prepare yourself to respond to any specific question(s), this does not mean that you cannot ready yourself in other ways for this element of the Sloan application. For example, you could ask a friend or family member to ask you questions (consider Googling “MBA interview questions” and/or downloading a free copy of the mbaMission Interview Guide for options) and provide feedback on your answers and presentation. This will also give you a feel for what delivering an oral response within the school’s 60-second time frame feels like (ideally without talking at lightning speed!). Also, as you practice, strive to minimize your use of filler words and phrases (e.g., “um,” “uh,” “like,” “you know”) so that you are less likely to depend on or default to them when the time comes for your actual video submission.
But again, do not panic. If you make a small mistake or bungle your words, just pause, smile, and get back on track. Let us reassure you that Sloan’s question will not have a “right” answer, and you are not going to be judged on how enthralling you are in delivering your response. Strive to speak as you naturally do so the admissions committee can get a feel for your true character and bearing. And if possible, sharing a story from your life that helps illustrate or support your answer will make your response even more compelling. Otherwise, simply breathe, relax, and give the school a brief glimpse of the unique individual you are.
Short Answer Question: The Admissions Committee is excited to learn more about you and your background. In 250 words, please respond to the following short answer question:
How has the world you come from shaped who you are today? For example, your family, culture, community, all help to shape aspects of your experiences and perspective. Please use this opportunity to share more about your background.
The obvious truth is that everyone is shaped by their background, but at the same time, everyone has a unique story. With this question, the Sloan admissions committee wants to learn (and give you an opportunity to share) information about you that the rest of the school’s application has not yet touched on but might be helpful or illuminating for them to know. Note that the prompt is not asking solely about who you are, though; the admissions committee wants you to explain how your past has influenced who you are, so you need to show a clear cause-and-effect relationship between the two.
Perhaps an aspect of your background has pushed you to develop a certain appreciation, value, or skill that is central to who you are and how you conduct yourself in the world. Or maybe you have something in your character that stems directly from your culture or environment and would demonstrate that you are a multifaceted individual who can add an interesting new element to the next incoming class. Your goal is to identify one or two core qualities in yourself that you have not yet highlighted and feel are important for the admissions committee to know to be able to evaluate you fully and fairly; then, you must spell out what—or who—from your past has engendered or nurtured those qualities, and how. Show Sloan that you are self-aware and capable of learning from your environment and the people around you. This will help the admissions committee better understand how you might benefit from the learning environment at Sloan and conduct yourself within it.
Reapplicants: We strongly encourage you to submit new application materials and emphasize what has changed since you last applied. Re-applicants may submit their applications in any round, and will have an opportunity to highlight changes since their previous application in a short-answer question.
Whether you have improved your academic record, received a promotion, begun a new and exciting project, increased your community involvement, or taken on some sort of personal challenge, the key to success this time around is conveying a very deliberate path of achievement. MIT Sloan wants to know that you have been continuing to improve yourself and your profile, and that you have seized opportunities during the time since you last applied to do so, because earning an MIT Sloan MBA is important to you. Make sure the admissions committee is fully aware of any significant work you have done and progress you have made since your previous application.
The Next Step: Mastering Your MIT Sloan Interview
Many MBA candidates find admissions interviews stressful and intimidating, but mastering this important element of the application process is definitely possible—the key is informed preparation. We therefore offer our free Interview Guides to spur you along! Download your free copy of the MIT Sloan School of Management Interview Guide today.
To learn more about the essays for other top business schools, visit our MBA Essay Tips and Examples Resources Page.
